HISTORY AT A GLANCE
IT WAS IN THE YEAR 2007:

The Place was located on 629 North Broadway Street, in the City of Lexington, in the State of Kentucky with a connecting route that extended our locale to include the GOODWILL Industries located on 130 W. New Circle Road, Suite # 110.

The SOJOURN
FROM A BOX: TO A CAVE: ON TO BROADWAY AND IN 2007 CATAPULTED TO A PLACE CALLED “GOODWILL”
THANKS TO THE BENEVOLENCE OF: Mr. Larry Patterson, Workforce Development Manager

ALONG THE WAY
We planted seeds to INFORM, IMPACT, IGNITE AND INSPIRE

AND IN THE YEAR: 2008

Our Place is now located on 535 West Jefferson Street Suite-L-100, Lexington, KY 40508. We have been at this location since July 1, 2008.
We are continuing to “WALK ON BY FAITH.” We are uncertain as to the longevity of our lodging here on West Jefferson Street, in a building known as “WEST JEFFERSON PLACE” but we know that “GOD” is “ordering our steps!”

GROWTH IN 2008:

1. We have experienced membership growth and we have been able to recruit and retain dedicated volunteers; but there is still much work to be done in this area.

2. The Chronic Pain Support Group has been able to conduct daily business and pay expenses; but not without great sacrifice.

3. The Executive Board’s leadership has remained strong advocates for those individuals, families and caregivers whose lives have been adversely impacted through chronic pain and the secondary effects and affects of that diagnosis and prescriptive plan for daily living.

4. The members, guests and friends of the organization have supported the monthly meetings purpose to “inform, impact, ignite and inspire” productivity and lifelong hope within people whose lives have become disenfranchised; by attending those meetings scheduled for contributing lives.

5. The “Combined Boards” and Committees have embraced the “initiatives presented by the “Executive Board.” These initiatives promote the ‘balance’ needed to live daily a contributing and productive life, in-spite of the level of ability one may have.

6. The web-page has been an asset informing the viewer of the diverse activities, and opportunities offered by the organization, to the chronic pain sufferer, family, caregiver or interested citizen within the community of Lexington, Fayette county and surrounding cities and counties within the state and bordering states of Kentucky. You can view an article written to encourage from the “Encourager,” on the web-page of the Chronic Pain Support Group Incorporated

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
THE CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT GROUP INC., LEXINGTON, KY

We begin by informing the public of our monthly meetings that take place at the Kentucky Inn on Waller Avenue, in Lexington. Our meetings are planned around the needs of the group. We invite civic leaders, professionals, and non-professionals to bring insight and information to our members. The local medical professionals have been receptive to provide their expertise, and time to our group, without compensation. Many of those individuals will be honored, along with others, this evening. All of our meetings are planned to begin at the 7,o’clock, p.m. hour and are to be concluded within a two hour time frame, which includes both the sharing of refreshments and a question and answering period.

We are a self-help group. We offer information to our members and friends who may come to our meetings. Our programs are usually being videotaped for the public broadcasting station; and will air according to the availability of time. We have a 24 hour telephone line where concerns about the time of our meeting or subject or topic of the next meeting may be addressed. Currently, all one can do is to leave a message on the voice mail, and at the earliest convenient time, someone will respond to a concern.

We have a web-page, for those who may have access to a computer, and on that site, information concerning the CPSG, Inc., Lexington, can be obtained. There are products listed, on the site, that represent the various fundraisers being offered for those who will support the CPSG; by purchasing some of the products. The following information will pertain to that site: www.cpsginc.org It is neither our attempt to affirm a cure nor represent ourselves as members of the medical profession, by either advertising or favorably speaking, as individuals, about the products displayed in our meetings or by electronic reproduction of those meetings.

We explored, by scheduling, the possibility of a second meeting place, and at a different time. We thank those members of a local assembly who opened their doors to us this year. The meeting was to try to allow those individuals who were afraid to venture out at night, to access transportation for the noon time meetings. We had three of those meetings and they were successful; and our desired outcome was realized.

Incentive to those members, visitors, and friends who were trying to move from the level of renting to home ownership. The program was provided by Kentucky Housing. We were engaged in a workshop, that was facilitated by Leachman & Associates and others.

We engaged the services of a certified public accountant; who is now our CPA, Mr. Anthony Leachman.

The “highlight” of our year came when we were privileged to travel to Washington, DC, to the National Council On Independent Living Conference. The convention is designed to attract all members of humanity. This was the initial time that many of the members of the Chronic Pain Support Group, Inc., Lexington, ever attended. Our sincere gratitude has been extended to The Consumer Involvement Fund Coordinator, Carol Ann Tudor, representing the Kentucky Council On Developmental Disabilities. The council wrote a letter of confirmation for three of our members to receive scholarships to attend the convention. The scholarships made it possible for partial fees to be paid. Seven members of the group were in hopes of attending the convention, and our Executive Director, Mr. Lonnie Cowan had to incur additional indebtedness to make our dream a reality, again!

The convention was important to us, as members of the Chronic Pain Support Group, and as members of a larger group, the Americans with Disabilities. We were able to meet people of various backgrounds, who were functioning at high levels with their disabilities. We attended meetings on Advocacy, Housing, Technology, Networking, Insurance, and Empowerment.

We marched on Capitol Hill. We were able to speak with many of the legislators. We had made prior arrangements to speak with our local legislators, and we were able to carry out those plans. We returned to Lexington, unplanned, on the same airplane that Congressman Ben Chandler, councilmen’s Brown, and Wiggington, and Senator Tom Buford were on.

We, who received scholarships, were required to submit a detailed report, within a specified time, to the Kentucky Council On Disabilities, representative, Carol Ann Tudor. There were “four” areas that we needed to address. The responses were to be reflective of the vocabulary and cognition skills developed, and applied in meeting and advocating the issues of concerns to those in government and in fields of expertise.

Finally, we close our “historical highlights” by rating the significance and effectiveness of the convention, 2005. The Convention carried out our mission: It promoted togetherness, and accessibility for all. “Together we can do so much, alone, so little.” The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s motto: “United We Stand, Divided We Fall,” was the over-riding theme for the National Council On Independent Living Conference that was held July 11-14th, in Washington, DC. We have rated the conference , when asked, on the scale from 10-1, with “10” being excellent, an “8.”