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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAWYER, BRIGHT TOUR COMMUNITY PROGRAM DURING MENTAL RETARDATION AWARENESS MONTH

MONTGOMERY – Department of Mental Health & Mental Retardation Commissioner Kathy Sawyer and Judge Lynn Bright, First Lady of Montgomery, today toured a community program for persons with mental retardation to highlight Mental Retardation Awareness Month. The program is operated by the Montgomery Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC).

Sawyer and Bright began their tour at the Hanan Center, a sheltered workshop where persons with mental disabilities can work and earn money. "Paid employment is the first step towards full inclusion in the community and an important source of self-confidence and independence," Sawyer said. "Many of the persons we serve are excellent, motivated employees who see their jobs as a way to demonstrate their abilities and skills." Approximately 68 persons with mental retardation are employed at the Hanan Center.

Following the tour of the Hanan Center, Sawyer and Bright toured the McInnis Recycling Center, which serves the entire city of Montgomery. "The McInnis Recycling Center is important to the quality of life in the Montgomery area," Mrs. Bright said. "Mayor Bright and I are so impressed with the facilities and with the important work performed here. We strongly support the efforts of the Montgomery ARC and the Alabama Department of Mental Health & Mental Retardation to educate the public about persons with mental retardation."

Lee Conner, Executive Director of the Montgomery ARC, estimates that the recycling center processes about 360 pounds of newsprint, 9,000 pounds of aluminum, and 35, 000 pounds of cardboard each year. "We are an important asset to the City of Montgomery," Conner said. "In fact, we receive almost all of the city’s recycling goods and play an important role in making our community more sustainable and more environmentally-friendly."

Gov. Don Siegelman has proclaimed March as Mental Retardation Awareness Month in Alabama. "I urge local elected officials to formally recognize Mental Retardation Awareness Month in their respective areas and to tour a mental retardation community program or service provider," Sawyer said. "Getting to know someone with a mental disability expands our personal horizons and helps eliminate preconceived ideas and stereotypes we may have about abilities, skills and talents."

RESOURCES

For more information about Mental Retardation Awareness Month, visit the web site for the Arc of the United States at http://www.thearc.org.

Information about mental retardation can also be obtained from the Alabama DMH/MR web site at http://www.mh.state.al.us or by contacting the DMH/MR Division of Mental Retardation at (334) 242-3701.