News

Hawkinson named to MCIE Community Advisory Council

Hawkinson named to MCIE Community Advisory Council

LIFTT Senior IL Specialist and Glendive Regional Manager Jennifer Hawkinson has joined the Community Advisory Council of the Montana Center for Inclusive Education at Montana State University Billings. Description: White woman with black hair wearing glasses and a white shirt with red flowers

LIFTT Glendive Regional Manager and Senior IL Specialist Jennifer Hawkinson has joined the Community Advisory Council of the Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE) housed at Montana State University Billings.

The Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE) at Montana State University Billings has named LIFTT’s Glendive Regional Manager and Senior Independent Living Specialist Jennifer Hawkinson to a three-year term on the inaugural Montana Center Community Advisory Council.

As envisioned, the Montana Center Community Advisory Council will bring together stakeholders, including people with disabilities, their families, educators, and service providers, to offer guidance to  the MCIE as it pursues its vision of ” creating a fully inclusive society that values diversity” through its mission of “serving the diverse population of Montana by providing continuing professional development opportunities for educators and direct service providers.”

“LIFTT and the Montana Center for Inclusive Education share a commitment to policies, programs, and services that promote the full independent participation of Montanans with disabilities in their communities,” said Hawkinson. “This is particularly true when it comes to seeing that youth  have the best possible support when transitioning from K-12 education to the next stage in life, be it post-secondary education or the working world, which is a particular passion of mine; I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Community Advisory Council and strengthen the link between our organizations.”

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, Treasure, 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.

 

 

 

 

March 2024 LIFTT Connection Newsletter Now Available

March 2024 LIFTT Connection Newsletter Now Available

The March 2024 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 snail mail you a paper copy of the March 2024 LIFTT Connection newsletter and future newsletters 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, Rosebud, 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.

Flooding Disrupts LIFTT’s Billings Operations

Flooding Disrupts LIFTT’s Billings Operations

 

Help LIFTT Recover from our Flood! To donate, please visit liftt.betterword.org/donate

Editor’s note: A version of this story about our recent flooding can be found in the new edition of the “LIFTT Connection” newsletter. Click here to download it! (Adobe PDF) 

During the weekend of March 2-3, The LIFTT office at 1201 Grand Avenue in Billings experienced an unfortunate turn of events: an old toilet and pipe broke, causing substantial flooding.

The water damage has rendered all particle-board furniture, including desks and other items, unusable. Efforts are underway to assess the damage and possible loss of supplies and equipment. AmeriClean, a local disaster remediation company, continues working with LIFTT on salvage and recovery operations.

The flooding incident is a temporary obstacle for LIFTT, which has been preparing to leave the rented space on Grand Avenue and make a monumental move to a new building. The facility at 1241 Crawford Drive, slated for an April 2024 grand opening, is still undergoing electrical renovations and is not ready for immediate occupancy.

Carlos Ramalho, Executive Director of LIFTT, expressed regret over the interruption of services but remains optimistic about the future. “While this flooding incident is a significant challenge, we are resilient and committed to restoring services and getting up and running in our new building as quickly as possible,” said Ramalho.

Billings office closed until further notice; flood recovery fund set up

While the Billings office is closed to the public until further notice, Billings-based team members may be reached via phone and email. Click here for a complete directory of LIFTT team members.  Operations continue as usual at LIFTT’s Glendive location.

LIFTT encourages community members to offer their support during this challenging time. Interested individuals can contact  LIFTT at (406) 259-5181 or donate to the Flood Recovery Fund at liftt.betterworld.org/donate.

LIFTT is grateful for the understanding and cooperation of the community as they work to overcome this unforeseen obstacle.

“Living Well in Montana” discusses LIFTT’s flooding with Dakota Smith of AmeriClean

Jed Barton and Debra Acosta talked with Dakota Smith, the owner of AmeriClean Disaster Restoration Services, about the recent flooding at the Billings LIFTT office and what folks can and should consider when disasters such as flooding strike their homes or businesses.

 

Local Media Coverage of the Flooding

Non-Stop Local (KULR 8-): “Billings local non-profit, LIFTT, impacted by flooding at its main office” 

KTVQ: “Weekend flooding at Billings nonprofit accelerates moving plans”

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, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on either Apple or Google Play.

 

 

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Billings office is closed until further notice

Billings office is closed until further notice

 

Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) regrets to announce that our Billings office (1201 Grand Avenue) will be closed until further notice due to flooding and clean up efforts. Please continue to follow our website and social media channels for updates as they become available.

Operations at our Glendive location will continue as normal. Consumers needing to contact their Billings-based independent living specialist or PCA program manager can leave them a phone or email message. Click here for a complete directory of our team.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Due to flooding and clean-up efforts, our Billings office is closed until further notice.

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 on either Apple or Google Play.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

 

 

 

Moving! Billings office is headed to 1241 Crawford Drive in April

Moving! Billings office is headed to 1241 Crawford Drive in April

The new LIFTT building at 1241 Crawford Drive, The building was formerly St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

LIFTT’s Billings office is moving to 1241 Crawford Drive, the former St. Stephen’s Church building, beginning in April 2024. (photo by Deb Acosta)

Editor’s note: This post combines the articles “LIFTT Billings Office to Move to 1241 Crawford Drive” & “Director’s Corner: See you at 13th & Crawford!” on pages one and two of the latest edition of the LIFTT Connection Newsletter, which can be downloaded here. (Adobe PDF)  

In a significant stride towards expanding its capacity and services, Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT), a cornerstone in empowering individuals with disabilities, is thrilled to announce the purchase of a new building at 1241 Crawford Drive, Billings, MT 59102. the move, set for April 2024, marks an exciting new chapter in LIFTT’s history, furthering its mission to lift individuals above life’s barriers.

Strategically located for enhanced accessibility and community engagement, the new premises at the corner of 13th Street West and Crawford Drive, the former site of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, promises a bright future for LIFTT, its consumers, and the broader disability community. This expansion responds to the growing need for LIFTT’s core independent living services, which has significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carlos Ramalho, Executive Director of LIFTT, expressed enthusiasm about the new opportunities the larger space will bring. “The new building will not only accommodate our growing operations but will also allow us to introduce innovative programs and host community activities that will enrich the lives of those we serve,” said Ramalho.

Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow has been a beacon of hope and support for the disabled community across 18 southeastern and south-central Montana counties for over 36 years. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, LIFTT offers a range of programs and services designed to break down physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers and promote full, independent participation in society.

As LIFTT embarks on this exciting journey, the organization welcomes the community’s support through donations, which can be made directly at liftt.org/get-involved/donate-support. Your contribution will play a vital role in offering a more inclusive and supportive community that enhances the lives of individuals with disabilities.

For more information regarding LIFTT and the move of its Billings office, please contact either Carlos Ramalho, Executive Director (406) 294-5190, carlosr@liftt.org or Jed Barton Public Relations, Government Affairs & Independent Living Specialist (406) 294-5186, jedb@liftt.org

In a special message about moving to the LIFTT Community Executive Director, Carlos Ramalho wrote:

To our consumers, friends, and supporters,

We’re thrilled to announce that LIFTT is moving to 1241 Crawford Drive, Billings, MT 59102. The new building, the former St. Stephen’s Church, is on the corner of 13th Street West and Crawford Drive—six blocks north of Grand Avenue and two blocks south of Poly Drive! Our move will not change anything between us—except that it will help us serve you better.

Remember that moving is a normal part of life! You will love LIFTT’s new location because we were thinking of you when we planned it.

Our new office is very close to our current location. There is a bus stop right in front of the new building. If you prefer to drive, there will be lots of parking spaces. We have great plans for the new location. There will be an auditorium, a community room, classrooms, and lots of space for community activities.

LIFTT’s new building is wheelchair-friendly and ADA-accessible. We want everyone to feel welcome and included.

This new location provides LIFTT with the opportunity to grow its vision and empower individuals with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.

We’ll be moving in April 2024!

At LIFTT, our consumers, friends, and supporters are family. We’ve known each other for a long time. And we can’t wait to have you see our new building. You feel right at home.

To keep track of our move, I encourage you to follow us on LIFTT.org, Facebook, and Instagram. For your convenience, our main phone number remains (406) 259-5181, and your IL Specialist and/or PCA program manager’s direct number and email address should remain the same before, during, and after our move.

See you at 13th & Crawford soon,

Carlos Ramalho
Executive Director

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 on either Apple or Google Play.

January 2024 LIFTT Connection Newsletter Now Avaliable

January 2024 LIFTT Connection Newsletter Now Avaliable

LIFTT Connection Newsletter Year 2024 Issue #1

The January 2024 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.

We Want You for the LIFTT Peer Program!

We Want You for the LIFTT Peer Program!

Four people fistbumping in a circle with

LIFTT is looking for motivated volunteers to join our team as part of our peer program. The peer program is designed to empower people living with disabilities to learn, grow, and thrive independently in their communities.

LIFTT Peers:

  • Learn to advocate for themselves and others.
  • Gain new life & employment skills.
  • Build confidence and trust in themselves and others through positive interactions.
  • Feel as though their ideas, goals, dreams, and ultimately, their full equality and humanity are seen and valued.
  • Make an important contribution to LIFTT’s ability to carry out its mission.
  • Explore possibilities for vocational growth both inside and outside of LIFTT.

 

If you would like to know more or find out how you can be a part of LIFTT’s peer program, contact one of our peer program co-coordinators, who will be glad to answer your questions or set up an appointment with you.

If you are in Big Horn, Carbon, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Stillwater, or Yellowstone counties, contact Tanya Thomas in our Billings office at (406) 690-6324, tanyat@liftt.org. If you are in Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, McCone, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, or Wibaux counties, contact Dustin Wilburn in our Glendive office at (406) 948-8107 or dustinw@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 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.

Glad to be Giving Back: Dalana Smith brings lived experience to job

Glad to be Giving Back: Dalana Smith brings lived experience to job

 

LIFTTT IL Specialist Dalana Smith (at far right) with her family (from left): daughter Zuri, husband Jerry, daughter Breylie, brother Jase, son Bristyn and their two dogs ,Ruger and Bella.

LIFTT IL Specialist Dalana Smith (at far right) with her family (from left): daughter Zuri, husband Jerry, daughter Breylie, brother Jase, son Bristyn and their two dogs, Ruger and Bella.

LIFTT Independent Living specialist Dalana Smith does not mince her words when describing the arc her life has taken in the past few years as she talks about going from the depths of addiction towards sobriety and embracing her role as wife, mom, sister, and as part of LIFTT’s team.  “I was putting a lot of bad out into the world, and I am so grateful to be at LIFTT and giving back after spending so much time taking from others,” she says.

Struggling with substance use as a teenager, Dalana dropped out of Dawson County High School before graduating from the Trapper Creek Job Corps in Darby in 2008. Returning to Glendive, Dalana stabilized somewhat until, after giving birth to her son Bristyn in 2013, She found herself facing postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression is a mental health disability that, according to the National Institutes of Health, affects between 10-20% of people who give birth. Characteristics of Postpartum depression include long-lasting, intense feelings of sadness, despair, anxiety, and irritability during the first year after giving birth. When these feelings combine with the new and sudden responsibility of caring for a child, it can be overwhelming for the new mother.

Dalana soon found herself retreating into old habits to cope and soon found that the tiger she set out to tame had, as it has for untold millions before and since, tamed her. “I fell into a dark place and couldn’t find a way out,” she said. Bristyn was soon placed in the care of extended family members as Dalana sorted her life out. After giving birth to daughter Breylie in January 2018, Dalana knew that change was needed, and soon. “Becoming pregnant with my daughter was kind of a wake-up call that I needed to do something different,” Soon, Dalana found herself in a treatment program under the auspices of the 7th Judicial District Adult Treatment Court, graduating in December 2018.

Today, Dalana has married her long-time partner Jerry, and they welcomed Bristyn back in 2022. They are raising him alongside Breylie and another little sister, Zuri. The couple has also taken in Dalana’s teenage brother, Jase. “I live for my kids. They are what keep my feet grounded.”  Since coming to LIFTT in 2022, Dalana has found her lived experience and the ability to share it with consumers to be key in forming the connection that is vital in IL specialists’ work.

“Every day here at the office, we have consumers come in who are dealing with addiction, depression, and/or other disabilities on top of the everyday struggles we all have, and by talking with them about my experiences and showing them that whatever they are going through things aren’t completely stacked against them, I hope they can feel good that I can work alongside them in figuring things out.”

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.

Transportation Inclusion: Getting Out & About

Transportation Inclusion: Getting Out & About

In 2024, LIFTT will promote disability inclusion by advocating for a more inclusive public transport system. There are two types of transport systems: exclusive and inclusive. On one hand, exclusive transport systems are one of the major barriers that prevent disabled people from living independently. On the other hand, inclusive transport systems and scheduled trips are ADA-accessible and allow disabled people to move within their urban environment and live independently and freely. Disabled people who have transport are engaged in their communities, attend school, work, and live life to the fullest.

Inclusive transportation includes the aging and disabled in society and contributes to its diversity. LIFTT is happy to report that all levels of our government prioritize accessibility and inclusiveness by removing barriers to walking, wheeling, cycling, planning, and public transport, benefiting disabled individuals, complying with the ADA, guaranteeing equal access and equal opportunity, and preventing injustice. Thanks to the government’s efforts, barriers are being removed, increasing accessibility and inclusiveness in LIFTT’s service area. There is a demonstrated willingness to comply with the ADA, promote political, ethical, and mobility justice, and recognize the rights of disabled individuals.

 

  • On January 31, 2024, the City of Billings MET Transit and LIFTT will hold an event entitled Bus Adventure in which citizens with different disabilities and the MET team will demonstrate how to remove barriers and overcome challenges experienced by the disabled who use public transportation. Together, the MET and LIFTT are promoting disability inclusion through public transportation. By participating in this event, LIFTT will provide a voice to the everyday lived experiences of disabled individuals and increase awareness of the factors that make transport and mobility accessible.

 

  • LIFTT also continues working with the City of Billings Planning and Community Services Department as well as the Billings-Yellowstone County Metropolitan Planning Organization and community stakeholders to provide a disability perspective as city and county transportation plans such as “Safe Routes to Schools, “Complete Streets” and the “Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan” are renewed and updated.

 

  • LIFTT is also partnering with the Montana Department of Transportation to create a special between-cities transportation service for the aging and disabled residing in Southeastern Montana. It will be a fixed route service from Sidney to Billings, with Glendive and Miles City stops. We plan to have an accessible van and be able to transport even passengers in a wheelchair.

 

If you are a person with disabilities in our service area facing a transportation inclusion issue, LIFTT stands ready to assist in helping you find and advocate for a solution; call us in Billings (406) 259-5181 or Glendive (406) 948-8500, or send us a message through our website at liftt.org/contact.

A Billings MET Bus, LIFTT is working with MET and other partners to foster transportation inclusion

A “Bus Adventure” with Billings MET Transit in late January is just one of the transportation inclusion projects LIFTT will be working on in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Billings MET Transit)

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.

 

  

 

 

Christmas Creatures bring glad tidings to LIFTT!

Christmas Creatures bring glad tidings to LIFTT!

 

short haired blond woman holding a santa clause lawn ornament

LIFTT’s Ugly Santa made another visit to Glendive this holiday season, making several stops throughout town, including a visit with Becky Quinnell of MidRivers Communications.

From the desk of U.S. Claus, Senior Christmas Creature @ LIFTT

North Pole

January 2024

 

 

To my friends at LIFTT and beyond,

It has been a big year for Ugly Santa! As the holiday season was getting underway, I chanced to meet two snowmen who were looking for a good deed to help move them from the naughty to the nice list; I dispatched them to Billings, and they made the rounds in the Magic City while I once again returned to Glendive to renew old friendships and make some new ones!      

All told, between Billings and Glendive, our team of Christmas Creatures visited over 50 different sites and raised just over $3000 to support LIFTT in helping people with disabilities in Southeast and Southcentral Montana become and remain independent!

On behalf of myself, the snowmen in the Christmas Creature department, and our colleagues in the Independent Living, Self-Direct Personal Care Assistance, Peer Program, and Administrative departments, we want to thank all the businesses, organizations, and individuals who donated to LIFTT when a Christmas Creature came calling.

All the best, and see you next December,

Ugly Santa

Two plush snowmen holding a flyer

The Christmas creature family is growing! Joining Ugly Santa this year were these “Naughty Snowmen” who canvassed the Billings area.

PS: Just because the Christmas Creatures are taking their long winter’s nap doesn’t mean you can’t donate to LIFTT! Find out how at https://liftt.org/get-involved/donate-support.

Editors Note: The whole team at LIFTT is indeed grateful to those businesses and individuals in the Glendive and Billings Areas who participated in the “Christmas Creature” fundraisers. Check back in the coming days for a complete list of donors!