Blog
Meet the Council…Kim Habib
The Community Crossroads Family Support Council (FSC) is an advisory board to the Community Crossroads agency to support, educate, and empower families. Families helping families is the best way to describe this group of 12 volunteers.
Kim Habib is the Chairwoman of the Family Support Council. Recently, Kim took the time to answer some questions about herself, the Family Support Council, and Community Crossroads as a whole.
How did you become involved with being on the Family Support Council?
“I was informed of the existence and goals of the Community Crossroads Family Support Council about seven years ago by another member. They insisted I become more involved in the group to be better informed and help influence change in programs available from the local and state levels for families with disabilities.”
What are some of the goals you have as Chairperson?
- To have people with different abilities involved in making decisions and influencing Community Crossroads. As a matter of fact, our current Vice Chair is a young woman that has different abilities that helps us all think differently and be more open to changes.
- I strive to identify each member’s strengths and ability so they can contribute positively to an activity/project that we decide on as a council. Sub-committee leads to expanding the communication of the team to more of the community.
- My plan is to start a Family Support Council sub-committee with the actual folks we support – so they can guide our team with activities, services that they want/need to be independent in their communities.
What has being on the Family Support Council taught you?
“It has taught me how to reach out to families through a social setting, networking is key for communications, and that friendships with other families and hearing their experiences are key in making the right decision for me and my family”.
What are the best aspects of being on the Council?
“I am able to use the leadership skills I learned in the NH Leadership program to better conduct myself and the council’s goals to educate, empower, and support our families through advocacy. I continue to learn from the experiences of those who have been here before me in order to continually improve our team.”
On the Board and Council, there is a high number of people who have a family member with a disability or have a disability themselves. How does this aspect of the Council help them better support families?
“Having such a diverse team with different abilities/ages provides the council the aptitude to be better empathetic to our community. Therefore, we are better able to “represent” the communities needs based on our experiences with Community Crossroads and other state agencies/programs as well as hearing directly from our families that know we have gone through similar situations ourselves.”
When she isn’t on the Council, Kim spends time with her husband, two kids, and granddaughter. She enjoys taking walks outdoors throughout all seasons of the year, watching birds, cooking, and she just had her first garden this year!
For 21 years, Kim was a Massage Therapist with her own practice. She related her career to being on the Board because they both involve helping others.
Kim’s daughter Sarah was born prematurely and because of her size, needed lots of medical intervention. “I believe the hardest of all diagnoses was that she was labeled legally blind due to high levels of oxygen for a long period of time.” Kim noted that her daughter displays courage daily, has introduced her family to a kinder world, and helps encourage Kim to be an advocate for those with disabilities.
