Almost all of the groups that have listings in the Access Press Enjoy! and Opportunities pages have suspended activities, have gone to online services or are offering limited services until first week of May at the earliest. Please check with a venue or organization before heading out. Many offices are operating remotely, or with limited staff and hours.
Gov. Tim Walz ordered a wide range of places to close until May 4. Places ordered closed include live indoor and outdoor performance venues, cinemas, museums, amusement parks, gymnasiums, recreation centers, fitness centers, indoor sports and exercise facilities, arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, indoor climbing facilities, skating rinks, trampoline parks and other entertainment venues. It is anticipated that some if not all will be allowed to reopen over time.
In most communities, trails are open but play equipment and sports courts are closed.
Theaters including the Guthrie, Children’s Theater Company, Steppingstone, Penumbra, Jungle, Ordway, Mixed Blood, Park Square, History Theatre, the theaters of Hennepin Theater Trust and others have shut down.
Contact theaters to see when shows will be rescheduled and if tickets will be honored.
With museums, check to see when or if interpreted and sensory activities will continue. Some sensory activities are only offered during the school year.
Most places that schedule appointments are still honoring appointments, but check to see before going to an appointment.
Here are some offerings to check out:
Get Up Stand Up scholarship applications due
The Get Up Stand Up to Cure Paralysis Board of Directors has announced that applications for the second biannual GUSU Adaptive Fitness Scholarship are now open. The scholarship is awarded thanks to generous donors.
Scholarships will be awarded in $2,500 amounts to selected applicants for use by an individual living with a spinal cord injury in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota) for participation in one of Minnesota’s adaptive fitness programs. For consideration applications must be submitted no later than May 31.
Full scholarship and application information is available online. FFI, email: [email protected]
Metro Mobility has made changes
Metro Mobility, the Twin Cities’ paratransit service, has made changes due to the pandemic. Certified customers should only use the service for essential trips. Extra care is being taken to keep vehicles clean and safe.
Metro Mobility is helping certified customers with grocery and household essentials pickup, and delivery during the pandemic. The service is offered with stores that have online shopping and local pick up. Metro Mobility will pick up orders up and deliver to a customer’s house.
The service is free – no fares for delivery. Service can be booked the same day or in advance, just as rides are booked. Deliveries are received within 60 minutes of the scheduled pickup time.
Tell the store Metro Mobility is picking up and provide the reservationist the order number, if provided, as proof of purchase.
Pickups must be scheduled at a commercial location.
Drivers will verify a customer’s photo ID at drop-off.
Metro Mobility is also providing free rides for health care workers. Workers have to show an i.d. badge, proving they work at a health care facility. Disability advocacy groups have sought a policy decision to see if this applies to personal care attendants.
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
Minnesota staff are very concerned about the mental health of the people served and the greater community. Call the warm line at 651-288-0400 or text “Support” to 85511 or call 844-739-6369
Call the local crisis team at **CRISIS or check the NAMI website for the county numbers.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273- TALK (8255).
Use the Crisis Lifeline by texting MN to 741741.
Call the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800- 985-5990
Mental health peer groups offered
NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) sponsors a variety of online peer support groups for adults and young adults living with a mental illness, their families, friends, spouses/partners, as well as parents of children and teens. Led by trained peer facilitators the support groups help individuals and families learn coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences. When joining an online group, please add only your first name. Also, the groups are specifically for those individuals suggested by the group’s title. For example, Family Support Group is only for family members and NAMI Connection is only for those who live with a mental illness and are over 18 years old, etc.
Find a complete listing of group meetings and how to join in by going to NAMI Minnesota Support Groups.
