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Summer 2005
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Bogey’s 10th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament
Monday, August 1, 2005 at the Aspectuck Valley Country Club
Shotgun Start at 12:00 pm
Contact: Jim Stablein at 227-GOLF
Fashion Show Luncheon
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at the Westport Woman’s Club
11:30 - 2 pm
Contact: Alisa Levinson at 226-7895x144
2nd Annual Taste of Westport
Thursday, May 4, 2006 at the Westport Inn
5 - 8:30 pm
Contact: Stan Kontogiannis at 226-7895x157
www.tasteofwestport.com
Jets
Markers
CALL
203-256-4663
Two Individual Crafts
Construction Paper
Fuzzy Poster
Two Stamps
E-MAIL
[email protected]
PINE DRIVE: Patio set with umbrella ($300)
WESTON ROAD: Rubbermaid Storage
Cabinet ($300)
BLUE RIDGE: Patio set & dishwasher ($500)
KINGS HIGHWAY: Patio Set ($300)
STURGES HIGHWAY: Vacuum Cleaner
(heavy duty) & dinning room table ($1,000)
MAPLE DRIVE: Stovetop, dressers ($600)
CCO PROGRAM: Van
VOLUNTEER NEEDED: Thank you to
Deloitte for purchasing four bedroom windows for Sturges Highway. We need a professional to install these windows.
Please contact the Development Office at
226-7895 and ask for Alisa or Stan. Or you
can send in your donation towards these
items to:
CLASP Homes - Attn: Wish List
246 Post Road East - Westport, CT 06880
FUN BASKET
Balloon Bubbles
CRAFT BASKET
Crayons
CLASP’S HOMES
WISH LIST
SUMMER 2005
Stickers
*Credit card donations accepted.
($) denotes estimate.
Maze Game
Three Party Games
Water Tube
Stickers
Yo-Yo Squishy Ball
Glue
Wooden Peg Game
Foam Pieces
Vinyl Kick Ball
Paint Set
These baskets are good for any occasion and packaged by participants of the Career
and Community Options Program. All proceeds go directly to benefit the CCO
program.
CONGRATULATIONS
John Tyliszczak - Program Director
Juan Voner - Manager, Blue Ridge
Debi Broadus - Manager, Webb Road
David Chevrette - Assistant Manager, Reynolds
Drive
We wish to extend our warmest appreciation to
Kathy Benedetto for 8.5 years of service. Kathy is
leaving CLASP Homes to pursue a Management
position with a company in Norwalk.
From all of us congratulations and all the best!
Summer 2005
NEWS FROM THE CCO
• The CCO has been busy with a new
fundraising venture making pens adorned
with faux flowers. They sold very well at
Shaw’s in Stratford. Our next selling event is
scheduled for July 27 at Stop & Shop in
Trumbull. The pens cost $1.50 and all proceeds benefit the CCO program.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A TASTE OF WESTPORT, DELOITTE & TOUCHE, SENSE-IT, CCO UPDATE...
• CCO participants have been active in
educational community outings. One such
visit was at the Fairfield Fire Department
where we were taught fire prevention. We
also got to examine the intricacies of a fire
truck and spraying water with one of it’s
hoses.
A TASTE OF WESTPORT
• Upcoming trips include Sheffield Island,
Beardsley Zoo and Captain’s Cove.
PLACE
YOUR
AD HERE
$150 FOR 1 ISSUE
$450 FOR 4 ISSUES
(Hard Copy Version + Web Site)
Call Stan Kontogiannis at
203-226-7895, ext. 157.
Bird’s eye view of the crowd lining-up to sample the wines & foods from various vendors.
ay 5, 2005 signaled a new era in fundraising and public relations for CLASP Homes,
as they hosted the first ever Taste of Westport at the Westport Inn. The events’ objective was to bring some of the area’s finest dining establishments under one roof where
those in attendance could not only sample their fine foods but also have the opportunity
to talk with the chefs/owners one-to-one.
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Approximately 300 people attended the inaugural event and sampled foods from the following restaurants and distributors: River House Tavern, Tengda, Wild Oats, Acqua,
Tarantino, The Red Barn, Conte’s, Pane Vino, Da Pietro’s, Black Duck Café, Splash,
Seminara’s, Sogno, Porterhouse, Galaxy Cookies, Balducci’s and Doc’s Café, Black Bear
Wines & Spirits, Diageo, Zyr Vodka and BMC Imports.
In between the sampling, attendees bid on various items including two airline tickets from
New York to London, donated by Virgin Atlantic, crystal ware donated by Tiffany & Co., two
tickets donated by JetBlue, and an assortment of gift baskets to mention a few. You can see
many of the photos taken by Photographic Memories who also donated their services at
www.tasteofwestport.com .
Major sponsors for the event included Hudson United Bank and Mose Associates Architects,
P.C. while Supporting Sponsors were People’s Bank, Kesten-Brown Insurance, BSC
TerraSphere and Fairfield County Bank.
CLASP Homes, would like to especially thank the Taste of Westport Committee who sacrificed numerous hours to make this event possible and to all those companies and individuals that donated an auction item, all those that attended, and especially our friends from
the various media outlets. A special thanks to the staff at the Westport Inn and our Master
of Ceremonies, John Harper from Star 99.9.
CLASP Homes is seeking sponsors and auction donors for A Taste of Westport event for
2006. There are many giving levels for this event. You can see them online at www.tasteofwestport.com or contact Stan Kontogiannis, Development Officer at 226-7895x157.
Remember 100% of the proceeds go directly to benefit people served by CLASP Homes.
See you all on Thursday, May 4, 2006 at the Westport Inn for the 2nd Annual Taste of
Westport event.
Photos by Photographic Memories
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MAILED FROM
ZIP CODE 06880
PERMIT NO. 87
CLASP Homes, Inc.
246 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880
WestportNow.com Editor, Gordon Joseloff and Westport Inn GM,
Lance Herman.
Betty Lou Cummings, Taste of Westport Committee Member
and First Selectwoman, Diane Farell smile for the camera.
Our mission is to provide homes and opportunities for people with mental retardation and related disabilities. We offer and support high quality professional services that enhance each person’s social responsibility, independence, dignity and continued growth. As a not-for-profit community organization,
we are dedicated to increasing public understanding of the people we serve, and their ability to be contributing members of the community.
www.clasphomes.org
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Summer 2005
Summer 2005
THANKS TO OUR
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
We at CLASP Homes wish to express our sincere gratitude
to everyone for their financial support and want to
acknowledge companies & foundations who have recently donated $1,000 or more.
Connecticut Light and Power
Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Foundation
Edith Baldinger Charitable Lead Annuity Trust
First County Bank
Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation
Hudson United Bank
Kesten-Brown Insurance
Mose Associates Architects
Paul Newman
Schnurmacher Foundation
South Norwalk Knights of Columbus
Theodore & Vada Stanley Foundation
United Way of Norwalk-Wilton
United Way – Deloitte employees
United Way – Pfizer employees
United Way of Westport-Weston
Westport Young Woman's League
William Pitt Foundation
In-Kind Contributions
Docuserve
Photographic Memories
ANNUAL SUMMER SEMI-FORMAL
n June 16th, CLASP Homes held it’s Annual
Summer Semi-Formal Dance at the Riverview
Manor in Norwalk. People served by CLASP and
the staff, shared a fun-filled evening with dinner and
dancing provided by James Daniel Entertainment.
All those in attendance were greeted at the door by
staff and given a corsage to start their evening in
style.
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“Everyone looks forward to this event every year.
It’s really a magical evening!” said CLASP’s
President Tracy Flood. This annual event has been
enjoyed for almost 15 years. Flood explained that
“many of the people we serve were not able to
attend high school. For those who did, many did
not attend the prom. We feel we’re helping people
make up for lost time!”
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Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP is one of the nation’s
leading professional services organizations. IMPACT
Day is Deloitte’s national day of volunteer service.
This is the second year that CLASP Homes has benefited from IMPACT DAY. Last year, the Pine Drive
group home had its exterior and interior painted
including some weeding. For more information
about Deloitte, please contact Mary Giannini at
(203)708-4730.
Each of Deloitte’s 30,000 employees nationwide are
encouraged to set aside their work for a day and
volunteer in the community. Special thanks go out
to Zeytinia Gourmet Market of Wilton for donating
refreshments to the volunteers and to Outback
“We are so pleased that we were chosen to partner
with Deloitte for IMPACT Day. Their employees
have such a strong commitment to their community and did a wonderful job!!” said Tracy Flood,
CLASP’s President.
For more information about volunteer opportunities, please contact Development Director Alisa
Levinson at 226-7895 ext. 144 or visit them online at
www.clasphomes.org.
Photo by Suzy Flood.
n Thursday, June 30, CLASP Homes held its
annual staff appreciation boat cruise. The cruise
signaled the end of another good fiscal year (June
30) and recognizes staff milestones and accomplishments. This year the following staff received awards:
The night was full of fun and excitement as these smiley faces show while in a congo line.
CLASP HOMES INAUGURATES ‘SENSE-IT’
A SENSORY INTEGRATION ROOM
SI serves two main functions. It protects us from
over-stimulation by sifting through sensations, disregarding some and reacting to others. It also helps us
to interact with and learn from our environment.
The ‘Sense-IT’ Room will allow Therapists
(Occupational, Physical, Speech, and Recreational)
schools, parents and other interested parties to utilize the Room either individually or with the trained
staff from CLASP Homes.
Steakhouse of Wilton for donating gift certificates to
the raffle at the Deloitte picnic.
ver 30 employees from all practice areas of
Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP volunteered their
time for an entire workday to paint several rooms
inside of CLASP’s group home on Sturges Highway,
home to five adults with develomental disabilities.
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Photo by Photographic Memories
An Open House of the Room took place on July 21
at the offices of CLASP Homes at 246 Post Road East
in Westport. In attendance were therapists, school
administrators, Special Educational staff, parents
and interested individuals who had an opportunity
to see how the specialized devices can assist individuals with SI disorder.
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STAFF APPRECIATION BOAT CRUISE
Miggs B Design
The Westport Inn
CLASP Homes has received funding in the amount
of approximately $14,000 from The Bridgeport Area
Foundation and First County Bank Foundation to
establish a Sensory Integration (SI) Room to assist
people with developmental disabilities, autism and
other related disabilities in Fairfield County.
DELOITTE & TOUCHE “IMPACTS” CLASP HOMES
These clients are monitored to assess developmental levels and to determine whether sensory-motor
processing is impaired; and if so propose activities
(therapy) to help combat these impairments as best
as possible. Many times the Occupational Therapist
will work with the families to replicate the training in
their natural environment.
The trained staff supervising the Room, run the therapy activities that too many looks like play. These
activities are carefully selected and disguised as play
because it is the most effective way of learning and
developing to provide skills and growth in deficient
areas.
For example, through one-to-one sensory stimulation activities with textured fabrics from carpeting to
feathers, loofa bath gloves and sponges, various
massage methods (hand, arm & neck), may allow
an individual to stand up straighter and make and
maintain eye contact for longer periods.
Another form of therapy is water stimulation which
helps certain clients hands relax and helps with their
extension of arms and wrists. Others may use specific therapy to assist those who cannot handle people touching them (i.e. shaking hands). After sensory stimulation this assists people with hypersensitivity to touch.
Here are some possible signs that an individual may
have SI disorder: Avoiding Touch, over-reacting to
touch, inability to identify objects by touch, spinning, hand-flapping and head banging, biting, poor
eye contact, short attention span, distractibility, and
hyperactivity, clumsiness and lack of balance, fear of
movement, outbursts, difficulty using both sides of
the body, repetitive speech, slow speech, behavior
problems, raised shoulders and poor gross and fine
motor skills.
Five Years: Diane Smith, Peggie Stewart (missing
from photo Aisha Jama, Ja-Aisa Baker and Sarah
Marengo).
Ten Years: Tyrell Wilson, Scotty (James) Edmiston
(missing from photo Cecelia Kelly).
Fifteen Years: Mary Dunn, Jodi Flora (missing
from photo Kathy Stuart and Alice Williams)
The Lucy Rodgers Award was presented to
Angela Vitali. Established in December of 2001, in
Angela Vitali receives the 2005 Lucy Rodgers Award.
(L to R) Jodi Flora and Mary Dunn receive recognition for 15 years of service with
CLASP Homes.
memory of CLASP Resident Geoff Cock's grandmother the award is given to a CLASP family member who has shown excellence and dedication to
our residents. Recipients of the Lucy Rodgers award
receive a beautiful clock and small cash gift.
an all expense paid trip of the clients choice every
year. CLASP administrators select the recipients.
To all the staff congratulations for a wonderful year.
The Horan Award was presented to Cindy
Looney. Established in June of 2000 by Martin
Horan in honor of his late parents the award is also
presented to a member of the CLASP family.
To find out more about the ‘Sense-IT’ Room or to
reserve it, please call Patty Richards at 2267895x123. To assist in expanding the SI services of
the SI Room, please call Stan Kontogiannis,
Development Officer at 226-7895x157. You can also
visit CLASP Homes online at www.clasphomes.org.
(L to R) Diane Smith and Peggie Stewart receive the five year award.
The Dekker Award went to John Mezquida.
The Dekker Memorial Fund was established in
March of 2001, in memory of one of our client's parents, Hendrik Dekker. Hendrik and his family loved
to travel so much that they wanted to provide
CLASP clients and staff that same opportunity with
(L to R) Scotty (James) Edmiston and Tyrell Wilson receive the 10 year award.
Photos by Photographic Memories
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