Our meeting will be July 13 at Telephone Pioneer Park Swimming Pool(1946 W Morningside, Phoenix).  We will meet from 1 to 4 PM.  We are very excited because we have the Midwestern occupational therapy students coming to assist us.  What a great way to cool off in this heat.

 We’ll swim and float in the water and have root beer floats for treats.  Invite your friends and those who have not been out to VOICE for a few months (the more the merrier). You don’t want to miss this ‘cool’ meeting.

 VOICE attendance in June was 11.

 We had a good time at the Diamondbacks game in June.  Unfortunately the D-Backs didn’t win.  Most of those who attended rode the light rail which made it very easy – no traffic or parking hassles.

 Happy Birthday in July to:

• Dal Rabar                 July 8
• Teri Canady             July 8
• Kianie Putnam        July 17
• Kristie McCrery       July 24
• Sherry Bertram       July 27

 Spotlight – Dal Rabar

Dal was born in Massillon, Ohio. He is married to Teri Canady.  He also has 2 brothers and 8 nieces – that’s a lot of girls!

Dal fixes computers; software issues, internet not working, etc.  He has come to the rescue of some of you I understand.

He and Teri like to go to movies, restaurants and the mall.  Dal also enjoys visiting with friends, playing video games and just hanging out.  He enjoys being a part of VOICE and coming to our monthly meetings/events.

Dal’s favorite time of year is Christmas because he likes to give of himself and help people whenever he can.  Dal is a very giving person.

He has decided that he is grown up and comfortable with what he has achieved; being married and independent.  He handles his responsibilities, including his money, very well and is proud of that fact.

News

Mark your calendars – lots of fun ahead!

• At our August meeting we are having someone from the City of Glendale Parks and Recreation.  Should be informative.
• In September Robert Lynch will be returning with new information to share.
• Our October meeting will be our ‘bingo’ party and of course we’ll celebrate Halloween.

Upcoming Events of Interest:

• July 15  – Men’s Disability Group (602-980-3232)
• July 16 – COMPASS Support Group (602-241-1006)
• July  24 – 20^th Anniversary of ADA Gala (602-503-6593)

Save the Date:

• August 12-15 – Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Retreat at Whispering Hope Ranch
• August 26-29 – Camp Can Do (Brain Injury Association)

A Thought for the Month

What a great country we live in.  Happy Birthday America!!

Remember:  Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often…………               Take care, Janene

Our meeting will be attending the June 10 Diamondbacks game at Chase Field.  The game starts at 12:40.  For those of you who indicated they wanted tickets, Janene will be at the ballpark at 11:30 with the tickets.  If you still need to pay for them, please bring your money.

VOICE attendance in May was 7.

We miss you at our meetings.  We hope to see a large crowd again on July 13.

Happy Birthday in June to:

Trina Potter              June 30

Brenda Millard         June 30

A BIG VOICE THANK YOU to Desiree Garcia and Miranda Jones from ABRiO Family Services who came to speak to us in May.  ABRiO provides services throughout Arizona.  Their services include home and community based services; home care services; day enrichment programs; residential support; and employment support.

Spotlight – Kristie McCrery

Kristie was born and raised in Arizona – can you believe it – a real Native.

Kristie has a large family that includes her parents, 1 brother, 3 sisters, and lots of nieces and nephews.  She has a cute Yorkie named Tinkerbell (who is very spoiled) and who just turned 2.

Kristie loves Christmas because the whole family gets together. She has a gift wrapping business and she is very good at it.  Kristie also volunteers her time for many good causes.  Besides VOICE (she sends out the birthday cards), she also volunteers at Theatre Works and nursing homes when she can.

She enjoys movies, going to lunch and/or dinner, going to VOICE and One Step Beyond.

News

VOICE is sad to announce the death of Janet “JR” Graffin.  She passed away on April 26.  JR was a joy to have at VOICE and even though she was not a regular, she will be missed.  Our thoughts go out to her family.

Tony Trujillo is not doing well at this time (not sure what it is).  I talked to him and he sounds very weak.  Please keep Tony in your thoughts.  We miss you Tony–get well soon and rejoin us!

Upcoming Events of Interest:

• June 17  – Men’s Disability Group (602-980-3232)
• June 18 – COMPASS Support Group (602-241-1006)

Save the Date:

• August 12-15 – Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Retreat at Whispering Hope Ranch
• August 26-29 – Camp Can Do (Brain Injury Association)

A Thought for the Month

June is National Dairy Month – eat ice cream and enjoy!

With Memorial Day just behind us I can’t help but think of all of the wonderful people who have been a part of VOICE – what a great group of people that we all miss.

Remember:  Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often…………               Take care, Janene

Thanks to all of you who came out to our annual picnic at Sahuaro Ranch Park.  We had a great turn out and a good time.  Sorry some of you had to wait for hamburgers – thanks to Bob for going to pick up more.

VOICE attendance in April was 33.

Happy Birthday to anyone that may have a birthday in May.

VOICE is happy to welcome Maureen Jones, ABRiO Family Services Regional Director to be our May speaker.  ABRiO has provided services to promote and enhance independent living in the home and community for individuals with disabilities for more than 15 years.  They help with respite care, rehabilitation, attendant care services, and even those recovering from surgery, illness or injury.

Spotlight – Jean Moriki

Jean was born in Ecuador, South America.  She has three brothers; two live in Illinois and one lives here in Mesa. Jean has one daughter, going to school at ASU in Tempe; she lives on campus.  Jean’s entire family celebrated her father’s 75^th birthday on March 27 – that is awesome!

Jean is allergic to most 4-legged friends, so she has no pets.  She is currently the Vice-Chair on the Phoenix Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues so she does not have time to work.  Her favorite thing to do is advocacy work because she wants to try to improve the quality of life for others with disabilities.

Jean likes to surf the internet so that she can obtain information about products or services that can help others.  Her favorite time of year is Christmas because she likes watching the kids’ faces light up when they open gifts.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Don’t forget that VOICE will be going to the Diamondbacks game on Thursday, June 10 at 12:40.  If you want to buy a ticket, please bring your $8.00 per ticket to the May meeting.  We will not have a regular meeting in June because of the game.

Upcoming Events of Interest:

• May 20  – Men’s Disability Group (602-980-3232)

• May 21 – COMPASS Support Group (Granite Reef Senior Center, Scottsdale) (602-241-1006)

Save the Date:

• June 4-5, 2010 – 14^th Annual Day on the Lake

A Thought for the Month

How lucky we are to live in a world where people can accomplish so much.

Lynn Martinka was honored in March at ABIL’s “Spirit of ABIL” Awards for her many years of service and advocacy work to ABIL and the disability community at large.  Her sister accepted the award.

How proud we are to have known and loved Lynn!

Remember:  Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often…………               Take care, Janene

Our April meeting is Tuesday, April 13 – our Annual Picnic at Sahuaro Ranch Park.  We will meet at 11:30 AM for our picnic.  VOICE will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, all the fixings and drinks.  If you would like to, please bring something to share with the group.

We hope to see lots of you out to the picnic.  If you haven’t been to VOICE in a while, now is the time to come!

VOICE would like to Thank David Haas from The Arizona Center for Disability Law for speaking to us at our meeting in March.  The Arizona Center for Disability Law is the largest provider of free services for the disabled in the State.  David was very informative and answered many questions for us.  Thanks again, David!

VOICE attendance in March was 13.

Happy Birthday in April to:

Marisa Cook              April 1

Anita Culver             April 9

Julie Ayers               April 16

Janice McMorris     April 20

Robert Malone        April 30 

Spotlight – Janice Edwards

Janice is our April Spotlight and it is her birthday month.  Janice is an Arizona Native (not too many of them around) – she was born in Phoenix.  She is married, with one daughter and two grandsons; she also has two brothers.

Janice is a cat person – she has two of them for pets.  She enjoys music, both listening to and singing.  We know she has a good voice.  She also enjoys swimming and likes to meet new people.

Janice volunteers her time with the Manzanita Senior Center and also sings with a group called Happy Notes.  She enjoys comedy, family and friends.  Janice is always such a positive person and fun to be around.

She enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and oh, did we mention, singing!  Spring is her favorite time of the year because of the nice weather and the flowers and trees are all in bloom.

She’ll let us know what she wants to be when she grows up (if she figures it out).  You don’t need to grow up if you don’t want do – just stay the way you are!

Upcoming Events of Interest:

• April 15  – Men’s Disability Group (602-980-3232)
• April 16 – COMPASS Support Group (Granite Reef Senior Center, Scottsdale) (602-241-1006)

Save the Date:

• April 10, 2010 – 2010 Health & Wellness Fair
• June 4-5, 2010 – 14^th Annual Day on the Lake

A Thought for the Month

At this beautiful time of the year I realize how lucky we all are.  The weather is wonderful, the flowers and trees are in bloom and smell great (except for the occassional allergy attack). Take time to smell the roses and enjoy the weather – before it gets too hot.

Remember:  Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often…………               Take care, Janene