Able Community Summer Shout-Out

Hope you’re enjoying the summer!  We are:

In a local writing workshop, I wrote despite all my failed endeavors, I’m starting Able Community to redefine independence by building co-housing for people with and without disabilities.  Feedback: “I want to know why this screw up is doing this.”

Here’s why:

Most of my highly educated friends with disabilities are unemployed or underemployed, and still live with their parents.  It’s disempowering when it’s because you can’t find and afford accessible housing and/or care, instead of just saving money.

Helping people with disabilities find individualized solutions to accessible housing, self-directed personal care, and community will enable equal access to meaningful opportunities, including paid full-time employment.

Able Community is a solution, but still has a long way to go.  We seek to equip people with disabilities with tools that will empower them, instead of facing failed endeavors, like I have.  We provided three young adults with disabilities with housing since we moved into a house in 2017, and need your help to make room for more people with and without disabilities to live in our house!

We’re not asking for monetary donations today, although you can still donate online.

BIG ASKs:

Can you or anyone you know donate unique stuff (artwork, recipes, sharing season tickets/airline miles, etc.) or services (tutoring, tours of your town, harmonica lessons, etc.)?  Able Community plans to crowdfund (think Kickstarter, etc.) and use your pledged donations as rewards or auction items.

If you shop Amazon on Prime Day on July 15 & 16, or on any other day, please shop via http://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-1913272.  AmazonSmile donates part of your purchase to Able Community!  Every cent makes a difference!!!

Support us on Amazon

Thanks,

Esther S. Lee,

President of Able Community—Redefining Independence

esther@disabilitylawcollective.com

http://www.ablecommunitychicago.org

Housemates with and without Disabilities Wanted

My nonprofit, Able Community, is looking for housemates, especially those willing to provide personal care for housemates with disabilities in exchange for free rent!

Able Community is taking applications for residents and personal care assistants for its first house in downtown Arlington Heights, a ~35 minute express Metra train ride to downtown Chicago, with access to public buses and accessible dial-a-ride township vans.

Apply on: http://bit.ly/apply2AC

 

Click on this to apply.

 

Support my 501(c)(3) Non-Profit: Attend Able Community’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Fundraiser!

Sunday May 20^th at 2pm

123 S. Belmont Ave. Arlington Heights, IL

Suggested donations: $20 per adult and $10 per child
Donate in advance to RSVP on http://www.AbleCommunityChicago.org/donate
or RSVP to esther@DisabilityLawCollective.com or text (312) 772-6828

Dressing up like Alice in Wonderland characters is encouraged!

Food provided by our event sponsors:
Armand’s Pizzeria
Sweet T’s

Enter for chances to win gift certificates to local businesses:
La Tasca Restaurant, Cortland’s Garage, Dave’s Specialty Foods Cooking Class, etc.

All proceeds will go to Able Community, a 501(c)(3),
providing inclusive housing for people with disabilities. http://www.AbleCommunityChicago.org

 Dear Reader,

I’m writing to invite you to my non-profit, Able Community’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Fundraiser on Sunday May 20th at 2pm.  It will be held at 123 S. Belmont Ave. in Arlington Heights.

Able Community is a 501(c)(3) creating housing to improve people with disabilities’ independence.  We just moved into our first house in November and are the only accessible, intentionally inclusive cooperative housing in the United States seeking to provide personal care services to people with disabilities.

Our mission statement is redefining independence through self-directed personal care, employment, and community by building affordable co-housing for people with and without disabilities to create an alternative to living in nursing homes and depending on family for care.

We are having this fundraiser to raise money to enlarge 2 basement windows so they are up to municipal codes and can be used as fire escapes, so that our caregivers can live there, or so it can be rented out to offset our care costs. All of the proceeds from the tea party fundraiser will go towards this need.

We can’t do this without you. It will cost $16,000 to enlarge 2 basement windows (or $10,000 for one window) as fire escapes.  We have already raised $3,000 towards this goal.  We need your help reaching our goal!

Please contact me at the e-mail below with any questions or to RSVP.

Sincerely,
Esther S. Lee
President of Able Community
123 S Belmont Ave, Arlington Heights
(312) 772-6828
esther@disabilitylawcollective.com
http://www.ablecommunitychicago.org