Patti

Work-related highlight: We continue to see communities embrace our mission and make it part of their identity. Virtually each new playground, building, performance or endeavor is exploring the questions of inclusion and accessibility. Keep it up Northeast Indiana!

Personal highlight: My new granddaughter was born this year in November. I got to spend time with her and the other seven throughout the year.

Looking forward to 2025: Every year holds promise and potential. I am confident that this will be true in 2025.

Vicki

Work-related highlight: My most fulfilling moments at work this year came from growing the Indiana Disability Resource FINDER program. Whether it was helping families connect with essential services or building new collaborations, the difference the FINDER program makes is a wonderful reminder of how powerful community can be.

Personal highlight: My happiest times were those summer weekends at the lake with family and friends. The sound of laughter and making memories together filled my heart in the best way—there’s nothing quite like family time! Add in a boat and a swim float, and you’ve got true zen.

Looking forward to 2025: As I look ahead to 2025, I’m feeling hopeful and excited for whatever opportunities and challenges come my way. Bring it on!

Mandy

Work-related highlight: A major highlight this year for me was our grantee training pilot program, which included grant writing and evaluation training. One of my favorite parts of my role at AWSF is helping our grantees!

Personal highlight: Mike and I getting engaged!

Looking forward to 2025: I’m looking forward to traveling more with my boys and Mike!

Todd

Work-related highlight: Pay it Forward day was again a great day and being able to be part of enabling individuals with disabilities to give back to smaller organizations in their communities that make a difference in their lives.

Personal highlight: Attending my oldest son's wedding.

Looking forward to 2025: Looking forward to it not being an election year.

Eric

Work-related highlight: One project I’m especially excited about is the Inclusive Playground initiative. Before joining AWS Foundation, I didn’t realize how much work the foundation has done to fund parks and playgrounds that are accessible to everyone. It’s amazing to see how these spaces are designed so people of all abilities—kids and adults—can enjoy them fully. Being part of this project has shown me how important it is to create places that welcome and include everyone. It’s inspiring and gives me a deeper appreciation for the difference our work makes.

Personal highlight: The best part of my year has been starting my new job with AWS Foundation. I’m really excited about the opportunities this role brings. I’m looking forward to taking on new responsibilities, working on different projects, and exploring creative ideas that support the foundation’s mission. This job feels like a great chance for me to grow both personally and professionally, and I can’t wait to see all that I’ll learn.

Looking forward to 2025: I’m really looking forward to everything next year has in store, both in my job and in my personal life. Changing to a completely new work environment has been a big adjustment, but I feel like I’ve made the right choice and am excited about the opportunities ahead. On a personal note, working here in Fort Wayne has made me think about moving closer to work sometime next year. I think it would make my life more convenient and might bring even more opportunities—both in my career and outside of it. I’m feeling hopeful and excited about what the future holds!

Joni

Work-related highlight: One of the things I have really enjoyed this year is the time I have spent getting to know some of our rural communities (as part of our rural initiative). I have been overwhelmed by the things that are happening that embrace inclusiveness and universal design. Talking with city and community leaders has given me a much better understanding of a city’s culture and infrastructure – and how that leads to positive growth and change. I thank everyone who has given their time and their energies to meeting with me.

Personal highlight: Several joyful family events…my son got remarried and expanded our family to include an additional grandchild, my niece had a Beatles themed wedding in Mississippi, my other niece gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and I traveled to Maine to spend time with yet another niece. Family is everything.

Looking forward to 2025: I am looking forward to a much healthier 2025 where I can put my energies into enjoying my husband, my family, and my friends. I might even try to pick up a hobby or two 😊.

Andie

Work-related highlight: I think this has been an incredible year for our mission, so it's hard to pick one thing. I've noticed more intentionality of disability inclusion this year. We tried to reflect that in our annual report, but it goes even beyond our grant making. It's becoming integral to the identity of our region.

Personal highlight: I saw Childish Gambino live on his final tour (as Childish Gambino). It was a mixture of his latest album and classics. This was my second time seeing him, but it was really special this time. 

Looking forward to 2025: We're working on some exciting new ideas for the annual Disabilities Expo. Personally I have some concerts and trips planned.

Ehlay

Work-related highlight: My highlight this year was working with the Amp Lap kids. I loved seeing the creativity of these high schoolers and how they applied their talents to support the disabled community. I saw them grow in knowledge about disabilities and find purpose in the work they did.

Personal highlight: A personal highlight this year was attending my older brother’s engagement party. It was such a special moment, and I felt so fortunate to be able to attend with my mom. We were overjoyed for my brother and had a great time meeting his finance’s family. It was the first time I’ve seen my brother and mother cry while hugging each other. That was a moment I definitely won’t forget.

Looking forward to 2025: I look forward to finishing up my college degree. I’ll be graduating next December, but I know that time will go by in a blink. It’s nerve wracking at times to think about what my life will look like after college, but mainly I’m excited to be finished. 

We are so proud of this year's report. Our team had a great time creating this with Ferguson Advertising and we hope you enjoy it too! You can see the digital version on our website. If you would like to get your own physical copy, which comes with extras in the envelope, stop by our office and we'll be happy to share!

We are happy to have members of the community use our universally designed meeting space for free. Periodically we supply the Community Food Pantries set up by Forward Indiana. We have a bin in our office to take donations for these pantries. If you're using our space and your group would like to help, bring us nonperishable food, hygiene items, formula, or winter supplies (hats, gloves, scarves, or hot hands) and we will be sure these valuable pantries are restocked.

Indianadisabilityresourcefinder.org is an online resource designed to collect and organize contact and service information from providers across Indiana, giving you 24/7 access to the community resources aimed to improve your quality of life. The site is always in need of professionals, volunteers and organizations to contribute to our growing list of services and information.

There are three ways to become a resource for the FINDER community:

1. Share a link to a helpful website or service.

2. Upload an informative article or video.

3. Join FINDER as a Service Provider.

A simple four-step registration process for new FINDER contributors and providers is available at IndianaDisabilityResourceFINDER.org. All submissions are reviewed and verified prior to publication.

You can also claim a listing that already exists. Go to IndianaDisabilityResourceFINDER.org and search for your organization. On the provider page, you will see the following button:

Click that button and follow the instructions to claim. It's that easy!