When
The Arc of Delaware County learned that they would be receiving a $6,000 grant from
the Trustees of the NYSARC Trusts to support recreational opportunities for
people they provide services and supports to, excitement filled the air. Receiving this money has facilitated the
granting of wishes for several people supported by The Arc who may otherwise
not have had these opportunities.
One
such person is Kelly Piskacek. She is an effervescent woman who has only
dreamed of traveling from her small, country hometown to the glowing city of
New York, where everything sparkles and the stars shine not only in the sky but
on the stage. This grant made Kelly’s
wish come true. She recently hopped on a
bus, with her support staff, Life Coach Heidi Friedman, and was on her way to
the big city. Though the experiences
were all very new to her, she navigated her way around like a superstar. She spent
hours just walking around taking in the scenery and was in awe of all the tall
buildings, she was pampered at a beauty salon, and of course did some Christmas
shopping. But perhaps her favorite part
of the trip was to Radio City Music Hall. When the Rockettes started dancing
Kelly was literally on the edge of her seat.
“I remember when the Santas started to appear 1 by 1 and Kelly was
staring at the stage saying ‘Heidi look, Heidi look’--but she couldn’t take her
eyes off of them. When the nativity set was performing a low but clear ‘WOW’
was heard. She was transformed into another world.” recalled Heidi. At the end of the day Kelly returned to the
hotel exhilarated, exhausted, and ready to do it all over again.
The
NYSARC Trusts administer supplemental needs trusts that enable people who have
disabilities to remain in their home and community and retain their Medicaid
eligible services. The Trustees utilize remainder funds to benefit other
persons with disabilities including unfunded Chapter guardianship programs as
provided by statute. In addition to the
Recreation Grant, the Trustees awarded $1,225,500 to support Chapter
Guardianship programs. Information on how you may benefit from a NYSARC Trust
is available by calling 518-439-8323 or 1-800-735-8924 or by emailing
info@nysarctrustservices.org. To learn
more about The Arc of Delaware County, visit www.delarc.org; to see more photos from Kelly’s NYC trip, click on the Flickr
link on the homepage.
Eddie Tuduri, Founder/Director of The Rhythmic Arts Project
(TRAP) visited The Arc of Delaware County at four locations this week. Eddie
has been working with The Arc for over 9 years integrating the methods and
techniques that he developed into The TRAP program and applying it in different
ways to aid people in learning. Eddie explained, “The essence of The TRAP
program is that it is fun. And it teaches people how to listen, follow
directions, communicate, share, and many other social skills. It draws people into the realm of learning.”
He clarified that “TRAP is NOT a program on how to play the drums but rather a
tool.” People learn with more of their senses in the TRAP program, because the
drums and other rhythmic instruments provide a tactile, auditory piece to aid
in remembering things. They learn many
skills such as sequencing, colors, math, coordination, social and communication
skills as a result of the class. And the TRAP methodology can be used in a
variety of learning situations. For
example, on Thursday, Henry Kamp received a lesson in timing from Eddie to hone
his joke telling skills. To tell a joke
well, timing is everything! Henry also
learned about voice inflection and introducing emotion into stories and jokes. Henry
and Chee Chee the Clown provide entertainment at several venues in Delaware
County and Henry utilized the TRAP program while preparing for a December event at the Office of the Aging.
When asked what
changes he had seen over the years spent with The Arc of Delaware County, Eddie
shared that he didn’t see many pure TRAP classes being taught this week. However
what he did observe was a variety of ways that segments of the TRAP program
were being integrated into individualized learning.
The joy and excitement that Eddie brings with each visit to
The Arc of Delaware county was evident by the hugs, smiles, and warm greetings he received
from those who have had the pleasure of being in his class before.
“Betsy is always looking for a better way to do things. She
is interested in program activities, looks to protect and preserve building and
equipment and is constantly vigilant about safety. She has been a wonderful
resource and “additional pair of helping hands” at our Parent Support
Meetings.” states Barb Thompson, Community Relations Assistant.
Examples of how Betsy personifies the six unifying
principles of the Arc of Delaware County include:
Those We Serve Come
First-Betsy kept the staff apprised of conditions that could affect the
safety of those we serve including everything from icy parking lots to county
fire training events where large vehicles commute through the parking lot.
Commit to Excellence-
Betsy always looked to preserve and protect agency facilities and equipment
while allowing planned program activities to run smoothly. For example, when a classroom was to be used
for evening child care, she would carefully wrap and secure computers and
equipment to avoid potential damage.
Be Dedicated- She
demonstrated her interest in program activities with comments, ideas, and
suggestions. She looked for the safe
arrival and departure of the parents and children attending the Parent Support
Group meetings. When the front building entrance was undergoing renovations she
kept watch for new arrivals, guiding them to an alternative entrance while
staff was occupied with the evening program.
Employee
Satisfaction- Betsy always looked for ways to assist staff. Whether with
set up or clean up after meetings, Betsy always asked what she could do to
help. Many times she volunteered to put away equipment and clean up
refreshments so staff could leave for home when programs ran later than
expected.
Communicate
Effectively- Betsy always checked scheduled building use and advised
Community Relations of potential conflicts. This mitigated potential problems
on several occasions.
Be Innovative-
Betsy always found ways to make Parent Support Group activities successful. For
example, when she learned that there would be crafts involving painting, she
proactively slid plastic bags over tables to protect them and make clean up
easier. For a Halloween Donut game she obtained plastic sheeting to tape under
the donuts to ensure safety and cleanliness during the game.
Congratulations Betsy on your Blesher award!
Much was
accomplished over the course of 7 weeks when Russ Neale, a community partner
who has extensive skills in carpentry, led a comprehensive workshop this summer
and fall. Four students learned woodworking
“A-Z”, from the various types of wood, their properties and uses, to safety and
operation of equipment and tools.
Each student designed and completed an
individual project of their choosing. They also worked as a team to create a
project together. October 25th was a
special day when they delivered their team project, an Adirondack chair and
table, to be enjoyed by people at Main Street Residence in Delhi, NY.
Proudly
displaying their craftsmanship are 2 of the students: Tracey Rossi (seated)
and Will Vovchik standing behind Tracy. Also pictured (left to right) are staff
from The Arc of Delaware County Mike Sikorski, Annette Plath, James Callender,
and Russ Neale, Carpentry Instructor.
Not pictured, are two individuals from Community Living Skills-Walton
that participated in the class.
Pictured showing his individual project is Will Vovchik with a
cherry picture frame he made that enhances a drawing made by a friend.
In this month of bountiful harvests
which also encompasses Community Service Day on October 5th, The Arc of
Delaware County recently reached out and supported local communities in a
variety of ways.
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Pictured in the photo from left to right are: Pat McDonald
and Judy Ford from the Delhi Senior Community Apts., Tina Osadca, Gabrielle Rosario, SUNY Liberal Arts student, Adonis Smalls, SUNY Carpentry student and Matt Wilson.
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For SUNY Delhi’s Community Service
Day, people at The Arc of Delaware County’s Main Street Residence teamed
with students from SUNY Delhi and enjoyed baking cookies together for delivery
to residents at the Delhi Senior Community Apartments.
In a note to The Arc of Delaware County the seniors wrote: “Thank you so very
much for the platter of homemade cookies. We really appreciate your
thoughtfulness and kindness.”
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Pictured in the photograph are
Carol Norwick, Secretary to the Principal and Thomas Ferrante who helped in the
baking and delivery of the cookies.
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On October 8th Margaretville
Central School hosted a Senior Citizen Dinner Dance in recognition of LiLY
(Lifeforce in Late Years), a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of
senior citizens. Again, using their baking skills, a group of self advocates
from The Arc of Delaware County supported the dance by providing delicious
desserts for the enjoyment of over 60 seniors who attended.
And ending the month with a “ BANG”
or should we say a “BOO!”, Community Living Skills in Walton hosted another
popular Halloween Hoopla on Saturday October 26th where over 60 local children
and their families enjoyed, crafts, games, a costume exchange, a “not-so-spooky”
Halloween Maze and refreshments.
Reaching out, giving back, and
fully participating in our communities- that are what being part of a community
is all about!
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Angie pictured on the left of Blesher surrounded by the staff at CLS-W who nominated her
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“During a time when CLS-W was growing and in need of
additional staff, Angie stepped in, set up here and jumped in whenever needed”
stated the CLS-W Staff in their nomination.
Angie Edwards is a Person Centered Planner located in The
Arc of Delaware County’s Hamden office. She helps individuals with disabilities
to plan their life and supports that enable them to live personally fulfilling
lives. However, when CLS-W experienced a large increase in caseload, staff
stated that Angie was a real team player- when help was needed; she rearranged
her work schedule and jumped in to assist.
While at CLS-W she asked what she could do to assist one on
one with an individual new to the CLS-W program. She followed up on feeding
guidelines before assisting individuals and offered many helpful suggestions at
staff meetings. CLS-W Staff was very appreciative of her efforts and her
passion to be helpful. They wanted to express their appreciation by nominating
her for a Blesher Award which was presented on Oct. 7th at the CLS-W facility.
Through her actions Angie exemplifies each of the 6 Unifying
Principals of The Arc of Delaware County: Those
We Serve Come First, Commit to Excellence, Be Dedicated, Employee Satisfaction,
Communicate Effectively and Be Innovative.
Congratulations Angie!
The journey of a lifetime has begun for Justin Kirby. Justin has always enjoyed writing, acting,
and theater. He shared, “I’m a big movie buff. I’ve been in plays before and I
just love acting.” But he wanted to further his knowledge and hone his skills,
so he started to look into colleges that offered theater classes. However before
applying to college, Justin first needed to obtain a General Education Diploma
(GED). This fact did not deter him and this year Justin attended a weekly class
from January to July. However the process of obtaining a GED requires strong
self motivation and determination to complete self studies using books and
preparatory tests in Math, Social Sciences, Reading, and Writing. When asked
what kept him motivated, Justin pointed to his parents and Valarie Stafford,
Life Coach at The Arc of Delaware County who knew that he wanted to do this for
years. The first step is always the hardest, but “Jeanne Ntibalkure (Service
Coordinator) made the phone call with me to get me enrolled in classes”. Val shared that Justin “showed a commitment
and desire to work through it (the courses).” And on September 12th, Justin was
thrilled to find out that he passed the test and earned his GED. He was
especially proud that he passed the test on his first try and he and his family
celebrated with a special dinner that night.
When asked what he would say to others considering obtaining
a GED degree he said, “If you have a dream to get your GED, go for it. Don’t
let anybody else tell you that you can’t.”
Justin looks forward to enrolling in a college theater program and in
the meantime continues to write. “I’ve been working on writing my own movies.”
The most recent movie script he is working on involves a romantic comedy set in
New York City. He shared, “I hope sooner
or later one of my screenplays gets picked and turned into an actual movie.”
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