CLI Incorporated

P.O. Box 508

Norwalk, Ohio 44857

CLIsupports.com

419-706-5137

Week of August 29th, 2022

Thanks Mark & Kristi for this week's @work bit!

John's usual--

Last week was a rough one at CLI. Former CLI Boardmember, Nate Lucal, passed away unexpectedly while on vacation last Sunday. I feel like everyone who reads this newsletter already knew and loved Nate. He's been a part of CLI for many years and will definitely be missed. Nate was a role model, not just for people with DD, but for the larger community. I admired his ability to identify personal ambitions and structure his actions around those goals. That's an important life skill whoever you are. And of course he was kind, generous, and funny. You can read Nate's obituary by clicking on his pictures.

Then there was COVID, which went through CLI staff like a hot knife through butter.  I'm grateful for the patience and graciousness of CLI clients-- as well as their family and other provider agencies staff.  I'm also super grateful for the CLI staff who jumped without being asked to make it work-- and kept it upbeat despite whatever challenges popped up every day last week.

On Friday evening, September 30th, CLI is hosting a free school age kids & parent educational mixer at Kenilee Lanes.  The only agenda is to give the kids a chance to bowl & have fun while the parents share information about what to expect and how to plan for life after high school.  The reality is that school age services are really, really, really different than what's available to adults after graduation.  Real life details transition planning needs to happen much earlier so that parents know what tools they have in their kit.  OOD job development is great, but without thoughtful wrap-around services to support the individual's life outside of work, that's not enough.  If we really want young people with DD to have independent, integrated experiences after high school that fit within the budget constraints of LevelOne and/or SELF waivers, then we need to engage parents to plan early-- and to dream larger.  It all starts with providing the information, so if you know of a school age parent, please share this 9/30 invitation with them.



Finally-- I know that the student loan forgiveness issue is political, so I'm not going to weigh in on either side of it. However, I do think it is important to share the facts so that we're all arguing about the same thing.  Below this section are a few of the most recent links that were shared with me.

That's all I have for this week. It's Labor Day next Monday, so next week's newsletter will come out on Tuesday morning, September 6th. CLI programs will be closed on Monday, September 5th for Labor Day. Have fun & be safe.

John

Thanks to everyone who showed up for CLI's 3rd Cornhole Tournament! Winners walked with $200 this week. 

Final Cornhole event is Saturday, September 24th (registration at 12:00pm-12:45pm, play starts at 1pm).  

A special THANK YOU! again to N2Y from Huron, who supported our event with 5 volunteers! Super fun group. If you'd like to learn more about N2Y, click the link below:

We have LOTS of reverse raffle tickets left to sell.  Drawing is September 24th.  

As a reminder, on the first Wed. of every month, we have an open drop off day. ANYONE can bring paper to be destroyed. Businesses and non-businesses are welcome. Seniors get a special break. The first 50 lbs. are free for seniors. It is only .25/lb. after the first 50lbs.

It does not matter where you live either.

Our next drop off day will be September 7^th from 9-2.      

FAQ(s) of the week:

Q: As a parent of a high school student with a DD that wants to customize services to fit his unique ambitions and live independently-- how do I learn more?  

A: There are many new changes in Level One and SELF waivers that went into effect this July. The first step is to talk to your County Board of DD SSA and make sure that you have started everything you need to do to help enroll your child in a waiver or other funding that will pay for the supports he/she needs. The next step is to learn more about what supports are available. There are many more options than old-fashioned group living situations and large group segregated day programs. The good news is that Ohio's rules require person-centered planning. This means that the person served is in charge and your budget can be used to pay for the very specific things that you want. The bad news is that it's a lot more work to build a unique situation for each person instead of simply finding an open slot in a traditional group setting. It's even a little harder because a lot of the individualized, creative solutions are super new and often even your SSA is still learning about them.

CLI will highlight some of the new service opportunities in our future newsletters. These new supports are especially important for parents of transition age young adults because they can use them to flex around their kid-- and because often these new services can be more focused than the traditional products. They may cost more per hour, but they are designed to provide episodic vs. constant levels of support. This means that with proper planning, they can cost less per year, which is important because people need to build a structure of services that fit within their budget. It's also important because it establishes the default to live & work independently.

Video(s) o' the week-- got one you'd like to share? Send it in!