WEST BEND, Wis. — Despite fewer federal dollars coming in for organizations like Citizen Advocates of Washington County, the nonprofit’s executive director is still able to humanize people living with disabilities through music.
Among other ways, Citizen Advocates' goal is to create community relationships that look past disabilities. They hold monthly music sessions where anyone can jam out to their favorite songs at the public library.
According to Executive Director Jessica Frederick, there were 15 Citizen Advocates branches in Wisconsin, but now there are only two left.
“Social and recreation falls to the side,” she said. “So, it’s hard to get funding and say, ‘Here, fund a music program for all abilities.’”
Despite recent DEI rollbacks and dwindling federal funds, Frederick maintains the group's work because she said those who are disabled are important to the Washington County community. When she hosts Fusion: Music 4 All sessions, she gets to see people interact and have fun, despite the fact that they might not fit into the status quo or what some would call normal.
WATCH: How this Washington County non-profit supports those living with disabilities
“If you dance the whole time and it’s maybe not the greatest song to dance to, it doesn’t matter!” she said. “You’re just being who you are and being accepted for who you are. That’s my favorite. I love watching it all happen like that.”
Thanks to these musical gatherings where families play instruments, dance and sing to songs like “We Will Rock You” by Queen and “Baby Shark,” Kristin DeGueme’s son, Fisher Champagne, gets to let loose. He is living with autism.
“I see him with his peers and it’s like he finds himself,” she said. “Having stuff like this where I can sit back and watch him actually live life and not just survive life is awesome.”
She said one cannot put a price tag on the kind of freedom her family feels because of Citizen Advocates, and that it's something everyone deserves.
“It’s actually something I wasn’t sure I’d ever see,” she said. “I don’t have words for it. It’s amazing to know that my kid who has these challenges and difficulties has some level of normalcy.”
Everyone is welcome to attend a Fusion: Music 4 All session on the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Library in West Bend.
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