empower: abilities

10/16/2026

We are so pround of our very own 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿, Assistant Director of Advocacy at empower: abilities for being selected as one of six recipients of the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) (MFH) 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 "𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵."

According to MFH, six 2026 Spark Prize awardees will receive $200,000 in unrestricted funding to power their leadership and vision. In addition, six “Leaders to Watch” will receive $50,000 each. Awardees were selected for their potential to create long-term impact in Missouri and were chosen from nominations representing a variety of backgrounds, geographies, and sectors.

According to MFH, the Spark Prize is a $200,000 award for individuals with outstanding vision, commitment, and promise to improve health and well-being in Missouri. Now in its second year, the prize was created by Missouri Foundation for Health to foster and amplify exceptional people throughout the state who are tackling social challenges that impact health and developing innovative solutions to help communities thrive. The award is an investment in future impact, giving awardees the freedom to use the funding in whatever ways best support them. Learn more at mffh.org/spark

Afton, we are so proud of you! Learn more about the MFH and Spark prize in the comments.

10/16/2026

Shout out to The Arc of the Ozarks AM Donuts and Coffee Truck for braving the rain to provide hot coffee and sweet eats at our White Cane Awareness Day. We appreciate our community partners!

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

Tonight's the night for all 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗴𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀 to join us for a night of fantastic fun and dancing.

Grab your costume, gather your crew and get ready to BOO-gie at the
empower: abilities Halloween Party & Dance!

Whether you’re showing off your monster moves or just coming for snacks and good company, we’d love to see you! All ages are welcome—bring the family and invite a friend!

TONIGHT - 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲
𝟲:𝟬𝟬 – 𝟴:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺.
𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀
𝟭𝟭𝟮𝟲 𝗡. 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝘃𝗲., 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱

A little progress update: As we continue making progress at our new location, we’ve opted to hold this year’s Halloween dance at the Fairbanks!
• Dress up!
• Enjoy snacks!
• Hit the dance floor!
• Make some fang-tastic memories!

Parents are welcome to join the fun.
For more information, give us a call at 417-886-1188.

10/14/2026

RAIN OR SHINE - Join us tomorrow for our White Cane Awareness event.

A white cane is more than a mobility tool—it’s a symbol of independence, confidence and freedom.

Join us on Thursday, October 15, from 10:00 - noon as we recognize
White Cane Awareness Day!

Together, we’ll raise awareness, promote safety, celebrate accessibility and show our support for people who are blind or have low vision.

The event will feature:

🔹 Community resource booths
🔹 Informative guest speakers
🔹 Opportunities to learn about white cane safety and accessibility
🔹 AM Donuts & Coffee food truck—with treats available for purchase!

This event is scheduled for outdoors; however, if it is raining we will meet inside.

Come learn, connect and help us create a community where everyone can navigate safely and independently. 3345 S Campbell, Springfield

In partnership with the National Federation of the Blind Springfield Chapter.
For more information, contact Afton at 417-886-1188 x 607.

10/13/2026

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

We had a little fun putting this video together—but we’re serious about creating a welcoming community where people of all abilities can connect, learn and discover helpful resources!

Join empower: abilities and Coffee Creations on Saturday, October 24, for coffee, conversation and community.

10:00 AM
Welcome and featured speakers

11:00 AM–1:30 PM
Tours, community resources and networking
Freshly roasted specialty coffee will be available throughout the event, along with breakfast and lunch specials for purchase.

𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
𝟰𝟯𝟯 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶

The event is free and open to everyone. Come for the coffee, stay for the connections—and enjoy our award-worthy performance in the meantime!

10/13/2026

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 - 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘅-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

Wow! We are so excited about the positive response to our new Independence Kitchen Program and are happy to report that the first session is now full. We see the need to help individuals with disabilities learn skills in the kitchen, and plan to host another session in the next calendar year. Special thanks to Abilities First for their funding support for this project.

10/12/2026

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽—𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗶𝘁!

Empower: abilities is building something new for young adults ages 18–24 with disabilities, and we want your ideas leading the way! If you missed the first session, you can still join us in October - we welcome your input.

Join our focus group to help decide what this new group will become. What would make you want to show up? Fun activities? Community hangouts? New friendships? Leadership opportunities? This is your chance to help create a group that actually feels like yours.

𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭
𝟮:𝟬𝟬 - 𝟰:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠

𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝟯𝟯𝟰𝟱 𝗦. 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝘃𝗲., 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱

Come meet people, share your ideas and be one of the first to help shape what comes next.

📞 Interested? Call 417-886-1188 x 604 or email [email protected].
Your ideas. Your group. Your future.

10/12/2026

BEHIND THE MISSION: MEET DONNA!

Every mission is powered by people, and today we’re introducing another member of the empower: abilities team!

Meet Donna Baird, an Independent Living Specialist. Donna assists consumers with Medicaid and SNAP applications, provides independent living case management, and works with the Show Me Home program. She also coordinates our Circle of Friends Social Club and serves as a Missouri SHIP counselor, helping people understand their Medicare options.

Donna was drawn to empower: abilities by the opportunity to help people become their best selves. Her goal is to empower consumers to reach their full potential and live lives that are meaningful to them.

For Donna, independent living means helping people find their voices, make their own choices and pursue their personal goals.

Donna brings more than eight years of experience working with people with disabilities and over 15 years of experience in healthcare. One of her greatest strengths is her ability to connect with people, understand their circumstances, and help them feel supported.

“It’s important to me to work for an organization that genuinely cares about people. From the staff and leadership to the CEO, everyone here truly cares about the work they do.”

Outside of work, Donna’s favorite place is wherever her family is! She has six children and nine grandchildren, and her ideal weekend involves spending time with her grandbabies. She also enjoys Mexican food, country music, springtime, and coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. Her dream destination is Ireland.

Donna strives to lead with kindness because we never know what another person may be experiencing—and a simple act of kindness could make someone’s entire day better.Her favorite quote captures that spirit perfectly: “To the world you are just one person, but to one person, you are the world.”

Please help us celebrate Donna and the compassion, experience, and encouragement she brings to empower: abilities. We’re so glad she’s here!

10/10/2026

Congratulations to SGF Yields! Your work in the Springfield community has been incredibly impactful and so excited for you to share it with the rest of the world!

Join us Thursday October 15th at our office at 3345 S Campbell for White Cane Awareness Day. Mr Walker will be there! 😃