Monitoring Columbia River's Water Quality

An aerial view of the Columbia River watershed.

Many of us have had to admit, since the beginning of this year, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been gutted of its mission by a deliberately negligent leader. As that has become more apparent, our environmental concerns have been placed more in the hands of nonprofit organizations, to maintain the rehabbing of our major rivers, among the various neglected aspects of the EPA.

One organization that guards a body of water moving through several States is COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER, whose responsibility is the cleanliness and preservation of the Columbia River. Part of a national Waterkeeper Alliance, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it was formed from a merger between Columbia River United and Clean Water Columbia. Its responsibility is the entire Columbia River, from its head until it drains into the Pacific Ocean, along with all of its living environs.



One of the functions of the organization is training more than 150 volunteers to monitor the Columbia's water quality at approximately 100 sites along the river. In their quest to maintain the river water's integrity, there were several water pollution threats detected, including toxic substances detected in sturgeons and water temperatures that were outside of standards set by the State and that affect salmon migration.

Since 2006, volunteers have monitored an increasing number of sites for conductivity, pH, water clarity, dissolved oxygen level, temperature, and e. coli level. In 2007-2008, volunteers monitored eight of the sites near Wenatchee for aquatic insects. By monitoring these sites regularly, Riverkeeper is able to respond quickly to changes that indicate a toxic inflow and can pinpoint the problem, so it can be fixed.

A trained volunteer monitors water quality at a designated site.

For example, in 2008 volunteers at the Indian Creek site detected an increase in e. coli, which was found to be coming from a damaged sewer pipe, that enabled the damage to be fixed. Throughout their time monitoring the river, volunteers have found that the mainstream temperature of 68 degrees in the summer exceeds the State standard. That temperature causes young steelhead and salmon to be restricted in size, more subject to disease, and more vulnerable to predators. Continued monitoring has also helped volunteers to identify some cool-water tributaries that could be restored into alternative sites more suitable to these younger fish.

By monitoring the river, volunteers discovered the water temperature too warm to sustain healthy steelheads and salmon.

In order to provide accurate monitoring, volunteers receive training from Columbia Riverkeeper and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (DEQ). That helps maintain scientific accuracy and also performs a service for DEQ, allowing them to have data and report to their citizens the state of the river.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ColumbiaRiverkeeper/about/?ref=page_internal; this page on Columbia Riverkeeper: http://columbiariverkeeper.org/about-us/our-story/; this page on Columbia Riverkeeper: http://columbiariverkeeper.org/water-quality/water-quality-monitoring/; and the above link.

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A Talented Student From Annapolis High

Two student aides talk about a project with Principal Donald Lilley, left.

Let's check out one of the Maryland public high schools, ANNAPOLIS HIGH SCHOOL, to be exact, located in the State Capital. Interestingly, this high school has been in operation since 1896, one of the first in the entire State. Since that time, it has grown to accommodate 2,047 students. Among its programs is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, with a broad curriculum designed to prepare its students for university studies. In addition, there is a Performance and Visual Arts Programme for students with artistic skills and talent.

One of the students in the International Baccalaureate program is Mohamed Moneib, a senior. Because Mohamed was missing one of the usual four growth plates in his knee, his parents decided to give up their successful lives in Egypt and immigrate to the US when he was 5 years old. He endured four major and six minor surgeries to correct this defect.



In the summer of 2016, Mohamed volunteered with the same hospital's physical therapy department. He explained, "It was a pleasure to work with kids with similar disabilities." His now-corrected bone structure was thought to be "a pretty rare condition".

As a member of the National Honor Society since his sophomore year, Mohamed spends part of his Panther Hours (a lunch period split with study hall or club work) as a tutor with the math, science, and language departments. Just to show his capabilities in just one subject area, it can be noted that this talented youth is fluent in three languages - English, Arabic, and French.

Martin Noga, Mohamed's French teacher, said, "Mohamed is a remarkable human being and one of the few students I am always proud to call a true leader. He has an infectious personality that easily attracts people towards him. I can summarize Mohamed's personality as a true steward who always does things with humility, generosity of spirit and complete integrity."

Mohamed Moneib in front of the high school.

Both of Mohamed's parents have become naturalized citizens. His father is an insurance agent and his mother is an Arab language tutor. I bet they're both very proud of their son, too. Mohamed represents the caliber of student that we are all happy to have in the State of Maryland!

The National Honor Society Induction Ceremony.

Thanks for information from this page on Annapolis High: http://www.annapolishighschool.org/pdf/2017-18_Profile_AHS.pdf; this article by Wendi Winters in Capital Gazette: http://www.capitalgazette.com/neighborhoods/ac-cm-tow-mohamed-moneib-ahs-ib-20171125-story.html; and the above links.

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Mixing Urban With Traditional Dance

Batalo East participants at Bayimba International Festival of the Arts

As people around the world become more connected through the internet and smartphones, there is concern among local groups that aspects of their culture may become lost. Then, as those who remember their culture become older and die, those traditions won't be passed on to the younger generation, losing the unique cultural qualities of these local groups.

In order to get Kampala youth interested in traditional dance, Abdul Kinyenya enlisted the help of Breakdance Project Uganda and Tabu Flo Dance to combine modern urban dance with traditional dance. The concept of integrating both forms of dance came together in BATALO EAST, an organization which has been spreading this Afro-fusion dance within Uganda and internationally.



Mr. Kinyenya promoted the organization's work this way, "Batalo East is driving positive social change. In an open, constructive, and encouraging environment, we are speaking to young people who are growing up in a globalized world where there traditional roots are increasingly eroded."

The urban educational system was also contributing to the erosion of cultural traditions through lack of exposure. There was no integration of cultural traditions and arts into the educational curriculum, thus losing the learning opportunities presented in the educational system. This is where Batalo East really stepped in, utilizing the expertise of the professionals involved in its formation. Through various activities, such as dance jams, workshops, outreach, advocacy, collaboration, and a dance festival, this organization has been engaging youth and filling the gap in their education.

Back in October the monthly dance workshop was devoted to Nelayo traditional dance, which comes from eastern Uganda. Attendees got a chance to learn and apply the dance techniques presented into the urban dance styles with which many were familiar. By the way, these monthly dance workshops are open not just to dancers, but to interested members of the public.

Some of the youth who participate in the activities of Batalo East.

The Jams are offered on the last Saturday of the month in a studio space above the National Theatre. As with most of the sessions offered by Batalo East, Jams utilize one traditional dance tradition techniques and applies them into hip hop dance. Within the session, participants view clips of the traditional dance and discuss how these moves can be incorporated into urban dance with a professional dancer. Then in the jam portion, participants can experiment individually or in groups with the combination of traditional and urban dance forms. No particular skill level is touted, just a good attitude, comfortable clothing, and water to remain hydrated.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/abdul-kinyenya-batalo-east/; this post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bataloeast/posts/1529486497159471; this post on Batalo East:  http://www.bataloeast.org/project/the-equation-jams/; and the above link.

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A Lab For Anyone Interested

CCL information booth at a local maker fair.

Can you imagine this? It's an equipped science lab, but not necessarily for industry use. It's for the average person, a place for citizen science. Not only is it a place for experimentation, but it is a place where a visitor can learn more about science. It's a maker space, a place for discovery and creativity, a place where you can meet others of similar mind, citizen scientists, science hackers, tinkerers, biotech innovators, science teachers. Here, at COUNTER CULTURE LABS (CCL), in San Francisco, the equipment is available to take the mystery out of the scientific process.

So, exactly what types of investigations are going on at CCL? Five different projects are happening at the same time, but they each have designated days of the week, so interested participants are sure to find the project that interests them. On Saturdays, a member of the lab offers a one and a half hour class for those interested, who also make a small monetary contribution to offset the cost of supplies. Content usually covers an Intro to the Lab and a 101 Level Synthetic Biology series.



Making Real Vegan Cheese occurs every other Monday and involves utilizing the same proteins that make milk to produce a milk without the animal involvement, then putting that milk through the same cheese-making fermentation process that makes milk-based cheese. Plant Biology takes place on the alternate Mondays involves learning all that plants can teach and investigating what products can be made from plants.

First Tuesday of the Month becomes a day when exploration of inventions and science at the intersection with art is explored, on what is called Art-n-Science. Anything fitting into this category is fair game. Wednesdays and Sundays are Open Insulin days. Anything that leads to a generic form of insulin or research into more improved forms of insulin is explored. The Fermentation Station is open on Wednesdays. Participants get to make herbal mead and other fermentation products, along with already-formulated brews.

Milo Toor, a software engineer, works with equipment that helps sequence DNA.

For those with extra time on their hands, fixing up the lab is an available option. Cleaning and tidying are always needed. Older, used equipment can be sold, and equipment used regularly can be tested and labelled with colored tape to indicate working status. Drawers can be labelled with types of items stored there and items left out and about can be returned to their drawers. Yes, it's the basics of science; it's participatory, and it's available to anyone interested.

Hardware Bio-Hacking session at CCL.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/CounterCultureLabs/about/?ref=page_internal; this page on CCL: https://www.counterculturelabs.org/about.html; this page on CCL: https://www.counterculturelabs.org/projects.html; and the above link.

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A Mission Of Hope And Second Chances

Charlie Alexander, President and CEO.

It's not exactly an easy mission for any organization, but THE LIVING LEGACY FOUNDATION (LLF) manages to implement it with a strong dose of hope. For, its mission involves saving lives of those who are so sick that they need a new, donated organ, in order to live a better and more comfortable life, frequently even just to live.

However, the other portion of their mission, the procuring of the transplant-eligible organ can be difficult and heart-rending. It involves approaching family members at the most difficult time of their lives, a time when their loved one is dying suddenly. How they approach these families is key to completing their circle of life.



Of course, there can be a lot of preparatory work and the assistance of health care professionals brought about by the organization's advocacy efforts and educational outreach. Donations and volunteers help them in their work. And their work takes place throughout most of Maryland. The importance of their work is reflected in numbers, as in the numbers of individuals on the transplant waiting list. Maryland alone had 3,794 people on that list on May 18 of this year.

Let's look at an organ transplant recipient. For Marty Maren that need came up suddenly in 2009. He developed liver failure due to acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning, giving him only 72 hours to live without a transplant. Even though his prognosis was grim without a transplant, he was placed quickly on the liver transplant list.

It turned out that the first potential transplant, 48 hours in, came when Mr. Maren was not stable enough to receive it, since he had uncontrollable bleeding. That organ went to someone else further down the list. His wife, Michele, questioned the surgeon about any options to stabilize her husband, and was given the option of surgery to remove the liver, with the potential to stop the bleeding and buy him some time, only an additional 48 hours. She agreed to the procedure.

Almost toward the end of his prognostic life span, a liver became available and Mr. Maren had a successful transplant. Like many who are given this second chance at life, he gives back by volunteering at LLF and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Not only that, but he and his wife founded a Maryland chapter of TRIO (Transplant Recipients International Organization), a support group to help others receiving organ transplants.

Information booth at the Annual Celebration of Remembrance.

Consider your own situation and what you might want to do when you see that organ donation card. Do you sign the card, in the case that you have life-saving organs to give? Do you give someone else a chance at life, being able to make contributions to society, and live their lives more comfortably? What do you want to do?

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheLLF/about/?ref=page_internal; this article from LLF: https://www.thellf.org/stories-of-hope/stories/showstory/martymaren/; and the above link.

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Providing For Needs In A Rural Area

Inside Mapleton Food Share.

Some rural areas are dependent upon a single industry for prosperity, jobs, and income. But tough economic times can put that industry into decline and close the businesses that depended on that industry. That happened in Mapleton, Oregon when the logging industry went into decline and shuttered local logging operations. That meant lack of income for residents, who worked for the local operations, now out of jobs, and struggling to meet their families' basic needs.

At the same time, MAPLETON FOOD SHARE had been in business already, supported by Karen Harden and a team of volunteers, to provide food for families that were food insecure. Through donations and food collections, this organization is a source for nutritional support for those who lack the funds to purchase the food their families need.



Once the logging industry was declining, though, more families were in need, and the need wasn't just for food. Ms Harden decided to add a Resource Center to the services provided by Mapleton Food Share. The Resource Center actually recycles such items as clothing, furniture, and common household items, available to families in need for a small donation and volunteer hours.

As Ms. Harden stated, "Just as we have become a model for other rural food pantries, we hope that other pantries will expand to accommodate participants' basic needs." In addition to supplying non-food items, the Resource Center also utilizes the services of a pro bono social worker to provide counseling and also passes along information about other community services.

The organization held their latest fund-raiser in September, with the sponsorship help of Coast Insurance Services Inc., and it was held at Three Rivers Casino. The main attraction was Bingo, complete with prizes, including some cash prizes. Children were also allowed to play. There was plenty of food available for all participants.

Mapleton Food Share has its own gardens for fresh produce.

Back in April, Mapleton Food Share offered its facilities for an Earth Day volunteer sign-up event for the Mapleton Beautification Project. With a date in May set aside for the actual project, volunteers could declare their areas of interest or skills, so they could be assigned a particular task. The Project was a clean up and plant type of project, with such tasks as planting bushes, cleaning trash and other detritus from the roadway, and adding in grasses and flowers for natural coloring. Students from the local high school assisted with the sign-up.

Some of the items available in the Resource Center.

Thanks for information from this article on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/karen-harden-mapleton-resource-center/; this page on Mapleton Food Share: http://www.mapletonfoodshare.org/index.php/resource-center; this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/CoastInsuranceServices/photos/a.253511231397730.62162.239385062810347/1420081414740700/?type=3&theater; this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/mapletonfoodshare.org/posts/743191185859370; and the above link.

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Advocacy For Farmworkers

A farmworker picking oranges.

One thing that I haven't discussed very much is my background, my father's background, his parent's background. My grandparents, who immigrated from Poland, farmed the land. Their children, all ten of them helped them to farm the land.

As I was growing up, my Uncle Joe had a farm a few miles away from my grandparents' home. Many is the summer that my dad would take us four children to Uncle Joe's farm to harvest some strawberries. Given that we only picked what we needed for our family, including what we used for freezing and canning, we didn't have quite the same experience as farmworkers, those who are hired by farmers to pick ripened fruits and vegetables. But I can tell you that it is back-breaking work in the hot sun, with no shade anywhere in sight.



At any rate, some of my experience, albeit not exactly the same as that of farmworkers, has always given me a great respect for what they do, and also for the organizations that advocate for them. You see, picking the produce for our nation's families is hard, backbreaking work, and the people who do it don't often receive much in the way of gratitude or pay.

In Florida, back in 1983, after early freezes had damaged the orange crop, an organization, the FLORIDA FARM WORKERS ASSOCIATION (FWAF), was formed. This organization essentially empowers farmworkers and provides a safety net for them and their families. It also seeks to leverage its power in numbers to address injustices in the various settings in which farmworkers find themselves.

Because farmworkers have close contact with crops, they also are exposed to chemicals that are applied to those crops, including pesticides. You would think that pesticides would have to be safe for human beings since these are food crops. That's the reason for regulations that ban pesticides and limit their use. Last year, the EPA for the first time, banned the use of chlorpyrifos.

Chlorpyrifos had been proven to be neurologically damaging to children and fetuses, as are other organophosphates. Farmworkers working in the fields get direct exposure to these substances and if enough is absorbed or ingested, they can suffer acute symptoms that indicate poisoning. They can also carry the residue on their clothing and back to their family members. That substance easily gets into the items they touch, unless they wash immediately and get the residue off their bodies.

Here the concern is that even when only adults are working in the fields, children are exposed just walking near the fields, touching the treated crops, playing in water contaminated with the substance. With all that potential contact, sometimes children can even be exposed at a level that gives them acute poisoning. But it is the neurological effects that are most concerning. Those effects include decreased IQ, neurodevelopmental delays, ADHD, disruption of reflexes, and impaired motor development. So, it's easy to understand why the ban was instituted.

The set-up for food distribution in Immolakee.

But. wait a minute. Under the current EPA, it was decided to ignore the scientific evidence and eliminate the ban, allowing chlorpyrifos to be used, endangering those who work closely with the growing produce. FWAF has been working and teaming with other advocacy organizations to get the ban re-instituted. So, if you see a petition or know of a protest calling for the ban, it's time to become an activist yourself, and participate. You'll be protecting the health of those who tend and pick the produce that gives you such an enriched source of nutrition.

Part of the campaign to re-institute the chlorpyrifos ban.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/FarmworkerAssocFL/about/?ref=page_internal; this article from Project TENDR: http://projecttendr.com/chemicals-and-pollutants/organophosphate-op-pesticides/; and the above links.

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Special Olympic Maryland Challenges Athletes And Volunteers

Maryland Special Olympics even has programs for the youngest athletes.

Just about everyone has heard of Special Olympics and may even be familiar with the world games and the national games. But Special Olympics also goes down to the State and local levels, bringing the good feelings, for those with intellectual challenges and their families, right down to the communities where they reside. Not only that, but various events occur throughout the year to help raise funds and offer opportunities for participation.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS MARYLAND fulfills the role of bringing Special Olympics to Marylanders. That creates opportunities for a lot of participation. Two of Maryland's special athletes, Candace and Elaina, were highlighted for weight loss by utilizing a healthier lifestyle.



Candace chose a naturopathic diet, which is based on eating foods that are close to their natural states, and she has lost 23 pounds. She does admit that following the diet wasn't easy, since she was mainly eating salads, without any meat. In the long run, though, it may have been worth the effort, as she proclaimed, "That was hard, but at the same time I was happy with the results."

Elaina used the Weight Watchers system, along with exercising every day, and she has lost a total of 55 pounds. She pointed out, "I was at a point that I was happy, but I just wasn't that happy about how I felt about my body image." Not only was it about how she felt, but she also set a goal of being able to run a half marathon.

She also admitted that she was looking for a long term change, rather than a quick weight loss. In fact, Elaina also has recommendations for others who are trying to lose weight, "For any woman who is thinking undergoing a diet and wants good foods to eat and an exercise routine, don't listen to all those commercials because you never know - a lot of them tend to be a 'quick fix' or are more dangerous to you than they are good for you." It certainly looks like this young woman did her research with her health in mind. Candace also added her advice, for those attracted to extreme dieting or struggling with an eating disorder, "Stop dieting. Stop whatever you are doing to harm yourself and just live your life. Live your life to the fullest."

A young volunteer, Annie Dolan, had signed up to help with Over The Edge, an event in which volunteers and athletes rappel down the side of a 16-story building in Bethesda. She was given the assignment of belay, holding the ropes tense so that climbers who slip won't fall very far. It's an important assignment that keeps the event safe for participants. She was given safety training before the climbers started and learned how to clip the line caribiners to the ground and then clear them when the climber arrived on the ground.

Elaina (left), Candace (right), two young women who lost weight the healthy way.

Ms. Dolan was still surprised that she was given so much responsibility, but she drew on her experiences as a leader in her school career. She said, "As a leader that day I had to encourage the athletes to be brave and step off the edge and do what they had been taught while descending." But then the tables were turned when she was encouraged to take the descent herself. The same things that she had been doing for the athletes were done to keep her safe and secure. And when she got back on the ground, she received the same reception as she completed the activity, following the motto of the Special Olympics, "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

It's the volunteer's turn to make the descent at Over The Edge.

Thanks for information from this article on Special Olympics Maryland by Hannah Boudreau: http://www.somd.org/uncategorized/special-olympics-maryland-athletes-redefine-healthy/; this article on Special Olympics Maryland by Annie Dolan:  http://www.somd.org/uncategorized/get-over-it/; and the above link.

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Telling The Environment's Story In The Voices Of Youths

Youth hands-on environmental activities become part of their story.

Have you ever learned something so important to you and your life that you just wanted to shout it from the mountain-top? Maybe, the whole world could hear you! With today's technology, that's not just fantasy, but reality. If only you could get enough people to notice.

Actually, Susan Silber had a similar vision after working for twenty years in the field of environmental education, taking youths into the field for direct contact with natural settings. It resulted in her putting together an online platform, NATURE'S VOICES PROJECT, where students in grades 6 to 12 could tell their stories about their experiences in environmental education. It's a place where they can share the powerful impact of being in contact with nature when they undertake an activity for the first time that gives them an appreciation of just how vital it is to be aware of always thinking and acting in environmentally sensitive ways.



Ms. Silber explained, "99.9 percent of the time these many and varied experiences had a positive effect on young people, many of which were life-changing. The outcomes were as varied as the experiences; some programs improved academic performances; others calmed students down through direct experiences into nature; others improved children's health and reduced obesity rates. After creating, coordinating, and raising funds for these environmental education programs and others for more than two decades, I have become acutely aware that despite the immense and varied benefits these programs give our youth, our schools, our communities, and the planet, they remain underfunded and undervalued.

Since it first started, the web platform has become financially sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance. Also, every year, Nature's Voices Project holds a Student Stories Contest, in which student writers describe how they were transformed by an experience with the environment.

Students from the Green Schools Initiative also are part of Nature's Voices Project.

Last year's Grand Prize winner was Eden Vitoff from Chicago, Illinois. In his story, Eden recalls when he first became interested in the environment when he was in seventh grade and then what inspired him to create the Green Lyfe Network, which helps students throughout the State of Illinois connect with environmental projects. As he explains, "We are the first generation to see the effects of climate disruption and the last generation that can take action to solve it."

Eden's story as a poster presentation.

Thanks for information from this page on Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/susan-silber-natures-voices-project/;  this page on Nature's Voices Project: http://www.naturesvoices.org/2016-contest-winners/; and Eden's story, found here: http://www.naturesvoices.org/the-power-of-youth-my-environmental-journey/.

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Addressing Environmental Issues For A Healthier Community

A view of the Salton Sea.

Located in the southeast corner of California, Imperial County provides much of the produce that feeds the United States. Bordered by Arizona and Mexico, this area is home to a diverse and multi-ethnic population. But behind the diversity lies a high unemployment rate, the highest of any County in the US.

With a number of residents living with disadvantages, an organization came into being in 1981 to help those living in the area to access the services they needed to improve their lives. Such things as health services, community service programs, environmental justice, civic participation, advocacy, capacity building, and even research. That organization is Comite Civico Del Valle, Inc. (CCDV).



A large part of CCDV's programming involves environmental justice, which is intertwined with healthier living. The work in this area is so pioneering that CCDV has the largest air quality monitoring network in this country. In fact, that is what brought the notice of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which formed a partnership with CCDV.

Humberto Lugo, CCDV's Policy Advocate, stated, "They wanted to find a way to support us and how we can expand the monitoring or include more monitoring because of this crisis we have at hand." The area of which Mr. Lugo speaks is the Salton Sea, which is receiving less inflow, causing a higher concentration of salt in the water, and then drying the sea bed. With a higher salt concentration, the Salton Sea becomes less of a resource for drinking water, not just for humans, but also for local wildlife.

For CCDV, working with the DiCaprio Foundation will provide needed funds, including $100,000 of the $20 million grant going to expand their air monitoring program. Mr. DiCaprio explained his involvement, "This utter lack of leadership by officials who choose first to preserve their short term political power rather than insuring the livable future on our planet means that we must all do more now than any other time in human history."

Air monitoring equipment used near the Salton Sea.

Mr. Lugo added, "It's important for people to know the issues of the Salton Sea, because this is not just a localized issue, this is going to affect most of southern California if this continues receding so rapidly the way it's going because of these wind borne events." With the passage of AB 1617 by the California assembly, the planned expansion of the air monitoring network would bring the area into compliance with the law's requirement of air monitoring systems in high pollution areas.

Mr. Lugo issued a reminder that air quality and the drying of the Salton Sea are climate change issues; that's what is driving so much evaporation of the sea and affecting air quality.

Best asthma management practices discussed in CCDV's Asthma Academy.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/comitecivicodelvalle/about/?ref=page_internal; this article television station KSWT: http://www.kyma.com/news/local-organization-partners-with-the-leonardo-dicaprio-foundation/624527768; and this page from Salton Sea COEE: https://www.saltonseacoee.org/

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Support For People With Intellectual Challenges; Peace Of Mind For Families

Some of Penn-Mar's clients volunteered with the pets at Pet Valu.

Those who have developmental disabilities have a much brighter world available to them than existed in this country some sixty to seventy years ago. There is the opportunity to stretch to the fullest of their capabilities and to participate in the mainstream, with the help of supporting others. One organization that plays a large role in the lives of more than 350 individuals each year is PENN-MAR, with a footprint in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Penn-Mar came into existence in the 1980s, a product of the efforts of a group of parents with children who had developmental disabilities, and who were worried about those children's future. Penn-Mar, over the years has provided the support and a network beyond the family, widening the horizons of the people it serves and offering security for the day when families can no longer provide direct support themselves.



As many of these nonprofit organizations do, Penn-Mar has those who work directly with its clients, known as Direct Support Personnel (DSP). Let's take a look at one of these employees. Steve Nyabuti came to the US from Kenya, with his family, about seven years ago, and has worked at Penn-Mar for five years. This 28-year-old young man had just started college when he found out about Penn-Mar and applied for a job. He now works to support four men living at a residence in White Hall.

Sometimes, when you have a direct service position, like Steve has, you can wonder who is learning more, you or the people you serve. For, Steve, indeed, has learned more about himself and become more mature. Patience definitely is a trait that he has developed, since it can be hard to understand what some of the men are trying to communicate, so it's a process of repetition and listening a little harder and more closely, until understanding is reached.

Steve said, "It's been a great experience. Working with John, Chris, Evan, and Richard has given me an opportunity to grow as a person. My life in Kenya was very different. When I look at the 22-year-old that I was, I don't see the same person I am today. I've learned a lot from them."

Steve Nyabuti works with one of his residents.

Like many others who work as DSPs, Steve does struggle to make ends meet. Many of those who do this type of wonderful work don't receive that much more than minimum wage. That makes it a struggle for him and his co-workers to pay rent, much less afford college. So, Steve does increase his work hours when he can. And, that degree he's started in actuarial science? He'll be completing it, come this spring.

Time for harvesting fall flowers at One Straw Farm.

Thanks for information from this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/pennmar/about/?ref=page_internal and this blog article: http://www.penn-mar.org/2017/09/a-life-changing-experience/.

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