OCR Text |
Show AggieLife Page 6 Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 Volunteering to help with independence BY KARLEE ULRICH staff writer Those who find joy in helping people reach goals, become more independent and build friendships, all the while learning to love in a new way, are the types of student volunteers welcomed by the Developmental Skills Lab at USU. Drake Rasmussen, program director for the DSL, said the program is held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and offered for adults 24 years or older who have mental or physical disabilities. "We work on goals they have and life skills — anything to help them be more independent," he said. Rasmussen said participants have the opportunity to participate in group activities in the community. Some of these activities include bowling, swimming and going to the library. He said the purpose of these group activities is "to help integrate them as much as possible into the community. The main reason that I feel that (DSL) is an important program is that it gives our participants an opportunity to be integrated in the community." They take them out they don't keep them in," said Sherrie Jones, co-owner of the group home Cache Valley Alternative Treatments. Jones is also a parent of a DSL participant. "They get them out into the community to make the community aware of the handicapped people. Jones said the program also helps its participants become more aware of their surroundings. As a parent and a provider, she said she feels this is an invaluable part of the DSL program. She said she sees positive effects on both the participants and the community, she thinks it allows the community to get to know and not be afraid of people with disabilities. "I think it makes (the community) aware that they're human beings just like them." Beyond the group activities in the community, Rasmussen said working on daily living skills is another important aspect of the program. He said those skills are "goals that they have to help them be more independent, (which allows them to) get more satisfaction out of it, and it's easier on the family members, the more independent they become. It's easier for (the family) to care for them at home if they still live at home." Billy Jones, Sherrie Jones' husband, said this program is better than other ones he has placed his daughter in. "Down there they would just park people and forget about them until it was time to load them on the bus," he said. Billy Jones said the DSL program follows a regimented program, which makes it more helpful to the participants. "They care for the individuals, they try to make the program meet their goals and what they're working on," Sherrie Jones said. As owners of a group home Billy and Sherrie Jones both agreed, without the day program at the DSL, the group home would be a different place. "We don't have to have an aide from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the state doesn't give us the money to allow us to have an aide during that time," Sherrie Jones said. She said without the DSL program, her daughter Cindy Jones would have to spend some time alone, something she said has happened in the past and worries her. Along with the day program, DSL provides several other services, one of which is Friday Night Fun. "We have staff available for families to bring their sons or daughters to our program, which gives them a chance to have a break themselves and go on a date, while our staff takes care of their loved one," Rasmussen said. Caring for people's loved one's is one of the main reasons he said he believes the program is important. "We provide them with staff, we provide them with transportation to accommodate their needs, we have vehicles that can accommodate wheel chairs, and the staff can get them to do anything anybody else could do." Rasmussen said students who are interest- ed in getting involved with the DSL program can stop by and learn about the volunteer process. "I would like to have (students) come and volunteer, because they will just get a love and understanding for people with mental and physical disabilities," Sherrie Jones said. - karlee.ulrich@aggiemail.usu.edu CJ JONES (LEFT) and Daurie Bastian (Right) enjoy a group activity at the USU Skills Development Lab. The lab staffs volunteers to help special needs students. BRANDEN FONDA photo From Page 4 Visitors can find hidden corny cash don't get wearing a bad costume from a Box Store • Get the Hottest Costumes at the from Arl■ Best Price The reacock Unique Styles 41. Comes complete with all accessories l■ the maze. The Jensens both said, above all, they are dedicated to providing all visitors with a good time. "I enjoy watching people make memories here," Ron Jensen said. "They get pumpkins, go through the maze, get lost — I just really enjoy watching people have fun." Nancy Jensen said all the hard work and sacrifice to maintain the maze is worth it. "It's fun just to see people come out and have a good time and enjoy laughing and just goofing off with their friends," she said. "It's quite rewarding that way. We miss out on a lot of things socially, but it's worth it to provide fun things for other families." - m.van911@aggiemail.usu.edu EAT THAT, From Page 5 Using ingredients from the fall season $20.00-$49.00 store.) In the pot, add 5 cups of water and bring 47 North Main St. - Downtown Logan p rerre+,8a get the complete shock when a guy jumps out of the corn." Liz Alley, a junior majoring in social work, agreed. She said, "I loved that you got lost but not so lost that it was long and frustrating. And you could always just follow the screams to know if you were going in the right direction." Visitors who come on non-haunted nights can find more to do than just wander through acres of corn. For the $7 admission price, Green Canyon Corn Maze also offers a mini-maze constructed of straw bales. This year, in accordance with the Egyptian theme, guests can slide down a large pyramid structure. There are also YouTube videos playing on screens outside the maze that visitors can watch while they wait for friends to finish • everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the squash and bulgur into the mixture and let it simmer uncovered until the squash and bulgur are both tender, about 30 min- with it at all, the chili will still be delicious. If you substitute meat, I would recommend leaving the bulgur out.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced avocado. utes. Seeking Nominations (Note: Bulgur adds nutritiousness and heartiness to this chili. Since you only need 1/4 cup, I recommend getting it in the bulk section at the grocery store so you don't have to buy a lot. If you don't want to bother - Jennelle Clark is a senior psychology major who runs the online food blog foodislikeart. blogspot.com . She loves making, eating and sharing her food. Comments can be sent to jenn.wilson@aggiemaiLusu.edu From Page 4 , –,, Utah State University invites nominations for outstanding candidates to be considered for ,.. 4 ,., , • Honorary Degrees 2012 • Commencement Speaker 2013 —,.... For more information about the nomination process or to obtain nomination forms go to the website below or call 435-797-1162. (http://www.usu.edu/provost/honors_and_awards/university/commencement.cfm) Nominations must include the following: • • • • Completed nomination form Short summary of the individual's qualifications Complete resume or curriculum vita Letters of recommendation Please submit nominations to Sydney Peterson, President's Office, Utah State University, Old Main Room 126, 1400 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-1400. Deadline: November 18, 2011 UtahState UNIVERSITY Don't blow winnings on Ho-Hos mistakes, only to lose their three "lives" on a game of building an eight-storey tower with metal bolts. However, not all was lost, he said. The pair went home splitting $50,000 in winnings. "That's an awesome chunk of money," he said. "I want to (invest) it (in) something to make me some money, rather than blowing it on Ho-Hos and Jujubes." He said his father gave him the same advice. "I said to him, `Derald, don't go buy a new boat, or don't go buy a new BMW:" Robert Miller said. "'You should use this money, invest it in something that will help to secure your future, something that will build something for you, rather than get used up with fun and pleasure.' To his credit, he did." Instead of purchasing a large amount of said Ho-hos or Jujubes, Derald Miller said he invested in the development of a new iPhone app. "Everyone has made a pinky promise sometime in their lives," he said. He said he wanted to bring this most sacred of childhood vows to the digital age. When the idea first came to him, he said he was hesitant to share it. "I've seen 'The Social Network'," Derald Miller said. "I'm not letting this secret out of the bag." The first person he told was his game show partner, Haugh. He said she pinky promised not to tell anyone about his idea, and that was when he thought, "There's no way I can't do this." Derald said he spent four months researching and gathering a group of developers to implement his idea. "I started development in February," he said. "I released it a month ago. I've been having so much fun with this." The social networking app allows users to send and receive pinky promise messages, complete with the novelty of a pinky swipe to complete the promise. The second step is confirming whether they were kept or broken. If a pinky promise is broken, the promise breaker loses points on his or her trustworthy score. "I actually broke a pinky promise, and it hit my score," Derald Miller said. His current score is 91 percent, with 21 out of 23 promises kept. He said work on the app is a continuous process. "This version now won't be the same version in three months," he said. The app is currently under redevelopment for compatibility with Android operating systems. "I didn't create the concept of a pinky promise," Derald Miller said. Instead, he said, he digitalized the concept and brought it to the text messaging generation. "I've never thought I was a tech guy. I'm someone who has an idea and follows through with it. It's been fun to see it come out of my head — to launch." The Pinky Promise app is available for iPhones on the iTunes app store for 99 cents. - noelle.johansen@aggiemail.usu.edu |