This month marks 30 years of service for Active Re-Entry which is an organization that is community based and assists individuals with disabilities. They have many services and programs that they offer to seven counties, Carbon, Emery, Dagget, Duchesne, Grand, San Juan and Uintah.
Recently, Active Re-entry found out that the funding that helps with the PERKIE Travels has been eliminated. “Not a good day for us at the center when we found at the Susan G. Coleman was pulling out of Utah and they were just combining efforts down in Texas. For at least 15 years they have been the funding source for us for keeping the drivers going for PERKIE Travels,” stated Director, Nancy Bentley. The transportation service is offered to individuals in both Carbon and Emery counties that must travel to Provo for daily radiation treatments. There are some donated funds that can carry the program for a few months which will allow for time to research some available grants.
Another great program that is offered is PAWS which is a volunteer-based program that uses animals to facilitate positive changes in a wide range of therapeutic settings. This type of service is becoming more accepted, appreciated and valued. The PAWS program serves a variety of locations throughout Southeastern Utah, helping many age groups, no matter their physical or mental status. There are many agencies that benefit from the program such as city libraries, schools, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as, members of Active Re-Entry. There are so many benefits that animals can provide that often times people cannot.
The Low Vision Coordination program is for individuals seeking assistance with any vision issues they may be facing. Bentley explains what the program coordinator can offer, “She can go in and work with them one on one and just teach simple techniques. But she also works very closely with the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and they bring down specialist.” The Low Vision clinics are offered every other month when the specialist comes to the area and anyone interested must call Active Re-entry to set up an appointment.
One of the programs that is in desperate need of donations is the Music and Memory. This is a certified program that provides personalized music on iPod Shuffle devices for the elderly or disabled individuals. However, iPod Shuffle is a thing of the past and are no longer available for purchase. “So, we are asking the community if you got those in your drawer with the charges, we would appreciate those to please bring them in or give us a call, we’ll come pick them up,” said Bentley. It has been scientifically proven that music can help dementia patients and assist with pain management which enables people to feel like themselves again.
Other programs are assistive technology, scooter training, youth program, Veteran benefits services, peer support groups and community integration. To learn more about Active Re-Entry visit their website at http://www.arecil.org/ or call them at (435) 637-4950.