Inspire
Traci Ritter is a wife and mother of four children living in Cape Girardeau. Ritter is involved in disability advocacy and is a member of LaCroix United Methodist Church.
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Circle the Playground
Posted Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at 3:15 PM2Melaina's Magical Playland is an all inclusive, accessible playground being built at Cape County Park North. It is the inspiration of Jeff and Andrea Cunningham, whose daughter Melaina was born with Nemaline Myopathy and wasn't able to physically access the "average" playground equipment due to her disability and physical challenges. Fundraising efforts have been ongoing for the approximate 4 years since the project's inception and community members have responded with overwhelming support... -
Vandals hit Melaina's Playland
Posted Monday, July 9, 2012, at 1:57 PM1I just heard about the vandalism at Melaina's Magical Playland. To those responsible-Many people have spent months of their lives working to make this playground a reality-a place where children with and without disabilities can play together. No one says you have to help make this or any other good thing in this world a reality, but please don't spend your time UNdoing or tearing down the good that others ARE doing. ... -
Breaking down Barriers
Posted Tuesday, June 19, 2012, at 11:15 AMThis past week I attended the chartering of a new club-Kiwanis Aktion club. This is Kiwanis clubs way of ACTIVELY recruiting or involving those with disabilities in their Kiwanis organization. I have said so many times that in my opinion unless we very purposefully INclude people with disabilities in their communities they will be inadvertently EXcluded. ... -
Thanks Mom
Posted Sunday, May 13, 2012, at 2:16 AMWe celebrated Mothers Day Saturday at my house. As I helped my son make gifts to give his grandmothers and as I shopped for Mothers Day cards for my mom and mother-in-law this week I was struck by how moms are each so unique in how they relate to their children and in what they give of themselves through the years... -
Juggling
Posted Sunday, April 15, 2012, at 11:37 AMIs it possible to "have it all"? And what does that mean? I think it means different things for different people. For me, it has meant trying to raise a happy healthy family as well as working part time doing something I love and still maintaining valuable friendships, and spending time working to forward causes and projects I feel strongly about-mainly disability advocacy issues... -
You Are Invited
Posted Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at 8:28 PMThe groundbreaking ceremony for Melaina's Magical Playland will be held on Friday, March 9th at 11am and the public is invited to attend. I am so excited for our community as we celebrate this all inclusive playground where children with and without disabilities will be able to play together side by side... -
Blue Skies Ahead?
Posted Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at 1:40 PMAre Blue Skies ahead for people with developmental disabilities in Cape County and for the taxpayers who contribute toward the SB40 tax? Will there be another alternative to the current sheltered workshop in Cape Girardeau soon- an alternative that focuses on community integration if that is the desire of the individual with disabilities- an alternative that works to build partnerships within the community and asks area businesses to hire those with disabilities and agrees to provide job coaching services in order to ensure success? Will there be an option like this? The answer depends on many things. ... -
Twenty four thousand Children Died Today
Posted Monday, November 28, 2011, at 2:16 PMTwenty four thousand children a day die from hunger. That's right! TWENTY FOUR THOUSAND!!! What if this was happening in the United States? Why should we care less simply because this is happening in other countries? I say we shouldn't care less. We should be horrified and we should be asking what we can do to stop this... -
Everybody Counts
Posted Saturday, September 24, 2011, at 10:07 PMFor the past four years Jackson R-2 schools has been celebrating disAbility Awareness Week. The theme for the week is "Everybody counts" and as in past years we are asking all Jackson businesses to post those very words on their signs as a symbol of their support... -
Have a Little Faith
Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2011, at 10:38 PMWhen I started this blog the topics were going to be related to various ways we could all make a positive difference in our community. The past several times I have written anything for this blog it has been related to the SB40/VIP/County commission controversy... -
Cape County Board for Developmentally Disabled
Posted Sunday, June 19, 2011, at 1:08 PM1...So it now appears that some CCBDD board members may be ready for a change in leadership on this board. I think they may be ready for a leader who will try to work within the board with the other board members to take care of board business, someone who will work within the voting process of the board to make decisions and who will stand behind those decisions rather than enlist the media's help when the rest of the board does not agree with their viewpoint. ... -
Make a Difference
Posted Sunday, April 10, 2011, at 10:02 PMWant to make a difference in your community? Have an interest in working with people with disabilties? Check out the opportunities below. Kiwanis Aktion Club- http://www.aktionclub.org/discover/about.aspx Local Kiwanis clubs are starting an Aktion club here in Cape Girardeau County. ... -
A Community where Everbody Counts
Posted Monday, September 27, 2010, at 11:38 PM...so at church our pastor did a sermon on community. He talked about how we are all created for "community". Sure-some of us may be the type of people who occasionally need our own space, but for the most part if we do not have some sense of community, people who care about us, people to spend our time with, we can start to feel depressed, isolated, lonely. ... -
...With liberty and justice for all
Posted Friday, August 6, 2010, at 6:24 PMWhat sweet sentiments those words bring to mind. All of us who live in the United States should be experiencing liberty and justice- and I believe every person longs for it. Liberty. Justice. Freedom. Liberty. Justice. Freedom. Living YOUR life to its fullest- whoever you may be and whatever that may look like for you. ... -
More Options- Better Life
Posted Friday, June 25, 2010, at 2:05 PM1How many of us would say that $800,000 is a lot of money? $800,000 yearly is the amount of money available through the Senate Bill 40 tax in Cape County to be used for supporting programs that benefit the develomentally disabled. Years ago when this special tax was created there was really only one company out there offering employment and housing for persons with developmental disabilities and I commend them for being among the first. ... -
Junk in, Junk out
Posted Sunday, November 8, 2009, at 11:49 AMSo many times we hear people talking about horrifying current events and what may have been the cause of those events, or what may have led that person to do such a deplorable act. There has been a lot of talk about all the violence on TV and in various high tech games on the market. ... -
Disturbed
Posted Saturday, October 24, 2009, at 1:52 PMA few weeks ago I was reassured to find out (at church of all places) that it is a GOOD thing to be disturbed. This was reassuring to me because I have always known that I am most assuredly a "disturbed' person. I always say there are "glass half full" kind of people and then there are, I believe the less fortunate "glass half empty" kind of people. ...