Applications Now Accepted–Glenn Koons Certified Peer Specialist Scholarship
Glenn Koons Scholarship—Applications Now Accepted
In October, the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvaia (MHAPA) and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association (PMHCA) announced a new scholarship in honor of Glenn Koons, a beloved Certified Peer Specialist who touched many lives before his untimely death. Glenn’s personality and skills led him to become a Certified Peer Specialist. In this role he helped guide people through their mental health recovery journeys. Whether at work or with friends, he brought hope and smiles to people.
In response to our announcement, people from across the state donated to the scholarship. We are grateful to the donors listed here for helping make this scholarship a reality.
Today, MHAPA and PMHCA are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the scholarship. Please see below for more information.
About the Glenn Koons Scholarship
The $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a promising Pennsylvania candidate for Certified Peer Specialist training who demonstrates the ability to engage people, share life experiences in recovery, provide leadership, and teach others these skills.
To Apply
Print and complete the application. Return your completed application to:
PMHCA
4105 Derry Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111
Fax: 717-564-4708
E-mail: pmhca@pmhca.org
Applications are encouraged via fax and email.
Deadline
Applications must be postmarked no later than February 15, 2012 to be considered. An appointed committee will review applications and the winner will be notified no later than March 30, 2012.
Contact Information
If you have questions, please contact Sue Walther, Executive Director, MHAPA, at 717-346-0549/866-578-3659, ext. 1 or swalther@mhapa.org. Or call the PMHCA office at 1-800-887-6422.
To Donate
If you would like to support the scholarship, please send your donation to PMHCA at the address below. All donors will receive recognition when the scholarship is awarded.
PMHCA
Attention: Glenn Koons Scholarship
4105 Derry Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111
Make checks payable to “Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association.”
Or make a donation online using PMHCA’s PayPal account by clicking here.
State Budget Freeze
Last week, Governor Tom Corbett announced $157 million in state spending cuts this week to resolve a midyear revenue shortfall. This marks the fifth straight year of cuts to health care, education and human services.
Lack of Reporting System Makes Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Easy Victims for Criminals
Harrisburg, PA (October 18, 2011) – The recent discovery of four adults with intellectual disabilities chained and starving in a Philadelphia basement sparked national headlines highlighting the potential for abuse of people with disabilities, prompting the question, “Now that Pennsylvania has an Adult Protective Services law (Act 70 of 2010) what more needs to be done to operationalize a system that will help stop this kind of horrific abuse and suffering?” Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is far behind the national curve on this issue. Until the General Assembly acted last October, Pennsylvania was one of only five states without an adult protective services law. While the Commonwealth is moving in the right direction, advocates across the state are demanding that efforts to implement the law be accelerated.
“It took seven years to finally get an adult protective services bill signed into law in October 2010,” says Judy Banks, Deputy Director at Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. “Shockingly, absolutely no funding has been designated to fund a protective services system which would include a hotline to report abuse, and workers trained to investigate reports of abuse and get people to safety.”
Numerous cases of abuse and neglect take place every year in Pennsylvania, resulting in the suffering and sometimes death of people with disabilities, yet there is currently no system in place to report and stop the abuse. In recent years, there have been many shocking cases of abuse in the Commonwealth, including a young woman with intellectual disabilities who was found starving and locked in a basement with her deceased sister. Another woman with multiple sclerosis was being raped by her husband and his friends; and two brothers with disabilities were routinely beaten into submission by their emotionally disturbed and abusive mother – and no one knew what to do or where to call.
The organizations listed below jointly implore Governor Corbett to include start up funding for Adult Protective Services and in the interim to act quickly to get a hotline in place, and provide staffing to investigate abuse. Pennsylvanians with disabilities will continue to be victimized, suffer and die needlessly and be the targets of criminal activity until we act to stop it.
Judy Banks - Disability Rights Network
Audrey Coccia – Vision for Equality
Jeanne Downey - The ARC of PA
Nancy Murray - ACHIEVA
Sue Walther - Mental Health Association in PA
Sherie Lammers - National MS Society
William R. Schultz - United Cerebral Palsy of PA
Oscar Drummond - Self Advocates United as 1
Barbara Nattile - Phila Parent Support Groups
Lynn Keltz - PA Mental Health Consumers’ Assoc
John Armstrong – Philadelphia Police & Fire Assoc. for People with Special Needs
