Cindy's Bi-Weekly letter 2/23/23

Good Morning Members,

I hope to find you well. I have been very busy lately, but we will be getting these letters out, when we can, either on Monday or Thursday.

I was invited to the Governor’s address last week and it was so much fun! I also got to go to the Governor’s mansion and it was very big, but not as big as the White House. I got to meet a lot of different people including some senators and there was so much amazing food to try. We got to hear about different topics about how to support people with disabilities and getting higher pay for care workers. I was able to represent People First and all of Wisconsin as a person with a disability which is a great honor. I was worried I was not going to be able to do it because the week before I got really sick and wasn’t sure I was going to feel well enough to go, but I was able to go and had a really good time. Because of the snow storm last week I was able to stay an extra night in Madison and got to see friends and had a good time visiting while there.

On another good note with COVID-19 we no longer have to wear a masks on the bus or in buildings because our COVID numbers are going down. It depends on where you are, but this is good because people are vaccinated and being safe. I still take a mask with me where ever I go because in some situations I feel better having it and can wear it when needed.

Last night during the chapter connections meeting we got some information on Food Share. Since COVID people were getting more money towards their Food Share and now because COVID is considered over that it is going to really decrease how much you will get and you might not get very much to cover all the food you need. I suggest you talk to your legislators and tell them what is going on. Tell them how they can help because there are so many people that have other expenses that could impact how they pay for everything. There are food banks like Feed America or churches that could possibly help provide support. Feed America has stock boxes for people that over the age of 60 and if you have questions you can call or email me. I will work with Nancy to get your questions answered.

A good resource is 211. It connects you with thousands of nonprofit and government services in your area. Here is a link to their website for more information: https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/

I hope all y’all voted this week! It was some very tight races with the Supreme Court. I was able to absentee vote, so I was able to get my voice heard by voting. There is another election in April, so make sure you do your research to be able to vote and choose who you think is best. As I always say, If you don’t vote you can’t complain.

Don’t forget to check out our website for People First Wisconsin for events coming up! We have meetups on Mondays 4:30- 5:30pm and Thursdays from 6pm-7pm. On March 23rd we will be having Disability Advocacy Day. Please register! Here you can go up to your state legislators about disability related things you want to see changed. If there is anything I missed please look at our website for updates: http://www.peoplefirstwisconsin.org/

You can call my cell phone @ 414-852-6462 8:30am - 5:00pm, Monday - Thursday. If I am unable to take your call, I will call you back. You can reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or 988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States. This is the website: https://988lifeline.org/

Here is a quote from Maya Angelou:

I'm just like you - I want to be a good human being. I'm doing my best, and I'm working at it. And I'm trying to be a Christian. I'm always amazed when people walk up to me and say, 'I'm a Christian.' I always think, 'Already? You've already got it?' I'm working at it. And at my age, I'll still be working at it at 96. - - Maya Angelou

Sincerely,

Cindy Bentley

Executive Director

People First Wisconsin