ROGOWSKI TO SPEAK AT JAN. 10 MEETING

Vince Rogowski of the Oneida ARISE office will be the speaker at our Jan. 10 meeting ... here is some info on what he does ...

NEW ARISE OFFICE REACHES OUT TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
By MIKE JAQUAYS

ONEIDA -- Making independent living a way of life for as many people as possible is the mission of ARISE, and that mission has grown in Madison County with their newly-opened office in Oneida.

“We want people who need our services to know that we are here for them,” said ARISE advocate Vince Rogowski. “We are here to help with living arrangements, like if they need ramps and renovations, or with employment and education. There is a tremendous need for this in Madison County and now we are here to help.”

“We’re just delighted to be able to bring this to Oneida,” said ARISE executive director Tom McKeown.

The services of ARISE are open for anyone of any age with any kind of disability, McKeown said, and visitors to the office can receive a wealth of information, guidance and counseling in making their lives easier. One group they want to especially reach out to is veterans, he added.

McKeown said ARISE has had a Madison County presence for some 10 years with their services at ARISE at The Farm in Chittenango, as well as in helping some college students with accessibility in 2002. The new Oneida office was made possible thanks to federal stimulus funding, he added.

They opened the new location in June, and Rogowski stressed that even with the new, more convenient office people need not feel obligated to travel to Oneida if that is not convenient.

“We will go to them,” he promised.

ARISE shares a special kinship with the people they advocate for because, like Rogowski himself, the majority of the organization’s leadership have a disability of their own, McKeown explained.

“What makes ARISE different is that the majority of our board of directors has some kind of disability,” McKeown said. “The people who set our direction are the people who live this life and know the needs of the people they are helping.”

The Oneida office is located at 131 Main St., suite 107, just north of the Kallet Civic Center. Call them at 363-4672 for an appointment.

For more information on any ARISE offering, log on to
www.ariseinc.org