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701 3rd St. N.W. P.O. Box 8000 Jamestown, ND 58402 www.annecarlsen.org
Meet Matt
helped me realize that a group home setting was not the right fit for me. They encouraged me to seek out other living arrangement possibilities. What I wanted to do was live on my own and have my own apartment.
We’re proud to introduce you to the newest contributor to the Ambassador, Matt Beilke. My name is Matt, and I’m 26 years old. I started receiving services from the Anne Carlsen Center in the fall of 2010, while I was transitioning out of high school. They assisted me with getting a bus pass so I could go to my volunteer site at the Moorhead Center Mall. After volunteering there for about nine months, my Anne Carlen staff encouraged me to approach the manager of the mall, and seek out a paid position in place of the volunteer position. The Moorhead Mall hired me after that. Today, I am working 12 hours a week there. After starting services in 2010, I moved into a group home, but continued getting Day Support services through the Anne Carlsen Center. The Anne Carlsen staff
Today, I’m living in a two bedroom apartment by myself, with staff stopping in to assist me when I need it. A little over three years ago, I was approached by my Program Coordinator and the Operations Director to see if I would be interested in speaking to college classes about my life experiences. At first I wasn’t interested, but after some encouragement, I reconsidered. So with the help of my Program Coordinator, we created a PowerPoint for the event, and were off to Mayville State for my first presentation. The meeting was such a success, I decided to expand my audience. Now, I’m proud to present
throughout the state, challenging students to redefine their perceptions on persons with disabilities. A couple years ago, my staff and the Operations Director nominated me for “Advocate of the Year” through the FargoMoorhead Mayor’s Committee. The Director went up to the podium to speak about the award winner, and as I sat there listening, I realized she was talking about me. It seemed that everyone, including my family that came to the awards banquet, knew that I would be winning this award. My staff and the Director asked the Mayor’s Committee not to inform me that I was the winner beforehand. They wanted to surprise me at the banquet. I was surprised and very thankful to the people that believed in me. Matthew Beilke
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