Alliance Center for Independence
ACI was honored to host Roland Pierson, a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran during the Vietnam War. Roland, who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 and was wounded, give a presentation on his experiences during and after the War. Roland's personal accounts were humorous and heartfelt. Thank you to Roland and all the veterans for your service!
Thank you to Mark Schonwetter and Isabella Fiske from the Holocaust Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. Mark, a survivor of the Holocaust from Poland, recounted the two years he spent, along with his mother and sister, hiding from the German Army in the forests of southern Poland during World War 2. Isablella, moderated the discussion. This was the 2nd of two workshops that ACI has organized with funding from the NJ Council for the Humanities. Thank you to Mark and Isabella for reminding us to "Remember and Tell."
On the evening of August 30th, friends of ACI came together for a night of fun and creativity at the Make Me Take Me Studio in Highland Park. 24 people participated in a guided painting exercise led by gifted painters and the owners of the studio, Dr. and Mrs. Yang. Dr. Yang walked the participants step by step from blank canvas to a beautiful painting of the aurora borealis. While each attendee was following instructions, Dr. Yang encouraged freedom of expression, so each painting came out a bit differently. A huge thank you goes out to the staff of Make Me Take Me Studio for a wonderful experience!
Recently, ACI hosted a workshop to help individuals in situations involving an active shooter. Presenters Captain Martin Mogensen, Union County Police Department, and Sheldon Green, Union County Office of Emergency Management gave a run down of recent active shooter incidents and offered advice for people with disabilities can respond in these situations. Thank you to Captian Morgensen and Mr. Green for the informative discussion.
ACI would like to continue meeting on this important issue and get input from the disability community. If you would like to be part of our workgroup, please contact Carole Tonks at ctonks@adacil.org.
ACI would like to thank MaryAnne Kokidis of Amerigroup NJ for her terrific workshop on stress management. MaryAnne discussed how too much stress can affect your physical health and shared tips on how to reduce stress in our daily lives. Thank you MaryAnne and Amerigroup NJ!
ACI recently hosted a workshop on Social Security Work Incentives. 20 attendees heard Elisa Cohen of the NJ Work Incentive Network Support (NJWINS), discuss how those receiving SSI and SSDI can get back to or start paid work through incentive set up by the Social Security Administration. NJWINS is a program of the Family Resource Network. Thank you Elisa for the informative presentation!
On May 22nd, friends of ACI gathered at the PeopleCare Center for Nonprofits in Bridgewater to share their creative writing endeavors. Poets, Short Story writers, Essayists, Novelists, and novice writers spent the evening sharing and giving feedback on their work. Participants took part in prompt writing exercises to practice spontaneous writing. Discussions spanned from writing styles, reasons people write, important writing topics, and issues related to sharing your work with the public. Thank you to all that attended for making it a fantastic evening and big thank you to PeopleCare Center for Nonprofits for opening your doors to our group!
