Non-profit advocate Abby Finley says she is excited about helping lead fundraising for RAMP as the organization strives to help those with disabilities adjust for independent lifestyles.  Finley said RAMP services can offer help for all ages ranging from grade school to senior citizens.  She noted that Mental Health issues are more frequently diagnosed now than in the past, so special advocates are being brought on board to give this need a priority.  For high school students, RAMP has a program to include real life work experiences so those with disabilities can see what career choices work best for them.  Finley said they also have a Community Reintegration program to help someone who has been living in a nursing home return to independent living.  RAMP serves DeKalb, Winnebago, Boone, and Stephenson Counties according to Finley.  They reached about 2,000 people with assistance last year.

 

Finley explained that the majority of RAMP’s board of directors and staff have disabilities which give them unique insights into ways to assist those coming to the agency for help.  She said their main values are centered around inclusion, participation, accountability, and autonomy.  These funding sources are a diverse mix of corporate and individual contributions, special events, and state and federal grants.  Finley noted they have a major awareness luncheon on October 30 to launch their private fundraising drive.  Details are on their website at www.rampcil.org.

 

Finley gave a big “Thank You” to their supporters and to the other local agencies that partner with RAMP to coordinate efficient service delivery.  On a personal level, Finley and her husband used their commitment to non-profit involvement to become foster parents.  This led to them adopting their foster son this past March. Finley said her main mission now is to ensure the disability community has equitable access to the world around them.

October 14, 1890 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, who becomes 34^th President of the United States and serves as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, is born in Denison, Texas. 

 

October 15, 1924 – Corporate folk hero and automobile executive Lee Iacocca is born in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

October 16, 1758 – American teacher and compiler of the first American dictionary of the English language, Noah Webster, is born in West Hartford, Connecticut.

 

October 18, 1939 – Chicago football legend and Hall of Fame member “Iron Mike” Ditka is born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

October 13, 1884 – Greenwich was established as the universal time from which standard times throughout the world are calculated.

 

October 14, 1947 – U. S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier flying in a rocket-powered research aircraft.

 

October 15, 1899 – In Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Spiders close out the season losing both ends of a double-header (16-1 and 19-3) to the Cincinnati Reds on the road.  The Spiders close out the season with a record of 20 wins and 134 losses, still the standard for fewest wins (the 2024 White Sox ended the season with 41 wins and 141 losses - giving them most losses in a single season). 

 

October 19, 1781 – British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown effectively ending the Revolutionary War (although the final peace treaty is not signed until September 1783).