National AgrAbility Project
Save the date for AgrAbility Regional Training Workshops! Pittsburgh, PA: July 29th-30th, 2014; Fort Collins, CO, September 30th–October 1st, 2014
AgrAbility Regional Training Workshops provide opportunities to expand our reach, educate, and share. Please consider joining one of the upcoming regional events for valuable education and networking opportunities with AgrAbility Project team members and project partners!
Look for full conference details in your email soon!
If you are interested in speaking, sharing, planning, or have any questions, please contact your Goodwill National AgrAbility Project partners:
Tess McKeel tmckeel@abvi-goodwill.com 585-447.9015
JoBeth Rath jbrath@abvi-goodwill.com 585.447.9015
An AgrAbility workshop is to be held on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus August 14-15, 2014. This workshop is primarily aimed at representatives of the 1890 Land Grant Institutions in Maryland and the surrounding states, though representatives from any 1890 institution are welcome. The goal is to inform the attendees about AgrAbility and to foster an attitude of cooperation between the various 1890s, their SRAPs, and the NAP.
For more information, contact Chuck Baldwin at baldwi19@purdue.edu.
"A great experience with many good contacts for AgrAbility!" was Chuck Baldwin's assessment of his time at the National Farmworkers Health Conference, held in Delray Beach, Florida, May 13-16. Organized by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), it was attended by roughly 200 influential CHC staff, board members, government officials, and advocates representing over 900,000 farmworkers and their families who make community/migrant health centers their "health care home."
This was the first opportunity for the NAP to use the new bilingual (Eng./Sp.) Arthritis Flip Chart, developed by Missouri AgrAbility and their partners, as part of the AgrAbility display, and the new tool for teaching proved to be a strong draw for those in attendance.
"As the CHC personnel came by our exhibit to pick up material and to chat," Chuck explained, "I shared with them the benefit of partnering with AgrAbility: the Community Health Centers care for those who walk through their doors on a short-term basis, but when they refer clients with continuing disabilities to AgrAbility, we can help keep them farming and doing what they like to do best for the long-run. That's a big win-win!"
Submitted by Chuck Baldwin
Resource Highlight: 2-1-1: three little numbers with thousands of resources.
As we work closely with clients and begin to understand their needs, we also understand that many of those needs fall outside our areas of expertise. While we would love to be everything to everyone, we know that is simply not possible, nor do we have the time and energy required.
2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that, where available, connects people with important community resources. Last year, 2-1-1 services in the United States answered more than 15.6 million calls. The implementation of 2-1-1 is spearheaded by United Way affiliates and information and referral agencies in states and local communities. United Way Worldwide (UWW) and the Alliance for Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) are committed to providing national leadership so that every American has access to this essential service.
Goodwill of the Finger Lakes met with many 2-1-1 providers at the AIRS 
Conference in Atlanta from June 1-4, insuring that they are aware of AgrAbility as a resource, and connecting them with local partners. We will be making e-introductions where appropriate, providing you with local contacts that provide Information & Referral services in your region. We hope that networking with your local 2-1-1 providers will also connect you with many valuable community resources for yourselves and your clients. Looking for your local contacts? Visit http://www.211us.org/status.htm to connect to your state and local providers.
Submitted by JoBeth Rath