September 2018 Newsletter
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Happy First Days of Fall Everyone!
Please allow me to begin this edition of our monthly e-newsletter by expressing to you how truly honored I am to serve ACHIEVE as its incoming Chief Executive Officer. As you may be aware, I have worked for this great organization for 13 years and during that time, I have developed a deep appreciation, respect and admiration for the work that happens here on a daily basis. While we manage the pressures of a transforming NYS OPWDD system, we continue to chart a new path forward – remaining visionary, innovative and most important of all, responsive to the needs of our community and the individuals we serve.
Today we open our brand new program, On the Pond ~ At Cutler – a day social program for adults at our Cutler Pond Road site. This is a GREAT day in that a dream became a reality for the 40+ individuals who desired this creative programming option. My most sincere thanks and appreciation go out to the many ACHIEVE employees who came together to develop this program – vocational staff who were the visionaries, program staff who developed the program design and model, facilities and information technology staff who worked tirelessly to keep the project on schedule! A special thanks to our funders, who embraced our vision from the very beginning – that meant everything to this project. We will hold an interactive ribbon cutting celebration on November 2
nd
, so watch for updates regarding that event!
It is my privilege, alongside ACHIEVE’s Staff Appreciation Committee, to name our agency’s first ever Employee of the Month – Faith Williams, Day Habilitation Specialist at our Norwich Day Habilitation Program. Faith was selected as ACHIEVE’s October EOTM and will receive special recognition throughout the month including a private parking spot (a big perk at some of our sites), ACHIEVE logo items and a gift basket, additional paid time off, and many other exciting perks! We are so proud of Faith for the amazing support she offers to the individuals we serve. She was nominated by several of her peers and you can read more about Faith’s accomplishments by
clicking here.
Please remember that our last signature event of the year, The 2
nd
Annual Binghamton Devils Golf Tournament presented by ACHIEVE, is taking place October 8
th
at The Links at Hiawatha Landing. We would love to have you join us.
Click here for more information.
Thank you to each and every one of you for your care and concern over our organization.
Warm Regards,
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Amy Howard
Chief Executive Officer
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October 2018
Faith Williams
Day Habilitation Specialist
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On behalf of the Executive Management Team and the Staff Appreciation Committee, we are honored to award Faith Williams, Day Habilitation Specialist in Chenango, with ACHEIVE's very first Employee of the Month!
Faith was nominated by many peers to be the October 2018 Employee of the Month for her hard work and dedication. To read more about Faith and why she was selected as employee of the month visit our website by
clicking here!
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Direct Support Professionals Week
Submitted By: Victoria Studer
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September 10th-14th was Direct Support Professionals Week - where we recognize the dedication and accomplishments of all of our employees for the hard work they do each and every day. The Staff Appreciation Committee prepared something for every day that week to show employees just how appreciated they are - including a lunch, thank you banners, and positive messages written with chalk at each location!
In addition, members of ACHIEVE, Senator Fred Akshar, Assemblyman Clifford Crouch, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, and individuals of ACHIEVE took a moment to recognize and thank the Direct Support Professionals for all that they do!
What a successful Direct Support Professionals Week!
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Lester Avenue Picnic
Submitted By: Lynne Majewski
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Individuals and Staff at Lester Avenue enjoyed their annual End of the Summer Picnic. The individuals who receive services at the Lester Avenue Work Center save their can redemption money each year to fund this party. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Chef Donna Harchar and danced to the music provided by Johnny Only. A special thanks goes out to Lu Ives and all the staff and individuals who helped to make this event a success!
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Internships
Submitted By: Eric Yetter
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My name is Jennifer Garcia and I am one of two interns at ACHIEVE for this academic year. I am a a first-year master's student at Binghamton University. I am originally from New York City, and I hope to learn more about working with the geriatric community within individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the past, I have worked with students with disabilities before, but working with a new population, such as those ACHIEVE serves, is different and exciting for me! I hope to be able to work closely with the staff members here so that I can learn more, and also helping the ACHIEVE community in any way possible!
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My name is Katherine Egitto and I am deaf. I am attending Binghamton University for my masters in Social Work and interning at ACHIEVE in the Guardianship Program and Day Habilitation Program. I have met so many wonderful people and am always learning! I hope to learn how to interact and communicate with those in the program and that being here will help broaden my abilities and understand how people with diverse disabilities live their life and how they are self-sufficient in their own ways. I hope that I can bring my skills and knowledge to the program to help provide individuals better services in a way where they could benefit from it. I am interested in incorporating sign language and other visual form of communication with those who wants to benefit from having an effective communication with one another.
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My name is Casey Yelverton. I grew up in Binghamton and then later moved to Windsor to finish my high school education. I am a very active person who enjoys hiking, obstacle course races and going to the gym. I went to Suny Broome to obtain my Associates in Science and then transferred to Binghamton University to obtain my Bachelors in Integrative Neuroscience. As for my master’s degree, deciding what to specialize in has been a little tricky. I have looked into an array of programs and have narrowed it down to public health, public administration and social work. I am looking for a career that fulfills my need to help people. Fortunately, recreation respite coordinator Melissa Blakeslee has given me the opportunity to learn about how her program enhances the quality of life for individuals with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. I am grateful I was given the opportunity to work with Achieve and help the program become paperless! This internship has affected my growth in a number of ways. It has provided me with experience and knowledge that I can use to obtain my masters and one a fulfilling career.
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Vice President Development & Donor Relations
Submitted By: Victoria Studer
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ACHIEVE is excited to welcome Preston Evans as its new Vice President Development & Donor Relations! Preston comes from a nonprofit background with 10 years of experience in government and community grants and relations. He’s very excited to be on the team at ACHIEVE, keeping the agency moving forward and identifying new and exciting areas of development to advance the mission. Outside of ACHIEVE, Preston can be found cooking, spending time with his family, or playing music! Welcome Preston!
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Charlie
Submitted By: Shawna Chesebro
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The residents at Fowlston Residence have recently become proud owners of a sweet and loving pup named Charlie. With significant clinical recommendation, Charlie serves not only as a loving addition to the residence, but provides a great deal of therapeutic benefits. Not only does Charlie promote increased exercise for the individuals who reside in oxford, but he does so in a way that encourages the residents to want to go to the park and play with him. Owning Charlie has begun a long term chance for learning responsibility. Charlie’s efforts at potty training have taught the individuals to clean up messes and remember to let him out in time to avoid the messes. Charlie has given his new owners a new reason to want to come home after program with a smile on their face. Charlie has provided a sense of comfort in times of agitation, as well as promoted a sense of self satisfaction and a feeling of being needed. The residents at Fowlston Residence didn’t save Charlie… Charlie saved them!
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ACHIEVE Recreation Respite Program is all about fun! Our team provides structure and organization into recreational activities and social opportunities to individuals living at home. Fun is open to adults and teens while providing a brief period of respite to family members. Click on the buttons to the right for the Recreation Respite dates, times and activities!
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Buddy Walk
Submitted By: Melissa Blakeslee
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Recreation Respite showed off just how #ACHIEVEProud they were at the 2018 Buddy Walk on September 15th! Folks got their steps in for the day, danced, watched a magic show, and got to reunite with some longtime friends!
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Fly Creek Cider Mill
Submitted By: Melissa Blakeslee
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Recreation took a road trip to the Fly Creek Cider Mill on Saturday, September 22nd. We had a great time trying samples of various apples, local cheeses, and ciders! Participants got to see how cider is made in the modern day, but also learned about the process and machines used in the past. We fed chickens and ducks that wandered around, and finished our day with a delicious lunch at their cafe!
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Campfire Day
Submitted By: Melissa Blakeslee
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Recreation spent a day at Chenango Valley State Park. Participants were taught how to safely build a campfire, as well as the different styles of fire building. The group had a picnic lunch, then made s'mores over the fire they built together!
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Football Game
Submitted By: Melissa Blakeslee
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Recreation cheered on SUNY Cortland Football as they beat the pants off of Framingham State in a 57-19 win at their home opening game on September 8th!
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Bonfire
Submitted By: Melissa Blakeslee
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To celebrate the end of September and the start of fall, Recreation held a bonfire event at Cutler Pond! All were invited to attend an evening by the warm fire, listening to music, playing yard games, and enjoying cider and donuts! Recreation Respite even split into three teams and had a cornbread tasting contest - the winning group being presented with a golden mixing spoon! What a wonderful way to get the fall spirit started!
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Sheriff's Office Visit
Submitted By: Caitlin Ropp
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Many individuals in Tioga are fanatics of the public safety department - and often spend their time learning about the different branches. Boy, were they surprised when two employees from the Tioga County Sheriff's Office surprised them with a visit! Deputy Josh Delmange and Investigator Tim Schmidt took time out of their day to teach the individuals more about what it is like to be a police officer - what their day-to-day duties are and why being in the public safety department is so important. During their visitation, the individuals even got to sit in their patrol car!
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Veterans Club
Submitted By: Bill Olgesby
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On September 12, 2018 the Veterans club from the Chenango Day Habilitation venture program made a trip to the New York State Museum in Albany. The club has spent the last few weeks learning about what a veteran actually is and how people become a veteran. They also learned what the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is and why we celebrate each holiday. Each individual has had great input and questions about the program and we all sat down and decided that around September 11th that we would like to pay our respects by visiting the display at the museum. Each person that went on the outing was able to learn about the events of September 11th and see first-hand some of the aftermath of that day. We then talked about why it is important to have people serve in the military and why they choose to put their life on the line to make sure our country stays safe. You could see that every individual that went that day was touched and really appreciated the opportunity to learn about this country.
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Meals on Wheels Appreciation Dinner
Submitted By: Danielle Kupiec
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The Broome County Office for Aging has been providing services to older adults in our community for over forty years. ACHIEVE has a long history of providing a volunteer support network to the agency's Meals on Wheels Program. The Broome County Office for Aging held their annual Appreciation Dinner on September 25th to thank all volunteer participants for the work they do so the program is a success!
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Animal Adventure
Submitted By: Sarah Miller
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Individuals from one of ACHIEVE's Residences had an absolute BLAST visiting Animal Adventure Park! The animals were spunky, active, and hungry. We think the animals (especially our new Alpaca friends) had pretty full bellies by the time our crew left.
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Oxford Corn Maze
Submitted By: Tara Packer
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Chenango Day Habilitation was pleased to assist in the preparation of Peila View Farm's first Corn Maze! The individuals assisted with clearing the corn field paths prior to the opening. Recently, we were able to visit for a day of fun! The participants ventured through the corn maze, spending time with the farm animals, and even went on a tractor ride decorated as a cow! ACHIEVE wants to thank Pelia View Farm for allowing us to volunteer at their location and for a day of fun!
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Apple Cider
Submitted By: Caitlin Ropp
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Tioga Day Habilitation wishes to thank Eric Yetter, Guardianship Coordinator, for coming down and teaching us how to make our own Apple Cider! He brought his handy dandy cider press and we had a great time learning and tasting. Everyone had a chance to experiment and turn the apples!
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Seneca Falls
Submitted By: Sarah Dornblaser
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The individuals in Tioga were trilled to take a trip to Seneca Lake on September 27th! They enjoyed looking at the fall scenery and enjoying the fresh breeze!
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Ozzy Osborne
Submitted By: Courtney Sarpriacone
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On September 1st, 2018 Tim Carpenter and staff James Glover went to Syracuse to see Ozzy Osborne in his last tour. Tim has been a die-hard fan for years and once he found out that Ozzy was coming to town he asked if we can make it happen where he could see Ozzy in his last tour. The staff at River Road made this happen. When talking to Tim prior to the concert he told staff he has been to 5 of his concerts and could not wait to see him play again. The day the show came Tim was all excited and could not wait. Tim to this day will still talk about the performance, the music, the crowd and how great it was to be able to have this opportunity to go see him in his last tour.
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Wednesday, October 10th
3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish
701 West Main Street
Endicott, NY 13760
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Congratulations to the following employees for receiving a promotion in August and September!
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- Douglas Alise - Program Manager
- Kayla Kennerup - Day Habilitation Specialist
- Kathryn Huston - Program Manager
- Jessica Nezelek - Assistant Residence Manager
- Rachel Gardner - Day Habilitation Specialist
- Kandi Cook - Assistant Residence Manager
- Amy Howard - Chief Executive Officer
- Veronica Hernandez - Assistant Residence Manager
- Elizabeth Espe - Assistance Residence Manager
- Michael Rudolph - Day Habilitation Specialist
- Lisa Whitney - Chief Operating Officer
- Charity Harrington - Day Habilitation Specialist
- Bethany Bertram - Day Habilitation Specialist
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This is your opportunity to golf with the pros as Binghamton welcomes the Devils for their 2018-2019 Season. The Binghamton Devils Golf Tournament presented by ACHIEVE will be a captain and crew style tournament played at The Links at Hiawatha Landing.
All foursomes play 18 holes with a Binghamton Devils player as a fivesome. An awards dinner follows the golf tournament with the presentation of the trophy.
All proceeds to benefit the programs and services of ACHIEVE—an organization that serves over 2,200 individuals with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities in Broome, Chenango and Tioga Counties.
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Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with all that ACHIEVE is doing!
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