By Janet C. Wetzel
Enquirer contributor

BEVIS - There's a shiny new, candy-apple red, handicap-equipped van sitting in the driveway of Frederick Breyer School in Bevis these days, thanks greatly to the efforts of one student - Michelle Schoone.

Schoone, 18, of Colerain Township, has been a student at the alternative school since 1987. When she learned nearly two years ago that the school's old lift van was no longer usable, she expected a new van to be bought soon.

But the budget did not include a new van to provide the usual transportation for students to go to jobs, do volunteer work, on field trips, shopping, out to lunch and other trips. Schoone was shocked and disappointed.

"I wasn't too happy about it, I can tell you that," said Schoone, who has spina bifida and has been diagnosed as mentally retarded. "We used that van a lot. We counted on it."

She took her concerns to Judy Bertsch, Breyer's Working for Independence Now (WIN) coordinator. Schoone was not satisfied when Bertsch told how all her efforts to get a van had failed.

"Michelle was getting quite indignant with me," Bertsch said. "I finally just said, `Well, if you think you can do this better, get in here and start sending e-mails or something.'

Schoone composed a simple message, and had Bertsch e-mail it to Cheryl Phipps, superintendent of Hamilton County Mental Retardation and Developmentally Disabled (MRDD) board, which runs Breyer and two other schools for the disabled.

Schoone's message told how she and others couldn't go shopping, to work or to volunteer jobs. After a personal meeting with Phibbs and phone calls, Schoone learned her campaign was successful. She got to pick the van color - her favorite, red.

The whole school came out to see the van arrive. Schoone got the first ride.

"I was so happy I got it I jumped up and down and yelled," Schoone said. "We all said `Yeaaaaah!' Others in wheelchairs were really happy, because it's hard to get around when you're in a wheelchair. Without that van, we'd be pretty trapped."

Schoone's used to getting things done. In addition to a variety of paid jobs, she has volunteered for four years in the school's work skills classroom, helping other students. For more than two years, she and other students have helped prepare mailings and sample bags that go to runners in the Flying Pig Marathon. She also helps make up bags of supplies for mothers in the Every Child Succeeds program.

Schoone lives with her mother and stepfather, Terri Schoone and Greg Kei.

"She has a wonderful willingness to try different things," Bertsch said. "She wasn't satisfied with what the WIN program was doing for her as far as being able to get more work, so she's going out on her own to look for jobs in the community."

Schoone is working hard to make her own decisions and be more independent. She may try to graduate this year, Bertsch said.

"I like helping people do things because it's good for them and good for me. We get the job done together," she said.

Do you know a Hometown Hero - someone dedicated to making it a better place to live and helping others? E-mail Janet Wetzel at jjwetzel@siscom.net, or fax to 513-755-4150