Fall Harvest Party

FUSE is planning for our annual Harvest Party to celebrate the arrival of fall! The Harvest Party will be held on Saturday, September 27, at Southeastway Park, 5624 S Carroll Road, New Palestine. The park is just over the Marion County line south of New Palestine.

We have reserved Shelter #3 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This will be a pitch-in dinner again, and we will begin dinner promptly at 5:45 pm, so please plan to arrive by 5:30 with your yummy creations! FUSE will supply burgers, hot dogs, paper goods, sodas and hot water for warm drinks like hot chocolate, tea or coffee. Each family should bring one side dish and one dessert so we have enough food for everyone.

 

The park staff will take us on a 30-minute hayride beginning at 6:40 p.m. There will be a limit of 50 hayriders allowed, so kids will be first priority, and we will ensure enough adults are on board for supervision. After the hayride, we will gather around the campfire, make s’mores and perhaps be entertained with a few campfire songs until the evening winds down. Bring your chairs to set up around the campfire! We will be cleaned up and gone by 9 pm.

Visit the calendar page of our website to register by September 22. Click here to map it from your house to Southeastway Park on the Indy Parks website page.

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Four Hancock County organizations have been named the Hancock County Community Foundation’s PathLight Partners. As a result, they will receive $1 for every $2 raised to grow their Agency Endowment Funds. Agency Endowment Funds are powerful tools that can ensure the future of nonprofit organizations. This type of permanent fund generates annual income that can help build a perpetual source of unrestricted funding for organizations, while increasing the number of people supporting their mission and the depth of supporters’ commitment to their cause.

Four agencies serving Hancock County have been selected as 2008 PathLight Partners:

1. FUSE (Families United for Support and Encouragement) provides information, resources and support to Indiana families raising children with special needs and guides these families to information and resources that make the challenge of parenting a child with special needs a little easier.
2. Hancock County Public Library delivers quality information service, multiple resources and technology tools, and a variety of programs for life long learning and enjoyment to all residents of Hancock County in a caring and innovative setting.
3. Mt. Vernon Education Foundation supports the students and teachers of Mt. Vernon Schools in grades K-12 through raising funds to award teacher grants for classroom or grade-level projects as well as school corporation-wide initiatives. They support all areas of academics, the arts, citizenship, cultural awareness, athletics, healthy lifestyles, technology and more.
4. Nameless Creek Youth Camp creates outdoor recreational and camping opportunities for all and provides a profound appreciation of nature and the enjoyment of outdoor activities for Hancock County and East Central Indiana.

Each agency has committed to raising $10,000 over the period of the grant, and HCCF will match $5,000 for every agency that reaches this goal. This matching grant program is made possible through a grant from the Ambassador Community Development Fund, a component fund of the Hancock County Community Foundation. Organizations will have two years, or until December 31, 2009, to reach this goal or no matching dollars will be received.

Parties interested in contributing to any of these agencies’ endowment funds can either contact the agency directly or contact the Hancock County Community Foundation at (317) 462-8870. Additional information is available on the Foundation’s website, www.hccf.cc under the ‘Grants’ tab.

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The ARC of Hancock County held its annual meeting and awards ceremony in November and several FUSE members were honored for their contributions to the ARC and to the disability community. Denise Arland, FUSE Executive Director, and Amy Borgmann, FUSE Board President, were honored with the Martha Beckenholdt Community Award for their work on the first Champion Your Future Conference held in August 2007. During the summer of 2006, Amy and Denise (who both have teenage/preteen children) attended their first conference regarding transition from high school to adult life.

They heard a number of speakers and interesting topics and both had the same idea that they really wanted their kids to have the opportunity to experience learning first hand and being inspired by successful adults with disabilities. The idea for a conference for parents and teens was born. The ARC of Indiana agreed to partner on the conference and formed a planning committee to tackle the task. Denise and Amy were a driving force in planning and implementing the event. On August 18, 2007, the Champion Your Future Conference attracted nearly 300 people including many teens. The feedback from the conference was very positive and the decision was made to continue this conference every other year. Amy and Denise plan to continue serving on future planning committees, so watch for the conference in March 2009!

FUSE volunteer Sarah O’Brien was awarded a Volunteer of the Year award from the ARC of Hancock County for her work with the DreamMakers theater group. The DreamMakers are sponsored by the ARC of Hancock County and annually produce a summer play that includes adults and children of all abilities. Sarah’s children, Ben and Carrie, have been a part of the cast for several years, and Sarah helps out with backstage direction. This past summer, Sarah assisted in costume design and creation, provided help in set decorations and was an assistant to the stage manager during performances. Assisting backstage entails putting on a headset and communicating with the director and stage manager as cues are called, and helping over 60 people get on stage on time!! Over the years, Sarah has also assisted with the Celebration of Diversity and the ARC’s annual golf outing.

Congratulations, Denise, Amy and Sarah on your accomplishments!

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Ariel Morelock, a FUSE adaptive swim volunteer for the past two years, is a successful youth leader in the community. She is active in sports, volunteers her time to many organizations, and is involved in leadership initiatives at school. When she heard about a grant opportunity to help fund projects for organizations that have youth volunteers, she went to work on behalf of FUSE! Youth As Resources offered this grant, which required youth to write the grant application and present it to the grants committee for approval. Ariel wrote a proposal to help fund an awards program for the adaptive swim program called CARE—Celebrate and Recognize Everyone.

She prepared visual aids and written materials to present to the review committee, and she presented a proposed design for a tee shirt to be given to swimmers and volunteers to help advertise the program through the year. She gave a very moving presentation about our swim program and how it impacts the lives of the swimmers and the volunteers. The review committee accepted Ariel’s grant proposal for the CARE program and awarded FUSE with a check for $700 for the awards night! Project Care allowed us to host a pizza party for the families after swim, where we presented the swimmers with trophies and award certificates to recognize their hard work. In addition, we were able to make photo memory books for everyone to help with advertising the program. Everyone loved the shirts, and we have already spotted people wearing them out in the community, helping raise awareness of FUSE and adaptive swim. Great Job Ariel for having the drive and initiative to pursue this grant on behalf of FUSE!

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