The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas is hosting virtual meetings on Zoom this summer to inform citizens and candidates for public office about Medicaid expansion in Kansas.

Learn how you can step up your advocacy efforts on this critical issue. We’ll provide guidance on what kinds of questions to ask potential lawmakers and how to educate them about expansion.

We want to learn from you, too! We want to hear more about your community and brainstorm ideas to keep this issue in the forefront with your town leaders and neighbors.

RSVP Now! 

When: July 7, 2020 6 p.m.
Where: Zoom link will be provided upon registration

Summertime greetings to everyone! The warmest season of the year has officially arrived.

I looked out my window at home today and saw the trees moving, so I knew there was a breeze on this hot summer’s day. That got me thinking about how, while I cannot literally see the breeze, I can see the manifestations of the breeze and feel the breeze. I know it is there because of its effects.

Societal change is like that. We work for change via systems advocacy, or “changing the systems” that present barriers to society, especially to people with disabilities. We know that things are changing, but we cannot “see” the actual change in people’s hearts and lives until or unless they show it by their actions. But we can sense it.

I have been in the Independent Living movement for a number of years and have worked on many social change issues. What I know is that it is not fast and it cannot be done alone. There is a sign that hangs in our office that reads, “Never doubt that a group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

We still have much work to do and many barriers to remove before our work for equality is done, but we remain committed to the task. Be healthy and stay safe.

Love, Shari

The Mercy Boxes were set out as a way to give back to our communities during hard times.

We simply said “Take what you need and give what you can”. That is exactly what we are seeing. We have donations coming in on a regular basis. Some are people we have helped in the past and others are just community members that want to give to this purpose. The love is felt with each donation.

The boxes are small but contain a big purpose. A helping hand for someone in need. We see around 5 people a day come to the Mercy Box for that small amount of help. For them is is big to just receive a little love from a stranger.

We take great pride in this exchange and our roll in it. We appreciate the love donations that go into this gift to our communities.

Thank you for the part you have played and in keeping our communities strong.

As summer officially begins on Saturday, Kansas continues to slowly reopen amid the Coronavirus pandemic. At SKIL, we continue working on what the best and safest practices are and will be as we forge ahead in our mission of helping people with disabilities.

On June 15th, some of our employees started returning to work at our offices. We have put into place important safeguards at the front entrance, including taking non-invasive temperatures of all who enter our building, providing face masks to wear in the common areas while inside and requesting that everyone fill out a short health questionnaire related to protecting us all from COVID-19.

We hope to see you, our beloved customers, very soon! I will keep you posted on when and how this will happen, as we all adjust to a “new normal” in our lives going forward. We have survived, and we will all continue on!

Love, Shari