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 CAICA
is honored to recognize Rick and Jo Pelishek as Advocates of the
Month.
Before moving to Wisconsin both
Rick and Jo did advocacy work in Bismarck, North Dakota. Rick was
the state director for North Dakota Disability Advocacy Consortium
and Jo was the Program Director for the Arc of Bismarck.
Currently Rick is the Director of
the NW Wisconsin office of Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), the
states protection and advocacy for people with disabilities.
Child and Family Advocates
Rick and Jo Pelishek
The death at Rice Lake Day Treatment
of Angie Arndt brought to the forefront the issue of seclusion and
restraint which is a DRW priority. Rick is dedicated to seeing this
never happens again in Wisconsin ... or anywhere.
Rick and Jo have three teenagers at
home so Jo's half-time position as a Family Advocate with Wisconsin
Family Ties is a great fit. Wisconsin Family Ties is an organization
that works to create greater understanding, respectful acceptance,
and support in the community for families that include children and
adolescents with emotional, behavioral and mental health issues.
What Jo loves most is being able support other families who are
experiencing similar things she and Rick have experienced with their
own special needs children. Her background in journalism and
communications is a great help in her efforts to promote community
awareness and education of children's mental health issues, which is
one of her priorities. She brings hope to families who many
otherwise have no hope.
 The
death of 7-year old Angellika "Angie" Arndt hit close to home for
the Pelisheks. Though they did not know Angie, their entire family
was sickened by the news. They have tried to keep Angie's story
alive. Their family created a sign to honor Angie, and together they
shared astonishment and frustration that there was no public
response to Angie’s death.
Rick and Jo, with support of their
agencies, have worked together to draw attention to this case. They
co-sponsored a workshop last October with speakers who explained the
differences between behavior modification and therapeutic programs,
and talked about “Behavior as Communication.” They are planning
another conference in May (Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month
& the year anniversary of Angie’s death) that will address some of
the issues involved. They plan to dedicate a memorial to Angie (most
likely a tree in the park) at this time, promoting it as a community
event – trying, once again, to elicit some community involvement.
 Jo
created “Angie’s Fund,” to honor Angie, promote awareness and
understanding of children’s mental health, and to provide a way in
which people can respond to this tragedy. Funds will be used to
directly enhance the lives of families they serve. They would like
to see “Angie’s Law” passed in Wisconsin, potentially banning prone
restraint and requiring effective systems of monitoring treatment of
children. Jo's biggest dream, should funds be made available, would
be to establish “Angie’s House” in Rice Lake. This could be a model
center of treatment and support for families.
I have had the pleasure of working
with this couple and I commend Rick and Jo for all of their hard
work. It is our quest to keep Angie's story alive and to bring about
change so that no other child has to suffer the way Angie suffered.
For more information about Angie,
click here.
Isabelle Zehnder
Founder & President
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