Filling the gap with Faith in Action and more

PRINCETON -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich proclaimed Sunday as Faith in Action in Illinois Day to honor the 37 Faith in Action programs across the state. Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties have their own Faith in Action program through Gateway Services in Princeton. According to Lesley Gonigam, program coordinator for Faith in Action, the program began in 1998 through a start-up grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is the nation's largest health care philanthropy. "We decided Faith in Action was an excellent program because we saw the isolation that people with disabilities face everyday," Gonigam said. "The whole purpose of the program is to be included in the community, to end that isolation and loneliness and to develop friendships," she added. Though Faith in Action offers a handful of services, including rides to church and other activities, the program is really about forming one-on-one relationships between people. The program serves 375 people with disabilities in the three-county area. Gateway also has 100 full- and part-time employees who help and support those individuals. "The purpose is to get people with disabilities included in their own communities. It's actually to help them become as independent as possible," Gonigam said. The program deals with nearly all forms of developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, mental illness, cerebral palsy and autism. Though Gateway does have a 0-3 age group intervention program, it is not largely involved with those individuals still in the school system. Once individuals turn 18, however, adult support services are available through Faith in Action. "We're very people oriented, in that, we believe people with disabilities can pick their own goals. We don't have to do it for them. They tell us what they want in their lives, where they want to live and with whom," Gonigam said. She also said just because an individual is severely disabled, doesn't mean they lack the desire for relationships and spirituality. "Faith in Action fills the gap in nurturing the social and spiritual side of people. People don't think that exists, especially in severely disabled (people). People assume because they're severely disabled, they can't possibly have a spiritual side to them, but I've seen people respond to the music -- to the love in a faith community," she said. Gateway also has eight group homes with staff who provide either 24-hour care or intermittent care. The group homes house individuals with all ranges of physical and mental capabilities. "Think how you would feel if you were very spiritual and you couldn't go to a church; you couldn't take communion; you couldn't sing; you couldn't be a part of that," Gonigam said of the isolation people with disabilities experience. "Think how you would be if you wanted to go out with friends or even have friends, and you didn't have anybody. You're just isolated." The local Faith in Action program is unique because it offers services solely to people with developmental disabilities. According to Gonigam, other programs offer services to the elderly with disabilities, HIV and AIDS. "Some of that was already in place with the Bureau County Senior Center in Princeton, so we thought there was more of a need with people with disabilities," she said. At this time, Gonigam does not believe the governor's proclamation will result in any grants being provided for their program or any of the other 1,000 Faith in Action programs across the country. "It's a nice way to get the word out there about the program, especially when he (Blagojevich) designates a Sunday because we're so closely associated with working with faith communities. That's where our coalitions are," she said. "We reach out to faith communities and recruit volunteers from those communities, so that they will enter into relationships ... With some nurturing and encouragement, they come to really see it as a friendship. Then the person with the disability learns to reciprocate," she added. Sometimes those involved say thank you for the trips to church or to the movies through cards or cookies. "It's really great to see people giving back in a relationship. It's not just always taking; it's actually giving back," Gonigam said.