Human Needs Committee

 

Chariman: Christopher N Horn

 

Information from Supreme for this committee:

  • Assist those in need of housing. A roof over one’s head is a fundamental right. Raise money to support homeless shelters and low-cost housing. Help renovate and repair buildings to house the needy. Support efforts to help the homeless help themselves, find jobs and take their place in society.
  • Defeat hunger— an ever-present reality for millions around the world. Food banks and soup kitchens rely on volunteer manpower. Donate your council’s services. Also donate food or con- duct food drives in your council and community. Start a community garden, with all the produce grown to be donated to local community groups or agencies helping the needy. Remember, people are hungry every day of the year; not only at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  • Support groups that deliver meals to homebound people such as Meals on Wheels programs. For more information contact the group providing the service in the local community.
  • Tell the public about what the Knights are doing for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Order a copy of the Guidelines for Reporting and Writing about People with Disabilities brochure produced by the University of Kansas Research and Training Center on Independent Living. This brochure provides a clear set of guidelines to assist in the choice of language and portrayal when writing about people with disabilities. For information on purchasing copies of this brochure, write to: Research & Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas, 4089Dole Center, Lawrence, KS 66045.
  • Help meet the psychological and recreational needs of the aged. Visit and offer encouragement to residents of homes for the elderly. Organize and get commitments from your council members and their families to make regular visits to elderly people in rest and long-term care centers. You can also sponsor recreational, social or religious events for older people at your council home.
  • Give people with disabilities other than blindness the ability to live independently by supporting Canine Companions for Independence. This group trains dogs to perform more than 50 different commands to assist people. For more information write to Canine Companions for Independence, 2965 Dutton Ave., PO Box 446, Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0446, or call: (800) 572-2275.
  • Support groups that assist senior citizens, the frail and homebound elderly, people with Alzheimer’s disease and the people who care for them. For more information contact the American Association of Retired Persons 1-888-687-2277;the Children of Aging Parents (800) 227-7294;the National Council on Aging Inc. (202)479-1200;the National Adult Day Services Association (800)558-5301; the National Family Caregivers Association (301)942-6430;the Canadian National Advisory Council on Aging (613)957-1968; and the American Health Assistance Foundation 1-(800)437-2423.15
  • Bring independence and mobility to disabled throughout the world who cannot afford a wheelchair by supporting the Wheelchair Foundation. The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading worldwide efforts to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical dis- abilities. For more information on what your council can do visit the Wheelchair Foundation’s Web site (www.wheelchairfoundation.org), call (877)378-3839,or write them in the U.S. at 3700 Blackhawk Road, Danville, CA 94506 or in Canada at P.O.Box75038, White Rock, B.C., V4B 5L3,Canada.
  • Provide necessary transportationfortheelderlyattendingMass,shopping,visitingrela-tives,doctor appointments, etc. Offer assistance to area senior citizens who live alone in performing routine household tasks.
  • Lend a hand to help persons with intellectual disabilities. Read and inform yourself about the facts. Contact the nearest Association for Retarded Citizens. Tie in your projects and activities with the local association so that there can be coordinated involvement in working out the problems which face citizens with intellectual disabilities. Get involved in local Special Olympics athletics competition. Volunteer your services for this important sports training and competition program that builds confidence and self-esteem.
  • “Adopt” students at a special learning class or school for children with intellectual dis-abilities. Volunteer to take the young people on fieldtrips, host parties for them, give them gifts on their birth days, and sponsor other activities to brighten their days and boost their self-confidence.
  • Involve your council in community programs aimed at enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities by promoting greater opportunities in education, housing, employment, transportation and recreation. For more information contact the National Organization on Disability, 910 - 16th Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006/ (202) 293-5960. In Canada call (800) 622-6232.
  • Battle adult illiteracy. Offer to help literacy programs by providing volunteer tutors, raising money for adult basic reading material, urging local businesses to institute workplace reading programs, and spreading the word that assistance is available to nonreaders. If no literacy pro- grams are available locally, work to develop one.
KofC Supreme Documentation Source Page 15