Spring 2006
The Big Picture... a verbal tour
Recently Amberations arranged a meeting with a representative of Exceptional Family Resources; a local organization we hope will embrace our dream and utilize our grounds. Her enthusiasm was wonderful yet she repeatedly asked a question we could not answer. "Can you put your plans into one sentence or find one word to describe it?" As we walked she would occasionally use phrases like "multi-environmental experience" or "nature-art camp workshop. which we would both ponder and then mutually reject. While bubbling with support, she really felt that the public needed to be aware of the full scope of the project. Unable to put it into one word or phrase we offer the following:
After one full year raising funds to pay our insurance premium and numerous lengthy attempts to procure grant monies, we are just about ready to open. But what does that mean?
It means we have almost fulfilled all the requirements set forth by the insurance companies. It means we are almost ready to sign the lease prepared by the Syracuse University law clinic allowing Amberations use of the property in Amber (without payment for such). It means we are almost ready to make our site safe and pleasant for those we will invite (without the benefit of any grants mostly due to the Catch 22 adage "we enthusiastically support your goals but want to see you establish before offering any financial support."
What is it we are almost ready to open?
Adjacent to the Otisco Lake Community Center on Amber Road in Marietta is an old barn with a shiny red roof. There is a bubbling brook in front of the barn and an almost completed bridge. Soon that bridge will be finished and stone sides built, a large wheelchair accessible deck is planned fort the eastern end of the barn, and a small pond will be dug and stocked with fish, wheelchair friendly paths built, siding updated, and a pasture cleared for a few small animals (an alpaca is in our dreams). We plan to provide respite to people from group homes and other agencies. We will provide a place for small groups to come out for a couple of hours once or twice a week. We intend to have a peaceful environment for these people who may not have any other such resource. We plan to offer an opportunity to interact with the animals, to care for them, pet them, and maybe even clean up after them. We will offer space to garden or plant — a vegetable garden, a tree, or even a corn maze or sunflower room. We will have a place for people to sit and listen to the sounds of the brook, the birds, and the frogs.
A little further up Amber Road is access to another area of the tract that will become Amberations. Here you will find fields overgrown with native plants through which we mow a maze of paths. There is also the beginning of a small herbal garden, some lovely woods, our “braided tree” respite (a dozen or so trees we have braided and bound to eventually grow into a natural weaving), wild roses and berries, and lots of wildlife. This is the area we spoke of in our fall newsletter as our opening site, where we were hoping to place a composting toilet and a shade pavilion. Failure to procure grant monies for this project has led us to the decision to work on developing our barn site with access to both areas being offered.
As you can see, it is hard to describe our project in one word or phrase. We plan to offer a place to learn, a place to garden and commune with nature, to get in touch with ones inner self. We believe that everyone is an artist and the world is a communal canvas. We want to offer one very beautiful small section of our earth for development by individuals who may have no other such opportunities. The ideas we have set forth are our visions, we want to offer the opportunity for others to act on their visions...to make this space their own. We want to offer opportunities that do not seem to exist in our community for a segment of the population that is often overlooked.
Fall Festival - a Success
A very supportive and enthusiastic group made our First Annual Fall Festival a huge success. We offered our own Pumpkin Chili, hot dogs, cider, sweet treats, t-shirts, games, chair massages, face painting and more including, of course...great music!!! The unique Kambuyu Marimba Band has agreed to play for us again this fall providing they get to choose the date (we chose the coldest, windiest, rainiest day in October). The life sized assemblage of Pumpkin People was a success and more will be available next year. For those who don't know, our unique Pumpkin People are scare crow type creations with very hard to describe (kind of like a cross between a bird, an elephant, and a dinosaur) concrete feet that allow them to stand on their own. As part of our silent auction all except our prototype — John Cooper- went home with new families. We know of one that
greets visitors at the front door of its new home and has changed its attire (and head) numerous times throughout the months. Each comes with a short biography. They were a lot of fun and will definitely remain as part of our yearly festivities. We raised almost $1000.00 at this event and would like to thank the following:
Musicians:
Kambuyu
Harvey Nusbaum
Ted Curtis
David Deacon
Tom Fay
Refreshments:
P&C
Wegmans
Beak & Skiff
Navarino Orchards
Raffles:
Syracuse Stage
Walmart
Walden Books
Footprints
Tully’s
Denise Bell
Ryan Richards
Donations:
Tim’s Pumpkin Patch
Canfield’s
The Rescue Mission of Syracuse
The Brown Family
Sue Harrington
Deb Grousset
Therese Oppedisano
Steve & Kyle Hewitt
Sandy Merluzzi
Luan Dang
OLCA
Bike-a-Thon
We plan our first annual Amberations, Inc. bike-a-thon this spring. We are tentatively looking at the morning of Sunday, June 25th. We plan a route around Otisco Lake with entertainment for non participants at our starting site the Otisco Lake Community Center. This is our first ever so we are open to suggestions. We know we want prizes not just for the fastest but also the last, the oldest, the youngest, and perhaps the most uniquely attired. Stay posted...more to come on this soon.
The Little Picture
I am writing this article as the mother of a wonderful human being who just happens to have a few extra chromosomes. Her name is Sarah Brittenham. She was diagnosed with full trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome) at birth. She is now a beautiful, articulate 19 year old woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. When I graduated from Geneseo State University with a degree in Special Education I had no idea what was in store for me and that I would soon be a parent of a child with a disability. With both anxious and positive outlooks on her future my husband and I embarked on a long arduous journey of development and education.
I remember feeling very overwhelmed at the beginning. Suddenly, every theory I had learned in college seemed meaningless and irrelevant. Sarah had begun to educate me all over again and to astonish me with her intuitive and creative abilities.
Last year Sarah attended a program called “Project Explore” which was provided by Exceptional Family Resources. She was able to meet and make friends with other people with disabilities. Together with an enthusiastic and upbeat staff, they explored the greater Syracuse area and beyond. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed this experience and would like to do it again this year. The group was able to visit such natural places as Beaver Lake and Longbranch park. Amberations could have provided another site for this special group to enjoy and this is the vision that we are looking toward this coming summer.
I first came in contact with Gloria Wiley through the Marcellus schools. Our daughters, Johnna and Chloe had become fast friends in third grade, the year that we moved to the area.
I remember speaking to Gloria about some of the issues I was struggling with in regard to Sarah and the limited resources that were available for people with disabilities, particularly in this area.
To me, Gloria seemed to be a great visionary and an optimist who came up with wonderfully creative ideas. When she expressed her ideas about Amberations I was instantly and literally “on board”. My husband and I became board members and were ready to help in any way to make this dream come alive.
My personal vision for Amberations is a place of natural
beauty that would provide opportunities to interact with wildlife and domestic animals, opportunities for gardening and crafting. A place where people like my daughter could work, recreate and socialize in a healthy outdoor environment.
I hope that you will join us in realizing our dream, whether you are a parent, agency or someone who just wants to be a part of this exciting experience. Get on board and I guarantee you will enjoy the ride!
