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Sep 24, 2009

Santa Barbara Activist Receives National Honor

Amy Van Meter is a born activist who has been involved with the National MS Society since she was a child. Her volunteer commitment began at the age of three when her mother was diagnosed with MS. She has participated in read-a-thons, walks, bike tours and hundreds of Chapter programs. Amy has also been the mastermind of many new programs.

When Amy was diagnosed with MS in 1994, her trademark “can do” attitude never faltered. She worked with the Channel Islands Chapter to develop a wellness program for people affected by MS. Her vision and passion helped to open the doors to many community resources for people affected by disabilities: public library accessibility, adaptive recreational programming, and grassroots political and social justice activities.

For the last five years, Amy has dedicated her volunteer efforts to MS advocacy. She has served as chair of the Government Relations Committee and as liaison to the MS California Action Network. Most notably, Amy has championed the issue of accessibility for the MS community in Santa Barbara and lobbied legislators at all levels of government. She can be credited for single-handedly persuading the Santa Barbara City Council to form the Access Advisory Committee. This citywide committee, established last fall, is implementing Santa Barbara’s recently revamped ADA Transition plan and raising the visibility of access on a whole.

Amy’s relationship building skills have also been critical in growing the National MS Society’s partnership with Congresswoman Lois Capps. Capps continues to be a stalwart supporter at the Capitol for the MS community.

In November, Amy will be inducted into the Society’s prestigious Hall of Fame, in recognition of her ongoing commitment to a world free of MS and for going above and beyond in her advocacy efforts to help people with MS.

Amy’s award will be presented at the MS in 2009 Annual Update on November 14th at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara.

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