let`s celebrate!! - Blanchard Valley Center

STAR
THE
Helping People with Different Abilities
Reach for their Stars!
Mar . 2 0 1 5
COMING
EVENTS
A Publication of your Hancock County
Board of Developmental Disabilities
MARCH IS DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH
LET’S CELEBRATE!!
One of Blanchard Valley Center’s
most important goals is to increase
community relationships and
collaboration. In an effort to do this,
BLANCHARD VALLEY CENTER
Aktion Club
r Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities
we
have
scheduled
over
30
events
You
5:00
throughout the community to celebrate
Speaks Out
Assisting more families...over 90 infants and
March as being Developmental
toddlers receive Early Intervention education
6:00
Disabilities Awareness Month.
and therapy services
Representatives from BVC are
Finding more jobs...113 individuals with
scheduled to go to 20 different entities
developmental disabilities now have jobs in
Hancock County
to explain about who we are and what
Sensory Story Time services we provide for individuals with
Sharing talents...31 artists work at Kan Du
6:30 pm
Studio
developmental disabilities.
@ Library
We have also invited groups to
Promoting self-advocacy...since the fall of
2012, the group has grown 500%!
come to our campus and be treated to
either breakfast or lunch and be given a
Reaching more individuals...556 now enrolled;
tour of our campus so that they can see
up 22% in the last five years!
first hand the various departments that
comprise BVC.
Sibshop
your staff or group, give Cindy Maag a
If you are interested in finding out
10 - 3:00
more about Blanchard Valley Center or call at 419-422-6387, and she will be
having us host a breakfast or lunch for glad to get you on our schedule!
Mar 9
Mar 11
Mar 21
Mar 23
BVC
Board Meeting
5:30 pm
April 3
Program
Closing
Good Friday
Celebrations!
“Under The Sea” Book
Fair Huge Success!
Friends of BVS, our PTO group, held a
Book Fair last week. They also sponsored
a Family Fun Night to coincide with the
book fair. As you can see from these
photos, the event was a great success!
Thank you, Kristin Nicole Photography, for
the wonderful photographs!
Come check out what Aktion Club and Speaks
Out is all about on March 9, 2015. Aktion Club
is from 5-5:30pm, followed by food and fun, and
Speaks Out (self-advocacy group) meets from
6-6:30pm.
Blanchard Valley Center’s Aktion Club
members will be helping the Kiwanis at
their annual “All You Can Eat” Pancake and
Sausage Day this Saturday, March
7, 2015. The event is taking place
at the Findlay High School cafeteria
from 7 - 2:00. Presale tickets are
available: Adults $5 and children/
senior citizens $4. Prices at the
door on Saturday will be Adults $5 and children/
seniors citizens $5. Call Rebecca Maenle at
419-422-6386 for details.
News
MONTHLY CIVITAN AWARD WINNERS
Zach Guagenti was recognized
as the Employee of the Month
by two different departments.
His positivity is contagious!
Traci Graham was recognized
as the Civitan Adult Services
Employee of the Month. Traci is
show with Board member Mike
Chiarelli.
Chris Keller, with Blanchard
Valley Hospital, was honored
as the Civitan Community
S.T.A.R. award winner. She
was chosen for her involvement
in increasing opportunities for
community employment.
The monthly awards are sponsored through donations from the Findlay Civitan Club. We thank them for their generosity and support.
In the event of a delay or closing,
announcements will be sent out through
our BVC communication system, the
radio and television stations. Tune in
to the following stations for closing and
delay informaiton: WKXA-FM 100.5,
WFIN-AM 1330, WBUK-FM 106.3,
WCKY-FM 103.7, WPFX-FM 107.7,
WBVI MIX 96.7, TV Channels11, 13,
and 24 News.
Want to be part of our great
team? Visit our website at www.
blanchardvalley.org to apply.
KAN DU ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Ashley Aukerman was an artist at Kan Du who passed away a while ago.
Her family honors her memory by selecting an artist each month to receive
the Ashley Aukerman Award. This month’s
recipient is Nathan G. The photo below shows
Nathan and Mrs. Aukerman. Come to Kan
Du and check out the items he has created!
Congratulations, Nathan, on being chosen as
the Ashley Aukerman Artist of
the Month!
B
I
T
S
F
R
O
M
T
H
E
B
O
A
R
D...
Hello all,
What fantastic news
to hear that KanDu
studio will have a new
home at the former
Rocking U building!
Located just down the
street from the new
Marathon Performing
Arts Building, our new location is
positioned to be in a highly visible
area that has easy access and ample
parking. It is so exciting to get this
project started and I encourage each
of you to tell us what you would like
to see both in programs being offered
and things you would like to see at
our new building. Exciting stuff!
We will be having our coffee chat
on March 11th at 9:30 am in the
school cafeteria. I would like to hear
from you what is on your mind! We
have many projects in gear right now
that I would like to get your input and
opinion about.
Have you seen the new lights going
in throughout the campus? I’d invite
you to stop in and see the gym if
you haven’t already! It is extremely
brighter and the cost of operation is
nearly a third of what it cost with the
old lights.
There has been some discussion
on measuring success at the
center. What would you like to see
or reported to you? And lastly,
community involvement, we will be
having our March board meeting at
Glenwood Middle school on March
23rd. Hope to see you at our chat and
our meeting!
Mike Chiarelli
Board Member, Past President
Board President, Chuck Hirschy,
Past President, Mike Chiarelli, and
Superintendent, Connie Ament,
invite you to join them over coffee on
Wednesday, March 11th from 9:3010:30 in the school cafeteria. They will
be available to chat about anything that
might be on your mind!
A story time for differently abled children 4 - 8
years old and their parents is being planned.
Sensory Story Time provides more interaction,
movement and flexibility for children who need
these supports.
The next Story Time will be March 11, 2015, from
6:30 - 7:00 pm at the Hancock County Library, 206
Broadway, Findlay.
For additional information, please email
[email protected] or aryler@blanchardvalley.
org, or call 419-422-1712, extension 237.
“Don’t Wait and See” Campaign
Members of the hancock County Autism Focus
Team are spearheading a campaign to encourage
families to contact Help Me Grow with questions
regarding their toddler’s growth and development.
The “Don’t Wait and See” campaign will feature
information on electronic billboards throughout
Hancock County. Information from the Center for
Disease Control, Help Me Grow and Blanchard
Valley Center’s Early Intervention program will
be delivered to professional offices within our
community during the last week of March. For
additional information on this campaign, please
contact Jennifer Rathburn, Project Director,
Hancock County Help Me Grow, at 419-423-8687,
Andie Ryley, Autism Consultant, at 419-422-6387,
or Melanie Williams, School and Community
Resource Specialist for BVC at 419-422-6387.
I’m Glad I Didn’t Wait
Coffee
Chat
Concerned about your child’s
development? Help Me Grow can help.
Call 419-423-8687 for more information
BLANCHARD VALLEY
CENTER
Hancock County Board
of Developmental Disabilities
1700 East Sandusky Street
Findlay, Ohio 45840
THE STAR
March 2015
Blanchard Valley Center
1700 E. Sandusky Street • Findlay, OH 45840 • www.blanchardvalley.org
Administration
419.422.6387 phone
419.425.7073 fax
School
419.422.8173 phone
419.425.7055 fax
Adult Services
419.422.6386 phone
419.422.7063 fax
Kan Du Studios
419-581-0254
Community Employment
567-429-9376
Transportation
419.423.2374 phone
419.429.3054 fax
Transportation Info-Line
419.421.8888 (3111)
Service and Support
419.425.8747 phone
419.425.8748 fax
Service & Support
Emergency Number
1.888.454.0657
Board of Directors
President
Chuck Hirschy
Vice President
Don Bozell
Secretary
Mary Walsh
Members
Dr. Rahman (Buzz) Dyer
Dr. Kathleen Crates
Mike Chiarelli
Bill Wilson
Superintendent
Connie Ament