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              Dwight Owens
              AmeriCorps alumnus
                                  2008 to 2010
      Submitted by 
Labulter
 on 
Wed, 10/21/2020 - 05:09Nine years ago, Dwight Owens was cruising down the road to success. He was a teacher and a football coach and was only 23 years old. Dwight's plans came to a screeching halt on Highway 84 in Collins, Mississippi, when he was hit by a drunk driver. After going into cardiac arrest as a result of suffering several life-threatening injuries, he was on life support for 48 hours. When Dwight woke up, he was permanently paralyzed and expected to die. Dwight did not die.

Instead, he fought through months of rehabilitation and gained back basic functions and independence. Then, Dwight dedicated the life he had almost lost to serving others. He served for two year as an AmeriCorps members with Project LINC (Linking Individuals Into Neighborhoods and Communities) in Mississippi.

As an AmeriCorps member, Dwight provided peer support to more than 1,200 individuals with disabilities. He completed 48 site surveys to ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities and provided more than 300 life skills training sessions to increase independence for Mississippians with disabilities. He also helped many individuals transition from public institutions to their own homes, and started a “Men with Disabilities” support group encouraging independence and leadership. As a result of Dwight's AmeriCorps service, many Mississippians with disabilities are active, productive members of their communities.

Dwight says that AmeriCorps increased his self-confidence and taught him he could inspire others through his own struggle for independence. Since his accident, Dwight has used his teaching experience to conduct many presentations in schools, churches, and prisons to discourage drinking and driving.  Reflecting on his national service experience, Dwight says, “You can’t help but feel good when you are helping other people smile.” Dwight was named a 2010 Spirit of Service Award winner by AmeriCorps.
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