Heidi Friedman Receives Blesher For Making National Arc Trip A Success

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!