Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

November/December 2000

MADE In Motion
by Laquita S. Brown, Mississippi Chapter President

WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE new millennium, our NADE Chapter has witnessed a rebirth in commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication, Beginning with the success of the Regional Training Conference in May 1999, this momentum sustained a year of flourishing activities.

Of the many accomplishments, during the year of 1999-2000; we are proud to have 27 new members for a total of 115 members (as of 6/00): and 18 new certifications, 18 certification applications pending and with 24 already certified for a total of 60 certified members.

Our state training conference was a major success. Our guest speaker, Amy D. Whitten, JD, spoke on “The Human Side of Changes: Teamwork” and how each member of the team communicates differently, but all strive to get the job done. We had excellent participation from Chapter members, agency administrators and corporate sponsors. Awards were presented at a dutch-treat luncheon. Our Chapter sent 23 members to the Regional Training Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in May 2000 and paid the registration fee for 12 members. Two members received regional awards. The Chapter voted to fund our president’s trip to the National Training Conference in Puerto Rico and funding 11 members $100.00 each to help defray the cost.

Our Chapter catered to activities that were fun and educational. Our goal was to unite the entire office during our Fall Festival pie-throwing event and cake-walk where over $500.00 was raised. An Easter Egg Hunt and Christmas bake sale were team building events, and we sold over 500 cookbooks that included 352 recipes submitted by members and office personnel. Our Chapter was host to the SSA regional Commissioner’s visit to our state,

Our Chapter has been actively involved in community activities and continues to collect clothing, food items, personal items, and toys for the homeless and sheltered women. We sponsored Valentine treats and Easter bags to community programs, collected, over $500-00 for a sick employee’s children to purchase toys during Christmas, raised $1000.00 for a former DDS employee awaiting heart and lung transplant. The Chapter also donated $400.00 to the Drew Martin Transplant Fund and provided school supplies for a classroom at a local school.

Our Mayor proclaimed June 13 as MADE Day and issued a proclamation for National Disability Week. Our Governor also issued a proclamation. Our Chapter celebrated National Disability Week with a membership drive. This included giving certificates, carnations, cookies, muffins and drinks to all employees involved in the Disability program.

Our Chapter witnessed the rebirth of our newsletter, which had not been published in a decade. The first edition contained medical news, workload issues, NADE and Chapter news.

As our newly elected officers took office on August 31, 2000, MADE will continue to strive for success. As you can see, we are indeed a Chapter in Motion.