NOWOPEN

Other civic duties

Udenberg has participated in other civic and community activities, such as the Blandin Community Leadership Program. While she was considered a general member, she was pleased to be able to provide her own unique perspective, and suggest ideas to make local festivals, such as Heritage Days, Winter Frolic and others, more accessible for people with disabilities. She is a member of her church, First Baptist Church of Two Harbors, and is also on their worship team. Additionally, she is a long-standing member of the Two Harbors City Band, where she plays the trumpet.

While she receives some assistance from friends and personal care attendants for housekeeping, errands and food preparation, Udenberg lives independently in an apartment and drives a fully renovated minivan. She enjoys hanging out with friends, playing board games, card games and fishing.

Udenberg was named a Miller Dwan Rehab Journey Award winner in 2016, and it jump-started her ambitions.

“This started the process of becoming a more vocal advocate for myself and peers with physical disabilities,” she said.

Plans for the award

As part of her unique platform as a Bush Fellow, Udenberg has big dreams for people with disabilities. And they all start with her own community.

“I would love to start taking barriers away for people with disabilities,” she said. “For instance, offering some sort of transportation on the Superior Hiking Trail for those with disabilities.”

She would also like local historic sites, such as Split Rock Lighthouse, to become more accessible. She has a few ideas which would allow remote viewing of the lighthouse that wheelchair users could enjoy, while remaining on the property.

She also has dreams for helping the hospitality world to become more friendly and welcoming.

“I want to develop a training model to address attitudinal barriers,” she said. “When you call a hotel, you should get the answers you need about each specific hotel and their amenities for those with disabilities.”

Ambitious goals

Udenberg is proud to be a newly minted Bush Fellow.

“It’s humbling,” she noted. “It was a lot of work to go through the application process, and there’s a lot of work ahead, but it’s exciting. I don’t want to squander this blessing. I want to make a community-wide and regional impact.

“Ultimately,” she added, “I want a world where we can all be transparent and be ourselves; be able to ask for help when we need it, and offer help without looking for anything in return.”

Udenberg is looking forward to using this special honor to help elevate others.

“I’m super-excited to work alongside people in our community, and I want to encourage others to use their voices,” she added. D

For more information, visit bushfoundation.org.