Robin Williams, Life Coach 10 at CLS-Arkville
nominated Heidi Friedman for a Blesher Award. She wrote a compelling nomination:
"Heidi invested so much personal time and energy into the
preparation and support of one of our individuals, Kelly, who recently attended
the National ARC convention in Washington, DC.
While I recognize that
preparation for community inclusion is part of her job description as a Life Coach
VII, she really went above and beyond her job description. Heidi recognized
that Kelly was deserving of this opportunity, but would need a great deal of
support to make it happen.
Many of the ways Heidi supported Kelly were in areas that
Kelly would have not have been able to receive support, due to her current home
situation.
Those We Serve Come
First-
1.
In an effort to help the Kelly be prepared for
social gatherings, Heidi brought Kelly home for a dinner with her family, where
she guided Kelly in making appropriate conversation as well as basic table
manners.
2.
Heidi arranged for Kelly to have a haircut with
her own hair stylist outside of work hours.
Commit to Excellence-
1.
Due to Kelly’s current home situation, she was
not prepared with supplies for a lengthy trip, especially one which included
some ‘fancy’ stops. These supplies
included appropriate clothes, footwear and personal care items. Heidi created a wardrobe for Kelly to choose
from, using her relationship with the local Thrift Store. Kelly was able to choose outfits from an
array of quality clothing which were diligently sought out by Heidi to be the
right fit and ‘style’ to Kelly’s liking.
2.
Beyond helping Kelly choose clothes, Heidi then
took it upon herself to mend & hem any items which did not fit Kelly. Kelly has a unique body shape, which meant
that most pants and many jackets needed to be hemmed; all of which Heidi did on
her personal time with her own supplies.
Be Innovative-
1.
To allow for Kelly to have the most independence
while in DC, Heidi came up with a creative way to provide Kelly with guidance
when getting dressed daily. Heidi
supported Kelly to pair up clothing and create outfits, and then took pictures
of Kelly in these outfits. Kelly very much enjoyed these ‘fashion shows.’ Heidi helped Kelly pack these photos in
Kelly’s suitcase for the trip, and while in DC, Kelly was able to choose from
the photos what she wanted to wear, and then match the clothing items, so she
could dress independently.
2.
Kelly has a unique set of goal which Heidi was
able to address in some very creative ways, including addressing her computer
goal, by teaching Kelly to use the Metro Card machine, an activity that
otherwise might have been quickly done by staff, became a learning experience
for Kelly.
Communicate
Effectively-
1.
Heidi has developed a strong relationship and
level of trust with Kelly’s mother, this being one of the main reason’s Kelly
was able to go on this week long trip so far away from home. An opportunity she may have never had if Heidi
had not developed this trusting relationship.
Heidi communicated with Kelly’s mother frequently to keep her up to date
on the plans.
3.
Upon their return, Heidi assembled the many
photos from the trip, again on her personal time and quickly created a display
for Kelly to share with peers and staff.
Kelly outwardly glowed while sharing her trip photos with Heidi’s
guidance.
4.
At the staff meeting following Heidi &
Kelly’s return, Heidi became emotional while sharing with us the details of the
trip and Kelly’s reactions to different scenarios. She quoted the following statements, which I
think helped fellow staff get a wonderful feeling for how invested Heidi was,
but also how important this entire experience was for Kelly.
“There
was not moment where I thought, this might not be the best idea” (before the
trip, Heidi was a bit nervous about the
amount of activities Kelly would need to be ready to participate in, and also
the new challenges she might face.)
“You could see Kelly getting uneasy about something,
…..especially the metro…..but then she would just buck up, put her chin up, and
do it, you could see her working things out.”
“You could see Kelly absorbing everything
around her; this really meant something to her.”
Staff who work with Kelly have also noticed
a difference since her return, “Kelly is a totally different person, she
is shining with confidence and holding her head up higher.”
Overall I know this was one of the most
time-consuming trips to prepare for, but Heidi did it all with so much energy
and commitment, but also calmness in preparing Kelly for something she had
never done before on such a large scale.
She has displayed every Unifying Principle, and the above examples are
only a handful of actions I witnessed that deserve recognition in the form of
this award."
Congratulations Heidi!
