VFI Has 'Whirlwind' Summer of Events 

By Lois Thomson

"So much happened in the past few months, it was a whirlwind of incredible community outreach for us." "Us" is VFI – Voices for Independence – and the speaker is Steve Johnson, director of marketing for VFI in both Washington, PA and Erie.

Johnson was referring to the variety of events VFI planned and participated in during the summer, and the success they had in reaching the community. He said VFI may typically look at outreach in terms of local county fairs or job expos, but this year, "We decided to turn it up a notch by partnering with an organization in Philadelphia called Disability Pride Pennsylvania. Their entire mission is basically to have a celebration where people with disabilities can come together to celebrate their independence and value, and have access to as many resources in that area as possible."

The Erie event was held at Perry Square, and in Washington it took place at the downtown Community Pavilion. Both Disability Pride celebrations featured a large number of vendors, along with food trucks and guest speakers, which included the mayor of each location. Johnson said they went over "incredibly well," and they proved to be "great opportunities for people to come out and learn more about us and the resources in the community."

Of VFI's summer activities, Steve Johnson said, "This summer we took on more than we ever had in terms of sheer quantity of events and scale of events. And we're happy because I think it went over really well with folks." It worked well because, as he pointed out, "We have a great team (at VFI) that really does care and goes above and beyond when it comes to planning all the logistics that go into it. People come together and make sure it happens seamlessly."

Also in Erie this summer, VFI held its 6th annual No Limits Adaptive Fitness Challenge. "We have 10 stations where anyone can come and work out, people of all abilities; it's not segregated, everybody works out together side-by-side. We have adaptive equipment, adaptive exercises, and can make modifications on the fly." Johnson said that while the fitness challenge does not take place in Washington at this time, it is something that VFI is considering. "Everyone would love to make it happen. Bringing No Limits to Southwestern PA would mean a lot."

Additionally in Washington, VFI held its 10th annual golf outing fundraiser at Lone Pine Country Club. "We had a great turnout and everyone had fun, especially at the Chair Chip Challenge, where golfers had an opportunity to participate in a closest-to-the-pin chipping contest. The catch is that they must remain seated in a manual wheelchair while competing, which is harder than you might think."

In wrapping up the summer events, Johnson said, "The entire past few months have offered an incredible array of opportunities to be with people we serve and show them what we're all about, what we can do for them, and what the disability community is all about. We hope people walk away from our events happier, feeling more secure and comfortable, learning about what's out there for them, and how much we care about the people we serve."

He added, "It's nice to interact with people in the community while we give back."

For more information, call (724) 223-5115 or visit www.vficil.org