[gentle music]

Angela Fitzgerald: Cindy Bentley has never given up. As executive director of People First, she has dedicated her career to helping others with disabilities.

Cindy Bentley: You have to have a purpose to be alive, but you also have to have a purpose to helping other people. I like helping other people.

Angela Fitzgerald: She serves on several boards and works with state agencies, advocating for equal opportunities. It’s a long way from where she started.

Cindy Bentley: I was born with fetal alcoholic syndrome/cocaine. I was given 24 hours to live. I was taken away from my mom right at birth. My mother was sent to the Taycheedah prison and I was sent to the foster care center.

Angela Fitzgerald: Tragedy followed Cindy at an early age. At age eight, Cindy was sent to an institution for people with disabilities.

Cindy Bentley: And it wasn’t the greatest place. And I was always having to fight my way through. A lot of times, I thought about giving up. I really did. And I didn’t think I had a purpose for a long time. It was a coach there to help me. I started running, but I would complain a lot about it. Then I started to like running. And then I joined the Special Olympics, and that’s what really changed my life. I just started to be happy.

Angela Fitzgerald: Cindy also discovered she was good at winning. Those wins led her to receive a White House invitation twice.

Cindy Bentley: President Clinton in 2000. President Bush. And I gave him a gold medal that I won in volleyball.

Angela Fitzgerald: That’s right. She gave her gold medal away. In fact, she’s given many of her medals away.

Cindy Bentley: And how many medals can you have? I have a lot of medals.

Angela Fitzgerald: With a lifetime of medals…

Cindy Bentley: Two.

Angela Fitzgerald: …Cindy still finds reasons to compete.

Cindy Bentley: I started getting a trainer last year to get me more motivated. She’s a great trainer. Nine and ten.

Trainer: Nice job.

Cindy Bentley: And I work on basketball and I work on balance, and then I do the bikes and that. I just wanna be involved with sports. I’m a Brewer fan, don’t forget that.

Trainer: All right! [hands slap]

Angela Fitzgerald: Sports keeps Cindy involved in the community, and community is the heart of what Cindy does. Whether on a personal level or through her work.

Cindy Bentley: These are from last year that I printed. I printed extras so you’d have them.

Angela Fitzgerald: She keeps an active schedule at People First, working closely with her operations manager and assistant, Nancy.

Nancy: A lot of what we do is we try to really keep an eye on what’s going on at the state level, at the federal level with different bills that might impact people with disabilities, so she’s pretty active. Sometimes I feel like I’m with a celebrity when I’m out in the community with her because everyone’s like, “Oh, hi, Cindy, hi, Cindy.” And it’s kinda wild.

Speaker: Let’s clap it up for Cindy real quick. [applause and cheers]

Angela Fitzgerald: In May of 2024, Cindy was celebrated by People First and the State of Wisconsin.

Speaker: Hereby recognize the legacy.

Cindy Bentley: Oh, my God.

Speaker: Right, the legacy of Cindy Bentley and celebrates the positive impact she has had on countless individuals in our greater community. So thank you. [applause and cheers]

Angela Fitzgerald: For Cindy, it means so much more. It’s a marker of just how far she has come.

Cindy Bentley: I didn’t even think I’d make it this far to my age because of what I was told. You know, they said, “Oh, you’re not gonna amount to anything. You’re gonna have to work at a shelter workshop and live at a group home all your life.” Well, I don’t do any of that. I have a real job. I have a real life.

Angela Fitzgerald: A life as an athlete, an executive, a champion.

Cindy Bentley: Trying to change things, change laws, change health care and make it better, affordable housing, all those things. Until I can’t do it anymore, I’m gonna do sports and I’m gonna do everything else I wanna do with my life. Done, there you go! [laughs] Bye, love you!