There is Light at the End of the Tunnel                   

                     by Jill Street

It was on June 24, 1992 that I fell asleep while driving home and didn’t have my seat belt on. I broke my back and was left as a paraplegic. I stayed in a coma for 33 days. I was hooked up to the ventilator, had a tracheotomy, chest tubes on both sides, broken scapula, and a total of 13 IV’s. I stayed at Research Medical Center for a period of 8 weeks. During that time, I actually died (flat-lined) twice.

From Research, I was referred to the Rehabilitation Institute for occupational and physical therapy. The day after I got out of Intensive Care Unit my husband told me he wanted a divorce because I couldn’t walk.

In spite of what I went through, it made me a stronger person. I moved back in with my parents. I had the best of both worlds. My dad pushed me hard to work through my injuries, and my mother was always there for me. Both my parents were supportive. I have had a number of health issues requiring 32 surgeries in 13 years, pressure sores, and kidney and bladder problems.

I was employed at Tamarack Travel for one year before the wreck. My boss, Suzanne Walters, was very supportive. When I returned to work, modifications had been made to make it more accessible for me. I did disability travel for 12 years and now work at Wal-Mart.

I met Greg, my second husband in 1994. We met on the dance floor and it was love at first sight. He is very special. He provided tough love, but soft love. Both my husband and two children have been supportive of everything I do. Family is everything. Family replaces any monetary issue.

In 2002, I decided to go back to school. The Rehabilitation Institute referred me to Vocational Rehabilitation where I have been working with Clarence Wiedel who has been a great inspiration and motivator. He referred me to Jan Rosenblum at the Educational Opportunity Center, who has assisted me in completing the financial aid process since 2002. From there, I was referred to Connie Spies at the Access Office at Penn Valley. She has been great to work with and is a one-of-a-kind person. I appreciate the support of the Access Office.

I am currently attending Penn Valley. I have been active in the Student Ambassadors club and received the gold medal from them.  I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, currently on the Dean’s list, and was elected for District Student Representative. I plan to graduate in December 2008. I will attend the University of Central Missouri 2+2 program for my bachelor’s degree and to complete my master’s degree in social work.

For 10 years, I did speaking engagements to K-12 students about safety prevention. The program is call Think First and is supported by the Highway Patrol.  Once a month Youth Traffic Offenders visit the Emergency Room, morgue, intensive care unit and other divisions in the hospital to help them realize that there is not always death involved in an accident and you don’t always walk away. It is considered a seven hour clinical journey.

Sports are a big part of my life. I have fenced in competition, and hope to continue after my schooling. I have also played softball, basketball (for a fund raiser), and do my own physical therapy including swimming.

I am thankful for the support I have received from my family, Pastor Apple, all my past and present co-workers, Clarence Wiedel, Vocational Rehab, all the access office workers at Penn Valley Community College, the instructors, and all the individuals I have come to know in my life. I look forward to being a social worker and a counselor. I plan to counsel at night in hospitals.

                     "LET THE SUNSHINE IN"

                      By Ardith "Sunshine" Smith

The story you are about to read is true.  I am a former state and federal offender who spent over 8 years incarcerated.  In April of 1999 I was in an accident that left me confined to a wheelchair with a broken right hip, broken right wrist and right forearm, and contusions to my chest.  At the time of the accident I was hustling for an income by dealing a little marijuana, cleaning out inner city crack houses for investors, and an assortment of other low paying jobs.  With the loss of income and no benefits, my prospects were None.  It is hard to hustle from a wheelchair.

Due to the fact that I was on Medicaid, and the broken bones were not a permanent condition, the State of Missouri only allowed for a manual wheelchair and no help building a ramp to get in and out of my house.  I had a 120 lb. Rottweiler who would pull my wheelchair up to the grocery store (4 blocks away) and back.  I also trained him to help me if I fell or needed to take out trash and do household chores.  My friends came to build me a ramp so that I could leave my house. 

I was referred to the Rehabilitation Institutes on 31st and Main for assistance.  They provided me with testing to prove that I could go to college instead of other low paying jobs for wheelchair persons.  My test scores were high so they referred me to the Missouri Vocational Rehab program and to the Educational Opportunity Center.  Jan Rosenblum was my contact counselor at EOC and provided me assistance filing for financial aid to go to Penn Valley Community College.  He also recommended that I utilize the Access Office at PVCC.  There I found Connie Spies who was instrumental in providing the adaptive tools necessary to earn an Associate of Arts Degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice in 2003.

I went on to the University of Missouri‑Kansas City where I earned a B.A. in Criminology/ Criminal Justice in December of 2005.  I am currently in the master's program at UMKC and upon completion of my master's degree I plan to apply for a PhD through the University of Missouri‑St. Louis.  My goal is to interview the women on Death Row in America.  Also, I am currently 55 years old, so age is really just a number. 

Currently I do free resource counseling to former inmates, low income residents, or other persons who I can help with daily living.  I believe that education is a tool to help former and current offenders have a quality of life.  I have mentored over 30 individuals to attend college.  Had it not been for the help I received from the EOC I probably would be doing a life sentence.

Three EOC Participants are giving back to the Community:

Henry Wash:  Former EOC participant has earned his MPA from the University of Missouri – Kansas City is the founder and executive director of High Aspirations Inc. and is a supervisor for the Division of Youth Services at the North West Regional Youth Center.  Henry was a presenter at the African-American/Latino Male Empowerment Summit.

Chris White: Current EOC participant and senior majoring in political science at the University of Missouri –Kansas City also presented at the African-American/Latino Male Empowerment Summit.

Fantashia Freeman: Former EOC participant is a Community Prevention Specialist at Good Samaritan Project (a local AIDS service organization). In addition to her regular employment, Fantashia is the president and founder of Heaven Sent Charities.  The organization currently sponsors over 1,000 children by providing educational materials and books to HIV/AIDS orphans in Soweto-South Africa.  Through Heaven Sent Charities, the project has also successfully delivered over 1,000 Christmas Bears to these orphans.  Ms. Freeman anticipates completing her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management in May, 2008.

Maurice Powell II was the third family member to utilize the services of EOC. A fourth sibling will be entering college in the Fall of 2005. Maurice’s first official contact with EOC was during his junior year in high school. At that time, he was interested in attending several institutions but his preference was to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). His responsibilities in order to be admitted into a university and the financial aid process were discussed with him. These responsibilities included him preparing his academic resume, submitting his admission applications on a timely basis and periodically following up with his EOC counselor. Upon reviewing Maurice’s academic resume, it was evident that he had an outstanding history of academic achievement, extra-curricular activities and community service involvement. These accomplishments meant he would be very attractive to the colleges of his choice. According to his mother, “Having to coordinate two other children attending college, the moral support and guidance of the EOC Counselor has been terrific and I am not sure how the family could have been able to put it together. If it was not for Mr. Smith, it would not have been possible to get the finances for my children to attend college. Starting early and staying on task was critical. I already have Mr. Smith working with Maurice’s younger brother”. Because of the perseverance of Maurice and his parents, he received a total of $27,213 in Federal grants, outside and institutional scholarships which allows him to attend Morehouse College. According to the EOC Counselor, Robert Smith, “it has given me great pleasure in working with the Powell family. In each instance, the student has been committed to getting their education and the parents have been completely involved in the process…This no doubt has made the opportunities for success easier.”

Fantashia Freeman has been an EOC participant since January 1997. She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri for one semester and returned home to attend Penn Valley Community College receiving the Bloch Scholarship. While attending Penn Valley, she did two terms with the AmeriCorps Program. In 2001, she graduated from Penn Valley with her A.A. Degree in Human Service. In 2003, Ms. Freeman again received the Bloch Scholarship (full tuition and fees), attended the University of Missouri in Kansas City and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology. She also earned the Henry Mitchell Scholarship which allowed her to attend the University of Western Cape – South Africa. While attending this institution, she had the opportunity to work with women and children who were afflicted with HIV/AIDS. Ms. Freeman continues to pursue her education and is working on her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management. She is currently employed as and Administrative Assistant/Transportation Coordinator with the Good Samaritan Project which is a HIV/AIDS service organization. With conviction in her voice, she states her long range goal is to return to Africa, manage an orphanage and work on public health policies in the treatment of HIV/Aids. Concluding the interview, Ms. Freeman mentioned, “I don’t know what I would have done if it wasn’t for the services I received from EOC and Mr. Smith”. This Counselor would like to add it has been an honor to work with Ms. Freeman who is willing to give of herself to make a difference and continues to be committed to assisting others less fortunate.

Loumerrrell Willingham is a marketing student at Longview Community College. She has earned the Fannie & Wally Good Reentry Scholarship. In addition to working full-time, attending college part-time, she performs community service activities which such organizations as Rosebrooks Battered Women’s Home and community blood drives. It should be noted that her daughter also is a student at Longview. Her long range goal is to transfer to the University of Missouri – Kansas City to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree.

Rachel Bankhead is a 2004 graduate of Center High School. She is attending Park University on an $8,000 athletic scholarship along with other academic scholarships. In addition to her basketball skills while in high school, she was involved in many extra-curricular and community service activities.

Tangerina McCutchen began working with an EOC counselor June 1998. She attended the University of Missouri in Kansas City and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Tangerina is furthering her education at UMKC working on a Master’s Dergree in Special Education.

Ahslyn Freeman:  Accepted to Tallahassee Community College/Florida State University  major in meteorology.

Micah Henderson:  Graduating from Lincoln University Summa Cum Laude 3.8-4.0 GPA.

Sauda Holman: Graduating from Northwest Missouri State University.

Anthony Knott:  Graduating from William Jewell.

Yasmeen Shumate: Full scholarship to attend Langston University.

Lan Truong:  MCC graduate.  She will be attending Park University in January 2008.