Little City Heroes
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I have an intellectual disability,
and I fight for disabilities rights.
Because of Little City, I am my own hero.
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Little City Hero: Ciara Craig
Ciara came to Little City six months ago and has already started to make changes for her fellow peers here. Although Ciara has an intellectual disability, she is continually advocating for herself and others at Little City.
Ciara is the newly appointed advisor of the Advocacy Group at
Little City. The Advocacy Group started in 2007 with just six adults and has since grown to 33 members. This group lobbies for more support for people with disabilities by attending conferences and rallies to generate awareness and gain additional support.
“Although Ciara is new to Little City, she is already making many positive changes. We are very lucky to have such an involved and passionate individual here. Ciara is heroic in the way she advocates and empowers others,” said Little City Executive Director Shawn E. Jeffers.
(Ciara shows off a necklace she created herself)
This past November, Ciara was one of the eight members of the group that traveled to Springfield for the “
Speak Up Speak Out” conference where they met with other agencies and politicians to discuss disability rights and lobbied against funding cutbacks made to programs that support people with disabilities.
“I want to teach people with disabilities to speak up for themselves and not to be scared because we are all really advocates for ourselves,” stated Ciara Craig.
The Advocacy Group meets twice a month to discuss issues and talk about ways to fundraise. The group holds fundraisers to raise money for expenses that go towards traveling to Springfield each year. In August, they had a bake sale on
Little City’s Palatine campus that raised over $200.
(Ciara and other members of the Advocacy Group sold bake goods to raise funds for their trips)
In addition to serving as the advisor of the Advocacy Group, Ciara is also involved in the social committee, which plans events for Little City participants such as movie nights and dances. The committee is currently working on a New Year’s Eve party that Ciara is very excited about.
“I like living at Little City because I like all the programs they have,” she said. Besides being extremely involved in activities, she works on the Palatine campus completing data entry and other light assembly tasks. Ciara also enjoys making jewelry at the Design Center that is located on campus.