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Show Kiwanis Club cooperates in Mental Retardation projects Cedar City Kiwanis members in cooperation with the Advocacy project of the Mental Retardation Retar-dation Association of Utah (MRAU), have been serving as advocates for mentally retarded children. An advocate, according to Advocacy Project Director, Dennis Seals, is a caring individual in-dividual or group who acts on behalf of mentally retarded persons to help meet individual or collective needs. Kiwanis Cedar City President, Pete Paris, and Special ' Emphasis Em-phasis Committee Chairman, Terry Wilson, have involved Cedar City Kiwanis members in projects to help disabled children. The group is currently serving as collective advocates for a local group home for the mentally retarded. The children reside with houseparents, Mr,' and Mrs. Lynn Esplin, and range in age from five to 17 years. In a recent project, Kiwanis members raised $250 and donated more than 40 hours of labor for the construction of a new fence for the group home. As their next project, they plan to obtain new playground equipment equip-ment for the home. Advocates are encouraged to work with their advocees on a basis best suited to the needs of the retarded individual. In addition ad-dition to the Kiwanis group, three individual advocates are now serving the retarded in Cedar City. Those interested in the Advocate Ad-vocate program should contact MRAU Advocate Coordinator, Virginia Higbee, at 586-4411. |