Newsletter - Hospital for Special Care
Transcription
Newsletter - Hospital for Special Care
are C l ia c e p S r o f l a it p Hos ate d p U m a r g o r P ip h s r Life Skills Mento 2015 Recap 2015 has been a very busy year for the Life Skills Mentorship Program. We hope that you enjoy reading about all the wonderful activities that took place! We also welcome and invite you to join us in 2016. Inside this issue: Introduction 1 Mentor Highlights 1 Mentor Highlights Continued 2 Movie Night 3 Meet Mentee Rachel Grusse 4 Trouble Tournament 5 Wheelchair Transfer 6 Word Search Fun 7 Rock Cats Night 8 Amazing Journey for Independence 9 Summer Picnic 10 Marriage is for the Birds 11 Pirate Dance 12 Ruopp Family 13 Camp Harkness 14 Holiday Party 15 Past & Upcoming Mentorship Activities 16 Mentor Highlights: Carlos Quiles Mentorship Program Staff: Research Every January, Connecticut Magazine releases a list of the top 40 people under the age of 40 in the state that are being recognized as outstanding young professionals excelling in their industries through their leadership roles. These individuals serve as role models for their peers. This year Carlos was named to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2015. That recognition led him to be invited to be the keynote speaker at the Fall Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association (ConnOTA) Conference and to be a guest at Senator Chris Murphy’s Farm to Table Event in Litchfield, Connecticut. This event brings together a small group of Connecticut's leaders in politics, art, media, and business, in order to create new connections and cross-pollinate ideas. Congratulations Carlos! We are proud to have you as the Life Skills Mentorship Program Coordinator. Roger S. Thrall, PhD, Director of Stephanie Beck, Program Coordinator, Special Care Family Academy Carlos Quiles, Mentorship Program Coordinator Photo: (Tri Nguyen) Page 2 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Mentor Highlights Continued: Kelly Lavoie, Life Skills Mentor Kelly Lavoie has been working as a computer programmer for 20 years and currently works for Aon-Hewitt, a benefits consulting company that administers 401(k) plans, pension plans, and health plans for Fortune 500 companies. Kelly has been playing sled hockey for 9 years on the CT Wolf Pack Sled Hockey Team. In 2011, she was named to the very first USA Women’s Sled Hockey Team and played in the world championships which were held November 2014 in Brampton, Ontario. The team played 5 games in a span of 48 hours and beat Canada 5-1 which resulted in them being named the first gold medal winners of the Women's World Championships. In addition to playing sled hockey, Kelly is an integral part of the CT Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Team. She has served as a counselor at the Ryan Martin Wheelchair Basketball Camp for several years and she continues to be a role model as a life skills mentor in the Hospital for Special Care Life Skills Mentorship Program. Congratulations to Kelly as she celebrated her 6 year wedding anniversary this year to Jeff Lavoie, whom she met through the CT Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Team. Ryan Martin, Life Skills Mentor Life Skills Mentor Ryan Martin keeps himself busy playing professional wheelchair basketball overseas for the Clichy Handibasket team in Paris, along with hosting multiple wheelchair basketball camps during the off season throughout the tristate area. This summer Channel 3 put together a 15 minute segment on the “Ryan Martin Story”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsUqhdBvKgc Ryan’s goal has always been to start a junior wheelchair basketball program in Connecticut. That goal became a reality in the fall when the Ryan Martin Foundation (RMF) and Hospital for Special Care (HSC) joined forces to establish the first organized wheelchair basketball program in Connecticut for individuals, ages 10 through 18, living with physical disabilities. Way to go Ryan! Page 3 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Movie Night — February 20, 2015 What could be better to do on a cold winter evening in February than getting together with fellow mentorship program friends to watch a movie, have some pizza, popcorn and cake? Absolutely nothing could be better! The Hospital for Special Care Research & Education Center conference room was the setting for Movie Night 2015 and Despicable Me 2 was the featured film! Everyone had a great time lounging on the floor mats (some in pajamas), snacking and laughing along to the movie with their friends. One of the moms made a very creative “minion” cake for all to enjoy! Everyone is looking forward to warmer weather and to a summer movie night outdoors. This little minion slept through the movie Page 4 Meet Mentee Rachel Grusse Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Recently Life Skills Mentorship Program Coordinator Carlos Quiles had the opportunity to sit down with Rachel Grusse to conduct an interview. Rachel has been a part of the mentorship program for many years and has been such a pleasure to have as a participant. Let’s hear what Rachel had to say. Carlos: Let’s start with a simple question. How old are you? Carlos: Wow, that’s a lot. How long have you been playing hockey? Rachel: I am currently 23. I’ll be turning 24 soon. That means I’m close to being a quarter century old; I’m not ready for that. Rachel: I’ve been playing for 4 years on the CT Wolfpack Sled Hockey Team and this is my first year playing on the USA Women’s Team. Carlos: Do you have any siblings? Rachel: Yes, two sisters. Both of them are younger than me and taller than me. I’m obviously the favorite! Rachel: Wow, that’s like asking me which of my sisters I like better, but I mostly like to spend hours watching Supernatural. Rachel: My teammates on the basketball team call me “McBuckets”. Carlos: I gave you the option on where we could go grab something to eat while I interviewed you. You chose Noodles and Company, why so? Carlos: Why “McBuckets”? Rachel: My teammates started to call me that a while back because I made a lot shots or buckets during games. Rachel: I’ve been playing on the Spokebenders for 6 years, before that I briefly played for the Edinboro University Women’s team. I also have been part of every Ryan Martin Wheelchair Basketball Summer Camp. Carlos: That’s a lot of basketball. What other sports are you into? Rachel: Well from 1st grade to 8th grade I played soccer, then I ended up breaking the tip of my tibia and that was the end of my soccer career. I also did swimming for about 10 years through high school and the HSC Wave Swim Team. I’ve tried other activities like gymnastics, trapezing, skiing stand up and sit ski, wheelchair tennis, handcycling, wheelchair racing which I didn’t really like, wheelchair lacrosse, and of course sled hockey. Rachel: I go to school at Central Connecticut State University in which I’m majoring in Graphic Design and I work at the book store. In my spare time I watch hours of Netflix, read books, and do a little bit of writing. Carlos: What’s your favorite thing to binge watch on Netflix? Carlos: Lol...Do you have any nicknames? Carlos: So you play on the Connecticut Spokebenders Wheelchair Basketball Team. How long have you been playing basketball? Carlos: I’ll make sure to stay off the ice then. What do you do when you aren’t participating in sports? Carlos: Making the USA team is a great accomplishment. How did it feel when you found out you made the team? Rachel: I was super excited! It feels awesome to be playing at a higher level than before and continue to challenge myself. Carlos: When and where were the trials held? How many players tried out? Rachel: The trials were held last August in Maine. About 30 girls tried out and only 17 made the cut. Carlos: Congrats on making the team! The big question is which do you prefer, hockey or basketball? Rachel: Hockey is more fun because I can legally hit people without being penalized (giggle). Rachel: I chose Noodles and Company because they have the best mac & cheese! It was here or Subway and I figured we could go somewhere different for a change. Carlos: Well I’ll end the interview since I know you have to make it to your next interview. Who is that interview for again? Rachel: I’m being interviewed by The Hartford Courant in regards to me playing sled hockey. Carlos: Well, I’m looking forward to seeing that in paper. Thanks for having lunch with me and letting me interview you. Rachel. Thank you. This was fun. You have a great weekend and I’ll see you on Tuesday at basketball practice. Page 5 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Trouble Tournament March 27, 2015 T R O U B L E Everyone in the HSC Life Skills Mentorship Program loves trouble…the game of Trouble that is! At almost any mentorship function, the game of Trouble eventually makes its way out and quickly becomes the highlight of the evening, drawing a crowd. As a result, the mentorship program staff thought it was time to devote a special night to host a tournament. The first annual Trouble Tournament was held on March, 27th with almost 50 people in attendance. The night started out with ten groups of four playing. The winners continued to the next round until the final four sat at the table to play for the title of Trouble Champion, while those eliminated from the running participated in other board and Wii games! The reigning Trouble Tournament Champion was Kamil Wojnowski! Congratulations Kamil! Page 6 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Wheelchair Transfer Skills Workshop — April 16, 2015 Many Life Skills Mentorship Program participants and their families came to a “Wheelchair Transfer Skills Workshop” to learn proper transfer techniques that they could use in the community and home setting. Physical Therapy students from Quinnipiac University volunteered their time and were on hand to demonstrate, teach and help the kids and their families set new goals to help with independence. The educational session was hosted on April 16, 2015 at the gym of the Research & Education Center. This was a great learning experience for the parents and kids, as well as the PT students who were able to apply their skills in a supervised setting. Great team effort! Page 7 Word Search Fun I N D E P E N D E N T M S U I B W M L C Y S D M U M X S S Y R O P H E E I E C P M R W M E D S O V L F F T G Y W N T E L I P F W G L C B D T M W E I C D R S G W Q I F W V P R C E F E N E T I O R C I F N X F L L C U N K W T E M G L C T I M U O J O Z N S T S H T U A O Z J J B J B T E L B T W N T R L F V H J N W R I W J T P V R B G Y G X F S N E S M G Z J O Z D Y S G M T U F F L W E S A V E Y U R S R A X G H K G F W P C P K L P F K C W C L I M I L E S S W O J F C K T W N BOUNDLESS CHOICE FREEDOM LIMITLESS SELF-RELIANT UNRESTRICTED Page 8 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Rock Cats Night — June 9, 2015 Mentors and their families spent a night out at the ballgame enjoying the HSC sky box. The Rock Cats won over the Harrisburg Senators with a score of 5 to 4. Rocky the mascot stopped by to visit the group during the game and hung out to take pictures. Nothing like a ballgame on a warm summer night. Sadly we say farewell to the Rock Cats! We will miss our good times at the New Britain Stadium. Page 9 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Amazing Journey for Independence June 13, 2015 The Life Skills Mentorship Program third annual Amazing Journey for Independence held on Saturday, June 13 th was a huge success. The purpose of the event was to increase awareness of the State of Connecticut Public Transportation Initiative and to foster independence for the elderly and individuals with special health care needs. There are places all around the state that anyone can get to with the use of public transportation! Eight teams were formed; each team having one member who used a wheelchair and, in addition, either an elderly individual and/or a person with a different type of health care need. Various destinations were chosen, i.e. the New Haven Green, Bushnell Park in Hartford, West Farms Mall, etc. The groups set off on their individual journeys, traveling by either cab or bus and then connecting to another bus, cab or train. Each team was required to use two different modes of transportation. Many individuals participating were unaware of how accessible cabs, trains, and buses are to individuals with health care needs, especially those who participated in this event for the first time this year. Most of the seasoned travelers were excited to trial a different route. This year proved to be interesting as many of the teams tested the new CT fastrak bus system. Some challenges were experienced. For example, the buses have limited space for riders in wheelchairs which required some teams having to wait for the next bus. Other challenges included a few cab delays. Several teams decided to test out Uber services and were quite pleased with the response time. All of these situations proved to be a great learning experience. Upon arrival at their destinations, the teams checked in with the “Command Center” and sent in their journey pictures. Some teams crossed paths unexpectedly with each other at various points in the journey while others specifically planned on meeting up for lunch. After their trips, everyone headed back to the Research & Education Center where they shared their stories, looked at the photo board, compared experiences and had lots of laughs. Awards were presented for Best Team Picture, Most Frugal Team, etc. An Amazing Journey it was indeed, but more importantly an Amazing Awareness Campaign. Plans for next year’s Amazing Journey are already in the works! Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Page 10 Summer Picnic at Sherwood Island — July 11, 2015 This year’s mentorship summer picnic was held at beautiful Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT. A beautiful shady spot under a canopy of trees kept everyone cool. Accessible beach chairs were available which enabled many of the mentors and mentees the opportunity to get to the beach for a swim. Others wandered over to the nature center to check out the sea life. Could not have asked for a more perfect summer day! Ryan Jack Page 11 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update “Marriage is for the Birds” - Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Bird Best wishes and congratulations to Life Skills Mentors Mary-Christine Beck and Jordan Bird on their marriage, Saturday, July 25, 2015 in Old Saybrook, CT. We wish Mr. & Mrs. Bird a future of much health and happiness. The Birds Page 12 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Pirate Party - August 6, 2015 Ahoy Mates! The annual summer mentorship party during the week of Ivan Lendl Camp featured a pirate theme. While the kids enjoyed festivities, parents participated in a presentation/discussion of Special Needs Trusts. Following the presentation, many of the daring parents participated in professional dance lessons. Some salsa, ballroom and swing dance moves were practiced. Just enough instruction to make it fun and perhaps spark an interest for future dance lessons. David & Delmace Pirate Roger & Francesca Natalia & Maggie Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Page 13 Congratulations to the Ruopp Family Congratulations to Life Skills Mentor Darrell Ruopp and his wife, Katie, on the arrival of their twin boys, Jeremy Ross and Eli Nolan. The twins were born on August 18th. Jeremy weighed in at 5 lbs., 4 oz. and Eli 5 lbs., 7 oz. They join their ten year old brother, Jack (also a participant of the mentorship group), who has been a wonderful helper. What a beautiful family! Ruopp family with Santa Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Page 14 Camp Harkness Weekend — October 16—18, 2015 Most of those who braved the years of camping previously were sure not to miss the annual Camp Harkness outing. Another wonderful weekend of camaraderie and shenanigans. Campfires, cooking, crafting, games, etc. Definitely something for everyone! Life Skills Mentorship Program Update Page 15 Holiday Party - December 19, 2015 Everyone loves a holiday party. This year, the Adaptive Sports Program joined efforts with the Life Skills Mentorship Program in hosting the 5th annual winter holiday party. Karaoke, crafts, and games were part of the evening. Pizza, wings, cookies, cakes and an ice cream sundae bar were on the menu. Of course a visit from Santa topped off the night! As always, a great time had by all. Page 16 Life Skills Mentorship Program Update mily HSC Special Care Fa Academy Life Skills Mentorship Program Hospital for Special Care Life Skills Mentorship Pro gram Hospital for Special Care Research & Education Center 370 Osgood Avenue New Britain, CT 06053 Contacts: Stephanie Beck Program Coordinator, Special Care Family Academy Phone: 860-827-1958 ext. 5753 Fax: 860-832-6260 E-mail: [email protected] Mission Statement: The objectives of the Hospi tal for Special Care Mentorship Program are to guide young adults with disabilities throu gh life’s obstacles and to support them and their families with social, educational, voc ational, and other transition-related issues. Carlos Quiles Mentorship Program Coordinator Phone: 860-827-1958 ext. 3831 Fax: 860-832-6260 Past Mentorship Activities: The Life Skills Mentorship Program has been busy! Some of the highlights of 2014 included: New Year’s Kick Off Meeting/Social Suicide Prevention/Intervention Training for Mentors — A Connect Training for Communities Upcoming Activities: Dates to be determined for the following: Experiencing the “Arts” Series Movie Nights Amazing Journey for Independence Bowling Night at Bowl-O-Rama in Newington Summer Picnic Amazing Journey for Independence Bowling night “Night at the Carnival” Dance Camp Harkness Camping Weekend Driver Training Program Forum Summer & Winter Socials Movie Night Spokebender Tournament Games Camp Harkness Camping Weekend Ugly Sweater Holiday Party