Local, Community Members to be Honored for Their Work on Behalf of Those with Special Needs and Disabilities at Salt Lake Bees Game
Jake Shewmake and Leeann Whiffen will be recognized at 7:05 PM during a special ceremony at home plate just before the start of the July 8, 2009, Sale Lake Bees game as part of Disability Awareness Night.
Salt Lake City, UT, July 01, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Members of your community will be honored for their lives, work, and advocacy on behalf of the 54.6 million people living with disabilities in the United States during Disability Awareness Night™ (DAN™), a special event taking place at home plate on July 8, 2009, at 7:05 PM, before the Salt Lake Bees game at Spring Mobile Ballpark.
The event is hosted by EP Global Communications, Inc., publisher of Exceptional Parent (EP) magazine, a company dedicated to offering information and resources to people with disabilities and special needs and the family members and professionals who care for and about them. The EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Jake Shewmake and Leeann Whiffen.
Shewmake is the head baseball coach at Murray High School as well as a special education teach at the school. Last year, Shewmake won the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year Award. Instead of using the prize money on himself, he used it to take students with special needs on various outings with the baseball team. Now, Shewmake and the Spartans fundraise throughout the season to continue the tradition of these wonderful outings.
Whiffon, a published author, is a hard-working advocate throughout the state for families facing autism. She organized and distributed an autism resource guide to promote early detection and treatment for children with autism. Whiffon is a frequent speaker at Autism conferences, radio and television shows and is the driving force behind legislation that would require insurance companies to cover Autism treatment as regular medical expenses.
Disability Awareness Night began in 2002 when Exceptional Parent magazine combined forces with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to create this event, the first of its kind. The program now encompasses both Major and Minor League Baseball venues, the NBA, and NASCAR, with events across the nation.
“Our goal is to help all Americans understand that we will become a stronger nation and better human beings when we learn to regard people with disabilities and special needs as people to be respected, not as problems to be confronted,” said Joseph M. Valenzano, president and CEO of EP Global Communications, Inc.
EP Global Communications is a 38-year-old, award-winning, multimedia company that provides information for families and professionals involved in the care and development of people with disabilities and special healthcare needs via Exceptional Parent magazine, EParent.com, EP Bookstore, EPLiveOnline, and community outreach programs such as Disability Awareness Night.
MassMutual Financial Group and its SpecialCaresm program has been the exclusive national financial services sponsor of Disability Awareness Night since 2003. The SpecialCareSM program takes a team approach to help ensure proper life care planning for the future of a person with a disability or other special need. SpecialCareSM provides access to information – from what people need to know in order to provide the best care to their loved one, to how to manage their needs as well as the needs of other family members.
“Our sponsorship of this Disability Awareness Night deepens MassMutual’s commitment to supporting people with disabilities and other special needs, and their families,” said Joanne Gruszkos, director of the MassMutual SpecialCare program. “Through our work with EP, Easter Seals, and our specially trained and certified SpecialCare planners, we are trying to raise the general awareness of the unique needs of this population and provide the means for them to develop a life plan that will enable a special needs family to obtain the best quality of life possible.”
If you would like more information, please contact Randy Newsome, Director of Special Projects, EP Global Communications, Inc., at 856-628-3500 or rnewsome@eparent.com.
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The event is hosted by EP Global Communications, Inc., publisher of Exceptional Parent (EP) magazine, a company dedicated to offering information and resources to people with disabilities and special needs and the family members and professionals who care for and about them. The EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Jake Shewmake and Leeann Whiffen.
Shewmake is the head baseball coach at Murray High School as well as a special education teach at the school. Last year, Shewmake won the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year Award. Instead of using the prize money on himself, he used it to take students with special needs on various outings with the baseball team. Now, Shewmake and the Spartans fundraise throughout the season to continue the tradition of these wonderful outings.
Whiffon, a published author, is a hard-working advocate throughout the state for families facing autism. She organized and distributed an autism resource guide to promote early detection and treatment for children with autism. Whiffon is a frequent speaker at Autism conferences, radio and television shows and is the driving force behind legislation that would require insurance companies to cover Autism treatment as regular medical expenses.
Disability Awareness Night began in 2002 when Exceptional Parent magazine combined forces with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to create this event, the first of its kind. The program now encompasses both Major and Minor League Baseball venues, the NBA, and NASCAR, with events across the nation.
“Our goal is to help all Americans understand that we will become a stronger nation and better human beings when we learn to regard people with disabilities and special needs as people to be respected, not as problems to be confronted,” said Joseph M. Valenzano, president and CEO of EP Global Communications, Inc.
EP Global Communications is a 38-year-old, award-winning, multimedia company that provides information for families and professionals involved in the care and development of people with disabilities and special healthcare needs via Exceptional Parent magazine, EParent.com, EP Bookstore, EPLiveOnline, and community outreach programs such as Disability Awareness Night.
MassMutual Financial Group and its SpecialCaresm program has been the exclusive national financial services sponsor of Disability Awareness Night since 2003. The SpecialCareSM program takes a team approach to help ensure proper life care planning for the future of a person with a disability or other special need. SpecialCareSM provides access to information – from what people need to know in order to provide the best care to their loved one, to how to manage their needs as well as the needs of other family members.
“Our sponsorship of this Disability Awareness Night deepens MassMutual’s commitment to supporting people with disabilities and other special needs, and their families,” said Joanne Gruszkos, director of the MassMutual SpecialCare program. “Through our work with EP, Easter Seals, and our specially trained and certified SpecialCare planners, we are trying to raise the general awareness of the unique needs of this population and provide the means for them to develop a life plan that will enable a special needs family to obtain the best quality of life possible.”
If you would like more information, please contact Randy Newsome, Director of Special Projects, EP Global Communications, Inc., at 856-628-3500 or rnewsome@eparent.com.
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Contact
EP Global Communications
Randy Newsome
800-372-7368
www.eparent.com
Randy Newsome
800-372-7368
www.eparent.com
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