Uptown Bills Small Mall

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Uptown BillsSmall Mall

• My Volunteer Experience

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Introduction to Social Work

• As a final project for Introduction to Social
  Work, students choose either
• 45 hours of volunteer work or a research paper.
• I chose the volunteer work at Uptown Bills Small
  Mall, a local Iowa City establishment, during
  Fall 2004.

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What is Bills?

• Collection of small businesses owned and operated
  by individuals with mental and physical
  disabilities
• Supports an empowerment philosophy
• A community space offering concerts, potlucks,
  and AA meetings
• In conjunction with the original Wild Bills
  Coffee Shop located in the Social Work building,
  in memory of Bill Sackter

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Bill Sackter An Unlikely Celebrity

• Spent nearly half a century in a mental
  institution
• Released in the 1960s
• Met future screenwriter Barry Morrow
• Moved to Iowa City started up his own coffee
  shop
• Named Iowas Handicapped Person of the Year, 1977

Bill and his harmonica. Courtesy of FYI.
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Bills Legacy Lives On

• Two made for TV movies Bill (1981), Bill On His
  Own (1983) Mickey Rooney portrayed Bill
• The Unlikely Celebrity written by Tom Walz
• Expansion of employment at Wild Bills and Uptown
  Bills Small Mall

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The Businesses

• Bills Coffee Shop
• Bills Bookmart and eBay sales
• Leslies Luxuries

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The Businesses(Continued)

• Mad Hatters Room
• Mr. Eds SuperGraphics
• Gretchens Vintage Apparel

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My Volunteering
How I Became a Part of the Uptown Bills Family

• Assisted with customers
• Organized and kept select businesses in order
• Engaged in conversation with employees and patrons

Inside Bills Coffee Shop
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What I Learned

• Trust and patience
• Dual relationships
• Friendship with the employees
• Overcoming my biases of disabilities
• Interest in pursuing social work
• The continuous impact of Bill Sackter

Tom Walz, Program Manager of Uptown Bills
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Important Links and Resources

• Uptown Bills Small Mall
• Wild Bills Coffee Shop
• University of Iowa School of Social Work
• Bill Sackter Famous Iowan