The CALMRA Communicator

The CALMRA
Communicator
Newsletter for and about CALMRA, INC.
(serving people with cognitive disabilities)
5020 Sunnyside Avenue, Suite 206, Beltsville, Md. 20705
CFC #36749
Ph: 301-982-7177
Fax: 301-982-7805
TDD Relay:1-800-552-7724
www.calmra.org
2014
CALMRA’S MISSION: The Mission of CALMRA, Inc. is to improve the lives of persons with developmental disabilities
by providing the highest quality residential or other support services in an ethical and loving environment.
2013 CALMRA Board of Directors
to help ensure the wellbeing of my loved
one.
Sheila Saville, President
Sara Henry, Vice President
Kathy Labukas, Secretary
Fred Windbeck, Treasurer
Here are a couple of ways you can support
your family member or friend:
Stuart Eisen
Mark Mazz
Hazel Roeder
Pat Savory
Elizabeth Tornquist
Chris Connell
1) Get involved with CALMRA - join a
committee, attend board meetings, look into
joining the board of directors. What better
way to help ensure your family member or
friend is cared for the way you want, than to
be involved with the over site and direction
of the organization. Make a difference!
David Saville
William Dent
Terri Dewitt
Bill Lowell
Joan Echols
Lois Funk
Administrative Staff
Nancy Tolbert, Executive Director
Patricia Harrison, Director of Operations
Mary Ellen Denny, R.N.
Elsie Appea, PT- RN
Kelsey Jackson, Director of Finance
Raghad Mohamed, Director of Human Resources
Susie Thompson, Director of Day Services
Vicki Rapoport, Program Administrator
Brenda Zupancic, Program Administrator
Velma Paris, Program Administrator
Peter VanHouton, Program Administrator
Emily Brown, Office Manager
Carmen Hernandez De Leon, Administrative Aid
Ryan Powell, Maintenance
Page Index
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Letter From the President...........................Pg 1
From the Executive Director’s Desk..…....Pg 2
Admin. Staff Highlight of Quarter..……...Pg 2
MACS Award Nomination...……………..Pg 3-5
Gifts with Special Meaning.........………...Pg 4
Birthday & New Hire....………………….Pg 5
CALMRA INC. Day Program.......………Pg 8-9
ISS/CSLA Program.……………………...Pg 10
Our Homes…………..………………...…Pg 11-17
News From Our Nurse…………………...Pg 18
Giant Gift Card Order Form....…………..Pg 19
Annual Picnic Events..…………………..Pg 20-21
Letter from the President
I recently had the opportunity to meet a
father of one of our new residents. In talking with him, I could hear the concern for
his adult child and see the hope on his face
that he had made the right decision for that
child to live in a CALMRA home. I tried to
reassure him that everyone at CALMRA
strives to excel at providing care, guidance,
and a family environment for our residents.
I told him that I had a sister in one of the
CALMRA homes and that I am active in the
CALMRA family as a board member and
current board President. I later introduced
him to my husband, David, and told him
that David is also on the board and heads
the Facilities Committee.
2) Become an "advocate"! Advocate for
people with cognitive and developmental
disabilities. As an effective advocate, you
will influence public policy, laws, and
budgets. Use what you know and the people you know to reach the media and educate government officials and the public on
any changes needed for these children and
their families. Let your voice be heard!
As I wrap up this month's letter, I want to
say how wonderful it was to see our residents with so many family members, staff,
and staff member families attend the annual
CALMRA picnic on June 14. We had perfect weather, good food, and lots of fun.
Thank you so much to all of those that volunteered to make this family day so successful! This event is totally funded by the
CALMRA Board of Directors through their
fundraising efforts such as the Golf Tournament, Dinner & Silent Auction, and Annual
Gift Solicitation.
As I reflect back on meeting this father, I
realize what a tough decision it sometimes
is to move your adult child to a new home,
where you are not there on a daily basis to
watch over them. You might ask yourself
what can I do as a family member or friend Have a great summer!
Administrative
Staff Highlights
Nancy Tolbert
Whew! This has been a Spring what seems like a
whirlwind o activity! It started out with the Golf
Tournament organized by Stuart Eisen. As usual,
the day had great weather for a game of golf.
Players enjoyed golfing and lunch and then announcing the winners!! Thanks to everyone who
participated in the event...even all the observing
friends who donated to help CALMRA! Next we
all drove in the stormy weather to Kent Island for
the MACS Annual meeting. This meeting is great
because each agency gets to honor a volunteer; as
well as have a crab feast! CALMRA honored
David Saville, a more than deserving volunteer.
Please see the article on this event. Finally the
event the residents look forward to all year, the
CALMRA Picnic!! All the residents and guests
had fun playing games, eating snow cones and
Bar-B-Q and dancing to the DJ. Thanks to Sheila
Saville and her committee for planning such a
wonderful event for all!!
Administrative Aide
Carmen Hernandez
De Leon
I am the new administrative aid here at CALMRA. I will be working directly with the Director
of Finance and Director of Human Resources. It
is a pleasure to be apart of such a wonderful organization who has built a company to help those
with needs. I have been in the administrative field
for three years. I look forward to learning new
I have been a registered Nurse since 2002. I have things here at CALMRA and using what I learn
an Associate Degree in Nursing from Northern to help the company succeed.
Virginia Community College.
In the near future, I plan on returning to school to
I started my nursing career in the neuroscience get my degree in Business Administration. I have
and trauma unit in INOVA Fairfax hospital, as always had the ambition of administering my own
well as rehab. nurse at Woodbine Rehab. Center business. It is never too late to do more in life.
from July 2002 until June 2004. From June 2004
till August 2008 I worked in the Medical Shock I am very family oriented and absolutely love
Unit of Mary Washington hospital.
spending time with my family. I love many
things about life but what I love most is having
In June of 2008, I relocated to Florida and started the opportunity to be a mother to a super intelliworking in the Trauma-Surgery Unit at Tampa gent 4 year old girl. I thank God for everything
General Hospital for one year. My desire to ex- that I have accomplished so far and realize that
plore other nursing experiences led me to work without him I wouldn’t even have the opportunity
for Acute Quality Staffing as a contract nurse to be at CALMRA today.
from September 2009 until July 2012 when I
moved to Maryland.
Part-Time RN
Elsie Appea
We are still trying to purchase a replacement I worked at HCR Manor care as a Rehab Nurse
home for MERNA. Please keep us in your from August 20012 until March 2014 when I took
thoughts and send positive energy so the sale is a part-time RN position with CALMRA.
successful.
We welcome our newest member to the CALMRA Family, Christopher Moon, who recently
moved into the Merna home.
The homes are looking forward to the summer
months and are planning for vacations and fun
times in the sun. Wishing all of you a happy summer!
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2014 MACS Achievement Award Nomination
It was a distinct honor to submit this nomination for the 2014 MACS Achievement Award for Louis Cox on
behalf CALMRA, Inc.
Louis was living with his adopted mother in Elkton, MD and working at a local Day Habilitation Program.
Louis’ mother suffered a massive stroke and passed away suddenly in July 2012. Louis’ sister, Melissa, took
him into her home in Wheaton, MD that summer. Louis had to learn a whole new neighborhood, find new doctors, a new job, and make new friends. Melissa supported Louis in choosing to begin working at CHI Centers
in Silver Spring in September of 2012. Louis began work in the Letter shop, collating, folding and inserting for
various mailing contracts. Over the Winter, Louis made his big decision to join the CALMRA family. In January 2013, Louis moved out of his sister’s home and in with two housemates and a live-in counselor at
CALMRA’s Bucklodge home in Adelphi. Louis now had to get used to living in another new home with new
housemates in a new neighborhood. Louis has to deal with his own internal barriers to the outside world every
day, in order to feel safe and happy in his environment. Grieving for the unexpected loss of a parent, having to
move to a new home twice in a year, having to find a new place to work, learning who to trust and who to turn
to in need, would be tough to deal with for all of us.
We are celebrating Louis tonight because he has risen to these challenges and is moving on with his life in a
manner that is a lesson for us all. Louis’ family, Melissa and Sam and his nieces as well as extended family
have been a constant source of support throughout this time. Louis is grateful to his CHI staff, including Sadatu Clark, for their faith and encouragement in the workplace. Louis is primarily supported on a daily basis by
his house manager, Lateef. Over time, they have learned to trust each other and have forged a strong healthy
bond that sees them through the ups and downs of life. But it is ultimately Louis who has had to take it upon
himself to be brave and make his life a positive one on a day-to-day basis. The outcome of all this has been
that after just a year in CHI Center’s Day Habilitation Program, Louis’ employer recommended he transfer to
CHI Center’s Supported Employment Program and Louis’ Team agreed in the Fall of 2013. Louis has been
trying various enclaves that go out into the community to perform primarily janitorial duties at a variety of
sites. Louis has been very successful so far and his Team is looking forward to continuing to explore employment opportunities in the community with increasing independence. Louis loves to help others, loves to smile,
to make others smile, and is very focused on making his life the best it can be. It is a privilege and an honor to
accompany him on his life’s journey for as long as he needs us. We are the ones blessed to know and support
him, and we take great pride in celebrating his achievements with him tonight.
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2014 MACS Direct Support and Supervision Conference
Outstanding Direct Support Supervisor Nomination
Judy Friday
Lackawanna House
Judy has been working for the agency for over 20 years. Judy provides care for her residents in a supportive, loving environment.
She maintains a comfortable family environment atmosphere in the home, much to the benefit of the residents. Judy has been a
constant for the residents whereas so many other people in their lives have moved on. She supports getting the individual out into
their community as much as possible to spend time with family and friends.
This nomination is something of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Judy’s many years of service to individuals with cognitive
disabilities. She began her career supporting people with cognitive disabilities. She began her career supporting people with cognitive disabilities working for Arlington County Government’s Community Service Board. Judy moved on in 1988 to become an
advocate for individuals receiving services at the Forest Haven Institution in DC, as a result of court ordered monitoring, Judy
came to work for CALMRA in 1992, in the full-timer direct care staff in an established home. She went on to assist CALMRA
with opening three new homes and eventually settled at Lackawanna in August of 1999. Judy would say she has “had the honor”
of supporting seven different ladies over the years in her home. Judy has stated that she sees her main task as a keeping the ladies
healthy and ”well loved”. Toward that and consistently opens her door to the resident’s family members and they in turn have supported Judy when she was in need, providing money to replace old appliances when the agency’s funding was tight, fore example.
When she is not facilitating contact with the resident’s families she is including the ladies in her own family activities. Judy has
supervised many talented staff over the years, always holding them to the high standards of quality care she lives by. Most recently, she has been researching the impact of Dementia on the individuals she supports, attending Alzheimer's trainings and sharing
her knowledge with families and co-workers.
Judy Friday is a true original in the field and continues to strive to learn new things in her quest to provide the best possible ongoing supports to the ladies, who are lucky enough to live in her amazing home.
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2014 MACS Volunteer Award
Maryland Association of Community Services
David Saville
CALMRA, INC. Board of Director Member
On June 12, 2014, fifteen staff and Board members traveled to Kent Island to see DAVE SAVILLE receive an award for
his wonderful volunteer efforts on behalf of CALMRA. Guests were treated to a crab feast which included chicken, potatoes, corn on the cob, coleslaw, drinks and ice cream for dessert. Everyone had a grand time honoring Dave for his service and enjoying each other’s company and the crabs despite the rainy day! Here is Dave’s nomination:
David Saville has been involved with CALMRA in numerous ways, on numerous levels, for many, many years. He
has served on the Board of Directors and chaired the Facilities Committee.
Under his leadership our residential homes have vastly improved with new renovations, needed updates, and specializations like whole house generators. David not only helps CALMRA staff to oversee contractors but donates his time
and talents to actually complete some of the projects himself!!
He assists his wife Sheila, also a Board member, with other fundraising events like donating hand carved wood works
to the Silent Auction, helping with the annual picnic, painting walls at the Senior Center, and participating with
friends in our annual golf tournaments.
Everyone at CALMRA enjoys working with Dave due to his keen interest in making CALMRA a great agency, his
ongoing actions to help in any way/any area, and his common sense approach to issues and problems.
Dave has a sister-in-law that participates in some of CALMRA’s programs. She, like CALMRA, is fortunate to have
him as part of the family!!
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Patsy Dent
Linda Frantz
GENERAL
Donations
In Memory
Of
Elizabeth Hays Tolbert
Shirley & William Hilton
Bob & Nancy Martin
John Roeder
Cathy Dixon Howard
Thomas & Diane Cook
Rev. Michael Fitzgerald & Mrs.
Donna Fitzgerald
Jellicorse Family Partners Temple
(Rev. Jellicorse & Halsey, Lynn
Farris, Timothy & Stephen )
Jean Marron
Kenneth A. & Delores Roberts
Delores M. Blackburn
Barbara & Cecil Torrico
Ms. Roberta Gibson
Melanie H Brininski
Mike and Dana Lee
William R. & Charlotte Burn, Jr.
Robert Kadner
Albert Guidry
Florence Ashworth
Patricia Dixon
R. W. Zackrisson
Brian Mandeville
Robert Hoffman
Thomas Bninski
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Combine Federal Campaign
Hardwood house Thrift Shop
Knights of Columbus
Frances Canum, OFS
Kathy Labukas
Matilda Bradford
Hazel Roeder
Fred & Carolyn Windbeck
John Hudson
Barbara & Cecil Torrico
& Friends
Alice Wall Work
Linda & Richard Pietrzak
Martine D. Monaghan
The Donnelly Family
(Vincent William & Mary
Marcella
Kay & Spencer Crute)
Edward T. & Hope B. Meehan
Ms. Liz Straubinger
Medical Equipment
May 14th was a very nice day, warm but not
hot, slight breeze, a little overcast but NO
RAIN! We had 37 golfers descend on Harbourtown Golf Club for the 6th CALMRA Golf
open sponsored by RBC Wealth Management. We started at 10:30 to a shotgun start and
everyone had a good time. We played a scramble, where everyone tees off and you play the
captain’s choice from there. The best score
was 12 under par. CALMRA netted out over
$6000 for the day. Thank you to all the golfers
and sponsors!!
Sponsor Donations
The ARC of PGC
Fred & Carolyn Windbeck
Barbara & Cecil Torrico
ALCO Pharmacy
PSA Financial
Mary K. Stone CPA
James & Vera Degenhardt
CALMRA would like to recognize
CALMRA would also like to
the following participants who
recognize the following staff who
have celebrated or will soon be
have celebrated or will soon be
celebrating their birthdays:
celebrating a birthday:
Colleen Mcknew 7/26
Patricia Fox 8/26
Donald Whynot 9/2
Liz Labukas 9/5
Dorothy Moore 9/13
Kristen Coffman 9/26
Dorothy Fitzgerald 9/28
Kenneth Ferrell 9/28
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Mercy Mabry 7/7
Kelsey Jackson 7/9
Paulette Southerland 7/9
Enetaro Nkwocha 7/10
Yves Lemofack 7/18
Folashade Keji 7/22
Elfreda Musa 7/27
Joyce young 7/29
Ethel Bishop 8/3
Raghad Mohamed 8/6
Danielle Jordan 8/12
Edmud Kamukuenjandje 8/12
Judy Friday 8/14
Roseline Donald 8/20
Boladale Aiyegbusi 8/24
Tammy Money 8/25
Vanessa Edwige Matchim
Fodouop 8/28
Cinda Gilford 8/30
Patricia Harrison 8/31
Ayodeji Ajeigbe 9/9
Mabel Johnson 9/10
Rose Nah 9/16
Ishmael Abass 9/17
Esther Salubi 9/18
Carmen Hernandez De Leon 9/19
Hawa Dosumu 9/27
Rukayat Onabiyi 9/27
Robert Plummer 9/28
Jacqueline Frazier 9/30
Fati R. Yakubu
Fatmata Carew
Ayotunde Oyedele
Edmud Kamukuenjandje
“…all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now the Spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere…” ~ Terry Jacks
The Day Program awoke from the deep winter sleep to the birds singing in the sky and flowers springing up from the frozen ground. The
Spring Awakening at the Day Program was obvious as the scenery changed with bright varieties of flowers were hung from the ceiling as a
decoration, beautiful bouquets of flowers arrangements at each table were placed, and an amazing “Spring is in the Air” wall was decorated
by our very own Marilyn Bader. Not only was “Spring in the Air”, Easter and the excitement that it brings was also in the air. Everyone was
hopping around and we were entertained by our very own participants with a private concert as they dressed up as cool bunnies wearing sunglasses and bunny ears. Everyone had a belly laugh!
Spring would not be a spring at the day program without our Annual Tea and Hat Social. The Day Program came to life as we indulged on
assortments of fruit, assortments of crumpets, and assortments of herbal teas.
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Handmade invitations were sent home inviting all of the beautiful madams and sirs to come to the Annual Tea and Hat Social. Participants came prepared and ready to party and that they did!!! Participants enjoyed six varieties of herbal teas. Fruits were extraordinary as
they took form of dolphins holding grapes in their mouths and a porcupine made out of a pair and grapes. Three European crumpets were
served and all were eaten with great appetite. The music was relaxing and everything was perfect.
Although we had fun, the rainy season was upon us. Our creative individuals were not stopped by the rain but got very creative. The
participants helped with decorations around the Day Program and welcomed Spring with open arms. The visit from spring was a little
rainy so we are looking forward to nice warm sunny days as we are anticipating and welcoming the Summer of 2014 and all of the fun
activities!
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ISS/CSLA Program
disposable camera to take pictures of her trophies
and pets. She is also busy working at Giant. She
helps one of the Meals on Wheels clients, goes to
Faith and Light activities and walks her dog, Holly, by herself.
Looking spiffy in a new outfit, Alvin went to Soul
Circus. One of the stilt walkers tripped and fell on
a little girl in the second row just ahead of where
Alvin was sitting. Alvin, beaming, just loved getting called up from the audience to play air drums.
He went to Six Flags on Memorial Day and went
The CSLA folks are doing just great! Bobbie and on all of the rides. He also saw a stunt man show
Ken had fun at this year’s wonderful CALMRA and was talkative and happy. He likes his new
picnic, enjoying the games, dancing and seeing pair of glasses.
their friends, and the delicious food! Afterwards
they continued to party at Alan and Linda’s birth- Revantha continues to enjoy his day program with
day bash at College Park bowling lanes. Alan and FCI and walks and other activities in his communiLinda’s whole family turned out to celebrate! Ken ty of Rockville, Md. Trader Joe’s is one of his
got a couple of spares and he didn’t even use a favorite hangouts.
ramp! He continues to love to dance and socialize
with his friends at CHI dances.
We welcome Ruthie, who joined the CALMRA
Community Support
Community Supports program on 4/15/14. Ruthie
graduated from her NIH training program and
enjoyed the ceremony. She went to a soul food
restaurant and loved what she ate. She learned
how to do line dances and the 2-step at a country
western dance lesson sponsored by her church.
She Metros to Dupont Circle to go to church and
got so enthusiastic about singing her favorite hymn
that she wanted to sing it on Metro on the way
home. Ruth is a regular at karaoke. She would
like more folks to join her at Cluck U chicken
Karaoke at 6:30 pm on Tuesday nights. She is a
star in her improve class. She went to the Faith
and Light picnic at the waterfront where she volunteered to participate in some magic tricks and
Linda really enjoyed her birthday party and re- also tried to fly a kite. Ruth had a blast at the Capiceived many gifts. Once when she was walking at tol Pride Parade. She danced and talked to a youth
Lake Artemesia, Linda saw a baby turtle and 12 group.
goslings and heard the mating calls of bullfrogs.
Linda has been trying to eat healthier – choosing We say goodbye to Terry, who is leaving our comsalmon for lunch recently. Linda and Alan have munity support program for the New Directions
both been working out at the gym (she rode a sta- program. Terry is very excited to be going to the
tionary bike for 40 minutes) and bowling often for beach this week in Ocean City.
exercise.
Many thanks to Community Companion Support
Bobbie, Alan and Linda enjoyed seeing their
friends at their art class reunion at Sir Walter Raleigh restaurant. Alan went walking at Lake Artemisia and enjoyed listening to a woman playing
beautiful and soothing music on her harp. Alan
and Linda enjoyed several movies (Muppet Movie,
Rio 2 and Single Moms’ Club). They also walked
through Brookside Gardens on a gorgeous spring
day with daffodils, jonquil and hyacinths in bloom.
CSLA staff accompanied them on a visit to their
Aunt Mabel in White Plains. Both Linda and Alan
enjoyed the photographs their Aunt showed them
while they reminisced over old times.
Bobbie had this to say: “I celebrated my birthday
this year a little different. My sister was away and
I did not have a party, so I went on a lot of different lunches with all my friends and staff; restaurants such as Tepanyaki, Olive Garden, Bennigans
and Bobby’s Burger Palace and had a great time at
Dave and Busters with Alvin and staff. At the end
of the summer I am having a birthday pool party. I
finished with swimming and pottery class for the
summer and they were delighted to have me as a
volunteer. I like doing Meals on Wheels. I love
my cats (the ones at other people’s houses). I am
taking four classes at Montgomery College and at
least one of them is very tricky and challenging for
me. I like it very much.”
Paula has been helping Bobbie cook and one day
they made chicken cutlets. Debbie also cooks and
has made pork, beef, and meatballs with pasta and
cheese enchiladas for her family. She went to the
cemetery on Memorial Day and to her two nephews’ high school graduation. She’s very active,
bowling a lot (with scores over 100), going to the
gym, walking and biking. She recently bought a
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Staff! Everyone enjoy your summer!
won for best Michael Jackson moves, and Lois
won for best dance couple with Chip! We are looking forward to heading to the beach this summer!
Stay Cool and safe and don’t forget to enjoy your
summer!
BEAUWICK
In mid April, David and staff were fortunate to
share table and celebrate with relatives at his dad
and mom's 60th anniversary. The occasion was
graced with romance stories of the past, good food
and a live Bluegrass band with David's sibling and
nephew being the entertainers. Some of the guests
include and not limited to CALMRA's board members and it's administrative staff , friends from
their retirement home and relatives from Pennsylvania and other surroundings. It was a nice day
and much appreciated.
ALLVIEW
The ladies at Allview hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! J It’s been a busy Spring for us!
Besides enjoying the sounds of the rain on our
window pane, the ladies continued with their social outings with their social clubs! The rain
doesn’t stop them! They also enjoy going out to
eat on Saturdays with their weekend staff Elfreda
and Diane! The ladies enjoy taking turns choosing
different places to eat at! Diane also helped the
ladies plant some pretty flowers! Check out the
flowers in our yard! For Easter Julie went home
with her family while Lois and Liz enjoyed a beautiful dinner at home!
During the month of May, Julie went to visit her
family in Pittsburgh and she went to her niece’s
college graduation! We also enjoyed a nice outing
in Bowie at the Allen’s Pond Park! We got to see
performances by the children and a free concert!
Shout out to Audra for being nominated for the
Excellence Supervision award! And Congrats to
Judy Friday from Lackawanna house for winning
the Macs conference award this year! Well deserved Judy!
The ladies also hung out with their friends at Columbia house for Memorial Day cook out! We had
a blast! Liz got to spend a little quality time with
her sister, Kathy before she left for her a long Journey to tour Spain! We wish Kathy a fun and safe
trip! Julie and Lois also enjoyed Smokey’s Joes
Café with their theater club!
In June, The ladies had a blast at the CALMRA
annual picnic! Julie invited her fiancé this year!
Liz got to dance with her good friend Chris! Julie
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After the Community Yard Sale where Andy
picked out a picture frame and Dale, an age appropriate toy, the guys were able to witness the first
Movie Event of their Civic Association's summer
series which occurred on the evening of the
same day, May 31st.They enjoyed the movie on
the big screen in the open air including the live
music under the pavilion at the community
pool. The activity was very exciting and the guys
were happy to be a part of it.
Beauwick had its home re-inspection done by
Montgomery County to see if it complied with
suggested modifications in the house so as to enhance the lives of its occupants. Thankfully, most
of the recommendations were followed through
except for minor details for which we were granted
an extension for compliance. Hopefully, recommended repair work will be addressed promptly by
maintenance under the watchful eye of our able
Director of Operations.
Everyone is doing great as they all recently completed their Annual Health Summaries and have
been pronounced to have a clean bill of health.
Furthermore, they maintain the same Day Programs and scheduled weekly activities. Both staff
and residents participated and enjoyed CALMRA's
picnic as everyone mingled and shared pleasantries
and food. The camaraderie was very impressive as
well because residents and their parents, staff and
their families were there in unison to achieve a
common goal . As we plan ahead for summer,
we are hopeful about the upcoming events in and
around our locality and for starters, we have registered for our community parade to celebrate July
4th, followed by field games and magic at our
community pool.
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BEECHVUE
BRANCHVIEW
Greetings everyone from the ladies at the
Beechvue House. We hope everyone is enjoying
the warm weather as we are! We have taken
several trips in the past couples months; we gone
to NY and VA to visit friends and family! Mary
celebrated her birthday with two parties this
year one with her sister and brother in law in
Baltimore and then another in Virginia!! Marilyn
celebrated her birthday in NY with a big cookout
with friends!! We also attended the Stony Brook
University's Graduation cheering on our Marcus!
(Cls' son)! We would also like to thank all for
you for the prayers and continued support for
Marcus and all of us during our time of need!
We are all truly blessed to have our CALMRA
family! We also would like to congratulate Paul
from the Branchview House on his graduation
from High School Way to go! We really enjoy
celebrating with you!! Please everyone to drink
lots of water and wear your sunblock!! And
enjoy the warm/hot weather!
Wow, it's hot! Kevin, Wade, and Paul are doing
well. They are always communicating, having
fun, and helping one another at home and out in
the community. Kevin had a birthday celebration
at Branch View and we want to thank everyone
who attended. Kevin is enjoying going to the
movies, getting in the pool and hot tub, shopping, eating out, going on long rides and jamming to his music. Wade enjoys walking in the
neighborhood, coloring, working with his Leap
Pad, going to the movies, eating out, going to the
mall, going to parks, and relaxing in the pool or
hot tub at the MLK Swim Center. Paul just graduated from Parkdale High School, so we celebrated at the house on the same day as Kevin's
birthday by giving Paul a Graduation party. Party would like to thank everyone for coming as
well. The guy's went several places together;
fishing, going out to the clubs, Rockville's Festival, and Safeway's Barbeque Battle in D.C.,
where we tried food from Famous Dave's and
listened to music. In June we attended the
CALMRA Family Picnic. Everyone had a great
time enjoying the games, food and music. Congratulations to Wade who won the Disco award
during the dance off. We are looking forward to
attending baseball games and a professional
wrestling event at Verizon Center. Keep cool
everyone!
BUCKLODGE
Greetings from Bucklodge House to all friends
and families of CALMRA……
First of all, we would like to extend our thanks
to CALMRA Board and Administration for approving the replacement of our dishwasher. The
new one has been installed and looks and works
great! Louis, Gene and Bernie are really doing
great! The guys are busy as usual with lots of
activities that are ongoing with Park & Planning.
Two weeks ago they attended a Bowie Bay sox
Baseball game and in July they will be going
sightseeing in New Jersey! The guys gave their
dancing shoes a workout at the Spring Fling
Dance in April and they continue to enjoy the
monthly Friday night dances at CHI. In May,
we celebrated Memorial Day with friends and
family at a cookout hosted by Columbia House.
In June, we had a really wonderful time at the
CALMRA Family picnic; participating in
games, eating and dancing the beautiful afternoon away.
Louis Cox received a MACS Achievement
Award at the end of April. The whole house
attended the Award Dinner at the BWI Marriott,
along with Louis’ family, to show how proud we
all are of Louis!
The Summer months will bring lots of adventures for the Bucklodge gentlemen; travelling,
visiting family, and vacationing. May your summer be blessed with safe travels, good health and
fine weather!
COLUMBIA
Columbia residents and staff hope everyone is enjoying good health and the beautiful weather.
DRESDEN
The ladies of Dresden have been enjoying the warm
summer day lately. We are having many opportunities to go out since the weather has been so nice.
Easter Egg decorating was a lot of fun this year especially for Pam. The ladies all enjoyed going to
the Beltsville Day Event. They spent the day taking
a stroll around the venue and enjoying the scenery
and activities. The weather was perfect for the
Annual CALMRA Picnic Event. The ladies enjoyed the good food and desserts (especially
Monique). The music and dancing added to joyful
occasion. In the evenings when the ladies arrive
home, we often spend time out on the deck and
enjoy a little fresh breeze before dinner. All the
ladies also enjoy visits from the Massage Therapist
once or twice a month also - so relaxing.
The New Year has gotten off to a great start, even
with the bad weather and snow being on the ground
we continue to stay busy , happy and very motivated We manage to keep going in the community
enjoying life and having fun. We continue going to
church ,volunteering in our church ,we enjoy the
dance at the CH I center and still participate doing
Park n Planning at least three x a month, with Winter leaving and Spring on its way we committed
ourselves to staying Healthy eating right and exercising. The month of February was all about David ,he celebrated his 40th birthday the baby of the
dynamic Durant dudes his theme was Cowboys, he
enjoy a big party with all his friends, family, and
CALMRA family, David was very happy and excited about his surprise birthday party. We want to
Margery had her 61st birthday in June, and she is thank you all for coming out to help David celestrong as ever. She has been alert and feisty as brate this big event and thank you for the many
usual. On he special day, her Dresden family cele- presents. All of us at
brated with ice cream and cake, which are two of
Margery’s favorite foods. Margery interacts with Durant are doing well and wish everyone the same.
her peers and staff through eye contact and sound.
She also enjoys getting hugs and holding your hand
when she is communicating with you. Ms. Margery
has been in good spirits.
Donald and Chip enjoy participating in Park &
Planning activities. Bowling is over for the Summer. Both gentlemen received trophies for their
hard work! In April, they watched an NBA game
between the Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers at Verizon Center. Also in April, they attended
the Spring Fling dance at Prince George’s Ballroom. We are very thankful that Ralph’s health as
stabilized enough to allow him to return to attending CALMRA’s Day Program. Columbia hosted a
Memorial Day cookout in May. Residents and staff
of Bucklodge, Scott , Allview, Greencastle, Lackawanna, Merna and Gavin came to the gathering.
Donald’s brother and sister attended along with
Chip’s brother and sister-in-law. In June, we went
to the CALMRA Family Picnic at Claridge Park in
Wheaton. Chip and Donald both won prizes in the
dance competition! Also in June, Donald attended a
professional wrestling match with his friends from
Branch View and Bucklodge. The guys have been
enjoying attending birthday parties and other cookouts as well, now that the warm weather is in place
to stay. Columbia house is planning to take further
advantage of the weather by going on a vacation to Monique continues to be our on-the-go Diva of
the beach in Delaware this summer so stay tuned.
Dresden. She loves to stay active and playful with
folks around her. Monique especially enjoys being
outside in the sunshine and fresh air and spending
We wish everyone a happy and healthy summer.
time with her family.
Pamela is doing well and interacting more with
staff. Pam likes shopping and music. She has been
attending the dances at CHI and really enjoys dancing. Pam is a fashionista and loves choosing new
outfits when shopping.
Everyone is well and enjoying the warm weather
while it lasts here at Dresden. And we hope everyone is having fun this summer, as well.
13
DURANT
GAVIN
Summer has made its grand entrance. As we say
good bye to spring, we cannot forget all the festivities that took place at Gavin. Shawn celebrated
her 45th birthday May 6th. The staff bought a special birthday dress for Shawn to wear on her big
day. The house was nicely decorated -with balloons in the living room and her bedroom. Shawn
received birthday cards from the staff and her
mother-who also sent a Boston Market gift card.
Staff took Shaw and Maureen out to Boston Market where they ate dinner.
We continue to enjoy various outings to the mall,
and local areas. All the ladies had new haircut and
vibrant hair coloring for the summer. We took
them to the hair salon at Greenbelt Road. We
thought it would be comfortable for the ladies to
have a low cut for the summer. Maureen in particular, smiled broadly after the haircut and she appears to like it. The ladies enjoyed ice cream treat
from McDonald.
The ladies attended the CALMRA picnic at
Claridge Park. They ate, laugh and observed
some of their peers dancing and having fun.
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GREENCASTLE
The spring weather was wonderful and this summer’s temperature will be brilliant. Though we
had high temperatures and humidity at the beginning of this summer, we are taking every precaution to keep the ladies cool and hydrated. We
have lots of planned activities for this Summer
and we can’t wait to get started.
Gabby hit a milestone and celebrated her 50th
Birthday. Gabby was fifty years old on May
23rd, but the birthday celebration was on May
31st, as per family request. It was a wonderful
gathering with family members, friends, and staff
and other CALMRA employees. We had lots of
food, drinks, music and lots of fun. Gabby was
very happy, excited and enjoyed every moment of
the birthday party. The ladies and staff at Greencastle had a good time at the CALMRA Picnic.
The ladies have been enjoying their monthly massages, PT, OT, and they are all in good health.
We look forward to more beautiful weather and
better days ahead.
All the best to you and yours, wishing for a
healthy, happy summer from the “J” Team at
Lackawanna!
LACKAWANNA
Spring has been one of the most wonderful times
of the year for the “J” Team. We could hardly
wait for it to get here. Lackawanna has faced and
overcome many more challenges this news period
than we are normally used to but with the almighty’s help, we continue to prevail.
Spring came in with a bang, and lots of fun activities. In April, the crew enjoyed the Annual
Spring Fling where they paired up with old
friends and danced the night away. Then they
closed out the Woodchoppers Bowling season
with a last day of bowling and then received trophies at the banquet. We met at the Old Country
Buffet to celebrated Uncle Bill Gautier’s 90th
Birthday. How blessed would we all be if we
could look as good and be as strong at that age?
Happy birthday Uncle Bill, we wish you many
more!
Delores Newman spent a long weekend in N.C.
with old friends and staff, while Patricia Fox
headed off to Philadelphia with Audra and the
Allview ladies to enjoy a much needed minivacation. Easter was celebrated with a beautiful
Church Service and later dinner with staff’s family and friends. May came in with many other
activities: such as watching the Bowie Parade;
having dinner at the Italian market in Annapolis;
a fun visit to the Aviation Museum in College
Park, where they put on the Wright brothers outfits complete with goggles and flying jackets
while sitting inside of an airplane.
We also had a fantastic time at Columbia House
cookout where there was lots of food and dancing. Thanks Sham for including us in your Memorial Day celebration! Also, let us not forget to
send out a great thank you to Robert Plummer
and the folks at Branchview House for allowing
us to share in their Birthday and Graduation combo-party!
We finish our report with one last highlight of
this news period from June. What a great time we
had at our Annual CALMRA Family Picnic. This
is something we look forward to every year. A
time when we get together with family and
friends from near and far to play catch-up on the
goings, enjoy many games and great music. A
special Thank You to the Picnic Committee for
this special event!
15
MERNA
We welcome Christopher Moon, who joined
Merna House this Spring and wish him all the
best in his new home. Dwayne, Michael and
Christopher were all at the CALMRA family
picnic with Merna staff. We all had fun and it
was very nice. Christopher's parents were also in
attendance. The men have been to different parks
within and outside their community including
Bowie Pond Park twice and Greenbelt Park also.
Michael Hurvitz and Dwayne Walsh both had
their birthdays in May and June respectively,
which were celebrated both at their Day Program
and in the house. We wish them many more years
in good health. Michael Hurvitz attended synagogue for the first time on the first Friday of
June. He was so happy; smiling and clapping his
hands. Dwayne Walsh enjoys frequent visits
from his mother and sister every other weekend.
He is always happy to see them.
PRINCESS GARDEN
Hello Summer! The annual picnic has come
and gone. As usual invest of CALMRA, the
organizers did such a great job putting this
event together.
The ladies at Princess Garden continue with
the various activities they are involved in.
They also enjoyed long walks in various
places including Greenbelt mall. Julie has
seen some very interesting plays and musicals-- she enjoyed the music and danced.
Melynda celebrated her birthday in June.
She spent her special day with her father—
they went to the restaurant.
We are happy to report that the health of the
ladies is stable. On behalf of the ladies, we
would like to say thank you to all the
CALMRA staff for all that they do.
SCOTT
We are happy another summer is here but very
sad to lose Gwendolyn’s father, Steve Nyschot,
who passed away in May. He was a great support
to us all, especially Gwen, who visited his home
every Sunday afternoon for a family dinner. May
his soul forever rest in peace. Amen!
On a much lighter note, we thank God for our
health and the ladies are happier to be more involved in community outings. Karen still enjoys
frequent visits with her sister Sheila and her
brother-in-law Dave. She has also visited various places like Laurel Lakes, Greenway Center,
White Oak Shopping Center, Kohls, among all
other places.
Gloria loves to get dressed up and wear make ushe is always ready to go on outings. She has
been to family functions with staff ( baby showers, birthdays, etc… ) And church. She enjoys
shopping at Macy’s and Target. Gwen loves to go
out on long rides. She also enjoys dining out at
restaurants and shopping at Target, Giant and
Walmart.
All the ladies enjoyed the Bowie Memorial Day
Parade, a Memorial Day cookout at Columbia
home, and birthday/graduation cookout at
Branchview home, and especially the CALMRA
family picnic, which was a lot of fun. We do
appreciate all family members and staff for all
their support and we look forward to planning a
wonderful vacation.
16
SHANADALE
Good bye Spring, hello Summer! The guys had a
wonderful Spring. It was fun, interesting, and filled
with lots of activities. The guys enjoyed various
trips to several local attractions. They went out to
Haines point in Washington, D.C., visited the National Harbor, ate lunch and had some fun. Also,
the guys went out to the movies too.
SUSQUEHANNA
Greetings all!!!! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the
beautiful weather thus far. The ladies here love the
weather. Some days Dotti can't wait to get home
from Day Program so she can sit outside and enjoy
the sun. Unfortunately, Dory has been a little under
the weather, but she always seems to bounce back.
Farida celebrated her first year with us here at Susquehanna. It was also her birthday. The staff made
Spring has made it’s exit and we’ve welcomed
her a pretty pink cake with sparkles. The ladies
Summer. We are all ready for our Summer vacation loved it. We decorated her bedroom with balloons
and outings. It will be lot of fun.
and banners. The look on Farida’s face was priceless. Since it's been so nice out, we been cooking on
The Staffs and residents wish all a wonderful sum- the grill for dinner most of the time. We just love
this season. The park is our favorite place to be. We
mer.
love to watch the ducks swim and it's very peaceful.
The concerts will be starting soon and we will go
see a few of them as well. Farida and Dotti love
listening to music and are not afraid to show it. The
ladies and I are getting ready for our Big 4th of July
cookout at the park. We're planning for a vacation/
Birthday cruise for Dotti. She's really excited. I
hope everyone enjoys their summer. Stay safe.
17
you to drink extra fluids.
From Our
Summer is here and we can certainly expect
to have some very hot and humid days. Since
we will have some very hot days, I would like
to remind you of some tips for a safe summer.
Since a lot of us spend a lot of our time indoors with air conditioning, unless we spend
a good part of each day outside, we are not
adjusted to heat of summer especially when
temperatures reach the upper 90’s or even
over 100. Young children, elderly adults, and
people with chronic conditions are more sensitive and more likely to have problems with
high temperatures.
It is a good idea during a heat wave to monitor friends, family, and co-workers and have
someone do the same for you. It is especially
important to monitor the elderly and people
who live alone. Also, if someone does not
have air conditioning, they may need assistance to find an air conditioned place at least
during the heat of the day.
Two serious conditions are heat exhaustion
and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion, if not recognized can progress to heat stroke which is a
life threaten conditioning. Signs of heat exhaustion include cool, moist, flushed or red
skin, heavy sweating, headache, nausea or
vomiting, dizziness, and exhaustion.
Body temperature will be close to normal. If a
person show signs of heat exhaustion, they
should be taken to a cool place, and rest in a
comfortable position. Loosen or remove tight
clothing and apply wet cloths such as towels
or sheets. If the person is fully awake and
conscious, offer ½ glass (4 ounces) of cool
water every 15 minutes. Call 911 if the person refuses to drink, vomits, or loses consciousness.
Call the office to order!!
(301-982-7177)
Heat stroke, also known as sun stroke, is a
life threatening condition and emergency help
is needed immediately. The person’s temperature control system stops working. The person stops sweating, which cools the body.
The skin is hot, dry and red. There is a
change in consciousness – the person may act
confused or become unresponsive. The pulse
is weak and rapid, breathing is shallow and
temperature is very high – sometimes as high
as 105 degrees. Call 911 immediately, move
the person to a cooler place, immerse the person in water, or cover with wet sheets and
fan. If the person is confused, unconscious, or
refuses to drink, go not give anything to
drink.
Heat stroke can cause brain damage, kidney
damage, and even death if not treated immediately. Pets, especially dogs, can also suffer
heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Before buying online, go to the website,
If you are going to spend time outdoors,
avoid the hottest part of the day and the part
of the day with the most sun exposure. Try to
spend time outdoors before 10:00 AM and
after 7:00 PM. And don’t forget the sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher if you are out in
the sun more than 30 minutes. Even 15
minutes in the sun can result in a sunburn.
Wear appropriate clothing. Loose fitting
clothing allows air to circulate and light colored clothing reflects heat. Cotton or cotton
blends are usually more comfortable in summer.
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid caffeinated
drinks and drinks with lots of sugar which
tend to be dehydrating. Drink enough so you
Children, the elderly, and pets should never
don’t feel thirsty and you mouth is not dry. 48
be left in a parked car. Even with windows
ounces a good amount of fluid to aim for
cracked open, car interior temperatures can
daily fluid intake.
increase 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and 30
degrees in 20 minutes. This amount of heat
If you feel very hot outside, find shade or find
inside the car can cause brain damage, organ
air conditioning to cool off and take a break
damage or death.
from the heat. If you exercise outside, you
need to start slowly and gradually increase
With care and moderation, summer can be
your pace. If your heart starts to pound or
enjoyable and safe. Taking precautions, and
you become out of breath, stop your activity
knowing when you need a break from the
and find a cool shady area to rest. Check the
heat, can prevent serious heat related probweather for the air quality. If it is a code orlems.
ange or code red day, it would be better to
exercise indoors. Exercise will also require
18
Please remember CALMRA continues to
sell GIANT grocery gift cards. You get
the full value of your purchase and
CALMRA earns 10%
Support CALMRA with
no cost to you!
www.goodshop,.com. And select
CALMRA as your organization. Then
link to one of the 700 big-name stores
posted by the site (Travelocity, Best
Buy, Amazon.com) Good Shop will
automatically donate up to 37% percent of your purchase to CALMRA!
before buying online, go to the website,
www.goodshop.com, and select CALMRA
as your organization. Then link to one of
the 700 big-name stores hosted by the site
(Travelocity, Best Buy, Amazon.com…).
Good Shop will automatically donate up to
37 percent of your purchase to CALMRA!
Giant Gift Card Order
Giant food fundraiser!
CALMRA will be selling Giant Food Gift cards at face value, ($25.00, $50.00, $100.00). You can use these just like cash at any Giant.
PLEASE Consider purchasing these cards for your grocery shopping needs, gift needs, etc.
CALMRA will earn 5% of each card sold. Thanks for helping!!
Date: ______/______/______
Name: ____________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________
street
City,
State
zip code
Phone: __(______)________________________________________
I would like a total of $ ___________ in giant food cards in the following denomination (s):
_______ x $25.00 card (s)=
$__________________
_______ x $50.00 card (s)=
$__________________
_______ x $100.00 card (s)=
$__________________
Payment options:
______ Cash
______Check
______Credit Card
type: ____Visa
____ MasterCard
____ Am Ex ____Other
Card number: _____________________________________________
Expiration date: _____________________ CVC: _________________
Signature: _______________________________________________________
*****************************************Staff use only*******************************************************
Date Processed: ______/______/______
Is this a Petty Cash order?
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YES (
Staff fulfilling order: ________________________________
)
NO (
)
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2014

2014 2014
CALMRA, Inc.
5020 Sunnyside Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705