Here at ACHIEVE we have so much to celebrate this holiday season and trust me, we have been doing so mightily!
In this edition of our e-newsletter you will notice that we have really gotten into the holiday spirit and have been busy with parties, volunteerism, community activities, and much more! We are making memories! I truly hope each of you is enjoying a beautiful holiday season with your loved ones and that the holidays are all that you anticipated.
Happy Holidays,
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Amy Howard
Chief Executive Officer
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Carol has been very active participating in services at ACHIEVE. She started in the LTSE program from 2011 until 2012, then she was referred for Site Base Pre-Vocational Services from 2014 until 2018. During that time, she was actively participating in the Pathway to Employment Program. Upon completion of Pathway to Employment; she was referred to The NYS Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR), where she was referred to receive Supportive Employment services here at ACHIEVE in April of 2018.
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Since 2016, Carol has applied at many different companies for part-time employment, including cleaning, food service, and general labor. None of those positions were quite right, nor did they fit Carol’s upbeat and social abilities. In January of 2019, Carol started to volunteer at Absolut Nursing Facility located in Endicott, NY in the Activities Room. Due to Carol’s perseverance to find employment; she was hired in June of 2019 for the position of Activities Assistant. This position was a good match for her outgoing personality. Carol’s Employment Service Professional (Job Coach) helped her by working with Absolut Nursing Center Administration to accommodate her with a work schedule that met Carol’s availability and the Employer’s needs, and Carol was offered a part-time evening position. Carol could not be happier in her position and is grateful for all of those who have helped her achieve her goal.
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We'd like to thank Absolut Care for providing meaningful employment to Carol here at ACHIEVE!
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Attention area business owners: Are you interested in
diversifying your workforce?
Are you seeking
dependable
,
quality
employees? Please consider a partnership with ACHIEVE as we look to place individuals of varying abilities into meaningful employment positions. We currently have a pool of 54 available applicants ready to meet your business needs. For additional information please contact Jason Harriott, VP Community Based Services at
jharriott@achieveny.org
or 607-231-5259.
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Both our individuals and staff are big football fans here at ACHIEVE! So one of our Program Managers, Sarah Miller, decided to organize a trip up to Buffalo to see a Buffalo Bills game! Now, this was no ordinary two person trip. Instead, Sarah worked with all the house Program Mangers to make this an ACHIEVE road trip! They were able to get 56 people to join them on their venture to Buffalo and all enjoyed the game as one big ACHIEVE family. The best part? The Buffalo Bills won! What an amazing time had by all.
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Participants in our On the Pond ~ At Cutler Program love giving back to the community, especially when it will benefit their furry friends! Participants worked together to make blankets for animals in shelters. They were delivered to Every Dog's Dream and the Broome County Dog Shelter.
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Congratulations James Hayes!
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Earlier this year, we were honored to rename our Guardianship Committee after long-time agency advocate, Jim Hayes, and even more thrilled that The Arc New York specially recognized him at their Board of Governor’s meeting for nearly 30 years of work on behalf of individuals at ACHIEVE and statewide! Congratulations, Jim!
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As if our On the Pond ~ At Cutler program isn't already amazing, some of the older individuals expressed interest in starting a Purple Hat Society. This is now a group of older women in On the Pond who get nicely dressed, wear their fancy hats, and come together to enjoy some tea and cookies! They will be working on coming up with more activities for the Purple Hat Society, such as doing small crafts with one another, and maybe even doing something for the community!
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We were thrilled to participate in National Disability Voter Registration Week earlier this year, and even more thrilled that some of our individuals went out and exercised their right to vote in November and made sure their voices were heard.
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Participants in Recreation Respite made inspirational frames what held beautiful message such as "May love be what you remember most" and "Love is strong, love lives on". Then they worked together to make a chicken pot pie casserole and mac & cheese, and delivered everything to Mercy House for their Day of Giving.
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Some members from the Executive Management Team and ACHIEVE Board Member Nicki French were thrilled to attend The Arc New York's 70th Anniversary Gala!
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Every year, participants wish to give back by donating turkeys to those in need. They went to the store and participated in Catholic Charities' Thanks-4-Giving campaign.
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Have you ever just wanted to gather thirty of your pals and have a dinner party? Well, that's just what Recreation Respite did one weekend for their 4th Annual Friendsgiving Feast! Thirty participants and six staff spent the day cooking, baking, and enjoying friendships at Cutler Pond. Everyone was thankful (and stuffed) by the time they went home!
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Boy, were Jeff and Randy excited to see what they showed up one day wearing the exact same thing! Randy (on the right) told Jeff that they were twins! Looking good, fellas!
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Ladies at our Sunset House lost a housemate this year, Lila. Since they always feel her spirit in the dining room, the decided to paint it Lila's favorite color - yellow!
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GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
This year, GivingTuesday is being celebrated on Tuesday, December 3rd. If you feel inclined, join the giving spirit and donate to ACHIEVE so we can continue to provide supports and services for the 2,200 individuals served across three counties.
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We have so much to be proud of here at ACHIEVE, and our opportunities to touch others' lives daily.
2019 was a great year as you can see below.
But we need your support
. In order to keep that momentum going and continue providing exceptional services to those we serve, we rely on generous gifts from supporters,
like you
, who want to make a difference in thousands of lives.
Your gift matters
.
Please consider donating to us today. Here are some highlights of how donations have helped ACHIEVE in 2019:
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Thank you for your generosity and have a fantastic holiday season!
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Did you know ACHIEVE is approved to be a designated charity for Facebook fundraisers? And it's really easy to do!
Around your birthday Facebook will usually prompt you, but any other time, click the
…
in the New Post box, select “Support Nonprofit”, and search for ACHIEVE. All set!
As I’m sure you’re aware, we can always use more funding to continue providing excellent services to our individuals, so please consider ACHIEVE for Facebook fundraising efforts around your birthday or other special event, and encourage your friends and family to do so too. While an easy way for our organization to raise money in service of our individuals, it’s an even better way to share our mission and what we do with our friends and family.
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Don't forget to follow us to stay up-to-date with all that ACHIEVE is doing!
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Thank you to our 2019 Sponsors!
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