Thank you to the volunteers who made these events so special! Also, a big thank you to Central Recreation for making these events possible.

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1 National Developmental Disabilities Month March was National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and Spectrum for Living joined other organizations around the country in promoting awareness and understanding of those who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability. To honor this month, Spectrum celebrated in a number of ways, including: Monday, March 13th Volleyball Tournament at NHATC Central Rec. hosted a volleyball tournament at the North Haledon ATC! Volunteers from Fein Such Law Firm also participated in the tournament which made the day even more special. Friday, March 17th St. Patrick s Day Party at WATC ATC participants had a great day celebrating St. Patrick s Day with volunteers from SUEZ Water North Jersey. From a photo booth to decorating houses, there was a lot of fun going on. Spectrum for Living s 2017 goal is set at $800,000! Thank you to the volunteers who made these events so special! Also, a big thank you to Central Recreation for making these events possible. Inside this Issue: Walmart Check Presentation... 2 Yankee Candle Fundraiser... 2 The Voices receive Group Achievement Award... 3 Staff & Volunteer News... 4 Healthy Living Program... 5 News & Events... 6 For more photos or info, please visit 1

2 Walmart Check Presentation On March 16th, Walmart presented a check for $78,000 to Spectrum for Living at the INCOCO Factory in Clifton, NJ. The funds for this program were awarded to Spectrum for Living for an Employment Training Program that will be instituted within each of the Adult Training Centers. Spectrum was thrilled to meet the generous funders from Bentonville, Arkansas to discuss with them how the funds are being utilized. We are so thankful to Walmart for their generosity! Yankee Candle Spring is here and so is our Yankee Candle Spring Sale! Your purchases will help the Spectrum for Living Recreation Department plan some fun activities this year. Thanks to your support these programs are able to provide hours of activities, such as karate, yoga, fishing and dances. Please look at the online catalog and support the Spectrum Recreation Program while adding some Spring accents to your home and yard. How does it work? - Shop through this link - Scroll down to the "start shopping" box and input the code next to group #. 40% of all sales go directly to Spectrum for Living. 2

3 The Voices Receives the NJSSAN Awards Committee Group Achievement Award Spectrum s Self-Advocacy group, The Voices, attended the ARC s 12th Annual Spring Into Action Network Luncheon on Saturday, April 8th and received the Group Achievement Award! The two Co-Chairs of the Committee gave beautiful speeches and all had a lovely time! Some of The Voices achievements include: Writing letters to the Governor to advocate for staff salary increases Testifying before the State for COLA increases Increasing awareness to have everyone registered to vote Helping raise funds for SFL by training and completing the two SFL 5K walks Completing an agency-wide recreation survey Increasing healthy choices for food, recreation and lifestyles And they will soon be part of the Agency s General Orientation Congratulations, we are so proud of The Voices for all their hard work! Also, a big thank you to the dedicated staff who made Saturday a big success! 3 For more photos or info, please visit

4 Staff & Volunteer News STAFF PROMOTIONS Toryn Wilson - Program Director - Edison Group Home #100 & #300 Jeremiah Ndunga - Senior Direct Care Supervisor - Closter Intermediate Care Facility Denise Guy - Psychiatric Aide - North Haledon Adult Training Center Keith Scholz - Behavior Specialist - Ringwood Adult Training Center David Smiley - Activity Therapist - Westwood Adult Training Center Volunteer Spotlight: Victoria Ricco Spectrum is very lucky to have motivated volunteers like Victoria Ricco from the C.A.R.E. Program at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township. Christian Actions Reaching Everyone is a network of service groups that strives to address a wide variety of needs in the community. Victoria is the captain for SFL and is responsible for recruiting other classmates to volunteer at our events and to spend time with our clients. Victoria started volunteering in 2013 when she was a freshman. Her sister Cristina was a previous captain for SFL in the C.A.R.E. program and when she graduated Victoria took her position. She usually volunteers at the River Vale apartments after school and sometimes on the weekends. She does many activities with the clients including: arts and crafts, reading, and drawing. Thank you Victoria and to all the volunteers from IHA for all you do! *SAFETY FIRST ALERT* Christina Bhola, a staff member from River Vale Apartments received a compliment to Safety First from a driver! The caller complimented the driver of the decaled van for obeying all traffic laws and traveling in an overall safe manner on the roadway. This is the third compliment we have received since the start of Safety First. March Volunteer Birthdays Joe C. Carol C. Tom D. Joanne H. Nicolle K. Chris K. Rickla K. Maria M. Seo Yoon O. Cristina R. Harsh S. Hinda S. Elizabeth T. Chris W. March - New Volunteers Nicole B. - Haworth Joshua K. CICF 4

5 Healthy Living for Special Lives Program: As part of our funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Grant, all programs participated this quarter in creating healthy breakfasts, growing indoor herb gardens and moving to get fit. Here are some photos! C Carver AT Teane c k ATC e om Wall Group H Ringwood ATC 5 For more photos or info, please visit

6 News & Events An Evening of Opporunities Gala Spectrum for Living will be hosting a Gala on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel in Iselin, NJ. The theme of the night will be An Evening of Opportunities, with State Senate President Steve Sweeney as our honoree. Time: 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM Tickets: $275 Annual Golf Classic On Monday June 5, 2017, Spectrum for Living will host its 13th Annual Golf Classic at the Haworth Country Club in Haworth, NJ. The event will include lunch, golf, a cocktail reception and raffle prizes. 210 Rivervale Road River Vale, NJ Phone: (201) Fax: (201) Have any Good News to share? Contact Marketing Associate, Daniela Cantu at dcantu@spectrumforliving.org. If you are interested in any of these events, please call Development at (201) "Serving People with Developmental Disabilities for over 30 years" GET CONNECTED WITH SPECTRUM: 6