For anyone who doesn’t know what our Advocate Advisory Council is, this is an amazing group of adult clients we support who advise us as an organization on a variety of issues. We have been meeting with our council virtually all throughout COVID so seeing some of them in person was awesome. It was our Council that prompted the concept for our summer BBQ’s. And they have been one of my favorite parts of summer.  

Our AAC Committee (Summer Simpson, Aelfwynn Freer, Theresa Puccio, Ryan Miller and I) decided last year to have business cards made for each of our AAC members as a way to support their status and contribution. So, Ashlie Soto designed the cards and bought the card holders. Then Ryan Miller delivered the business cards and holders to each of our Council members in time for the summer BBQ’s.  

I heard David, one of our members, introduce himself to multiple people as an SA Advocate Advisory Council Member. Some members distributed their cards, and one person even ran out already! For us here at SA, these amazing individuals help us be better as an organization. Our Council educated SA about how communities came out of WWII and out of the Spanish Flu by connecting meaningfully together. While we didn’t organize parades, we did take on the idea of taking time to celebrate progress and connection. While we are not out of COVID, we are certainly moving through it.    

Guiding Values  

One priority we have here at SA is advancing the potential of our clients. One aspect of this involves supporting them to be seen and heard as the highly contributing members they are in their communities. Specifically, we are helping them to be recognized for their ‘status and contribution’. ‘Status and contribution’ are part of a set of DDA Guiding Values (follow link to read more) through which we focus on supporting each individual. Hers is a short except:  

“Contribution is about recognizing and developing interests and skills and having the opportunity to contribute these in the community. Through contributing, we experience a sense of belonging and pride in ourselves. We are recognized by others for making a positive difference. Contribution leads to the experience of reciprocity (give and take), belonging, and being well regarded by others. We feel valued and equal.”   

In terms of status and contribution, what do you do with clients to support them to be seen and recognized for the amazing people they are? These Guiding Values are a good read no matter who you support. I encourage you to take a look.