A story to tell
Ambassadors and Champions program seeks to build bigger community connections
By Jerrica Thurman, Vice President, Strategy and Communications
In 2023 it is time to reconnect, and the Amputee Coalition Ambassadors and Community Champions are ready to engage and raise the voice of the limb loss and limb difference community. The more connections in a network, the stronger, more resilient, and more supportive it becomes. Building UNITY and a community that ensures no amputee is ever alone is critical to supporting the over 2.7 million people living with limb loss and limb difference.
This past summer was the Amputee Coalition’s first in-person National Conference in three years and the launch of the Ambassadors and Community Champions program. The program team used face time at the conference to connect with community members and encourage them to sign up.
Currently, over 100 influencers, inquiring minds, storytellers, and networkers are signing up to engage with their networks and connect people living with limb loss and limb difference to the Amputee Coalition. El Williams is a former Amputee Coalition Youth Camp participant, and today as a college student he is a part of the Ambassadors and Community Champions program. El is sharing his life experience to encourage and support the next generation of the community.
El has a story to tell, and he needs to be heard …
“I have been faced with so many struggles throughout my life. These struggles have helped foster me into who I am today. Thanks to all my weird medical stories, though, I have a new appreciation for life. I am now a college student who is very active in sports and clubs. I am also a public speaker for Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Amputee Coalition, which advocates for people with disabilities. …Today I’m at High Point University studying psychology and criminal justice. I’m also a member of the ADA club on campus, which stands for Advocating for Disabilities and Accessibility. We work to educate others about people with disabilities and ensure everyone has an accessible education. There are many goals I want to accomplish in my life, but I am most passionate about spreading my story. I did not have anyone to look up to who looked like me when I was growing up. I want to change this for other children. I want them to have someone who looks like them, someone who understands their pain, someone who won’t ever judge. I have a bright and hopeful future ahead of me and, thanks to the Amputee Coalition, I am more active in it and, more importantly, I know my worth.”
– El Williams
They can use the following means or chart their own path.
- Influencing – Using personal social media networks and pages to encourage members of the limb loss and limb difference community to engage with the Amputee Coalition.
- Inquiring – Connecting directly with members of the limb loss and limb difference community and asking what they need in terms of community and support.
- Storytelling – Using live events, virtual events, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, and testimonials to share their story and encourage others to get involved.
- Networking – Identifying and contacting organizations that could get information about the Coalition into the hands of people living with limb loss and limb difference.
The Amputee Coalition Ambassadors and Community Champions program is new and growing. To sign up, scan the QR Code and complete the survey.
TO PARTICIPATE
Please visit the Ambassadors and Community Champions page on the Amputee Coalition’s website: https://www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy-awareness/ambassadors-community-champions/