Sandra Sheppard – Page 15 – The Jessamine Place

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2018 Mayors’ Motorcade

2018 Mayors' Christmas Motorcade

Annually, in support of the Mayor’s Motorcade, staff from the Jessamine Place and People First present both gifts and a check in support of individuals who are still housed in Central Georgia State Hospital in Milledgeville. Pictured are (L to R) Constance Foster, Mcleatha Burnett, Mayor Jim Puckett, Brad King, People First of Fitzgerald President, Tropecca Rose, Ann Searcy, Shirley B. Brooks, Executive Director of The Jessamine Place, Sandra Sheppard, and Marian Jackson.

GMA (Georgia Municipal Association) began the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade in 1959 at the request of Betty Vandiver, wife of then-Governor Ernest Vandiver, as a way of providing holiday gifts for the patients of Georgia’s mental health and retardation hospitals. Originally established to provide gifts to clients at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, the program was expanded in the 1980’s to support state regional hospitals. Without the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade, many of the clients would not receive a gift for the holidays. The Christmas spirit demonstrated by cities during the Motorcade extends beyond the holiday season. Any gifts not handed out during Christmas are used for client birthdays or given to newly arrived clients, who may need basic items. In this way, cities help the hospitals celebrate special occasions year-round and help the hospitals meet the needs of their clients.

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December ROM

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Way To Go!

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November EOM

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November ROM

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Georgia Symposium

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Sitted: L to R – Philip C. Jay, Sandra Wilcox, Marian Jackson, Constance Foster. Standing: L to R – Shirley B. Brooks and Jill Alexander.

The Fourth Annual Disability History Symposium was held on November 1 in Athens, Georgia at the UGA Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Several individuals from Fitzgerald, Georgia were invited to participated, as a panel, to discuss how we initiated community engagement around the need for public transportation in Ben Hill County. A video captured by Robin Rayne showed the essence of the Ben Hill County Transit system was shown at the Symposium.

To view video: https://vimeo.com/294688624

Pictured above is an artistic exhibit of the mind-mapping rendition from the many ideas expressed at the symposium.

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My Voice, My Board, My Participation

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On October 19, People First of Fitzgerald participated in the annual “My Voice, My Board, My Participation training held at Lake Blackshear in Cordele, Georgia.

The My Voice. My Participation. My Board. is a project of the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD). The goal is to establish a pool of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the skills and perspectives to actively contribute to the work of governance boards and advisory councils for state agencies and not-for-profit organizations. For more information, visit https://www.mvmpmb.org/.

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