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Bethesda to Host Upcoming Annual Banquet at the Milwaukee Art Museum

091104/01

Milwaukee (Nov. 4, 2009) -- Bethesda Lutheran Communities will host its Annual Banquet at the Milwaukee Art Museum this year. The event, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, will honor those who have made positive contributions to the field of developmental disabilities.

This year, Nella Uitvlugt will receive Bethesda’s Christian Service award. Uitvlugt serves as the Executive Vice President of Friendship Ministries, an organization which works to establish one-on-one relationships between people with disabilities and volunteer mentors. Every week, participants in Friendship Ministries meet for Bible study, praise and fellowship. Additionally, through its curricula, the organization is one of the largest producers of Christian education material in disability ministry in the world.

Uitvlugt also serves as president of the Religion and Spirituality Division of the American Association on Intellectual and Development Disabilities (AAIDD) and serves on the leadership team for the National Council of Churches in Christ Committee on Disabilities.

Receiving the Bethesda Voices Public Policy award this year will be the Governor’s Planning Council of Indiana. The Council’s mission is to “promote public policy which leads to the independence, productivity and inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society.” Sixty percent of the board members must be people with disabilities or their family members; these positions are appointed by the governor.

One of the major projects taken on by the Council includes the Consumer Investment Fund, which was a program that provides partial funding for people with disabilities and their family members to enable them to be able to attend and participate at conferences, public hearings and workshops that reflect the “community inclusion" goal of the Council.

The recipients of Bethesda’s inaugural stewardship award are Herb and Genevieve Peters. Due to their incredible kindness to Bethesda over the years, the award has also been named for them. Accepting the very first Herb and Genevieve Peters Christian Stewardship Award during the annual banquet will be their niece, Susan Peters, who receives supports from Bethesda in Illinois. The contributions made by the Peters over the years have had a monumental impact on the lives of the people supported by Bethesda.

The Pool of Bethesda award will be presented to Steve Eidelmann, the current president of AAIDD. Prior to that he was executive director of The Arc of the United States, the nation’s largest organization concerned with people with developmental disabilities and their families. Over the years, Eidelmann has shown a phenomenal commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has worked tirelessly to influence the field. Recently, The Arc and AAIDD conducted a number of highly successful joint Governmental Affairs seminars that set records in attendance. In addition, AAIDD adopted The Arc’s legislative goals, helping to ensure that people with disabilities have the combined expertise, passion and commitment of the major organizations.

Now in its second century of service, Bethesda Lutheran Communities provides services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the country and around the world. Bethesda offers many different types of services for individuals and their families, including a variety of residential settings, supported-living programs and outreach services.

For more information on Bethesda’s services and support programs, call the public relations office at 800.369.4636, ext. 3817, or e-mail: pr@mailblc.org.