In a small Lilburn kitchen stocked with more love than staples, Jennie Leigh, Lauren Anthony and BobbieJo Williams busied themselves mixing and baking cookies, cupcakes and brownies, the kind of goodness they hope will one day help rid Third World countries of tetanus.
For most of their lives, the three women, who are intellectually disabled, have been on the receiving end of this community’s benevolence with nothing more to give back han a thank-you.
But just as the cultural shift of the 1970s gave them the same rights as everyone else to live and work in the least restrictive environment possible, their effort is evidence another shift is taking place — this time, freeing them to see, feel and touch the blessing of giving to others.
And so for the past three years, these leaders of the AKtion Club and its 30 or so members have been busy.
Busy helping build Habitat for Humanity homes. Busy collecting and donating food to the needy. Busy making baked goods for sales that will benefit Project Eliminate, a joint effort of Kiwanis International and UNICEF, which seeks to eliminate tetanus in newborn babies and their mothers in Third World countries.
“I usually cry when we go on these activities because I realize how blessed I am,” said Leigh, AKtion’s secretary and chaplain. “We never have to worry about having our lights out, clothes to wear or food to eat. The AKtion Club gives us the opportunity to give to other people who don’t have those things. It’s a circle.”
The club is one of only eight in Georgia sponsored by Just People, a nonprofit organization that provides social services to disabled adults, and the Kiwanis Club. This chapter is by far the most active in the state, said Nolan Feintuch, president of the Sandy Springs Kiwanis Club and an adviser to AKtion.
“This is not just another project Just People is offering its clientele,” Feintuch said. “The members created it. They run it, and its future is in their hands. A lot of AKtion Clubs crumble after a year. They lose energy, but we’re now on our third set of officers.”
‘Big hearts’ and time
There are an estimated 500 AKtion Clubs worldwide, with some 11,000 members.
The clubs, which became an official service leadership program of Kiwanis International in 2000, provide adults living with disabilities the opportunities to develop initiative and leadership skills and to serve their communities.
Feintuch heard about them a few years ago and immediately thought they could fill a need in metro Atlanta.
“I started making calls and talking to people,” he said recently.
Those people included officials at Just People.
“Just People stepped up to the plate,” Feintuch said.
They held their first meeting in November 2009 and a few months later held their first service project shredding Christmas trees. In April 2010, the club received its official charter, and today it boasts some 30 adult members.
Natalie Christianson, a case manager for Just People and an AKtion faculty adviser, said the club is one more way to introduce clients to different experiences and “make them a little bit more well-rounded.”
“A lot of what we do involves going places and doing things, but this was a chance for them to give back,” Christianson said.
While club members don’t have a lot of material things to give, Christianson said they have a “really big hearts and a lot of time and effort.”
“At some point that’s actually more rewarding than taking money out of your pocket,” she said. “There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears in what they do.”
Able, willing to give
And pride, Leigh said.
At least once a month, she said, the club does some kind of project.
“The only time we take off is during the Special Olympics and holidays” said Williams, the club’s president.
In addition to collecting food and school supplies for the needy, club members have helped feed the homeless and volunteered at the Atlanta Women’s and Children’s Day Shelter and Furkids, a nonprofit that provides a cage-free, no-kill shelter for rescued animals.
Both Leigh, 48, and Williams, 29, have been with the club since its beginning. Both have always held leadership positions. Williams served two terms as secretary before being elected president in October.
Williams said she always had a passion to give back but didn’t know how.
“I’m really grateful for the support from the Kiwanis and Just People,” she said.
Christianson, she said, is quick to remind them “this is y’all’s club. I’m just here to help.”
“She steps back and lets us figure things out,” Williams said.
Too often, they said, people with disabilities are looked at as people lacking ability.
“Just because we have a disability doesn’t mean we are dis-able,” Leigh said. “We have the same ability to give as any other person.”
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