March 2024 | Quarterly e-Newsletter | |
Message from Gina Kos, our Executive Director | | |
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Welcome to Sunshine Village and thank you for taking the time to read about our successes and see how we help people SHINE! | We began 2024 in celebration of our 57th year of serving our community – and creating inclusive, engaging and cheerful environments where all feel valued and respected. | |
It was the start of another year where Sunshine Village recommitted itself to delivering on our promise of a GREAT day for individuals with developmental disabilities and those on the autism spectrum. | |
Our programs – located in Chicopee, Agawam and Three Rivers - are warm and welcoming – and our clients are able to achieve amazing things thanks to the commitment of our stellar staff of caring professionals. In this eNewsletter, you will read about those personal accomplishments and our innovative services. You will find out about our beneficial partnerships – and about how fun is had and friendships are formed. We hope that you experience – through the collection of photos featuring so many smiling faces - the sense of joy - that is achieved within our Day Habilitation Programs, thru the array of Employment Services and in our Community Based Day Supports programs. | |
We invite you to learn more about all that we do to help people to live and learn, work and earn and give and grow – by visiting our website at www.sunshine.us – or coming for a visit. | |
Thank you again – and have a GREAT day! | |
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WE LOVE TO SHARE OUR GREAT DAYS!
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'Bringing the Community to Us'
Day Habilitation Welcomes a New Addition to Programming
Plus, a Visit From the Thunderbirds!
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In February, Sunshine Village
added a dash of country flair to our 'Bringing the Community to Us' Inclusion Program.
Our collaboration with Stompin' Boots kicked off in Chicopee at the Davis and Knights Day Hab Programs -- where folks welcomed country line dancing instructors with smiles and high-fives.
In Three Rivers and Agawam -- the dancing duo were also met with excitement! A staff member exclaimed, "the energy was hopping and the folks were happy!"
'Bringing the Community to Us' is a GREAT way for our clients in our Day Habilitation programs to engage with artists and wellness professionals.
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Local hockey fans cheered when The Springfield Thunderbirds paid a visit to our Day Habilitation Programs. Gina welcomed Will and Sam Bitten to Litwin Lane. The sibling duo stopped by our Davis and Knights Programs to take photos and sign autographs while Malcolm Subban and Boomer visited our Agawam Day Hab Program location. Three Rivers had a special visit from the Thunderbirds on March 14th. | | |
Leap Year Day - Open Houses
Capturing This Momentous Occasion for Years to Come!
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February 29th only happens once every four years -- so Gina invited our friends from DDS to join our Leap Day Celebration and experience a GREAT day at Sunshine Village!
We had sensory-friendly activities, created a Leap Year time capsule, read life lessons from Kermit the Frog, indulged in refreshments (prepared by our Culinary Team) and so much more - that by the end the of the visit, our friends were jumping for joy!
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TOGETHER WE ARE SHINING
EVEN BRIGHTER!
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Western Mass CIT Partnership
Clients Share Personal Stories with First Responders to Promote Effective Support and Autism Inclusion
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HOLYOKE, MA | In December 2023, Sunshine Village was invited to participate in our first of many Western Mass Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trainings, in Holyoke.
The Western Mass CIT - Training and Technical Assistance Center supports 'communities by ensuring that first responders are well-trained when responding to crises.' Staff and clients from Sunshine Village presented baseline knowledge on what police officers need to know about Autism -- understanding processing, how to identify cues for those who are non-verbal, and hearing personal stories from our clients in the Autism Community.
In March, we returned to the CIT-TTAC to "Taco-bout Autism” -- with the help of our Culinary Team we created a more interactive session for members of law enforcement who attended the session.
Training participants were given a Sunshine Village Cinch Bag filled with sensory tools and items -- made by our Day Habilitation and CBDS programs.
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"Meeting Jonathan and Steven helped me see through their eyes. They are brave for putting themselves out there and are one of many reasons why I do what I do."
Western Mass CIT-TTAC Participant
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Holyoke Police Academy
Real Life Scenario Training
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HOLYOKE, MA | Our partnership with the Western Mass CIT paved the way for an invitation to participate in the Holyoke Police Academy's 'Real Life Scenario' Training. Local law enforcement officials joined Anthony P., Alexis, Robbie, Anthony, Tearra, Dimitri and Jennifer (Casey CBDS Program) in acting out real life scenarios involving people with Autism and disabilities. During the training, officers learned tips on how to respond to a number of situations. | |
Springfield College's 'Adulting Academy'
Learning life-skills on a local campus
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SPRINGFIELD, MA | Mangal, Jimmy, Dasha’Nay and Ashley (Agawam and Casey CBDS) completed Springfield College’s Adulting Academy — hosted on campus, by Master’s and Doctoral students from the Department of Occupational Therapy. The four attended weekly sessions gaining additional life skills in areas such as time and money management, education, independent living and more! | |
"I loved going to college. I learned that I could live on my own if I want to, someday." -Ashley | |
OUR PROGRAMMING SHINES --
CLIENTS 'GLOW' WITH SATISFACTION
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Three Rivers CBDS Launches Barista Training Program
Max, Cindy and Bill are testing out a new training that focuses on coffee craftsmanship. Faith, the course instructor and a Case Manager at Three Rivers, has years of experience as a Barista and is excited to share her expertise -- witnessing their progress first hand: "In week two, clients were already pouring their own hot lattes!"
This 8-week training series wraps up soon and on April 30th, participants will showcase their coffee skills and receive their certificate of completion at our Three Rivers Barista Awards Ceremony.
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Exploring Adaptive Sports at Springfield College
Folks from our Casey and Agawam CBDS Programs teamed up to participate in adaptive sports with Springfield College’s Adaptive Physical Education Department.
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Cultural Exploration:
Agawam DayHab Samples Portuguese Cuisine
This year, program participants are exploring European cultures and locations.
February's journey took us through Portugal and in their Culinary Arts class, Agawam Day Hab were excited to make an iconic Portuguese dessert -- Pastéis de Nata (cream pastries).
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Listening Lunches Continue at Westover Maintenance Systems
In an effort to introduce our Westover Maintenance Systems Crew to additional career paths, Gina has extended her 'Listening Lunch' Series. This year, folks will explore positions in Sunshine Village's Administration Department. So far, staff members in Finance, Billing and Human Resources have presented to the WMS group.
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Creativity SHINES through as the Knights Program Celebrates
Black History Month
During February, in addition to celebrating “African Americans and the Arts,” we also paid tribute to some of the most influential people in the African American community. Marilyn and Patrick (from our Knights Program), with the help of many others, created a mural to highlight GREAT leaders and civil rights activists. Nana and Jesse constructed a beautiful piece of art and on February 22nd, our Knights Program hosted a soulful festivity. Together they crafted culinary treats and savored the flavors of soul food.
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"Sunshine Village helped me find employment and supported me while I was learning a new job and gaining skills to become independent."
-Austin
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Securing Employment Through SSV
Congratulations to Austin -- who was hired as a Dunkin' Donuts Associate!
Austin started this journey by taking Holyoke Community College's (HCC) line cook training classes through Sunshine Village, which put him on his path of interest in the culinary field. Passing these classes and becoming Serve Safe Certified opened up so many more opportunities for Austin to find employment, but Dunkin Donuts has his heart. "It puts a smile on my face knowing I am supporting my team and getting customers their food items faster," adds Austin.
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SHINING A LIGHT ON OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS
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Celebrating our Strengths on
World Down Syndrome Day - March 21st
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On March 21st, "World Down Syndrome Day", Sunshine Village joined forces with the World Down Syndrome Society to SHINE a light, end the stereotypes and shift perceptions of the Down Syndrome community
Below, you'll meet some of our folks who are MORE than their diagnosis and learn the incredible role they play in our community.
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Meet Owen, a man who has a true gift for connecting with people through music.
If there is a microphone, he’s singing. If there is music, he’s dancing. In addition to being a skilled dancer, Owen is one of our party coordinators. He is always encouraging his friends to join in the fun.
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Lena is an avid bowler with Special Olympics and recently won two silver medals. | Meet Molly! A skilled baker who is always cooking up something to share with her friends at Sunshine Village. When she’s not baking, she’s writing. From poetry to romance novels, Molly has a way with words and creates beautiful stories. | | |
Michael is our Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) Rep in Three Rivers and a member of the Human Rights Committee. | Laura is a talented artist who takes GREAT pride in her artwork. She is best known for her hand-painted bottles, that light up any room! | | |
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“Staff are always helping me get ready for the fun activities we do, I enjoy that”
-Mike
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Supporting Special Olympic Athletes | |
Gina was proud to be an Arctic Sponsor for this year’s Special Olympics Western Mass Polar Plunge. Sunshine Village is proud of our clients (like Sarah, pictured right) who are Special Olympic athletes – and this is one more way we help them SHINE! | |
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Abigail has been playing basketball and softball since she was 11 years old and she still loves playing both sports. | |
Cara and Faith proudly display their Special Olympic Medals. | |
Molly cheers on her friends! Matthew excels in flag football, soccer, and swimming, while Erin likes to bowl, participate in track and play softball. | |
WE LOVE TO SHARE GREAT NEWS!
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CBDS Program Honored for Providing
an 'Inclusive Space to Grow'
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On March 24th, our Community Based Day Program was honored by the Citizens Advisory Board of the Holyoke/Chicopee Area Office of DDS -- for 'providing a welcoming and inclusive space to grow,' and 'seeing all people as valued, contributing members of society.'
Our Davis/Knights Day Habilitation Program made the centerpieces for this event (pictured top right).
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SSV Earns a GuideStar
Seal of Transparency
Sunshine Village has earned the Bronze GuideStar Nonprofit Seal of Transparency, offered by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information.
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Sunshine Village is Featured in March 2024 NOW Guide | | |
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WNE University Alumni Magazine Highlights Gina Kos ’88/G’95 and Christine Pollender ’99/G’09
Gina Kos and Christine Pollender were featured in the Winter 2023 edition of Western New England University's Alumni Magazine. The publication is now available online. Click the link below to read their story.
Read the Article Here
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Investing in Sunshine Village's Greatest Asset | |
In 2023, Sunshine Village made several bold decisions recently to invest in the organization – to ready itself for reopening the doors for new and returning clients. | |
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We created 14 new Case Management and Supervisory positions– to help SSV better support our tenured and incoming Direct Support Professionals.
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We invested in our compensation packages for all employees - with a 17.5% raise for our DSPs (and increasing the entry level wage from $17.86 to $21.00) and a 12% raise for all other positions.
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This year, we are continuing our investment – by revamping and reigniting our Workforce Development initiatives: | |
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We are increasing the professional and personal development opportunities that we offer to all employees -- in all positions
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We are enhancing job specific technical trainings for all positions
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We are offering advanced level leadership training to further develop our Case Managers, Supervisors and Managers.
| As we move further into the year, we will be creating personal development options for all employees – allowing them to grow with SSV. | |
GREAT WAYS TO SAY 'THANK YOU'
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Sunshine Village continues to do the “big things AND the little things” that help the organization remain an “Employer of Choice.” Those bold decisions were the big things…and in this quarter, we did a few little things too. In February, Gina handed out SHINE TIME (paid time off) to show her appreciation to staff for all of their hard work. In March, we celebrated Employee Appreciation Day – and all staff received Sunshine Village Backpacks. And…to wish everyone the “luck of the Irish”, more SHINE TIME was given in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! | |
WE CHAMPION
TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY
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Sunshine Village is proud of the work we do each day to help our clients live their life to the fullest! We are also proud of the safe and welcoming environments we host our programs in, the high level of accountability we have with our contract and donated dollars – and – as important as anything else, the professional, caring employees who have committed themselves to our mission.
Sunshine Village’s Performance Management System is an application of a variety of approaches to assess the implementation and utility of services provided. It is an outcome-based tool that evaluates the agency’s services and overall performance with a purpose of improving operations based upon information and customer input.
To view our Sunshine Village's 2023 ANNUAL REPORT for our Performance Management System, click the button below:
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THANK YOU for helping Sunshine Village achieve our mission –
AND our promise of delivering on a GREAT day, every day!
Together, we are SHINING EVEN BRIGHTER!
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35th Annual SSV Golf Tournament
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
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Our golf roster is full and we are looking forward to a GREAT day of golf at Chicopee Country Club on August 7, 2024. We are grateful to Peoples Bank and Westfield Bank who are returning as Tournament Sponsors as well as our other sponsors who have committed to joining our cause.
Sponsorship Opportunities are still available -- to support the one fundraising event hosted by Sunshine Village.
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Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to: Corinne Dumont
Email: cdumont@sunshine.us or call 413-592-6142.
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If you would like to make a donation to Sunshine Village, please click the DONATE BUTTON below:
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