Mayor honors those who support disabled in community
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- Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:06:11 -0400
The Coloradoan, CO, USA
Friday, October 12, 2007
Mayor honors those who support disabled in community
By JASON KOSENA JasonKosena@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mayor Doug Hutchinson smiled Thursday when asked why he believes it is so
important that the city recognize the effort and dedication residents and
volunteer agencies provide to the disabled community.
"Although I grew up here in Fort Collins, I never really recognized the full
extent of support there is from the nonprofit and volunteering community,"
Hutchinson said during the annual Mayor's Awards, a ceremony honoring the
people who work with the disabled community.
"I think Fort Collins is very blessed to have people and organizations like the
ones we awarded today."
It's the efforts of people such as Brownie McGraw who helped raise thousands of
dollars for the first handicap-accessible playground in the state, which is
being built in Fort Collins, and of Denny Bettenhausen who founded the Ensight
Skills Center in Fort Collins to help visually impaired people, among many
others, that make Fort Collins a great place to live, Hutchinson said.
The true spirit of the awards was captured by Bettenhausen when asked how it
felt to be recognized by the city for her efforts.
"It's nice to get the recognition, but I would be doing this work anyway," said
Bettenhausen, who is visually impaired. "Helping people who are visually
impaired, it's my calling. It's what I am supposed to do."
McGraw, who helped raise nearly $1 million for the Inspiration Playground being
built in Spring Canyon Park, said she hopes better awareness of the need for
more support of the disabled community comes from her and others' efforts.
"The park will help disabled and nondisabled children be inclusionary and help
them play together," McGraw said. "It's kind of hard not to want to get
(behind) those kinds of efforts."
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/NEWS01/710120323/1002
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