Call for Nominations to Recognize Accomplishments and Contributions for People with Disabilities

(Camp Hill, Pa.) – The Center for Independent Living of Central PA (CILCP),  a local non-profit organization serving people with disabilities, is seeking nominations for Central PA’s 2nd Annual Living Well With A Disability™ Awards.  The awards recognize individuals and organizations that truly demonstrate what it means to live well with a disability.

Nominations will be accepted for the following categories: individual with a disability (adult and youth); business; non-profit; and volunteer. The individual, volunteer, business or non-profit must live or be located within Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin or Juniata counties. 

The Living Well With A Disability  program was developed by CILCP to provide new opportunities for people with disabilities and assist them in finding the resources they need to live well. Whether living well involves finding transportation or assistive technology for a job, or learning how to water ski, Living Well With A Disability is the one-stop resource, designed to meet each individual’s needs and assist the person in living independently.

Janetta Green, Director of Operations at CILCP, explained that the Living Well With A Disability Awards ceremony was started to highlight the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities as well as honor the contributions being made by businesses and volunteers.

“The awards are really to recognize all the good that is being done for and within the disability community. A lot of organizations and volunteers are working with people with disabilities to assist them in achieving their goals. It’s wonderful to see what power is in the community, what people are accomplishing, and how much fun they’re having doing it,” Green stated.

A committee of judges, all leaders in the disability community, will review the submissions and select a winner in each category. Winners will be announced by CBS 21’s Tanya Foster during the awards ceremony on November 2. CBS 21 is the exclusive media sponsor for the event.   

Last year’s winners were Hope E. Johnson  (adult individual), Jason Jones (youth individual), BCE Construction Inc. (business), Parrotheads of Amish Paradise (non-profit), and Pamela Albert (volunteer). 

“Everyone loved last year’s event,” Green said. “It was a nice time for people with disabilities, along with a variety of agencies, to come together under one roof to meet each other, interact, and celebrate what it’s like to live well.”

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“I was honored to be nominated for the award and especially to actually win it! It was nice to be recognized by others in the service providers’ community who were also making similar efforts,” Bill Culwell of BCE Construction stated.  BCE Construction provides services to people with disabilities through various home modifications.

“The things we focus on are not necessarily mainstream, so it was great to have what we do behind the scenes acknowledged. Since last year’s ceremony, we have grown in what we offer and have expanded our product line by over 27 items, all of which are designed for increased accessibility,” Culwell added.

Volunteer winner Pamela Albert, who was nominated for her efforts related to her son’s progressive neurological disease, was surprised to win an award. “I did not realize my efforts were affecting so many people. I enjoyed hearing all the stories about ways people are excelling with their disabilities. The testimonies were very touching and I was honored to be in the same room as so many amazing people,” Albert said.

CILCP hopes to have even more attendees at this year’s Awards, stressing that the event is open to anyone—not just CILCP and its consumers. 

“We always want to see more people involved and have more nominees. We love hearing the impact that’s being made across the community. There are so many people out there achieving their goals, and we want to recognize as many of them as possible! Please nominate people because every story is fantastic!” Green said.

“I encourage everyone to submit nominations and attend the award ceremony,” Culwell agreed. “It’s a great opportunity to network and expand the group of people that you work with and to socialize with like-minded people.”

“It is nice to honor someone and let them know that they are making a difference. The ceremony will also motivate you to want to make a positive difference in the community,” Albert said.

Individuals may visit www.LivingWellWithADisability.org or call (717) 432-2468 to obtain the nomination form and rules.  All nominations must be submitted by October 3rd. Nominations may be submitted electronically to nominations@LivingWellWithADisability.org or mailed to Central PA’s Living Well With A Disability Awards, Attn: Tammy Miller, 129 West Harrisburg Street, Dillsburg, PA 17019.

About the Center for Independent Living of Central PA
For over 20 years, CILCP has been serving people with all types of disabilities who live in Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin, and Juniata counties.  CILCP is a consumer controlled, cross disability organization dedicated to assisting people with disabilities to achieve and maintain independent life styles.  From achieving a small task to accomplishing a life-changing goal, CILCP is helping people with disabilities exceed their lifestyle expectations.  For more information on Living Well With A Disability visit www.LivingWellWithADisability.org, and for more information on CILCP, visit www.cilcp.org.   

For more information regarding this press release, please contact Debbie Rozelle at (717) 432-2468 or email at debbie@suasion.us.