Summer, 2014 Volume 2, Issue 4
Transcription
Summer, 2014 Volume 2, Issue 4
The Compass The Official Newsletter of Community Crossroads, Inc. www.communitycrossroadsnh.org Summer 2014 Guidance, Support and Advocacy News Volume 2, Issue 4 The Power of One 25th Annual Golf Challenge - Coming Soon! Don’t ever doubt the Power of One when multiplied by the Power of Many, and the unified momentum it can create. What happened with Senate Bill 396, relative to child restraint and seclusion practices in our schools, is evidence of how many people worked together to ensure the Bill’s passage. The new law establishes critical basic health and safety requirements to protect children, our teachers, and support staff, and most importantly will keep parents informed. In October 1990, Community Crossroads (formally known as Region 10) held its first golf tournament. It’s hard to believe 25 years have passed since that day. It started off small - only 36 golfers, but each and every one told us what a great time they had. We raised about $2,000 that year, not bad for our first event. Back then we were proud to say that each and every penny raised went directly to the people we serve. And 25 years later, the same holds true. 100% of the proceeds made from our fundraising events go directly to support our individuals and families. My daughter was experiencing physical restraints at school and I became concerned for her safety, because often I was not told of this until the next day. After reviewing research and current law, I knew NH’s law needed revision. Restraint and seclusion can have serious consequences, including death. It’s use has not been proven effective in addressing behavioral issues in children. The Power of One: Concern had been growing around the use of R&S, and I had heard of the work done by the Jaffrey-Rindge Chapter of ABLE-NH to change policies in that school district. In my role as Policy Chair at the NH Council on Disabilities and as an ABLE-NH member myself, I contacted Mike Skibbie at the Disability Rights Center to see what could be done, and through that initial collaboration SB396 was born. The Power of Many: Mike Skibbie used his legal expertise to craft the language of the Bill. It was circulated among educators, providers, legislators and oth other stakeholders for input. The language was worked so as to address concerns without undermining schools, kids or parents. I led the effort to coordinate testimony on Jenn Je nn Bertrand Ber B ertr tran andd Legislative Liaison, Community Crossroads Continued on page 5 So much fun and great golf! Join us for the Golf Challenge Candia Woods Golf Links, Candia, New Hampshire Many golfers have been with us since the beginning, but we’ve been fortunate to meet many new people over the years. Oh, how we’ve grown (last year we had 134 golfers and raised over $21,000) but one thing that remains the same is how great our tournaments are. We take pride in making each one better than the last; an event our golfers look forward to year after year. With that in mind, join us as we gear up for our 25th celebration. Mark your calendars for September 11, 2014 at Candia Woods Golf Links, Candia, NH. Sign up to play, invite your golf buddies to join you, encourage your business associates to become sponsors, make a donation, or just help us spread the word. If you need more information, contact us at 603-893-1299, and ask for a member of the golf committee.. Remember, the Golf Challenge is one of our most successful events, and the secret to that success lies within each and every one of you who make our tournaments possible. Join us in September. We look forward to seeing you on the course! In this issue... Annual Golf Challenge Power of One Meet the Staff Events, Happenings, Recognition People Power Post Emphasis on Employment 1 1 2 3 3 4 Getting Involved Project START News Silent Auction 2014 Auction Donors Save the Dates 4 5 6 7 8 Agency Staff NAME EXT. Angela Boyle Amanda Brand Theresa Cadorette Tom Call Leslie Coughlin Jennifer Crosley Kathy Dery Mariellen DiIeso Bill Dillon Tammy Dudal Carole Fongemie Jacqueline Gilbert Karen Hatch Jinelle Hobson Kristine Houle Deanna Johnson 344 329 321 316 327 346 302 318 317 326 307 325 313 311 330 323 Don Johnson Kelly Judson Jane Keay David Kennedy Linda Leahy Cynthia Mahar Stacy Merriam Nancy Papanikalaou 306 331 348 333 324 341 337 319 Aleece Pappas Tina Paquin Dennis Powers Sheila Prunier Chris Roy Sarah Snyder 322 332 315 306 312 340 Carole Thibodeau Anita Trudel Cathy Wahl Dianna Winward Anne Zahn 336 334 320 314 343 Each of our dedicated staff members can be reached at 603-893-1299 2 Meet the staff Jane Keay I am the newest Choices For Independence (CFI) Independent Service Coordinator. After working in the non-profit field since 1981, I am very happy and proud to have landed here at Community Crossroads. My most recent position was with Gateways for Seniors for the past five years. I was a care coordinator for CFI and Private Pay people served in Rockingham County, and also did some marketing for the Private Pay program. I spent time at an agency before that, working with people in crisis and who needed housing. I feel privileged assisting people within the Choices for Independence program here at Community Crossroads. To be able to support and advocate for adults so they can stay in their own homes for as long as possible is a wonderful goal. Jane Keay Ja K Thank you all for such a warm welcome. Karen Hatch My name is Karen Hatch. I am married with a fabulous 11 year old daughter. I want to say how excited I am to start a new venture as a Service Coordinator for Community Crossroads. I just retired from a 25 year career in public service. Prior to that, I worked with many people in various job capacities throughout my life and developed a love of working with people of all abilities. As my daughter grew, my passion to work with individuals who experience disabilities also grew. I love helping people access proper supports and services which will help them on their life’s journey and help them reach their goals and live their dreams. I began taking courses to help me navigate the many phases of helping people experience a good life. I took the volunteer advocacy training offered by the Parent Information Center, learning how to help people navigate the education system and advocate for themselves. I completed NH Leadership Training offered by the Institute on Disability where I learned how important it is for families to be involved in educating our elected officials on what people with disabilites need to be successful in the community. I have also taken the Direct Support Professional Certificate program offered by NHTI, where I learned how to meaningfully and effectively support the lives of individuals with disabilities. When my daughter was born, I recall how nervous my husband and I were. When she turned three, we didn’t know how best to support her so she could go to school and access our community. We received a call from a Service Coordinator at Community Crossroads (known as Region 10 back then) and she helped us access supports so our family could learn how to help our daughter participate in school and in the community. I remember getting that call at just the right time, so the agency has a special place in my family’s heart. Who knew years later that I would be drawn to work as a Service Coordinator for the very agency that helped us begin the process of maneuvering the maze of services and supporting our daughter to reach her life’s goals and dreams. I feel honored to be a part of such a wonderful organization. I look forward to working with people who experience disabilities and their families so they can lives the life they choose to live. Ka Hatc tchh Karen Ha Hatch Events, Happenings and Recognition Megan Oliviero Completes LEND Training We are very proud to announce that Megan Oliviero has completed the LEND Program through the University of New Hampshire. For the second year in a row, Community Crossroads served d as a Leadership In Action site for a LEND participant interested in public policy issues. This year we had the great fortune to work with Megan who provided support to our Public Policy Committee under the guidance of our Policy Coordinator Jenn Bertrand. People Power Post The April dance was well attended with everyone up on the new dance floor at the Atkinson Community Center dancing the night away! Our group can hardly wait for the August 15th “Summer Wipe Out” dance from 7-9:00 PM, also at this venue. We hope to see you there. At the May People Power meeting, the group said a sad farewell to our longtime Supervising Advisor Judy Crane. We wished her well on her retirement. We now welcome Sara Blaine as our new Supervising Advisor. She comes to us with experience as a former advisor, and we welcome her back. Megan Oliviero Meg Olivie Oli viero with with Community C Communi unity ty Crossroads’ Crossroad Cro oads’ s’ Policy Policy Coordinator, Coord Co ordina inator tor,, Jenn J Bertrand Bertr Be rtrand and Megan and Jennifer are pictured above at the recent LEND Capstone Presentation in front of the poster describing her experience here at Community Crossroads. LEND stands for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities and is a 9 month program to help train people to work in the field of Maternal and Child Health. Trainees come from a variety of professional and graduate study fields, as well as being people who have experience as a family member or person who has a disability. NH LEND is housed at the University of New Hampshire and is part of the Institute on Disability and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Thank you Megan and Good Luck! You have a bright future ahead. Bran-the-Man Community L to to R: R: Co Commu mmunit nityy Crossroads’ Crossro Cros sroads ads’’ CEO CEO Dennis Dennis Powers, Power Po wers, s, Brandyn Pellerin, Crystal Polizotti and Community Crossroads’ Executive Director Cynthia Mahar Community Crossroads is greatly appreciative to Brandyn Pellerin and his fundraising project, Bran-the-Man - Giving Back. Through his charitable project, he has donated $500.00 to our agency! Brandyn and his support person Crystal Polizotti offered chances at winning a signed Milan Lucic jersey. Cynthia Mahar and Dennis Powers attended the presentation dinner at T-Bones restaurant in Salem, NH, where Brandyn and Crystal presented the check. One hundred percent of Brandyn’s donation will go toward supporting individuals served by Community Crossroads and their families. The June meeting was abuzz with lots of things happening. Patrick McCarthy, who is hearing impaired and learning sign language himself, gave a lesson to the group in basic signs. We also reviewed our by-laws and voted for new officers. Our groups’ 20th Anniversary is June 6th. We are planning a celebration, so stay tuned for details. Co-advisors Dianna Winward and Jo Pagel attended the 2nd annual Learn It! Live It! Love It! advocacy conference and have lots of info to share at the July meeting. Autumn is always a busy time for us with our October movie/dinner at Chunky’s, and the “Falling Leaves” dance on November 21st. We are a fun, lively self-advocacy group and always welcome new members. You must be age 21 or older. People Power is sponsored by Community Crossroads and meets on the first Thursday of every month from 6:00PM - 8:00PM at the Hampstead Library. Join Us! For further information on any of these events, call Dianna Winward at 603-893-1299, ext. 314. 3 Getting Involved Emphasis on Employment With growing caseloads and tighter budgets, it’s more important than ever to be involoved. While we have a long history of activism in New Hampshire, our community-based, personcentered system is constantly by Jenn Bertrand being challenged. If we are going to ensure responsible funding, policies, and programs we have to educate ourselves and engage. In last issue’s Compass article we explored what it means to get involved by getting to know your legislators. This issue, we will learn about legislative hearings. Attending a Legislative Public Hearing Legislative committees do the “real” work of NH government, as this is where bills are considered, studied, and modified. The process begins with a public hearing. NH requires a hearing on every bill. The hearings are public, and you can observe, sign in for or against a bill, provide written or oral testimony to support your position on whether a bill should pass or be “killed”. Hearings take place in either the Legislative Office Building (LOB) or in the State House itself. The hearing is your chance to educate your government. Your stories, your experience, your expertise is often the missing piece legislators need to make informed choice on each bill. They cannot possibly know everything about every issue that comes before them. On the issue of living with disability, you are the expert. Your point of view can have a significant impact on the outcome of a bill. And like anything else, the more people who show up and take a position, the more likely the legislators are to listen to the majority voice. Some dates are posted on the House and Senate calendars, www.gencourt.state.nh.us. There must be at least 24 hours notice of a hearing. The legislative session begins in January and runs through early June. Plan to attend a hearing on an issue you care about in the next session. You can’t expect policy makers to be informed about issues important to you unless you take some time to educate them. In our next installment, I will share tips for writing a letter of testimony For more information by Dee Johnson Community Crossroads’ ds’ Employment Specialist An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life! Submitted by Cynthia Mahar Dan and I first met each other when we were quite young and only a couple of years out of high school. We were both starting our pursuit in life to being an active and independent adult (or so we thought!). Dan wanted to learn to take the bus home from his job in Lawrence and it was my pleasure to assist him in that pursuit. I was in my first internship through Northern Essex Community College. It wasn’t long before I realized how eager and capable he would be in tackling this adventure in his life. The last time I watched Dan get on the bus, I never expected that our paths would cross again. But about a decade later, a man drove up to the then “Region 10” agency office in his own car. I was surprised, but not shocked, to see that it was Dan Buck who was driving. The other day, while I was taking my evening walk, I was thinking about all the talented and inspiring families and people with disabilities who I have had the pleasure of seeing tell their stories in a variety of venues. I began thinking about Dan and all that he has accomplished. Dan’s story is one that could be an inspiration to many. It is an amazing story about a very ordinary life. Cynthia Mahar and her good friend, Dan Buck Fast forward to 2014. Dan is a long-term employee of the United State’s Post Office and a recipient of all the great benefits associated with being a federal employee. He has been a hard working and dedicated employee for over 25 years. Dan owns his own home, is married, and has an 18 year old son! Some may say, “Well, what’s so special about that?” Dan has overcome many of the obstacles society imposes on people that can impede their ability to achieve certain milestones in life. Dan has a developmental disability, he attended special education classes in school, and has received minimal support from Community Crossroads and Living Innovations to deal with some of the many challenges employment, parenting, and home ownership can send our way. Dan has never been one to stand up in front of a crowd and speak publicly about his accomplishments. He is a quiet, unassuming man, who is living the ordinary American Dream! My hat goes off to Dan for being a great friend, son, father, husband, employee, and for having the work ethic and courage to achieve that American Dream. Contact Jenn: [email protected] 4 Cynthia Mahar is currently Community Crossroads’ Executive Director by Jennifer Crosley Project START News Community Crossroads’ ds’ Clinical Coordinator/ START Team Leader Exciting things are happeing at Community Crossroads and the Center for START Services. START is an international comprehensive model program that strives to bridge the gap between services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs in the community. By increasing the support, resources, and access to evaluations, as well as offering systemic crisis planning and advanced clinical knowledge, START works to increase independence, health, happiness, and overall success. Here at Community Crossroads, I have had the privilege of being involoved in the START program for nearly 3 years. I became a certified coordinator in the summer of 2013, and have seen the initiative grow throughout New Hampshire in tremendous ways. I was honored and excited to be recently promoted to be the Clinical Coordinator here at Community Crossroads, as well as the NH START Southern Collaborative Team Leader, where I will help to oversee the START coordinators at Community Crossroads, One Sky, and Community Partners. I am beyond grateful for the endless support and guidance that Community Crossroads and the Center for START Services have provided. It is with great pleasure that I announce Sarah Snyder’s recent acceptance of the START Intern position. She has been a Service Coordinator here for nearly 2 years, and has brought an incredible skill set on board. During her internship with START, she will undergo intensive clinical training that will assist in sharpening her knowledge and experience in the realms of individuals with dual diagnoses. I have every confidence that Sarah will be an invaluable addition to NH START. Sarah Snyder START Coordinator Intern The Power of One For more information, please visit www.centerforstartservices.org, or call Jennifer or Sarah at 603-893-1299. Continued from Cover behalf of parents and mobilized stakeholders across the state to contact and ask their House Representatives to support this Bill once it easily passed through the Senate. I encouraged as many people as possible to attend one or all of the hearings throughout the process to ensure our voices were heard. Using the Power of Many, we flooded committee members’ phone lines seeking their support of the Bill, and on May 6th, the committee voted unanimously in favor of a slightly amended version of SB396. It passed the full House on May 14th and is expected to be signed into law by the Governor when it reaches her desk. Never underestimate the Power of One to get things rolling. Have courage. Take that first step, and be amazed at how others of a like mind fall in behind you, multiplying your intention to become the Power of Many. We can make the changes we want and people with disabilities need. Each of us has that power within us. For more information, contact Jenn Bertrand at jbertrand @communitycrossroadsnh.org “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.” Author Unknown 5 Agency Governance Important News Board of Directors Officers Kenneth Ferreira Jr., President Londonderry Linda Steir, Vice President Atkinson Kathleen Dayotis, Secretary Atkinson Silent Auction 2014 The Best One Yet! We did it this time! Our 11th Annual Silent Auction was a smashing success! Every year the Silent Auction Committee tries to outdo itself, and with the support of our families, individuals, staff, Board of Directors, vendors and countless community members and businesses - we did it! Marion Donahue, Treasurer Hampstead Members Edward Adamsky Pelham Lorraine Butler Derry Colleen Demers From the moment we entered the elegant Castleton’s front door and were warmly greeted by Meghann Dinsmore, a lovely young woman, and her Mom - to the complimentary wine tasting provided by The Imported Grape, to the tempting Candy Table decorated by Sandy Moulton, to the checkout at evening’s end, it was fun, food and top-notch entertainment by Bay Road. Linda Leahy Linda Leahy is greeted greete etedd by b Meghann Dinsmore Pelham James Dickerson Salem Cathy Forgit Hampstead Laurie Giguere, FSC Liaison Salem Robin Knight Sandown Elaine Lavin Salem Kathy Murphy Chester Cathy Spinney Pelham Barbara Strzykalski Bay Ro Road ad once agai again gain provide provided idedd the the evening’s evenin ning’s g’s entertainment enter tertai tainment nt Atkinson James Watson Derry Family Support Council Officers Laurie Giguere, Chair Salem Lynne Aboujaoude, Vice-Chair Pelham Robin Knight, Secretary Sandown How do we say “thank you” for the overwhelming generosity? With all our hearts. We are so grateful to each and every one of you and our Corporate Sponsors Enterprise Bank and Life Visions for your contributions to reaching our Auction goal of $20,000! Every single penny will go to enriching the lives of families and individuals served through Community Crossroads. Beautiful Candy Table decorated by Sandy Moulton Members Karen Carr Sandown Save the Date Carol Dabrowski Derry Katie Everett Windham Susan Nyberg Chester Aleece Pappas Salem Mariellen Rowe Derry Karen Ventola Windham 6 With this kind of success behind us, we wasted no time in booking the Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham again for next year. Plan to join us for the 12th Annual Silent Auction on Thursday May 7, 2015. We hope to see you there with friends and family we promise another unforgettable fundraising evening of making memories! Stay tuned. Gus Moral of The Imported Grape at the wine-tasting table With gratitude to our sponsors and supporters . . . Auction Donors Community Crossroads is grateful to the following list of donors: The view of Cobbett’s Pond from the front door of the beautiful Castleton Banquet and Conference Center in Windham Having fun at the Life Visions Table The happy winner of our Wine Table Raffle abunda ndance of te terri rrific fic items it bid on o - something somet methin hingg for f everyone An abu abundance terrific to bid Debbie & Daniel Abate Bean Family Brenda Berkal, DMD Bleu Tangerine, Hampstead Bob’s Discount Furniture, Manchester Boston Duck Tours, Boston Armand Boutin Amanda Brand Lunch Bunch Burlington MA Quilters Guild Canobie Lake Park, Salem Chocolate Moose, Salem Comm. Crossroads Fundraising Committee Comm. Crossroads Development Committee Richard & Mary Consoli Costa’s European Salon, Salem Judith Crane Currier Museum of Art, Manchester D.J. Rogers Collision Center LLC, Windham Laurie & Rod Daily Sharon Dancona DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln Bill & Ann Dillon Marion Donahue Dot To Dot Doos, Hampstead ECO Salon, Londonderry Enterprise Bank, Salem Chris Fram Mark & Roberta Fuller Fun Spot, Weirs Beach Jocelyn Gallant Patty Granz Gym-Ken Gymnastics, Inc., Windham Hampstead Animal Hospital, Hampstead Karen Hill Leah and Lyndsay Hobson James M. Holland, DMD, Hampstead Kristine Houle and Family Home Helpers, Londonderry J. Michael’s Sports Pub, Windham JFK Presidential Library & Museum, Boston Dee & Don Johnson Irek Karczmarczyk Kimi Nichols Center, Plaistow Fran & Paul Kuchar LaserCraze, No. Andover Laser Quest Danvers, Danvers Denis & Elaine Lavin Linda & Ken Leahy Terri & Tom Lianza Life Visions, Atkinson Londonderry Country Club, Londonderry Lui Lui, Nashua Maddie’s Bagel & Eatery, Salem Cynthia Mahar MAS Home Care of NH, Manchester McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Concord Merrianne McDonald Melanie McKay Pat & Frank Mulone Nancy Murphy Muse Paintbar, Manchester My Dentist, Londonderry North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge Laurie Ota Bea Pappas Tina and Paul Paquin Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Lory Pease Pentucket Bank, Hampstead Jodi Perrow Pilgrim Lanes & Funtime Arcade Dennis Powers Regency Home Health LLC, Manchester Residential Resources, Manchester Robert Richards RMON Networks, Plaistow Rockingham County Sherriff’s Office Chris Roy S.E. Cummings & Associates, Inc. Salem Wax Museum, Salem Salon 322, Haverhill SarahCare Adult Day Services, Hampstead SARC, Salem Sue Scovotti Searles Castle at Windham Secrets Salon & Spa SEE Science Center, Manchester Service Link, Atkinson Homer Shannon Shaw’s, Windham Simply Sandy, Pelham Six Flags New England, Agawam Sarah Snyder Patty Spakowski Cathy Spinney Story Land, Glen T-Bones & Cactus Jack’s, Bedford TD Bank, Hampstead The Imported Grape, LLC, Bedford The Southwick Zoo, Mendon Anita Trudel Tuscan Kitchen, Salem Two Guys Smoke Shop, Salem USS Constitution Museum, Boston Van Otis Chocolates, Manchester Vertical Dreams, Manchester Windham Jewelers, Inc., E. Hampstead Woodland Wood Works, E. Hampstead Lorraine & Bob Wysocki Zorvino Vineyards, Sandown 7 NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PD ATKINSON, NH PERMIT 36 8 Commerce Drive, Ste 801, Atkinson, New Hampshire 03811 Save the Dates st 25th Annual Golf Challenge Thursday, September 11th, 2014 Candia Woods Golf Links, Candia, NH Community Partnership Celebration Thursday, October 9th from 6 PM to 9 PM Atkinson Country Club, Atkinson, NH W e sda e dn be o t c O , y r1 2nd Annual Flu Shot Clinic at Community Crossroads Community Crossroads in partnership with Rockingham Service Link will be hosting a Flu Shot Clinic at the Community Crossroads’ office located at 8 Commerce Drive in Atkinson. This FREE clinic is held on a first come, first served basis. To register, please call 603-893-9769 between the hours of 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday For more information please visit our website at www.communitycrossroadsnh.org or call (603) 893-1299
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