Torch, Winter 2012

nonprofit organization, including plans for a ministry center. They want to give families a biblically based, relational, and resource-filled “road map,” based on Proverbs 15:22 — “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” They hope to model a method of advocacy that radiates Christ’s love and promotes collaboration from all aspects of life: medical, educational, spiritual, financial, social, and more. They plan to use what they have learned to help others obtain or customize existing equipment, assist with computer technology, and provide guidance for assembling personal care teams like Emily’s Dream Team. With her bachelor’s degree completed and a vision for the future in mind, Emily continues moving forward. She has begun an online master’s degree at Anderson University in Christian ministry, with a concentration in nonprofit management. Emily plans to pursue motivational speaking, writing, and radio broadcasts in order to speak God’s hope into lives of others who are differently enabled. Even though the world might define Emily by her physical capacity, she has found her self-worth in God. She has not retreated from life, rather she dares to believe God truly has a plan and purpose that is uniquely hers to fulfill. She has not allowed her fears to defeat her. She prefers to push through her fears to make the dreams God has given her into realities. Joy Bennett, a 1998 graduate of Cedarville University, works as a freelance writer and lives in Mason, Ohio, with her husband, Scott, and their three children. She blogs at joyinthisjourney.com. Emily Shanahan, a 2011 graduate of Cedarville University, is a graduate student at Anderson University. Visit her website at tomsdigitalphotos.com/emily. The Dream Continues In 2007, Cedarville’s maintenance staff completely renovated a women’s residence hall room in preparation for Emily Shanahan’s arrival. Crews consolidated two rooms on the first floor into one large, accessible room with a private bathroom, sleeping area for an overnight assistant, and a rail system capable of helping Emily move from her bed to the bath. From the beginning, Emily and her parents were closely involved in the room’s layout, including guidance for where grab bars should be installed and choosing appropriate bathroom fixtures. Even as they prepared a unique space that would meet Emily’s needs, they were thinking ahead to students who would use the space after Emily graduated. Elizabeth Ewart ’15, a political science major from Beavercreek, Ohio, is using the room today. She and Emily met many years ago when the two were enrolled in a therapeutic ballet class for children. Emily and her mother mentored Elizabeth and her mother through the transition process into college. “We had a lot of fears about my coming to college. It was hard to even think about how it would all work out,” Elizabeth said. She had planned to attend a state university closer to home that is nationally ranked for its disability services. “During my junior year in high school, Emily’s mom invited us to campus to visit Emily, then a junior at Cedarville. When I saw the accessible room, the way the campus was laid out, and the services Cedarville provided, I began to think, ‘I can handle this.’ I could see myself at Cedarville.” In Emily’s four years at Cedarville, she and her family continually made adjustments until they developed a system designed for her success. Their trial and error provided Elizabeth with a ready-made model, from a sample course schedule to groundwork for Elizabeth’s team of “Soul Sisters” (she’s got some “Soul Brothers,” too). “I was able to adapt their model, that they’d made from scratch, to fit my needs,” said Elizabeth. “It was a blessing to be able to start at 98 percent instead of at zero.” Winter 2012 | TORCH 31