What is Self-Advocacy?
Self-Advocacy is...
by Betty Williams, SAI President
Self-Advocay is about speaking for yourself and others. We want to make our dreams, hopes, and needs come true to better our lives. Because one woman (Rosa Parks) got the courage to say no more, the lives of African-Americans were changed. They came together as a community to fight for their civil rights as American citizens. Like the movement before us, we want the control over our hopes and dreams. Finally we will be treated as American citizens, like everyone else.
My Experience with Fundraising
with Halley Coons, Self-Advocate
Self-advocacy
groups need money to support their
activities. As a self-advocate, you can help by asking people and
businesses in your community to give donations to your group.
Halley
Coons has shared some things that she learned doing fundraising for the
first time.
Halley Coons, Rushville
“I have been involved in three areas of self-advocacy, a tri-county council, a local council and fund raising efforts for Self-Advocates of Indiana. My experience with fundraising was harder than I thought it would be.”
These are the steps Halley followed to raise money for self-advocacy:
(1) Use Personal Contacts
“First of all I went to my family to find out who they knew and what clubs they represented.”
(2) Make an Appointment to Talk with the Person You are Asking to Give Money
“I called the clubs and asked them if they would support people with disabilities by donating to Self-Advocates of Indiana. I told them I would come in person and talk to them and let them know what we stood for.”
(3) Meet with the Person Face-to-Face
“The next day I went to meet with the president of the club. I talked to her and she thought about it and said that she would support the organization. I gave her follow-up information.”
What was the hardest part? “It was
hard to explain to people what we needed the funds for. I probably
would have an easier time if I was asking for something they could
see, but trying to explain what Self-Advocates of Indiana is all about
was difficult.”
So here’s something we’ve learned from Halley:
Practice telling people (your family, friends) what self-advocacy is, and why it’s important to support self-advocacy.
What next? “I will try again. Maybe it will be easier to get my message across the next time!”
