Blog - LIFTT

Teresa Elliott: #TeamMemberTuesdays

My name is Teresa Elliott, and I recently joined LIFTT as a Program Facilitator in the Self-Direct Personal Care Assistance program based in the Glendive office. I have always been someone who has cared about others and attempted to help in any way possible. I have worked as a HUD-FmHA residential manager for five years as a First Responder, janitorial jobs, business owner, and hotel auditor, working at the Eastern Montana Veterans Home as a Long-term care Liaison. In this capacity, I was helping to ensure that the veterans in the home were being cared for properly and that their dignity was kept intact. I loved working with the veterans and loved many of the ones that I interacted with daily.

I left the Veterans home under sad circumstances, and it broke my heart, but it was necessary. I spent a year and a half healing and found LIFTT quite by accident; a friend of mine recommended that I see Jen Hawkinson at LIFTT and apply for a job. My friend thought I would be a great asset to LIFTT because of my caring nature.

I feel that by giving back to those in the community that has been supporting me emotionally, I can make a difference in the lives of the wonderful people that I encounter. As a PCA program facilitator, I am excited to continue giving back by helping Medicaid-eligible eastern Montanans with disabilities access the services they need to stay in their homes and communities. If you or someone you know would like to find out more about the LIFTT PCA program and if it is the correct program for you, feel free to give me a call at (406) 948-8108 or send an email to teresae@liftt.org

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

LIFTT offices closed on Monday October 9

The Billings and Glendive offices of Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) will be closed in observance of the public holiday on Monday, October 9, 2023. We will reopen on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 8 a.m.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and southcentral Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

September/October LIFTT Connection Newsletter Now Avaliable

The September/October edition of the LIFTT Connection Newsletter is now available!

Click here to download it (Adobe PDF)

In this issue of the LIFTT Connection:

You can request that we email you an electronic copy or mail you a paper copy by sending your name and address to jedb@liftt.org. Also, look for articles from the newsletter to be posted on liftt.org and our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn feeds.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and southcentral Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

National Hispanic Heritage Month 2023

From September 15 to October 15, 2023, LIFTT joins the nation in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month! The Hispanic community includes people who came to the US from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Hispanic Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic minority in the US and Montana. Hispanic Americans are over 63 million in the US and 50,000 in Montana.

LIFTT is proud to be an organization committed to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility, and that includes our Hispanic neighbors. We acknowledge the importance of their contribution and their remarkable work ethics. Latino/Latina consumers will always be welcome at LIFTT. If being Latino/Latina is one of your identities, you have a disability, and you live in our service area, please allow us to serve you. At LIFTT, you will not experience racial, ethnic, or anti-immigrant prejudice. We will remove any language barriers by providing you with a translator and literature in Spanish. At LIFTT, there are no legal or illegal persons or any other form of discrimination. All are welcome to receive independent living services from our specialists.

LIFTT dará la bienvenida a todos los latinos y latinas que busquen los servicios gratuitos de vida independiente que brindamos. ¡Ven a vernos!

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and southcentral Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Director’s Corner: Vaccines are important health tools

Vaccines are important health tools!

Thanks to the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative (ADVC) grant, which is an USAging initiative funded by the US Administration for Community Living (ACL), LIFTT has been able to promote and provide vaccines in the eighteen counties of its service area in association with county health departments, Pharm406, and other partners.

We want you to know that LIFTT is offering the updated COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines to our aging and disabled consumers.

There is a permanent clinic in Yellowstone County, at the Pharm406 located at 1410 38th St W STE A, Billings, MT 59102, telephone (406) 717-6100. You can walk in or call to schedule an appointment. If you need assistance planning the vaccine or transportation to the vaccine clinic, LIFTT is here to help you.

LIFTT and our partners will be offering the new COVID-19 vaccine in all counties of LIFTT’s service area according to the chronological calendar found on the next page of this newsletter.

Health specialists say we all should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine annually, especially those of us aging and disabled, whose immune system is compromised. By getting an immunization, we protect ourselves against the devastating effects of COVID-19 and other seasonal infections like the flu and RSV, as well as our families, neighbors, and the community. Please note that you can still be vaccinated even if you have not done it before.

Again, the COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines will be available in the locations listed in the schedule on the next page. Please take a moment to look at it, find your county, mark the date of the clinic, and plan to attend with all your family.

Click here to see a map and schedule of our LIFTT ADVC Vaccine Clinics (Adobe PDF)

There is no cost for the vaccines regardless of insurance status through the recently approved Bridge Access Program launched by the CDC on September 14, 2023.

The COVID-19, the flu, and RSV vaccines decrease the chances of you and your family getting sick and stop the spread of these seasonal infections. Those who are aging, disabled, and live with health conditions that make them more vulnerable to infections must seriously consider getting the vaccine because COVID-19 can become what is known as Long COVID, a deadly and debilitating disease.

In summary:

Vaccines are important health tools
Consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine every year
Consider getting the Flu and RSV vaccines every year.
LIFTT and Pham406 are making the vaccines available throughout Southeastern and South Central Montana in the coming weeks.
Please look at the calendar and map on the following pages to find the vaccine clinic closer to you.
Anyone can receive these vaccines simultaneously.
Do not get the vaccines if you are sick.
Contact LIFTT to receive free COVID-19 test kits.

We hope to see you in one of the vaccine clinics!

Board of Directors to meet September 14

The board of directors of Living Independently for Today &Tomorrow (LIFTT) will meet on Thursday, September 14, 2023, beginning at 4 p.m. The meeting will be conducted virtually using the Microsoft Teams platform. The public is invited to attend and offer comments during the public comment period.

Click here to view or download the meeting agenda and Microsoft Teams information for the September 14, 2023, LIFTT board of directors meeting. (Adobe PDF)

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Vaccine Clinics

Ongoing Vaccine Clinic: Pharm 406, 1410 38th Street W in Billings, (406) 717-6100, M-F 9-7 & Sat-Sun 10-6.

Fromberg Vaccine Clinic in conjunction with Carbon County Public Health: Wedensday March 5, 2024, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fromberg Senior Center (111 W. River St),contact CCPH at (406) 446-9914.

Bridger Vaccine Clinic in conjunction with Carbon County Public Health: Thursday, March 14, 2024, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Bridger Senior Center (306 E. Broadway), contact CCPH at (406) 446-9914.

Boyd Vaccine Clinic in conjunction with Carbon County Public Health: Thursday, March 21, 2024, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., Boyd Senior Center (300 Montana St.), contact CCPH at (406) 446-9914.

If you are a person with a disability who needs assistance with consumers who need to locate a vaccination site, schedule an appointment, get transportation to and from a vaccination site, or obtain accurate information about COVID-19, influenza, and other vaccines, LIFTT can help!

In Big Horn County, Carbon, Garfield, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, or Yellowstone Counties, contact the Billings LIFTT office at (406) 259-5181. In Carter, Custer Dawson, Fallon, McCone, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, or Wibaux Counties, contact the Glendive LIFTT Office at (406) 948-8500.

You can also reach out to us from anywhere through our website contact page or via our LIFTT App for Apple and Android. Remember to consult your primary healthcare provider about if a particular treatment is appropriate for you individually.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

ADVC/ACL Funding Disclaimer

Thanks to our ADA33 celebration partners!

Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) would like to take the opportunity to thank all those LIFTT team members, consumers, and community partners who made the celebrations of the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act held at our offices in Billings and Glendive on July 26, such a success.

In just our second year of ADA celebrations since our pandemic hiatus, we are grateful for the increase in attendance and participation from not only officials and other disability organizations but members of the public and hope that we are well on our way to making July 26 and the celebration of the ADA and disability rights a permanent fixture of the summer calendar in our communities.

Among the individuals, businesses, and organizations we would like to give a shout-out for their involvement are: RiverStone Health, STEP Inc., the Billings Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Yellowstone County, Job Service Montana, Montana Vocational Rehabilitation & Blind Low Vision Services, The Montana Statewide Independent Living Council, the Healthy by Design Coalition, Billings TrailNet, Altana Federal Credit Union, Love Like Justice, 406 Wings, Crazy Asian’s Kitchen, The Montana Department of Justice, Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Auditor Troy Downing, State Representative Mike Yakawich (HD-51), Billings Mayor Bill Cole, Billings City Councilmember Mike Boyett (Ward 5), Kaylyn Roberts with Sen Tester’s office, Tory Kolkhorst and Charlene Redding with Sen. Daines office, Emily Schneller with Congressman Rosendale’s office, KTVQ, KULR8, the Glendive Ranger-Review, and the Billings Gazette.

We hope that everyone who attended not only enjoyed the event but also came away with a sense of just how important the Americans with Disabilities Act has been and continues to be and just how much work remains to make our workplaces, communities, and society accessible for all.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Congressional delegation offers messages for ADA 33

As LIFTT marked the 33rd Anniversary of the passage and signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act last week we were pleased to receive messages of greeting and support from all three members of our congressional delegation. Thanks to Senator Jon Tester, Senator Steve Daines, and Congressman Matt Rosendale for sending their greetings and thank you to their staff members Kailyn Roberts (Tester, Billings), Tory Kolkhorst (Daines, Billings), Charlene Redding (Daines, Glendive) and Emily Schneller (Rosendale, Billings) for taking the time to visit our ADA celebrations in person and deliver these words.

Senator Jon Tester:

Click here to download Sen. Tester’s message (Adobe PDF)

“Hello and thank you for inviting me to the 33rd anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. While I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a few words.

I want to start by thanking LIFTT executive director Carlos Ramalho and all the folks here and in our community who work hard to support Montanans living with disabilities.

The passage of the ADA was a historic milestone for this country when it codified rights for those living with disabilities. These rights are fundamental, but it is the ADA that made them the law of the land. And it is thanks to the hard work of folks like you that these rights aren’t just on paper, but they’re applied all across Big Sky Country.

I’,m proud to have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to write and pass bipartisan policy that continues to support disabled folks in Montana. Our “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” provided significant funding for ADA improvements, including securing critical funding for upgrades at Yellowstone Airport and Missoula Airport, where they’re already getting started on constructing ADA-compliant terminals.

We scored another win last year when the passage of the PACT Act ensured that disabled veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals during combat will finally get the care and benefits they deserve.

And you folks know better than anyone that the work isn’t over. It’s critical that we keep up the fight to build a more inclusive workforce, community, and society. And no disability should keep Montanans from being afforded the resources and care needed to thrive right here at home. You have my word that I will continue to fight hard to ensure the Treasure State feels like home for every Montana resident.

Keep up the good work, and know that my door is always open.

Jon Tester
United States Senator for Montana”

Senator Steve Daines:

Click here to download Sen. Daines’s message (Adobe PDF)

Dear Friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to share a few words with you all as we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the world’s first comprehensive assertion of equality for people of all abilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a monumental civil rights law that affirms all men are created equal in the image of God, regardless of their abilities. I want to say a special thanks to everyone at Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow for sponsoring today’s event in celebration and promotion of this historic legislation.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness remain inalienable rights for all Americans in small towns, quiet neighborhoods, bustling cities, Indian reservations, farms, ranches and everywhere in between. The right to liberty has not always been granted in its entirety to the millions of Americans living with a disability. That is why the passage of the ADA is invaluable in our pursuit of a more perfect nation.

Today, 61 million Americans experience life with a disability – this equates to one in every four adults in the United States. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures protections and basic civil rights are guaranteed for every man, woman, boy, and girl across the country. May we continue to celebrate and bring awareness to the significance of the ADA and remember that there is dignity and value in every human life. As President George H. W. Bush said as he signed this historic act into law on that July day in 1990, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”

It is an honor to serve as your United States Senator, and if I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out. May God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Steve Daines

United States Senator for Montana”

Congressman Matt Rosendale

Click here to download Rep. Rosendale’s message (Adobe PDF)

“Dear Friends,

Thank you for inviting me to join you today for the celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Today is an exciting day as we celebrate not only the anniversary of the ADA but the wonderful accomplishments of Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow. Billings and eastern Montana have certainly benefitted from the care and guidance they have provided to the community of folks with disabilities.

So many of our friends and family with disabilities, not to mention our courageous wounded veterans, have benefitted from the protections of the ADA, and I extend my thanks to LIFTT for providing a welcoming community for them to access the resources they need to live truly fulfilling lives.

I commend the perseverance of those with disabilities and thank them for their many contributions to our great state. The ADA has truly improved the lives of persons with disabilities by allowing them to fully participate in our competitive workforce, collaborate with fellow employees, receive the same benefits, and advance to new positions. Our country is home to so many unique talents, and it is critical that we maintain the hardworking, innovative, and diverse workforce that we have here in America.

Again, I’d like to thank you all for the work you are doing, and if I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or my office.

Sincerely,

Matthew Rosendale

Member of Congress, Montana 2nd Congressional District”

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Britany Hopf: #TeamMemberTuesday

Hello Everyone,

My name is Britany Hopf, and I have been an Independent Living (IL) Specialist at LIFTT since May of 2023. I am 28 years old and was born and raised in Billings, Montana. I love Billings and Montana! Billings is a special place shaped by the Yellowstone River and sheltered by the Rims. Nevertheless, it is a small metropolitan area where we can find everything from a bronco-busting rodeo action to the relaxation of fishing or hunting, you’ll be in good company around Billings. Before working at LIFTT, I worked as a phlebotomist. I changed careers to respond to my passion for helping others. I love having the opportunity to help remove barriers for those who have experienced different struggles in their lives.

As a teenager, I was diagnosed with PTSD, Anxiety, and Major Depressive Disorder. Over time my untreated mental health and inner childhood wounds led to substance abuse. I started seeing a counselor in 2017, and she helped me work through the root issues that led to my substance abuse. By working to overcome my barriers, I started my path to sobriety, and I now have the tools I need to manage my mental health. The road to recovery is difficult, but I believe everyone deserves the support they need to overcome their barriers and live healthier lives.

Like everybody else, I’ve lived a complicated life. To quote Marigold Wellington, “I live to enjoy life by the littlest things, feeling the grass between my toes, breathing fresh air, watching the wind sway the trees, enjoying the company of loved ones, a deep conversation, getting lost in a good book, going for a walk, watching my kids grow up. Just the feeling of being alive, the remarkable fact that we are here right now, breathing, thinking, doing.”

I like spending time at the river, whether it be floating or rock hounding with my children and our 4-year-old Pitbull Rocko. I am a very spiritual person; I love doing yoga, meditation, and crafting. I’m a New York Giants fan; my favorite TV show is Law and Order, SVU, my favorite movie is Jack and Jill, and my favorite place to travel is New York. I have three daughters, one son, two Pitbulls, and a Bengal.

If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me at britanyh@liftt.org or (406) 606-1766. I am looking forward to working with you.

Best,

Britany Hopf

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.