Press release:
At the annual “Night for Independence Gala,” on May 20 in Salvatore’s Italian Gardens, Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies (WNYIL) will salute a member of the disability community with its Independent Citizen Award. WNYIL is requesting that the public submit the names of candidates for this distinguished honor, prior to the Monday April 3 cutoff for nominations.
To be considered, the individual would have shown support, assistance and inspiration to others while demonstrating the five core values of this award:
- Exemplifying independence in the community, such as: by beginning a special project; by spearheading an awareness effort; or by gaining the support of decision-makers, for the benefit of others with disabilities or the general community;
- Going above and beyond what would be expected to assist others, by offering personal experience or expertise, organizing individuals around an issue, enlisting partnerships, and/or revealing self-sacrificing work;
- Remaining active in the community over an extended period, even after an initial success with an activity or major project;
- Rejecting others’ criticism or doubt, that potentially could have deterred the individual from striving to reach and achieve personal goals;
- Showing the world the value of one person’s actions by encouraging others to have a contributing, encouraging, and positive attitude about making the community a better place for all.
Anyone who is aware of an individual with a disability who would meet all these criteria should contact Heather Mattiuzzo of the WNYIL Office of Community Outreach at (716) 836-0822, ext. 146; or email her with the candidate’s name, a paragraph about his/her qualifications and contact information, as well as the submitter’s name and contact information, to hmattiuzzo@wnyil.org.
WNY Independent Living, Inc. is Western New York's largest cross-disability, consumer-directed, non-residential organization for persons with disabilities. At WNYIL, individuals of all ages and all types of disabilities learn to exercise their freedom of choice to take control of their own lives in order to live more productively in, and contribute to, the community.
