10/31/12 The hustle and bustle of the city, the loud honking of horns, the giant clouds of exhaust, the scarce 24 seats that would fill up with friends and strangers on their way in to work and the greeting to every passenger. Thank you for choosing your local Pennsylvanian bus transportation.
These sights and sounds are everyday occurrences for Beth as she spends her days riding the fixed bus routes in her hometown in Pennsylvania. Beth, a spirited women, diagnosed with intellectual disability has built a life for herself on the bus routes of Philadelphia. The people she interacts with every day on these buses become her family, the bus drivers her mentors and the fellow passengers, her community.
Rachel Simon, Beth’s sister and author of the book Riding the Bus With My Sister, shares the everyday experiences of living with a family member diagnosed with intellectual disability. When Rachel agreed to join Beth on the bus every day for a year, she embarked on a very human journey, crossing unseen boundaries between people. This journey arguably saves her relationship with her sister.
The national bestseller author will be the keynote speaker at the Pathfinder Services, Inc annual dinner on Nov. 3rd. The event will take place at the Habecker Dinning Commons at Huntington University.
Mike Perkins, MCC Director Parkview Huntington Foundation, will emcee the evening which starts with a cider reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.
Dinner will be followed by the presentation of several awards, including the Herbert D. LaMont award, the Timothy Hancher award and the Sustainable Business Partner award.
Following the awards Rachel will share about her story, a powerful story that we can all learn from and relate to in some way. The journey that Rachel sets out on with her sister leaves her with greater appreciation for her, through it all she realizes that she had been seeing the world narrowly and could take away key life lessons seen in the way Beth lives.
Beth had built a new family for herself, one established around the different shifts of bus drivers and passengers fixed stop and go points on the bus route. Her community within the transit system was much stronger than that which Rachel had.
Join us in this opportunity to learn how we, as a community, can engage and change the lives of others and be changed ourselves if we only take the time to invest in those around us.
Tickets for the event are $20 per person and corporate tables can be purchased for $200 per table. Tickets are open to the public, you can RSVP today online at: www.pathfinderservices.org. Contact Jessica Howell for questions or further information at 260-356-0500 ext. 3128.
Pathfinder Services, Inc. is a local not for profit organization specializing in working with people with and without disabilities, and has been serving Huntington County since 1966. Pathfinder Services, Inc. serves over 3,000 individuals with and without disabilities throughout Northeast Indiana, and also has office locations in Huntington, Wabash and Plymouth.
