New Park County offices should help service for disabled
By Caroline Welch
Every day is just a little bit different for soon-to-be high school freshman Mackenzie Port.
Some days he goes swimming and bowling, and other days he goes to the movies. In the fall, he will attend Platte Canyon High School.
He loves fishing with his dad and dancing to all kinds of music with his mom.
But each day, Mackenzie fights the same battle.
At 11 months, Mackenzie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy – a non-genetic brain-degenerating condition that affects the whole body. Motor and sensory movement pathways that are responsible for muscle movement and responses break down, compromising his ability to move freely.
He depends on other people to get him from one place to another and counts on his talking device to communicate. “I was scared and shy,” Sandee Port, Mackenzie’s mom, said of finding out about her son’s condition. “But when you go to battle for your kids, you learn skills.”
It didn’t take Sandee Port long to figure out what she and her husband, Donnie, had to do for their son, who was adopted at birth, prior to his diagnosis.
Sandee Port sought out every resource she could find to help her son grow and develop to his full potential.
“I’m not trying to fix him, but give him a better quality of life,” she said.
Helping her in that endeavor has been The Resource Exchange, an organization with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status that serves El Paso, Park and Teller Counties and recently established new offices in Park County. The organization’s mission is to “build independence for people with developmental disabilities,” said David Ervin, executive director for The Resource Exchange
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The organization serves children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families through a variety of services that range from family support and early intervention to employment and transportation services.
“We want to be the go-to developmental disability organization,” Ervin said. “We provide services across the continuum.”
A contract with the State of Colorado mandates that the organization serve at least 130 children each year. During the fiscal year from July 2005 to June 2006, the organization served just fewer than 1,600 people within the three counties, including 734 children.
While the organization has been expected to serve Park County since its inception, Ervin said, it hasn’t always been effective in doing so.
When Ervin started as executive director in July 2005, his first goal was to get back into Park County with offices.
“We can expect that 250 Park County residents are diagnosed with developmental disabilities,” Ervin said. “We need to serve those people.”
In August of his first year, Ervin visited the county and worked with Commissioner John Tighe to get the ball rolling for new offices in Park County.
In May 2006, they started turning a bathroom in the county offices in Bailey into an office. That renovated bathroom opened as an office in late July and is the workplace for Kelleen Corrigan, the Park County support coordinator for The Resource Exchange.
Another office, which opened in early July, is located in Deer Creek Elementary school and houses the “Part C Coordinator,” or the person in charge of assisting children from birth to three years.
The Resource Exchange also has an office in Woodland Park to serve people in Park County. It serves as a contact point for Park County residents, which is an important step in extending services to the county, Ervin said. “It’s a place for families to go in and say ‘I need help,’” he added.
The Ports were one of those families.
“[The Port Family] is truly wonderful,” Corrigan said. “It is the families that make that program.”
When Mackenzie was first diagnosed, the family was living in Denver, and Sandee Port contacted the Denver version of The Resource Exchange within six months of the diagnosis. When the family moved to Bailey eight years ago, Sandee Port immediately got in contact with The Resource Exchange in Park County.
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Since they got in contact with The Resource Exchange, they have received help in building a 300-foot ramp through the trees of their mountain property, so Mackenzie can come in through the front door on his wheelchair.
Prior to the ramp’s construction, Mackenzie had to enter through the basement and ride a chairlift up the stairs to the main living space.
“It was huge for us to get him to come in through the upstairs,” Sandee Port said. “It’s our family space. It’s where we spend most of our time.”
Donnie Port, a carpenter by trade, built the ramp during nights and weekends for a month. It cost a total of $3,000, and the Resource Exchange paid for about a third.
The Resource Exchange also helped re-work a Chevrolet Astro van so Mackenzie could fit comfortably in his wheelchair inside the van.
The $8,400 renovation of the van included a wheelchair lift, a lock to keep the chair in place while traveling and an increase in ceiling height. The Resource Exchange paid for half.
“We were really grateful,” Sandee Port said. “At that time we had no money, so we were grateful for the help and nickel and dimed for the rest.”
The organization has also helped Mackenzie go to “talker camp” - a weeklong program put on by Easter Seals that teaches children to use communication devices. Medicaid paid for part of the camp and so did other organizations that help families with special needs.
There is an estimated family contribution, which is based on a number of criteria including household income. The Resource Exchange paid for the Ports’ contribution, which was about $450 for each of seven camps Mackenzie has attended.
“I always make decisions based on what Mac needs, then I chase down the money,” Sandee Port said.
After being in touch with a number of resources, Sandee Port said she feels more comfortable advocating for her child.
“I really did feel like we were out there,” she said. “The comfort now is that, when something comes up, I know who to call. The Resource Exchange is always one of the first people I call.
”To contact the Resource Exchange for Park County, call Kelleen Corrigan at 303-816-0605. |
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