Someone had employment questions last week, and I mentioned Wyoming's
"Business leadership Network. Here's more info on that:
Let's try this again!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Kendall D. Corbett" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Cerebral Palsy List" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 08:32:26 -0700
Subject: Fwd: FW: CBLN July 2008 E News
A little while ago, someone had questions on employment and I mentioned the
Business Leadership Network. This is the monthly electronic newsletter of
the Cheyenne BLN, and has links to the Wyoming BLN and the national BLN. I
hope it'll come through to the list; if not, I'll include the link to the
Cheyenne, Wyoming and US BLN's
cheyenne-bln.com
www.WY-BLN.com <http://www.wy-bln.com/>
www.USBLN.com <http://www.usbln.com/>
From: Marla Lewis [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Subject: CBLN July 2008 E News
Please pass this newsletter along to anyone who can use the information!
Ability Link
July 2008 Cheyenne Business Leadership Network E-newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE:
· SYMON Awards& Hire WY's Heroes
·Calendar of Events
· Symon Awards Nomination Form
· BLN Expands to Sheridan-Buffalo
· Volunteer Needed for Festival of Trees
· Join the CBLN Steering Committee
· Playing with Fire…?
Contact your local CBLN director:
Marla Lewis
2101 O'Neal Ave.
Cheyenne, WY 82009
Phone: (307) 631-8012
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web Site: Cheyenne-bln.com
Valuable Links:
http://www.cheyennechamber.org/
http://www.cheyennecity.org/
CBLN Mission Statement:
The Cheyenne Business Leadership Network is an employer led initiative
dedicated to providing opportunities to build a diverse workforce and
customer base that includes persons with disabilities.
Our program goals include developing business leaders who actively promote
recruiting and retaining employees and customers with disabilities, and to
provide disability awareness to the general public.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Annual SYMON Awards and "Hire Wyoming's Heroes" Symposium
Please join us at the SYMON Awards to be held in October during National
Disability Employment Awareness Month activities.
Guest Speaker at the SYMON Awards Breakfast will be Major Daniel M. Gade,
the Associate Director for Domestic Policy for the White House's Domestic
Policy Council. Major Gade is responsible for disability and healthcare
issues, as well as matters relating to active military personnel and
veterans.
Major Gade is a graduate of the United States Military Academy from the
Department of Defense. An Army officer, he is the first person in this
position to be on active military duty since the post was created in 2001.
During his service under Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was decorated for valor
and received two Purple Hearts. Major Gade is the first Associate Director
for Domestic Policy to have acquired a disability as the result of wartime
injuries.
Following the SYMON Awards Breakfast, will be a "Hire Wyoming's
Heroes"symposium for bringing together corporate, community, military, and
government leadership to explore successful strategies, best practices, and
resources available to promote the benefits of attracting more veterans,
reserves and guards as employees.
Calendar of CBLN Events:
Steering Committee Meeting: Friday August 15,11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Depot Board
Room (Bring a lunch)
SYMON Awards Breakfast & "Hire Wyoming's Hero's" Symposium:
October 22 at Holiday Inn. Symon Awards 7:30 – 9:30. "Hire WY Hereos" 9:30 –
12:30 pm. Call for ticket prices for each event. 631-8012 or [log in to unmask]
"Christmas in Wyoming" 2008 Festival of Trees: Friday & Saturday, November
21 & 22, Kiwanis Community House: Friday night -- Family Night: Santa &
Mrs. Clause, hot cocoa & cookies, fun, entertainment, photos in the trees.
Saturday Night-- Elegant dinner, Entertainment, Silent Auction, Live
Auction of Beautiful Trees and Ultimate Christmas Packages. Don't Miss this
one!
WBLN Expands to Sheridan-Buffalo Communities
The Western Business Leadership Network is pleased to announce the expansion
of a new Business Leadership Network (BLN) program in the Sheridan and
Buffalo communities July of 2008. Elizabeth Craft, a Sheridan native and
recent graduate from Wake Forest University, has been appointed as director
for this non-profit business-lead coalition for the employment for persons
with disabilities. She will be working with Sheridan Co. School District #2,
Johnson County, Volunteers of America, local service providers, business
partners, local government and agencies to promote the employment of people
with disabilities, disability awareness and educational programs to
transition persons with disabilities into the workplace.
The first BLN in Wyoming started in 1997 in Cheyenne and WBLN now serves
eight communities statewide: Cheyenne, Lander-Riverton, Evanston-Bridger
Valley, Rock Springs, and now Buffalo and Sheridan. Working with the State
of Wyoming Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, service providers and
numerous local business partners, the BLN teaches disability awareness,
benefits of hiring persons with disabilities, and engages business leaders
to become active in employment of persons of all abilities
Looking for Volunteers and Sponsors for 2008 Festival of Trees!
If you are creative or handy at helping plan events, we need your expertise
on various committees for the 6th annual Festival of Trees! Committees
include tree designers, decorating, silent auction, family night
coordinators, set-up and tear-down, and "go-fers". If you are interested in
being involved in this year's event, please confirm your commitment by
calling Marla Lewis at 631-8012.
Also available are sponsorships, corporate tables, tree, wreath and ultimate
Christmas package sponsorships.
We are eager for your involvement in this year's event, and truly appreciate
your generosity and support to the BLN and towards promoting employment of
people of ALL abilities.
Steering Committee Requesting Business Partners
If you and your business advocate for diversity in the workplace and you can
spare a couple hours a month to lead the community in disability awareness
and education, please consider applying for a position as a CBLN Steering
Committee volunteer. The volunteer committee meets once a month at 11:30 am
– 1:00 pm in the Cheyenne Depot Board room.
The steering committee sets the direction for the CBLN and participates in
program development, fundraising, diversity educational programs, mentoring
and event planning. Please contact Marla Lewis, Director at 631-8012 or
[log in to unmask] for more details.
NOTE: The following is an excerpt from a subscriber's response to Denise
Bissonnette's "Diversity World" newsletter. She nicely addresses creating
new opportunities that suit the needs and interests of both the potential
employee and the employer.
You can subscribe to her newsletter by visiting - www.diversityworld.com."
Are we "playing with fire" or "working with fire"?
Dear Denise, While I respect your ingenuity and creativity for uncovering a
person's gifts, dreams, purposes, etc., aren't you playing with fire since
we need to get people on board with what is open and available in the job
market? Thanks for your input.
- Job Developer, Jacksonville, Florida
While I appreciate the question, I beg to differ with the premise that our
job is to get people "on board" a ship that might not be headed in the
direction in which they intend to travel! To begin with, how can we assume
that we can even begin to know all that is "available" in terms of a
person's opportunities? The truth is that what we have exposure to and
knowledge of may be an infinitesimal amount of what actually exists in the
world in terms of a person's possibilities. More importantly, focusing on
what is "available" automatically limits our thinking to what is obvious
and/or easily accessible rather than expanding our ideas to might be
possible!
By focusing solely on available openings we may miss out on all of the
potential opportunities that could be created within a business by looking
at innovative new ways of using a person's abilities to bring profit, save
money, or solve a problem for the employer by proposing a "new position".
Furthermore, what happened to the person's freedom to negotiate an existing
position in such a way that fits with their needs and interests and still
meets the needs of the business? We need not necessarily limit a person's
opportunities to what is immediately available, but stay open and attentive
to additional possibilities. With a little initiative and imagination we
can propose and create new opportunities that suit the needs and interests
of both the potential employee and the employer. I think that what could be
perceived as "playing with fire" from one perspective could be seen as
"lighting a fire" from another – namely, the kind of fire that can help
illuminate a path worth working hard to find and follow with heart!
(c) Denise Bissonnette, July 2008
(If not used for commercial purposes, this article may be reproduced, all or
in part, providing it is credited to "Denise Bissonnette, Diversity World -
www.diversityworld.com."
--
Kendall
An unreasonable man (but my wife says that's redundant!)
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
-----------------------
To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
|
