News

Summer Transition 2010

We had 14 students join us for Summer Transition this year and what a great year it was. The students learned a variety of skills including: budgeting, cooking, grocery shopping, using social skills, finding housing, finding jobs, and accessing public transportation. The students enjoyed presentations from a dental hygienist, Job Corps, Vocational Rehabilitation, and people with disabilities who are self advocates.

When asked what was the best part of summer transition most of them replied with “making new friends”.

Transition is a key component when looking at the future. Many of us go through several transitions in our lifetime. Learning new skills and tools to make those transitions easier is one of the main goals of our program. Want to attend our 2011 Summer Transition class in your area? Look for information to come via newsletter or website.

After nine months of strategic planning, Prairie Freedom Center for Independent Living changed the agency name to Independent Living Choices. The change took effect January 1st, 2010. Not only did we change the name, but we also made changes to the mission, logo, colors, and added a tag line. We made these changes for several reasons and some of them include:
1. We wanted to create a brand name that more closely resembled the services we provide.
2. We wanted to shorten our name.
3. Take the word “center” out the name to lessen confusion that we provide residential services
4. Take the word “prairie” out of the name to lessen confusion with the various local businesses that already have the word prairie in their name.
5. Finally, to reintroduce ourselves to the community with a fresh appeal.
The change took a lot of effort by staff and the Board of Directors, but the results have been worth the work. I would like to give special thanks to Henkin Schultz for guiding us through this process. Their assistance was priceless.
The change has been overwhelmingly positive and well received. To celebrate the changes, Independent Living Choices recently held an open house and ribbon cutting with the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. The celebration was well attended with nearly 150 participants and partners of our agency in attendance. If you were unable to attend the open house or have not seen the changes, please stop in and visit us. We would love to tell you about our new look!
Matt Cain
Executive Director

Keloland News ran a story in January regarding the Assistive Daily Living Services Program. This story highlights the importance of the program in the lives of people with disabilities. The following is a link to the story. www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=25,65566