Greetings Everyone!

 

I believe I speak for everyone here at ACHIEVE when I tell you that we are thoroughly enjoying the warmer temperatures of the last few weeks! Barbeques, baseball games, and other outdoor activities seem to be filling our days and evenings. There is nothing I love more than to join the individuals we support for an afternoon stroll around Cutler Pond!

 

You may have seen our Arc NY Lip Sync Video which was launched on May 13 ^th . It was featured on ACHIEVE’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and in case you missed it, we are featuring it in this newsletter below! You can also visit www.arcsync.org to view the lip sync videos that have been created by sister chapters across New York State! This was a such a fun activity for individuals and staff alike, and is truly representative of the work environment we strive to promote in our organization. The expression, “those that play together, stay together” is not lost on us!

 

We are so very excited that our 65 ^th Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Banquet, scheduled for June 7 ^th at the McKinley in Endicott, NY is nearly sold out!!! If you’ve ever attended you know what a special evening this truly is for the individuals we support, their families, our staff, and the many community supporters who join us each year. This year we are excited to recognize a number of program participants from across our agency who are just thriving and growing with the habilitation supports they receive. We also have very special recognition that will be provided to James M. Hayes, ACHIEVE’s 2019 Community Service Award winner.

 

As always, I thank you for your ongoing interest in and support for our organization and more importantly, the individuals we serve. 

 

Warm Regards,

ACHIEVE was challenged to partake in a state-wide lip sync challenge. This initiative is to show collaboration between the 43 Arc Chapters, but also demonstrate how fun it is to work here! We decided to use the song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey - and ACHIEVE staff and individuals jumped right in to participate! We had a lot of fun partaking in the Lip Sync Challenge. To view videos made by other Arc Chapters, click here!

Here at ACHIEVE, we were very excited to partake in Red Nose Day on May 23rd! Red Nose Day is a campaign with the mission to end child poverty by funding programs that keep children safe, healthy, and educated. ACHIEVE was able to assist in selling red noses to staff members and individuals in order to raise money for this amazing cause!

While relaxing at home, Lydia and I got on the topic of hairstyles, and when she heard me say I was getting married, she asked me if I had any hairstyles picked out for my special day. After showing her a few options I had in mind, Lydia asked if I could do her hair like how she wants it on her wedding day. While I was curling her hair, she told me about the kind of wedding she wants; the dress, the decorations, her wedding party, etc. When I was done, her housemate Mary asked if she could get her hair done as well! She had a smile on her face the entire time and couldn't believe how beautiful it came out. I was honored to help these ladies feel extra beautiful.

We always strive to help our individuals feel like a family - and what else would a family do on a beautiful day than wash their car? Not only did we get something accomplished, but we had fun doing it as a family.

Participants in the Guardianship Program were trilled to be able to start off the baseball season in their own baseball suite! Everyone had a wonderful time!

This signature event is an evening full of celebration and dancing, combined with a brief membership meeting and highly anticipated awards ceremony. The evening provides an opportunity for ACHIEVE to recognize the many accomplishments of our program participants and staff as well as express our sincere appreciation for the friendship of our community partners.

Tickets are almost sold out! To reserve your seat, sign up online by clicking here!

A huge congrats to Team ACHIEVE for attending the Newbsanity Mud Gauntlet 2019! This is what we love to see - amazing employees working together for such a great cause! Hope you all took a nice long bath afterwards! 

Participants in the Guardianship Program came together on a warm sunny day to make and enjoy some ice cream sundaes! Members of ACHIEVE's Guardianship Committee also attended and were able to reunite with folks they haven't seen in awhile!

Jessie, otherwise known as ACHIEVE's official Flag Guy, invited his friend Charlie to help put up the flag on a beautiful morning! It's one of their most favorite ways to start the day!

Individuals from Tioga decided to venture to Otsiningo park for a picnic, and boy were they surprised to see a sweet pig named Tinker Bell walking in the park! The individuals loved meeting a new friend, and even learned some interesting facts about Tinker Bell, like she weighs over one hundred pounds, lives in the house with the owner, and even has her own kiddie pool to stay clean! What a fun adventure!

On Thursday May 9th, Angela, Derik, and Kristen visited the VINES Community Garden on Tudor Street in Binghamton. During the visit, they planted marigolds to prevent insects and other pests from entering the rows of food.  

Now that the weather is getting warmer our folks in the vocational services department are going exploring. Individuals in our Site-Based program are learning about jobs in the field of art and have painted rocks to place in the community. As they navigate the local neighborhood and identify places to put their inspiring creations, they are learning important skills related to community safety, personal safety and travel training. They are also able to explore the world of work through interfacing with local businesses during these excursions. It’s a great way to spend these warm spring days – learning and growing together!

#TeamTioga enjoyed seeing the Owego Memorial Day Parade, and then learning about the Tioga County Veterans who served our country. They then enjoyed the remainder of the beautiful day by having a picnic and playing yard games!

On behalf of the Executive Management Team and the Staff Appreciation Committee, we are honored to award Louise Schabloski, Human Resources Generalist, with ACHIEVE's June Employee of the Month!

Louise has worked for the agency for over 24 years and is always cheerful, friendly, and ready to help no matter how busy she is. To read more about Louise and why she was selected as Employee of the Month, visit our website by  clicking here!

Attention area business owners: Are you interested in diversifying your workforce? Are you seeking dependable, quality employees? Please consider a partnership with ACHIEVE in our initiative to assist individuals of varying abilities find employment. We currently have a pool of 55 available applicants ready to meet your business needs. For additional information please contact Lisa Whitney, Chief Operating Officer at [email protected] or 607-231-5201.

We celebrated Robin Robbin’s retirement after 18 years of employment with ACHIEVE. Robin worked for 16 of those years in our former CVI manufacturing workshop and then transitioned to vocational instruction in 2017. She has been a strong advocate for fostering literacy and has shared many talents through our P2I initiative. We wish Robin all the best as she enjoys retirement!  

On a sunny Saturday, Recreation Respite visited the Farmer's market and Taste NY store in the morning. In the afternoon, they headed to Otsiningo Park, where they met up with "Flyin' Brian", an instructor that led fun team building activities and Frisbee games.

Recreation Respite spent an afternoon at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton. The group went to the newest exhibit called “An Era Of Change”, where they learned about the events, advancements, and issues that took place in the world between 1910 and 1930.  

Recreation Respite spent the day at the Special Olympics Spring Games, held at Chenango Valley High School. Folks got to cheer on their friends and participate in a lot of fun activities!

On the Pond participants have been learning a lot about gardening. They've been working on growing vegetables and are planning to have a party with a large, fresh salad that they can share with their friends!

Participants had the zoo come to them on a rainy day! They were able to learn about some very interesting creatures, and even touch them too! They were very excited to touch the soft bunny, but not too thrilled to touch Ms. Rose, the snake.

Participants had a blast visiting Animal Adventures, and of course seeing the giraffes! Zookeeper Jordan even visited with everyone and provided some fun facts about lions. Overall, it was a great day!

Presented by M&T Bank, this elegant tasting event features offerings from over 40 of the region’s finest restaurants, wineries, and breweries. The expected 500 guests also enjoy live entertainment and an impressive silent auction overlooking the beautiful vistas of Cutler Pond. The evening culminates with a breathtaking fireworks display.

This unique event includes a Half-k fun run ending at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, New York. Bring the entire family to walk, run, or ride your way to the museum! Enjoy free admission to the Northeast Classic Car Museum, an opportunity to ride in a classic car, lunch reception, finish line photo, commemorative t-shirt, prizes, and more! More details to come!