Yanish selected as Ms. Wheelchair coordinator

by Theresa Andrus


Controversy that erupted over the Ms. Wheelchair program has resulted in the resignation of the Minnesota program coordinator and the selection of Misty Yanish of Maple Lake to take over that position.

On April 1, Janeal Lee, Ms. Wheelchair, Wisconsin, was stripped of her title after a newspaper photo showed her standing as she was teaching in her high school classroom. Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, said she can walk up to 50 feet on a good day.

After Lee was stripped of her title, her sister, Sharon Springs, gave up her title as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota in protest. Springs, of Rochester, also has muscular dystrophy. And in support of Lee and Springs, Minnesota’s Ms Wheelchair coordinator, Jen Onsum, resigned from that position.

Misty Yanish, who recently ended her reign as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota 2004, accepted the position last week as the Minnesota program coordinator.

Yanish said she was pleased to continue her involvement in the Ms. Wheelchair program, but dismayed at the events of the past week.

“ I have to say, though, that I am very saddened by the situation,” she said. “It also makes me feel like all the work I did in 2004 for the disabled community means nothing.”

Yanish said the Ms. Wheelchair program has done much to increase awareness of the issues faced by disabled people and she wants to continue those efforts.

“I am going to do my best for the Minnesota program,” she said. “I hope I have my friends and family there for me all the way. I am going to get the Minnesota program back on its feet.”  Yanish is working with the new Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota, Katie Wornson, who has a three-year-old daughter and is a full-time college student in Minneapolis. Yanish and Wornson are now making an effort to raise the funds they will need to attend the national pageant from July 19 to 24 in Albany, New York.

“I really really want to make sure Katie can go to the pageant and have as much fun as I did in 2004,” Yanish said. “If I do not go to the national pageant with Katie, the money that is not used will go for her travel expenses or used for the 2006 Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota Pageant. Please be generous with your time and sponsorship.”

Yanish, a 2002 graduate of Maple Lake High School, can be contacted through her website at www.xanga.com/trouble_222000.

Date:                April 8, 2005

To:                   Whom it May Concern:

Re:                   Misty Yanish

This letter is to introduce Misty Yanish, Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota, 2004.  As the new State Coordinator of Minnesota, Misty will expand the program already in place to highlight the accomplishments of women who utilize wheelchairs for their mobility.

Misty will develop a program that will send a Minnesota Titleholder to the   Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant in Albany, New York .  This pageant will be held on July 19-24, 2005.

These woman’s message will be that women utilizing wheelchairs have many talents and abilities that are not always recognized.     It will be their delight to speak to all groups both  able-bodied as well as disabled to spread the message that women in wheelchairs have the same hopes, dreams and talents as those who do not need wheelchairs for their mobility.

Misty and the titleholder  will also be seeking sponsorship from individuals as well as companies to help raise money for the national pageant application fees and for travel expenses.  Please be generous with your time and sponsorship. 

Sincerely,

Pat O’Bryant, Executive Director, MWA 

Ms. Wheelchair 2004 passes on her crown

by Theresa Andrus

As Miss Maple Lake was crowning a new queen during last week’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival, another local queen was also passing on her crown.

On March 12, Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota Misty Yanish crowned Sharon Spring of Rochester during the pageant at Maple Grove Senior High School.

The Ms. Wheelchair America program was organized to provide women between the ages of 21 to 60 who use a wheelchair on a daily basis with an opportunity to educate and serve as an advocate for individuals with disabilities. Contestants are judged on their accomplishments, self perception, self-projection and communication skills in personal and on-stage interviews with a team of judges.

Yanish said the event on March 12 brought her year to a “fantastic” conclusion.

“I was there to support the girls,” Yanish said of the candidates for the 2005 crown. And in her speech during the coronation program, Yanish thanked her parents, Ruth and Tom Ternes, family and friends for their support during a royal year which involved a lot of hard work on behalf of people with disabilities.

“It wasn’t just fun and games,” Yanish said of her year as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota. “I think it went well and I think the Ms. Wheelchair program has a lot more people who know about it now and that people are more aware of the need for accessibility.”

Her year as Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota took Yanish to appearances and speaking engagements around the state, including the Minnesota State Fair, the Mall of America and activities at Camp Courage.

“All of it was really fun for me,” she said. “It was new and I’d never done anything like this before.”

She said the highlight of her year was her trip to Richmond, Virginia last summer for the Ms. Wheelchair America pageant.

“The best thing for me last year was going to Virginia and meeting all the girls from different states,” Yanish said, also noting that trip provided her with her first trip on an airplane.   “It was a fantastic year and I couldn’t have done it without my family and friends,” she said. “I learned so much about myself and about other people.”

Yanish, a 2002 graduate of Maple Lake High School, will now concentrate on school and is set to graduate in May with a degree in Child and Adult Care and Education from St. Cloud Technical College. And the organization, Mobility for Independence, is working on raising the funds to provide her with a fully accessible 2005 van, which will make it possible for her to continue her efforts to make others aware of the need to increase accessibility for disabled people.

“If there are any groups out there that would like me to speak, they can just let me know,” she said.

“I hope people realize that accessibility is really important and needs to be addressed not just one day, but every day.”

Yanish can be contacted through her website at http://www.xanga.com/trouble_222000