Client Council was one of many groups that disappeared during the pandemic, when in-person group activities were curtailed. Cecelia Porter, Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana’s community resource coordinator, has been working to bring these organizations into action again. Porter suggested that Aubrie serve as Client Council president.
The Client Council now meets frequently – sometimes spontaneously. The people who take part are participants in day programs at Easterseals RISE. Aubrie describes the Client Council as a place for consumers to learn and to talk through problems, particularly social and relationship problems. Client Council sometimes works with Aktion Club on projects, such as a fundraising carwash, and many people participate in both.
Sometimes Aubrie structures a meeting around a specific problem.
At a September meeting, the topic was personal hygiene. She tackled it straightforwardly with more than a dozen people who joined her at the meeting.
“We’re not here to make fun of anyone. We’re not here to demean or criticize or anything,” she said. And she pointed out that hygiene lapses can happen to anyone.
“I’m sure there have been a few days where you guys forgot to do something – I forgot to use deodorant or brush my teeth or change my socks or something,” Aubrie said.
She made her case for the importance of personal hygiene. “Your hygiene (affects) whether you’re confident about yourself or not,” Aubrie said.
From there, she began drawing other people into the talk.
Hygiene “is good for your health,” offered one woman.
“Right!” Aubrie said. “Just think about it. It’s like all that sweat and dirt and grossness and whatever you have on yourself is washed away.”
One man pointed out that maintaining good hygiene is part of holding down a job.
“You want to be presentable. We’ve got to look out for each other; we can’t be mean about it, right?” Aubrie said.
“There are probably people out there in the community … who would humiliate you, saying, ‘This guy stinks all the time’ or ‘He never showers.’ It’s not cool. People can make fun of us for it.”
Aubrie and others covered more in that meeting, from washing your hands and getting under fingernails to the importance of men washing their beards.
In an interview, Aubrie said arranging meetings can be challenging because of jobs and other activities in members’ schedules. Sometimes she calls a meeting on short notice. Many of the council’s active members are at Easterseals RISE nearly every weekday.
She said she tries to concentrate on topics important to members. Examples include anti-bullying, safety on computers, and relationships.
When it comes to relationships, she said, “I try not to be the ‘gossip crew.’ You can bring your experiences, but don’t bring names into it.”
Sometimes she takes concerns from the council to staff members. One example was alerting staff members to participants’ borrowing money and food from one another. Staff members reinforced the message not to share money or food.
Aubrie, 26, seems a natural leader and an energetic volunteer. With the Aktion Club, which concentrates on helping people develop their abilities to advocate for themselves, she has gone on trips to the Indiana Statehouse. There she has met with legislators and other officials to demonstrate the importance of supporting people with disabilities.
She’s delivered meals to people who can’t easily leave their homes and helped with blood drives for the American Red Cross.
In 2021, she sang and danced in the Angola’s Got Talent competition.
Paige Hart, who supervises the esports program, said Aubrie “has been a clear leader in this community and uses her voice for awareness campaigns. She has equally impacted the esports team with her ability to lead and assist others when needed.”
With Aubrie in their corner, Easterseals RISE participants know their views and concerns will always be heard.