Wheel Connections

 I got a letter yesterday and it said that I was categorically the worst blogger EVER. Apparently,  you're supposed to update blogs frequently...oops. Anyway, for those who were enthralled by previous entries, nothing too spectacular has happened. Except for one project.

I decided to create a group called Wheel Connections, a peer support group. However, this group would be unique because, instead of being a virtual group or lecturers, it will have spinal cord injured patients meeting others with the same injuries. It would give a chance for us to socialize and learn from each other. Also, I plan for the group to focus on being active by finding different accessible activities for us to do as a group.

Starting this group was a rash decision. It literally came out of nowhere, however, there seems to be a good amount of interest within the spinal cord injured population. The group has already been posted on the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) website, the Christopher Reeve's Foundation website, and garnered attention from other spinal cord injury organizations.

Oddly enough, this idea couldn't have come at a better time. The New Jersey Abilities Expo is coming up in April, so that is going to be the first meeting. Hopefully, people come see what we're all about and want to join. I also hope that I can manage this group properly and find plenty of activities and topics that would interest us. So far I've done a pretty good job, of course, we don't have any members yet. It's still counts.

While creating this group, I stumbled over some bumps. For example, there is a lot of politics regarding a group like this, even though it's basically just a bunch of people hanging out with each other. I really have to watch what I say and what I do in order to avoid offending other organizations. Honestly, it feels like kindergarten. However, that's the way the game is played so I have to follow the rules. On top of that nonsense, it's very hard to build an organization from scratch. The group needs a name, a purpose, members, proof that it's legitimate, literature, schedules, a website, and the hundreds of tiny details behind the scenes. Luckily I'm not going anywhere so I have the time to try and create these things out of thin air.

Anyway, as Wheel Connections starts I'll try to share some information on a regular basis. Recently, I've been using March Madness as my excuse for not putting up any entries. The dance is especially tough this year and my bracket is shaping up. We'll see if I win but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Wish me luck.