Greetings Everyone!
It’s official, Fall is here! The mornings are cooler, the days are getting shorter, and the leaves are changing.
September marked another busy month at ACHIEVE, as we continue to safely get back out into the community and find new and creative ways to provide supports across our three counties.
On September 13th, we kicked off National Direct Support Professionals Week, which always serves as a reminder of the incredible work of our essential frontline staff, but felt all the more important this year. We have been fortunate and blessed to have our amazing DSPs, who’ve stepped up in countless ways over the last couple months, and I’d once again like to take a moment and recognize their hard work and dedication to ACHIEVE. I hope you’ll take a moment and watch our tribute video to our DSPs below.
Following the success of our inaugural event last year, we were looking forward to bringing our 2nd annual Half-K Classic fundraiser back to Norwich in October, but in the interest of safety, we’ve made the transition to a virtual Half-K event. While we can’t be together like we’d planned, I’d invite anyone in Broome, Chenango and Tioga County to participate and send in your photos walking, running or riding in style in our beautiful upstate Fall weather. More details on participating are below.
While things continue to look different across our agency for the time being, we are still so grateful to be in a position to bring the individuals we care for so deeply back on site, and we continue to advocate on their behalf alongside our sister Arc New York chapters against funding cuts that will be detrimental to their lives and the services we provide.
As we move into Fall, we remain committed to the safety of our individuals and staff, and I assure everyone that we will continue vigilantly monitoring the virus in our community in the days and weeks ahead.
As always, thank you for your continued support of our organization and those we support, and enjoy this edition of the Beacon.
Warmest regards,
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Amy Howard
Chief Executive Officer
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Please join us for our second annual Half-K Classic, which is going virtual this year! |
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From October 24th-31st, participants can walk, run or cruise their Half-K
(0.6 miles), anytime, anyplace they choose and send in their pictures through Facebook or email to appear in our Finish Line Photo Album.
Have fun with it! Enjoy the fall weather, walk in costume, show off in a classic car, get the whole family involved!
Registration is $20, and includes a free ticket to the Northeast Classic Car Museum, a commemorative bag, and savings to area businesses.
(Register by 10/15/2020 to ensure you receive your packet)
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The Half-K Classic and our other signature events help us fund the crucial programming ACHIEVE Provides. Please help us spread the word and get involved! Simply click "Fundraise" on the event page to share with your friends and family! Start a friendly competition with coworkers...the options are endless! |
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Due to some special machining that CWS has used for decades, we were able to secure a purchase order this month for $56,000 in sales for vacuum formed blisters. A blister is a plastic package that holds the product. It gets the name from items where you would press the compartment to force the product out, like a pill package. The customer, Southwest Microwave, is a leading global provider of high performance outdoor perimeter security systems and interconnected products for microwave and millimeter wave applications. We provide the plastic trays and lids that they use to package some of their smaller components. |
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The process of making these blisters is very interesting to watch. Our engineer designs a mold or form that meets the customers specific layout and fits directly in our machine. Depending on the size of the blister, we can usually do up to approximately 20 units per press. We use a Qvac Machine, which will heat up the plastic film to make it formable, and then using vacuum technology, will suck out the extra air and draw the film down into the mold. This process forms the unique shape for these items. Multiple lids or trays are made at once and remain attached to the sheet of film. They are removed from the Qvac and taken to the die cutting machine, where they will be cut away from the scrap and packaged to ship.
We have performed this service for many years and across multiple customers. However, there are several larger manufacturers who deal directly with PVC products that several customers have chosen to purchase from directly. They have more automated processes, which allow for a quicker turnaround time, and essentially a less expensive product. It was our ability to be flexible, our familiarity with the customer’s design, and the direct customer service across CWS that was able to secure this blister job and add those sales dollars to the budget. Now that’s a “blister” worth working for!
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Direct Support Professional's Week |
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September 13th is the start of Direct Support Professionals Week in New York State, and is a perfect opportunity to highlight the dedicated, innovative direct support workforce that is the heart and soul of ACHIEVE. Direct Support Professionals are entrusted with the awesome responsibility of walking beside the individuals we serve so that they may lead and live their best lives. On behalf of ACHIEVE's Board of Directors and Executive Management Team, we wanted to express our gratitude to all DSPs across our organization and New York State. |
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Caregivers wear many hats, and are flexible and always ready for change. A caregiver recognizes both the challenges and the reward of supporting someone. Here at ACHIEVE, our Direct Support Professionals truly understand what it means to be caregivers for the individuals supported, and they come into work each day never truly knowing how it may go. However, they always go in knowing that they will provide the best quality care that they can give. |
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Being a good Direct Support Professional means being an amazing friend. The qualities of a good friend include honesty, love, warmth, and loyalty. Good friends are non-judgmental and give unconditional love. DSPs are there to share new experiences with the individuals served, making each moment a FUN one. And DSPs are there to listen and provide support, and even be a shoulder to cry on when someone is having a bad day. |
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Above all else, our Direct Support Professionals are considered family. Family means having someone to love you unconditionally in spite of your shortcomings. Family is loving and supporting one another even when it’s not easy to do so. It’s being the best person you can be so that you can inspire your loved ones. It’s extremely difficult to not form a lifelong bond with the individuals supported, day after day. And it’s through this unbreakable bond that our DSPs morph into some of the most amazing family members. |
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What Does It Mean To Be A Direct Support Professional? |
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What exactly does it MEAN to be a Direct Support Professional (DSP)? When we reached out to our ACHIEVE DSPs, we captured what being a DSP meant for them, and compiled their beautiful answers in this final DSP Appreciation video. |
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Thomas A. Maul Direct Service Professional Excellence Award |
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This year we were thrilled to nominate our very own Amantha Powell for The Arc NY Thomas A. Maul Direct Support Professional Excellence Award! Amantha received recognition at the annual Arc NY meeting, a certificate, and cash prize! Congratulations, Amantha! |
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National DSP Week Giveaway |
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Congratulations to Joan Whittington for being nominated and winning the National DSP Week giveaway hosted by Direct Care Innovations! Your hard work and willingness to go above and beyond is greatly appreciated! |
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The team at our Main Street house enjoyed the beautiful Labor Day weather by spending it outside and having a DELICIOUS cookout! |
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Helen and Priscilla have recently joined the ACHIEVE family and have expressed how much they wanted to show off the ACHIEVE name with some sort of swag. After hearing this, our marvelous staff member Shawnta went on the hunt and was able to find two ACHIEVE shirts to make their day - and it sure did |
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We've all adjusted to using technology to connect with others, and John couldn't let his cooking lessons end with Ed due to social distancing! The two of them still take the time to check in on one another and learn to cook something new - including some delicious hot roast beef sandwiches. |
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Richell, one of our incredible staff members, knew that sometimes learning new things can be scary. Good thing some of our Clarkson individuals were up for the task! Not only did they learn how to fish and about different types of fish and their environment, but they were thrilled to make their first catch! "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." - Vivian Greene |
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A few animal lovers, Jessie and Gwen, were thrilled to meet one of their staff members' horses, Mr. Billy! Mr. Billy was showered in loving pets and kisses from these two! |
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Joel said that he was very excited to sign up for the Boilermaker Run, held in Utica, for the first time, but with COVID in effect, it was switched to a virtual run. He was still very excited to be a part of it, and ran 9.3 miles! A few weeks later, he received a medal in the mail and was ecstatic! Joel says that he is proud of himself for completing the race, and cannot wait until next year when he can hopefully run with others! |
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Housemates at Helen Street have been busy prepping for the spooky season! The house has been properly dressed with cobwebs, pumpkins, ghosts, and witches! |
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We've been enjoying the beautiful days recently and trying to capture as much sun and warmth as we can before the cold comes in. As a way to stay outside and enjoy the weather, participants made some fantastic tie-dye shirts! |
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Some individuals from the Chenango Day Habilitation were able to safely enjoy a nice fall ride to the Hanehan Family Farm in Mount Upton. Everyone was able to pick a pumpkin of their choice and enjoy all the fall activities and animals that were on the farm. |
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You may have seen a familiar logo pop up on the Vestal Parkway recently! Our lease at our Riverside Drive location ended earlier this year, and we relocated our Administrative, Human Resources, Business & Finance and Training teams to our new Forever Home on the Parkway! We look forward to being able to open publicly soon! |
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Congratulations to the following employees for receiving a promotion in August! |
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- Nyema Fredricks - HR Assistant
- Kristalyn Barrows - Assistant Residential Manager
- Mackenzie Cafferty - Assistant Residential Manager
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2020 Apparel Sale
Get your ACHIEVE Swag Now!
ACHIEVE’s Apparel Store is now open for a limited time! Offering a wide variety of ACHIEVE merchandise, including the always popular ACHIEVE hoodie, as well as some cool new items! Check out the all new ACHIEVE socks!
ACHIEVE’s Apparel Store is a great way to get your Christmas shopping done and show you’re #ACHIEVEProud! Orders due October 11, 2020 so HURRY! Click the link below to start shopping!
Please note, merchandise cannot be shipped directly, but can be picked up at one of our convenient locations! Please select pickup site when you place your orders.
For questions contact, Shari Caudell, Director of Community Engagement at [email protected] , or by phone at 607-231-5217.
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Shop and Support ACHIEVE! |
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We’re excited that Boscov’s selected ACHIEVE as one of their Friends Helping Friends fundraiser recipients!
On October 14th and 15th, you can shop at Boscov’s during their 20% off promotion sale, and Boscov’s will donate 5% of your total purchase price back to ACHIEVE if you mention us at checkout. It’s that easy!
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We’re just a few weeks away from the election on November 3rd, and we wanted to remind everyone of two important dates, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 safety concerns at polling places:
October 9th: last day to postmark a Voter Registration form
October 27th: last day to postmark an Absentee Ballot application
Issues that directly affect our agency and those we support are proposed regularly, and it’s important that we all exercise our voice through voting.
For more information on registering to vote or requesting an Absentee Ballot, please email [email protected].
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Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, an Instagram to stay up-to-date with all that ACHIEVE is doing! |
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