Dear Staff,
Last week we announced that we will be holding the Employee Holiday Party next month on December 15th at The Mansion at Oyster Bay. This night is to recognize our staff’s hard work and dedication to our mission over these past almost two years, and we are excited to have this opportunity to celebrate. Due to COVID-19 precautions, this event is limited to 350 guests and anyone who wishes to attend must RSVP by November 24th. We will not be able to accommodate walk-ins. If you don’t RSVP, you will not be allowed to enter the party. Click here to download a PDF of the invitation to use to RSVP.
We are very happy to announce that earlier this month we inducted eight new employees into the Quarter Century Club, bringing the total number of members of the club to 38. We are so lucky to have such an amazing group of people that decided to devote their lives to ACLD and to helping others live an enviable life. See below in this newsletter for pictures from the Quarter Century Luncheon.
Please be aware that the agency is finalizing the employee benefits renewals now. Keep an eye out in your inbox for a memo from the Human Resources Department for this information. Also, don't forget - we are still encouraging everyone to take advantage of the New Employee Referral Program in which you can earn up to $6,750 when you refer people to work at ACLD. Click here for details.
In this edition of the Limelight, you will also read about Halloween fun that took place in our programs, a new Direct Care Corner, a spotlight on adults we support and other stories and news for you!
Sincerely,
Rob, Gerard, Anne Marie and Kim
Robert Ciatto, Executive Director
Gerard DiMuro, Assistant Executive Director
Anne Marie Sime, Assistant Executive Director
Kim Leonard, Chief Financial Officer
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Meet Emmanuela Pierre Paul, House Manager of the Lynbrook IRA. Emmanuela is known for possessing a warm and sunny disposition and for treating the people we support with kindness and the utmost concern for their safety.
Nicknamed the “Staffing Guru”, Emmanuela has an uncanny ability to solve staffing issues, even with the ongoing staffing challenges due to the pandemic. Her success at this is a testament to the relationships she has built with her direct support staff and the environment she fosters in the Lynbrook IRA. In addition, Emmanuela regularly picks up shifts at other houses and is always willing to help out her fellow house managers. Regardless which residence she is working in on a particular day, Emmanuela is always respectful and attentive to all of the men and women we support.
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Emmanuela’s dedication, commitment, hard-work and compassion are exemplary, and she epitomizes ACLD’s core values. One of the biggest examples of this is that she frequently travels to Queens on the weekend to accompany an adult supported so he can speak Mandarin to the locals in the neighborhood. That is truly going above and beyond!
Thank you Emmanuela for being a co-worker everyone can rely on, and for being a great ambassador, encourager and teacher for the men and women in our residences.
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Congratulations to the eight employees who were just inducted into our ACLD Quarter Century Club! After not meeting last year due to the pandemic, the club was happy to meet last week for their annual luncheon with most of the 38 members in attendance, including the new inductees.
The Quarter Century Club was established in 2018 as a way to recognize those staff that have devoted their lives to ACLD and have been part of the agency for 25 years or more.
In addition to the club sweatshirt that all members receive when inducted, all inductees this year, including all existing members, received a glass Quarter Century Award with their name on it.
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2021 Inductees: Donna Celardo, Jayne Fullam, Christine Hamilton, Patrick Holder, Joann Leavy, Gina Purser, Cheryl Randall and Susan Reed.
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October was Disability Employment Awareness Month and last month we recognized five amazing men and women supported at ACLD for longevity achievements in the workplace.
Congratulations to the following:
- Alan Alexander for 25 years working as a file clerk for the ACLD Finance and Human Resources Department.
- George Hamlin for 20 years at Target in Levittown as a baler and stock associate.
- Karen Hofmann for 25 years at the Home Depot in Jericho as a Gardening Department associate.
- Fred Spiegel for 30 years working at CW Post as a dining room attendant.
- Elizabeth Appel for over 25 years at the ACLD Kramer Learning Center in the Maintenance Department.
Alan, George, Karen, Fred and Elizabeth will also be recognized at next year’s ACLD Employment Recognition Breakfast in October 2022.
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The Friday before Halloween got spooky at our Program Without Walls and Bethpage Day Habilitation Program.
The staff at both sites did an incredible job throwing Halloween parties, and the men and women supported, along with staff, wore some pretty awesome costumes!
Shout out to DJ Rick for coming to Bethpage and livestreaming the dancing and celebration to other programs. Congratulations to the winners of the Costume Contest at Bethpage: David as Barney and Akeim as Dr. Strange, and the winner of the Pumpkin Contest: Oscar with the Witch Pumpkin.
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Pumpkin Activity at Children's Services |
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The Kramer Learning Center and The Alan and Ellen Spiegel Children’s Center also had some Halloween fun on the Friday before Halloween with thier first Great Pumpkin Activity thanks to our friends at Brightwaters Farms!
Brightwaters Farms donated pumpkins to both of the schools so our students could spend the day doing different sensory activities, crafts and science experiments, all revolving around the great pumpkin.
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For the second time in two months, the RewearAble program has donated blankets to an animal shelter in need. This time it was 114 blankets to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. Way to go RewearAble!
In addition, a RewearAble clothing drive was held for the third year in a row at St. Bernard’s Church in Levittown. Once again, The Catholic Daughters of America, Court 1690 St. Pius Council hosted the drive for RewearAble. This year the drive's donations totaled 4,840 lbs!
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Animal Shelter donation bin |
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Don't forget - RewearAble has replaced their bins on the Bethpage Campus with beautiful newly designed bins (see below). These new bins can also be found at the new B.L.U.E. program in Deer Park, and will soon replace the bins at the Hauppauge day program.
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Donation bin addresses: 807 South Oyster Bay Road, Bethpage, NY 11714 / 305 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, NY 11788 / 775 Long Island Avenue, Deer Park, NY 11729
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Last month, The Organizational Care Committee organized an Employee Engagement Day called Team Spirit Day, with staff across the agency dressing in their favorite team's shirts, jerseys and accessories.
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This month we have also been celebrating Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. This Wednesday staff honored people they know who are suffering from or who have passed from this terrible disease by wearing teal and by writing down the name of that person they are "Going Teal For".
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Congratulations to Noreen Clemens, former Director of Children's Services, on her retirement from ACLD after 35 years of service. She has been instrumental in the conception and growth of both ACLD preschools and is loved by her students and their families and her staff. She will be missed, and we wish her well in this next stage of life.
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Happy 50th Birthday to Robert Ciatto, Executive Director, on celebrating his 50th birthday.
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Employee Referral Program |
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Don't forget about the NEW EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM! You can now earn up to $6,750 when you refer people to work at ACLD. See the flyer below for details.
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Message from the Center for Learning: We have set our training schedule for December 2021. The links to register for classes can be found on the CFL Training calendar on MS Teams! See image below.
Please note:
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All AMAP Cert and Recert classes are still being held virtually using Zoom. Zoom links are sent out the night before the training.
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All CPR-AED-First Aid trainings are being held live in Bethpage at the 807 building.
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All SCIP Core and Recert trainings are being held live in Bethpage at the 807 building.
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This month we are continuing with our new section in this newsletter that covers safety tips that we can all use in our every day lives. This month's topic is on Distracted Driving. Click the article below to download it as a PDF.
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Help the people we support find employment |
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Do you know of a job opening in your area that would be a good fit for the men and women we support who are seeking employment in the community?
If so, please send an email to the Vocational Services department at Millerl@acld.org.
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Keep an eye out in your inbox for information from the Human Resources Department about Employee Benefits and Open Enrollment.
The Open Enrollment period ends next month on December 15th.
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We are aware that many employees are interested in donating vacation time to other employees in need this year. To do so, please contact Michele Reisner in Human Resources at reisnerm@acld.org as soon as possible.
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Discounts for ACLD Employees |
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Did you know that by being an employee of ACLD, you can take advantage of exclusive discounts at different businesses such as Splish Splash, Verizon, P.C. Richard, Six Flags and a lot more?
You can also register as an ACLD employee on PlumBenefits.com to get even more discounts on vacations, entertainment, online shopping and other services. Use company code ac0825520 to register.
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ACLD Anniversary Milestones - November 2021
10 Years
Marie Canon Direct Support Professional, Lynbrook
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Welcome ACLD New Hires - October 2021 |
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Dario Fils Aime Direct Support Professional, Rainbow 921
Majean Beauliere Direct Support Professional, Brighton
Mikayla Brown Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Clifferson Charles Direct Support Professional, Wildwood
Ona Farley Direct Support Professional, Seaford
Steven Faustin Network Specialist, Bethpage 807
Wayne Green Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Gisela Hernandez Direct Support Professional, Louis Kossuth
Soledad Jean-Baptiste Residential Assistant Manager, Lynbrook
Jasmyn Jimenez Direct Support Professional, Nesconset
Mya Jules Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Marie Lacoste Teacher Aide, Kramer Learning Center
James Lamb III Residential Manager, Long Hill Road
Kerin Lakin-Miller Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Sonel Letang Direct Support Professional, Blake Ave
Cheryl Lewis-Lovelace Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
YeKerah Lyles Day Habilitation Specialist, Bethpage 837
Willande Lysse Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Jennifer Maggio Direct Support Professional, Sejon
Scott Matute Maintenance Aide, Bethpage 857
Samiyah Mitchell-Ramos Teacher Aide, Kramer Learning Center
Ashley Montessori Direct Support Professional, Long Hill Road
Silvia Parada Respite Counselor, Bethpage 807
Eddy Pierre Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Rabiyyah Potts Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Alyssa Reiter Respite Counselor, Bethpage 807
Roberta Romano Associate Director - Residential, Bethpage 857
Gwendolyn Seymore-Pinckney R.N. Supervisor - Residential, Bethpage 857
Lisa Smart Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
Afeisha Sylvester Teacher Aide, Kramer Learning Center
Tatiana Turnbull Direct Support Professional, Bethpage 857
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Don't forget to give a SHOUT OUT to recognize someone at your location for something special they did for you, your department or a person we support. |
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The Organizational Care Committee is always looking for new ideas and suggestions from all of YOU to continue to make ACLD one of the best places to work, and for children and adults to receive supports and services.
Please share your ideas and suggestions anytime at brightideabox@acld.org or by using the "Bright Idea Box" at one of the following ACLD locations.
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807 Building
837 Building
857 Building
Program Without Walls
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Kramer Learning Center
Spiegel Children's Center
Hauppauge Day Program
Levittown Day Program
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Glen Cove Day Program
Westbury Day Program
Farmingdale Day Program
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Bowling for an Enviable Life |
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This event is limited to the first 300 bowlers. Awards will be given for Individual Highest Score and Team Highest Score, Most Strikes and Most Spares. |
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Submit YOUR stories for the "Limelight" |
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Each month we include stories in this newsletter about YOU and all of the amazing staff here at ACLD!
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP to find out about these stories. Please send us anything to include such as:
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A story about how you or someone else went above and beyond to help the people we support, organized any fun or educational activity, or did anything to further our mission in any way
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Information on any staff member or team who you would like to see spotlighted for their exceptional work.
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Information or news useful for staff across the agency. Anything important or fun.
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Proud moments for you or your family (Personal or professional milestones, awards, weddings, educational degrees or works in the community).
- Or anything else you can think of!
Don't be shy about submitting stories - we need new ones every month!
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"the limelight" is an initiative of the
Communications Committee
and is produced by the
Development and Community Relations Department.
Jonathan Dolan, Editor. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email dolanj2@acld.org
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Thank you to all who have submitted information
and photos. Keep them coming!
We welcome your comments and suggestions.
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