Albin Joins Disability Network Staff

Veronica Albin has joined the staff of the Disability Network of Mid-Michigan's Independent Living (IL) program.

"The IL program seeks to provide independent living options and supports for people based on the services of their choosing," said David Emmel, Executive Director of the Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. "The IL program works closely with people receiving CMH services, VA services and those who choose community-based living over a nursing facility. Veronica will be providing Support Coordination services to people in Saginaw County through a contract with SCCMHA."

Veronica is a licensed Bachelor of Social Work for the State of Michigan. She has dedicated over 26 years to working with children and adults; helping them to live as independently as possible. Her work covers an array of services from independent living arrangements, employment and health concerns.

"I started working with people who needed supportive services when I was 18," said Albin. "I continue to enjoy seeing individuals not only achieve greater independence but seeing them reach goals they may never thought possible."

Albin has been active in many community groups including Girl Scouts of America, Lake Huron Area Explorer's, RICC through Developmental Disability Council, the CAN Council and others. In her spare time, Albin enjoys spending time with her family, friends and pets. She enjoys camping, the outdoors, traveling, reading and browsing flea markets.

The IL program provides an array of services to those seeking a better, more independent, quality of life. The benefits of independent living to the consumer are many and as varied as the people themselves. The IL program provides supports, requested by an individual, in order to ensure that individual has full access to his or her community.

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Tax Day is Tuesday, April 17th 

Have you filed your state and federal taxes yet?  If not, there's still time. The filing deadline is Tuesday, April 17th. 

There are many agencies offering Tax Preparation services for qualifying low-income individuals, families, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Many of the agencies require appointments and remaining available times are limited...so call today!

Below is a partial list of places to go for tax preparation assistance.  To find local services or for more information, please call 2-1-1 or 989-835-2211.

Bay City -  989-893-7508 ext. 19 

Financial Edge Comm. Credit Union  

Wednesday, April 11th or Thursday April 12th   

Auburn -  989-893-7508 ext. 19

Auburn City Hall

113 E. Elm St.

Saturday, April 14th, Noon to 5pm

Midland - 989-832-7397

Midland Community Center

Thursday, April 12th

Saginaw   

PNC Bank, 1140 S. Outer

Walk-ins: Thursday & Friday 9am - 3pm

Community Action Center

989-753-7741 ext. 208

Butman Fish Library  (Through April 16th)

989-799-9160 

Monday and Tuesday, 9am - 3pm

Wednesday 9am - Noon 

Freeland 

989-695-2586

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ODEP's Integrated Employment Toolkit 

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has developed an Integrated Employment Toolkit to provide information to individuals, community employment agencies, policymakers and others pursuing integrated employment for youth and adults with disabilities. The Toolkit includes information and documents to facilitate the movement of states, organizations, youth and adults to integrated employment as their primary employment.   

The Toolkit offers a collection of resources, reports, papers, policies, fact sheets, case studies, and discussion guides to accommodate the full range of users, increase capacity and understanding about the value and potential of integrated employment. Commonly asked questions are there to guide the user to the appropriate materials. The Toolkit is available at www.dol.gov/odep/ietoolkit. 

Give Back: Bennigan's Restaurant Dining for Disability Network 

Join us for lunch or dinner at Bennigan's restaurant in Midland on Thursday, April 25th!   

Bennigan's of Midland is extremely proud to be a part of our hometown and they believe in giving back. As part of their Have a little FUNdraising program, Bennigan's of Midland will be donating 20% of all table receipts to Disability Network of Mid-Michigan on Wednesday, April 25th, from 11am until midnight.

If you would like to attend,  please present this certificate to your server. 

The restaurant is located across from the Midland Mall, at 6603 Eastman Avenue. For directions, or to view the menu, please visit www.bennigans.com.  

Kroger Community Rewards Supports Disability Network   

Attention Kroger Shoppers! Supporters of Disability Network now have an easy way to support our mission of promoting independence for people with disabilities. All it takes is a Kroger Card and a few clicks at KrogerCommunityRewards.com.

With the Kroger Community Rewards program, using your Kroger Plus card earns dollars for Disability Network programs while saving you money on your groceries! By enrolling, you allocate a percentage of what you spend as a donation to Disability Network EVERY TIME you shop! It's that easy! And, it takes nothing away from your Kroger rewards points.

If you have previously enrolled, you must Re-Enroll every year after April 1st. To enroll in the program, just follow these steps:

• Register online at KrogerCommunityRewards.com 
• Be sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy to register your card with your organization after you sign up.
• Click on Sign In/Register
• If you are a new online customer, click on SIGN UP TODAY in the 'New Customer' box.
• Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering your zip code, clicking on your favorite store location, entering your email address and creating a password. Then agree to the terms and conditions
• You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.
• Click on My Account and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.
• Click on "Edit Kroger Community Rewards" information and input your Kroger Plus card number.
• Update or confirm your information.
• Enter 90870 or Disability Network of Mid-Michigan, select us from the list and click on confirm.
• To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization's name on the right side of your information page.

After that, just remember to swipe your Kroger Card at the checkout line for savings on groceries and a portion of those sales will be donated to Disability Network!

If you need assistance or if you have questions about the program, please contact Matthew Ivan at 989-835-4041.

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Access America: Affordable Care Act 

Episodes of "Access America," Disability Network's monthly public-access television show, are now available online.   

Access America: The Affordable Care Act

Our current episode is a discussion of the Affordable Care Act.  Guests include Don Hazaert and Brett Williams of Michigan Consumers for Health Care. They discuss many aspects of the Affordable Care Act as well as how its provisions may affect persons with disabilities.    

To view episodes, visit Disability Network's Vimeo Page. Episodes are broken down by subject area. Topics and time-indexes are found in the video description beneath the video file. 

More episodes will be added as future shows are produced. In addition, we will be including several past episodes, so be sure to continue checking the site for updates. 

Volunteers Needed!  

The Disability Network passenger van needs some light bodywork and painting. We're looking for some volunteers to help with these repairs.   

If you are able and willing to help, or for more information on what type of work is needed, please give us a call at 989-835-4041 or email us at info@dnmm.org

Your help is greatly appreciated!!!