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Hi, my name is Faye Warren, and I am honored to be your new chairman for People Who Use AAC, or Augmentative Alternative Communication. Besides my involvement in the biannual ISAAC conferences, I am in charge of the AAC Awareness Month, which is in October each year. Therefore, this coming October, I would like to try a public approach for everybody in the United States as well as in different countries overseas to get to know us, meaning people who use AAC, our amazing communication devices. When others see us out in public telling stories, jokes and having conversations, we impact powerfully the attitudes of others toward AAC use and funding in a positive way. Hopefully, we can get a lot more support and others will be much more aware of ISAAC worldwide. Let me elaborate on my idea of having relays called, The Power of Communication Relays, in each country that is interested for AAC Awareness Month 2011. A relay is done on a running track usually at a school site or church. In my case, I am organizing our event at the church I attend utilizing a large oval grass area with a wide roadway around it. It event takes place on Saturday, October 27 from 11 AM to 1 AM. Volunteers sign up to either run, walk or roll (wheelchairs) around the track whatever number of times, or laps they choose. Our event will be an untimed run, walk or roll choice for participants with three or four going at one time. When finished, the next group of volunteer runners, walkers or persons in a wheelchairs take the place of the ones before them. Each person doing laps of the track in this relay can ask an organization or business to sponsor them. In my case, we will collect a flat fee in cash or check form of five dollars to participate. All donations collected should be used to benefit persons who use AAC in the community that the event takes place. While the relay is going on, I envision tables or booths set up with different kinds of foods and a drink station. Local churches, restaurants, banks, or any other organizations would be asked to volunteer to set up one of these stations. Hopefully, all food will be donated. There could also be tables set up by businesses that give out both information to market their business and also handouts about ISAAC and AAC Awareness information. Possibly T-shirts or another small mement of this even could be donated with the event name on it. The idea is for this even to be at no cost to ISAAC chapters or any other organization that manages it. If the relay idea works out for AAC Awareness month, it could generate publicity. Newspapers and television stations could be called to inform them of this event. The first task is to secure sites on designated dates in October 2011 to hold these relays or walks and rolls. So, we need your help in organizing the relays, or walk and rolls, in your state or country as a community coming together to help each other. If you are interested and have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at, warrenfaye@yahoo, com. Thank you.
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