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Mercer County Aktion Club members pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child. The club was formed in 2004. March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
COLDWATER - A social club dedicated to enriching the lives of adults with disabilities and their towns has flourished since launching 20 years ago, growing into something more like a tight-knit family, according to its members.
The Mercer County Aktion Club was chartered in 2004 as a service organization sponsored by Coldwater and Celina Kiwanis Clubs. It's part of a national Kiwanis-affiliated organization.
"The club helped us to find our voice," said member Kelly Reigelsperger. "A person, no matter what their limitations are, can make a difference in some way, shape or form."
"You can only do better when you know better," said club co-founder and treasurer George Kornegor.
Kornegor was approached about establishing a club 20 years ago by Betty Will and Dave Cavanaugh, who worked with the Cheryl Ann Program at the time.
He was hesitant at first, not knowing what it would entail or how he could contribute, but signed on anyhow.
Today the club offers its members opportunities to develop initiative and leadership skills and to serve their communities. The motto is "Where Development Has No Disability." "We are like anybody else. We just function maybe in a different way. We're all human," Reigelsperger said.
They embrace differences in one another and strive to listen, communicate, guide and serve. In fact, "Service in Action" is displayed in the logo on the front of the club's brochure.
"We serve the community, we have fun, we have fundraisers, we make a difference," Reigelsperger said, adding the club helps its members realize they can make a difference.
Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in the Gathering Place at Briarwood Village in Coldwater. After a brief business meeting to discuss service projects and outings, there is a speaker or an activity.
They have welcomed local authors, entertainers and businesses such Lake City Creamery and Rooster Joe Coffee. Recently, members of Key Club, the high school branch of Kiwanis, held a snowman craft session during a meeting.
"It was a way for them to interact with us," Reigelsperger said. "Your average person may never get the chance to interact with a person with a disability."
She prefers people ask if they have questions about her disability and believes it's good for the general public to engage those with disabilities. A conversation is not necessary, but a person with disabilities should not be ignored.
"Anyone who sees a person with a disability, just come up and say hi," she added. "We just want to be acknowledged."
Reigelsperger said many members have caregivers who accompany them to the meetings. Some members cannot speak or communicate.
"You've got to know what's in their heart and know to speak for them," she said.
"If you look in somebody's eyes, they will tell you what they are saying," Kornegor added.
Reigelsperger said any Mercer County resident who has a disability and is at least 18 is eligible to join. Club membership dropped off amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently 13 active members.
The club is run by a board of directors consisting of six club members and three advisors, Karen Ashbaugh, Jane Schwieterman and Kevin Pyle.
"Do not underestimate their passion and depth of understanding and empathy for others," Schwieterman remarked.
Reigelsperger said there are about ten original members still with the club. Many have served in leadership positions multiple times because they care about the club's future.
Julie Morrissey is one of them. She was the club's first secretary and admitted it was difficult in the beginning. But with determination she's held several positions over the years.
"Being a part of this club is like a family. You get to know people and do things together as a family," she said. "They are the most wonderful group of people you have ever met."
"It was a club, but now we are family," Reigelsperger added. "It's where we belong."
Club president Cindy May is also an original member. She enjoys the friends she's made and said the club has helped her grow and become more confident and outgoing.
The group has gone bowling and to the movies, attended local plays and concerts and enjoyed picnics. It's also visited the Fort Wayne Zoo, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta and MVP Dairy near Mendon.
The group has attended and sponsored dances for other Aktion clubs and traveled to Marion, Indiana, to look at Christmas lights.
In October, members and invited guests will celebrate the club's 20th anniversary with dinner at the Coldwater Eagles Club.
As a service club, the group commits to projects that benefit local communities, along with worldwide charities and organizations.
Some of the projects include helping with the Coldwater Kiwanis Club annual sausage and pancake breakfast and taking part in Lake Cleanup Day.
Since 2005, they have participated in Operation Christmas Child and Shoebox Ministries. Members gathered at Good Shepherd Church, formerly known as Coldwater United Methodist, in November to fill boxes with items such as soap, washcloths, toothbrushes and toys for children in need.
They donated to local food pantries and the Park 4 All Abilities at Coldwater Memorial Park and supply bottled water for the surgery waiting room at Mercer County Community Hospital.
Reigelsperger said the club's proudest accomplishment, though, is establishing the Mercer County Aktion Club Scholarship in 2015 in honor of deceased members.
To date, 18 $500 scholarships have been awarded to students in Mercer County who have a disability or live with a family member who has a disability. Students planning to study a field leading to working with people with disabilities are also eligible to apply.
Since 2015, the Aktion club has sold Pie Peddler pies to fund the scholarship. It's the club's most successful and longest running fundraiser.
Members sold ice cream at Celina Lake Festival and cold drinks alongside the K-Burger Stand at Coldwater sidewalk sales.
"Our sponsoring Kiwanis clubs are wonderful," Morrissey said.
A statewide Aktion convention is held annually.
"It's a time for other people with disabilities to get together to interact," she noted.
Reigelsperger said there is more advocacy, awareness and inclusion now, but the stigma surrounding developmental disabilities needs to be eliminated.
Vice president Amy Morrissey welcomes potential members.
"If you want to come to one of our meetings, come and check us out," she noted. "There's no pressure (to join). It's up to them."
For more information, email Reigelsperger at kjr828@yahoo.com or visit the club's Facebook page.
"Anybody with a disability, they have a voice whether they can speak or not. They have a voice, they have a heart, they are human," she added. "They need to be heard."
