Ravalli County
This spring, the Hamilton Women On the Move (WOM) were invited to play the game of Bocce. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to experience classic games and social engagement while enjoying great weather for the first time this year. WOM now meets twice monthly (1st Wednesday and 3rd Wednesday of each month).
Recent state budget cuts and the resulting loss of mental health case management have left consumers with fewer activities in which to participate. Some of those same individuals have connected with Summit to participate in programs happening at the Refuge.
One of Summit’s Hamilton transition students worked on his senior project in collaboration with Summit. The student hosted a successful game night at The Refuge which was attended by about 20 students. The coordinating student’s afterschool Program Coordinator, Matt Hamilton, plans to collaborate with Summit in the near future due to the success of this project.
Mary, Kwanele (Ravalli County), and Travis (Missoula) met with Donny Ramer of Hamilton’s City Public Works mid-spring regarding potential changes and amendments to parking ordinances. Summit’s proposal is to apply ADA guidelines to the city parking ordinances to create better accessibility and regulations enforcement. Donny will apply the regulations and guidelines to help local entities adopt those regulations when striping and/or restriping parking lots.
Flathead County
Hello! Summit Independent Living in Kalispell is ready for summer!!
The Summit office in Kalispell is planning the first annual Summit IL Picnic in August at Lawrence Park. It is a potluck and we have activities planned. Please call our office at (406)257-0048 Ext 2 for more details and to join our mail list! We send notifications about upcoming events and activities to everyone on the list.
We are happy to welcome our new IL Specialist, Robert Olson, to Summit in Kalispell. He will mostly be working with youth and facilitating classes. Robert is a former VR Counselor and has a great deal of experience assisting others with setting and pursuing goals.
IMPORTANT reminder: Please be sure to always call ahead to schedule an appointment at our office rather than just dropping in. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to assist all walk-ins because we are so busy, but calling ahead will save you a place in our schedules. Have a wonderful summer!
Lake & Sanders Counties
Summit’s Lake and Sanders County office in Ronan continues to be very busy assisting consumers with benefits and housing applications. The number of new referrals from existing consumers and allied agencies continues to grow as more people become aware of the services we provide.
Our Thursday WRAP participant group has been sharing what they have learned with friends and family members who are now interested, so we will be starting a new WRAP class on Thursday, July 12th 11am-1pm.
Our Arts & Activities group on Thursdays from 2-4pm is still going strong with people beading, painting, playing games, and watching movies.
We are developing a youth activities group that will meet at Summit’s Ronan office to play games and/or watch movies. We are reaching out to area communities to encourage young people to come check out the office to learn more. Allied agencies, consumers, families, and community members are encouraged to refer youth who may be interested in that activity or anyone interested in classes.
An open house with food and information about Summit services is planned for July 26. Consumers, families, caregivers, allied agencies, and community members are encouraged to come by the Ronan office during business hours that day.
A community picnic at the Ronan Park Pavilion is scheduled for Thursday August 9th from 11am-2pm. Consumers, families, caregivers, allied agencies, and community members are all encouraged to come and have food and fun!
