Letter to the Roman Community

Dear Roman Community,

Most of you I have never met, many of you are part of our lives on a daily basis. I have marveled at your support for our special little girl and our family. Our community has taken the oddities and special needs of our daughter and found the positive and good attributes in her. I have personally witnessed strangers approach Ivey on the street to embrace her. Our community has accepted and allowed our special daughter to thrive in a world where once she would have been hidden. I am proud to call the Rome community Home.

Please take a moment to read the following email that was forwarded to me from Sandra Humphreys, a leader in our community and advocate for special needs children. As you all have embraced my daughter, Ivey too will grow up one day. Her needs will remain. Often we have been asked “How can I help?” Today I ask you to join the members of your community with special needs, both youth and adult, and advocate for their placement in Our community.

Ways in which your voice and opinion can be heard are located at the bottom of this post.

With kindest regards,

Gwen Sirmans, mom to Ivey

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Email from Sandra Humphreys:
It saddened me today as a neighbor whom I have never met approached me as I got out of my car to sign a petition against a woman down the street that has applied for rezoning.

This elderly lady stated we should all sign to keep "those people" out of the neighborhood and that our property values will surely drop. She stated that the homeowners on each side of the house in question already have for sale signs in front of them.

I asked her if she had met the lady in question, she said no. I asked did she realize that the people this lady takes care of are mentally and physically disabled citizens not criminals and she said she didn't know what was "wrong” with them.

I informed this elderly lady that I am the proud parent of a disabled child and I volunteer and work for agencies that help to better the lives of special needs citizens through out the state. I told her while I had not met the lady in question yet I did know, from reliable sources, that she has taken care of two disabled adults at that residence for several years and wants to expand her services to include two more. I also believe that the house on one side was for sale prior to the rezoning request due to the owner looking to relocate. I informed her I would not sign the petition and felt she and others who have already signed would be better served to meet this caregiver before making assumptions...

The woman who had approached me became visibly uncomfortable and embarrassed and kept repeating I can understand where you are coming from as she backed away quickly. I wish she would have stuck around so I could ask her why the convicted pedophile that lives on the same street did not seem to bother her as no petitions have been circulated against him.

I felt compelled after this encounter to meet the caregiver and found her to be very warm, genuine and her home beautiful and inviting. The gentlemen in her care were polite and well groomed. She told me of the many activities they do and I feel I have made a new friend in this kindhearted soul. She told me caring for these men is how she earns her living but the reward for her is great and feels called to do what she does. It is not an easy job. The people she cares for either have no family or their parents are too elderly or unable to keep them at home.

The area of Garden Lakes I live in has 8 streets and over 200 homes. There are at least 3 in home daycares that no one seems to mind. We are very culturally diverse and several homes are multi generational and/or have more than one family living under one roof. Again I haven't heard any complaints.

Inclusion is the buzz word in schools and should be in our communities. As the leader of a parent network for special needs children and their families, I have found Floyd county to be open and welcoming to us developing new resources for enrichment of our family’s lives. I would hope the zoning commission; citizens and my neighbors will look into their hearts and perhaps put themselves in the place of those faced with decisions of caring for the disabled.

There will be a commission meeting Monday November 5th to settle this matter. I plan to be there. If you would like to show your support for this cause please try to attend. If you are unable please send me an email stating your opinion along with your name and address so I can submit it to the commissioners.

Sandra Humphreys
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To show your support, you can do the following:

Attend the city commission meeting
•Rome City Commission Meeting
Monday, November 5, 2007
6:30 pm
601 Broad Street

Voice your support for our community
•Directly email Sandra Humphreys your response
plchumphreys@yahoo.com

•Or you may email me
gwensirmans@comcast.net