Member Highlight - Marissa Fahrig

• I was born and raised in Joplin, Missouri and recently moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas.
• We moved from our large family home in Joplin, to a cute modern loft right on the NWA trail. The proximity to the trail has definitely enhanced our desire to work out and walk around town.
• I have been married for 7 years to Scott Fahrig, we have two cats together. Our cat Wednesday is chubby and grey with a personality comparable to that of a confused teenager. We found our other cat Moe in the parking lot of Moe’s Southwest Grill, he is orange and loves to be close to us at all times.  We both enjoy working with abandoned and homeless animals.
• I enjoy spending time with my close friends, Scott and I are both only children and value our friends as family.

 Education:

• I have a Master’s in Business Administration from Missouri State University, business has always made sense to my little brain. I feel that working as a manager in a NPO is one of the most entrepreneurial endeavors and person can undertake.
• I currently teach online classes at Missouri Southern State University, I enjoy working with students at all age levels but college is particularly fun. My love for school has always been a constant, I’d love to go back again!

Work History:

• In 2010, I aided in the creation of a NPO called Art Feeds, Art Feeds does therapeutic art and creative education with elementary aged students. I wore many hats at this rapidly expanding organization from Director of Finance, to Intern Manager, to Merchandise Manager to the unfortunate office plumber role. After the May, 2011 tornado the need for our organization expanded rapidly, we were fortunate enough to be a part of so many amazing experiences and help the next generation of our community heal from this natural disaster.
• Art Feeds received a Mobile Art Studio from ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition following the May, 2011 tornado to aid in our outreach efforts. We were also fortunate enough to participate in NBC’s Great American Giving Awards and Vh1’s Do Something Awards, these were amazing platforms to promote our growing cause.
• Art Feeds also partnered with an organization based in Ghana, West Africa whose mission was to rescue children from child slavery in the fishing industry. We were able to travel to Africa, meet students, see slavery first hand and design specialized therapeutic art programs that fit these students specific needs. During this process we teamed up with a few designers from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to design, build and stock a creative art center for these rescued children.
• Art Feeds was the most amazing learning experience of my life.

 Arkansas Crisis Center:

• I am currently the Development Coordinator at the Arkansas Crisis Center, that title encompasses being the Director of 211 as well. I am new in the role and I am very excited to help the Crisis Center revitalize its existing programs and structure.
• The Arkansas Crisis Center is the only accredited Crisis Center in the state of Arkansas, we partner with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and focus on suicide prevention and crisis intervention.
• The Crisis Center also houses the online 211 program for the entire state and answers calls for Madison, Carroll, Benton and Washington country (Northwest Arkansas).
• We are excited to continue to learn from the MAK-AIRS group and expand our 211 into more robust service for the people of Arkansas.

Our volunteer project at Kansas Food Bank during the MAK-AIRS conference was great fun! We sorted donated food items and got them ready for easy distribution to food pantries across the state.

Caregiver Action Network is proud to be the organization that sets the theme for November’s National Family Caregivers Month each year. 

The theme for National Family Caregivers Month November 2015 is “Respite: Care for Caregivers”.

Check out our National Family Caregivers Month Media Kit. The media kit includes PDF of the theme for you to download, background on National Family Caregivers Month and a sample proclamation for state and local governments. When President Obama issues the 2015 Presidential Proclamation, you will be able to find it on our media kit. Feel free to use these materials and distribute them to other interested parties.

“R•E•S•P•I•T•E”

The theme for National Family Caregivers Month November 2015 is

“Respite: Care for Caregivers”

Respite – the chance to take a breather, the opportunity to reenergize – is as important as any other item on your caregiver’s to-do list. People think of respite as a luxury, but considering caregivers’ increased risk for health issues from chronic stress, those risks are a lot costlier than some time away to recharge. Respite is the key to your own well-being. Respite protects your own health, strengthens family relationships, prevents burn-out and allows your loved one to stay at home up to three times longer. No wonder respite is one of the most frequently requested support services for family caregivers.

R     is for “Rest and Relaxation”

    Everyone needs a little “R and R” – especially family caregivers. Relaxing is the best way to return refreshed to handle your many responsibilities as a caregiver.

E     as in “Energize”

Caregiving is often round-the-clock 24/7. Respite isn’t simply “getting a few hours off.” It’s necessary to help you reenergize, reduce stress and provide care for your loved one.

S     as in “Sleep”

Caregivers often have sleep problems. Address sleep problems and insomnia before they take too great a toll on your health.

P    is for “Programs that can help you”

Respite – which can be in the home or out of the home – can be hard to find but there are programs available to help you.

I      as in “Imagination”

Let your mind run free; read a book; see a movie. You have been so occupied with the nuts-and-bolts of caregiving that refreshing your mind will actually help you be a better caregiver.

T     as in “Take Five”

...or better yet, take ten.  Do you find yourself saying, “I wish I had just ten minutes to myself”? Don’t feel guilty. You need a reprieve – a few minutes to temporarily disengage.

E     is for “Exhale”

A simple breath in and then a long exhale can help you focus and increase your vitality.  A few deep breaths can give you more energy, reduce stress, and lift your mood.

During National Family Caregivers Month, remember…

Respite: Care for Caregivers

© Caregiver Action Network • www.caregiveraction.org • 202.454.3970

Medicare Part D open enrollment begins Oct 15 – Dec 7.  This is the time to change plans or evaluate current plans for the next year.  Anyone needing assistance with checking their plans can contact Missouri CLAIM 1-800-390-3330 or www.missouriclaim.org.  Arkansas SHIP 800-224-6330 or www.insurance-arkansas.gov and Kansas SHICKS  800-860-5260 www.kdads.ks.gov. 

AIRS Board of Directors, Affiliate Representatives and Key Partners -

Attached for your information is the "All I&R Count" by State report and the total is 28,674,613.  

This is an impressive number of people that have been touched by the I&R field. Thank you to everyone that assisted in collecting the numbers.  It is not an easy task and I greatly appreciate the time you  took to assist us in gathering this information.  I would also like to send a special to Clive Jones, who spent a great deal of time filling in the gaps.  Please share this number far and wide, as it is not always easy to measure the I&R reach.    

Charlene Hipes
Chief Operating Officer
Alliance of Information and Referral Systems 

The National Information & Referral Support Center recently announced the newly launched HUD Resource Locator, providing mobile app and website assistance. Take a look at this helpful tool, which offers impressive real-time functioning for I&R resource support.

Dear Aging and Disability I&R Professionals, 

As housing is a significant need for many I&R inquirers, we wanted to let you know of a new housing locator resource from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Department recently launched the HUD Resource Locator - a mobile app and website that offer real-time HUD housing information that can assist to connect with building managers, public housing authority representatives, and property management companies to inquire about housing availability and other housing-related questions. Users can also search for affordable housing and affordable elderly and special needs housing.

The HUD Resource Locator includes:

• Information about commonly requested housing-related resources from HUD field and regional offices throughout the country.
• Location data and contact information for HUD Field and Regional Offices, Public Housing Authorities, Multifamily Housing, Low Income Housing Tax Credit apartments, USDA Rural Housing, and Continuum of Care Homeless staff.
• Maps that are linked via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, email, and text messages.
• GIS and Browser Location Detection to show resources in proximity to the user.
• Ability to export search results to Excel and to generate a custom PDF resource guide.

For more information, visit HUD. The HUD Resource Locator is available online at resources.hud.gov

  

To join the I&R Center's distribution list, visit http://www.nasuad.org/community-opportunities/stay-informed.

Thank you,

Nanette Relave  Director, National I&R Support Center  National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities 1201 15th St. NW, Ste. 350, Washington, DC 20005 Work Phone:  202 .898.2578   Email:nrelave@nasuad.org   Web:  www.nasuad.org

Good Morning MAK-AIRS Members,

There’s been a minor change to the 205 MAK-AIRS Conference Registration. 

This impacts the mailing address only.  

Anyone mailing in their registration form should send it to:

Marilyn Gunter

P.O. Box 1078         

Warrensburg, MO  64093

Fax and email contact remain the same.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Marilyn directly by phone at (660) 747-3107.

We’re very excited about the upcoming conference & hope to see you there!

MAK-AIRS 2015 Annual Conference

Wichita, Kansas

           Thursday, October 1^st & Friday, October, 2^nd.    

Thank you.

    

Donna Jasper, MAK-AIRS Board President

djasper@mid-eastaaa.org

Below is an article from the United Way of Greater Kansas City's Tocqueville newsletter about Chris Stout. Chris will be a presenter at the MAK-AIRS conference this year. Don't miss it!

One-Stop Help for Our Veterans

Chris Stout, United Way's Veterans Navigator, in his office, reads correspondence he has received from Kansas City-area veterans seeking assistance.

In the military, soldiers commemorate their last day in battle as their “Alive Day,” and celebrate it as an anniversary every year afterwards.
For Chris Stout, who served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan and won the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, his last day in battle was May 5, 2005. That’s the day he was shot three times, and he struggled to recover and return to a normal life for several years afterwards. Today, Chris says the “Alive Day” he celebrates is the day he met another veteran who helped him get back on the right track to a healthy and productive life.
And now Chris, who is United Way’s Veterans Navigator, provides that same help and support to other military veterans throughout Greater Kansas City. He says it’s the best job he’s ever had. Chris works one-on-one with veterans who call United Way 2-1-1 for help, linking them with the various resources they need to help with medical care, housing, employment, support services and more.
More than 9,000 military veterans in Greater Kansas City live in poverty, and they have higher unemployment rates and more health-related issues than non-vets do. That's why United Way has convened more than 60 metro-area agencies that work with veterans. Through the United Way Veterans Alliance, they now work together to expand and enhance the resources available to help our local veterans.

In addition to hiring Chris as our Veterans Navigator, United Way also has a comprehensive database of resources specifically for veterans at United Way 2-1-1 Online, and provides funding for many of the programs serving vets throughout our community.

Registration is now available for the MAK-AIRS conference! Please email hpierce@unitedwayplains.org if you would like the registration form emailed to you.

Save the Date

2015 AIRS Conference Scholarship Winner

Sara Coyle with Paraquad was the winner of the MAK-AIRS scholarship for the 2015 AIRS National Conference. Please read below to hear about her experience.

"I have never won a Missouri lottery but I sure got lucky when MAK-AIRS randomly picked Paraquad, my organization, for the scholarship trip to our national conference in Dallas. As our representative, I knew I had been given a great opportunity to brush up on old skills and learn the latest advances in our field. I packed my suitcase and my business cards and flew to the great state of Texas.

Although I've been doing information and referral for 19 years, my experience of the national conference was unique. I learned a lot from the program's speakers and workshops. But I also picked up new insights by chatting and sharing stories with other I&R specialists. In one informal group we compared our methods of outcome measures. In another, we talked about providing tax preparation services for older adults. Having the chance to talk to my peers about our satisfactions and challenges was a great bonding experience and the camaraderie could not be beat.

The workshops offered were on so many different and timely topics it was difficult to choose which ones to attend. I narrowed them down to workshops dealing with quality assurance programs, culture of poverty, latest updates for HIPAA, national policy updates in aging and disability. I also knew I wanted to broaden my knowledge of services available to veterans so I was very excited to attend a workshop by the Wounded Warrior Project Resource Center. This impressive charitable organization provides unique and direct programs and services to injured military members. They offer peer support, career counseling, education services, benefit services, adaptive sports programs and many more.

The conference wasn't all business. AIRS hosted a wonderful evening at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science for attendees. The museum is an architectural marvel and we enjoyed a delicious Mexican buffet. Dallas has a beautiful downtown area. It is so inviting and accessible to walk around to the various museums and attractions.

Taking part in the national conference gave me a rejuvenation and enthusiasm for providing information and referral. I am very grateful to MAK-AIRS for the opportunity. One of the highlights from Dallas was learning my hometown is going to be the host for the 2016 national conference! I am so excited to show off St. Louis next year to my new contacts from across the country and repeat the wonderful experience I had in Dallas."

The "Big" Count

AIRS is attempting to get a count of all the I&R calls handled by all of AIRS members in 2014. Each regional affiliate has been asked to contact all of our agencies to collect your total call numbers. An email was sent to all of our affiliate members on July 16th asking for them to submit the number of all their I&R call/contacts for 2014 by August 15th. These numbers help AIRS to advocate on our behalf for the profession of information & referral/assistance. If you would like to submit numbers for your organization or have questions, please contact Heather at hpierce@unitedwayplains.org.

Health Insurance Marketplace and Taxes

AIRS is part of a consortium of organizations supporting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and we have been asked to share the following information which may be relevant to your clients and community.

If a client enrolled in a health plan through the Marketplace in 2014, they will receive Form 1095-A in the mail from the Marketplace by early February. It includes basic information that they’ll need to know about their household’s enrollment, premium payments, and premium tax credit amounts. Clients will need this form for filing taxes in order to fill out new Forms 8962 (Premium Tax Credit Form) and 8965 (Exemptions).

If a client did not have health coverage for all or part of 2014, their income taxes could be affected. They may have to qualify for a health coverage exemption or pay a fee with their federal income tax return. Learn more about exemptions by visiting: https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/exemptions-from-the-fee/. 

2014 Fees are $95 a person ($47.50 per child) or 1% of yearly household income. For more information about fees visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exemptions/fee-for-not-being-covered/.

Additional information about how the Affordable Care Act can impact taxes visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/taxes/, https://marketplace.cms.gov/technical-assistance-resources/tax-information.html, or http://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act

2015 marketplace enrollment ends February 15th. If not enrolled in an employer plan, Medicaid, Medicare, a private plan or one purchased through the marketplace there will be a penalty to pay when filing 2015 taxes. If you want help enrolling you can call 2-1-1 or visit www.covermissouri.org to find a Navigator or Certified Application Counselor. For enrollment events in the KC area, visit www.coverkc.org.