Friends of WCDC Newsletter

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1 Cathy s Corner At the sound of the tolling midnight bell A brand new year will begin Let s raise our hopes in a confident toast To the promise it ushers in. May your battles be few, your pleasures many Your wishes and dreams fulfilled May your confidence stand in the face of loss And give you the strength to rebuild. May peace of heart fulfill your days May serenity grace your soul My tranquil moments bless your life And keep your spirit whole. Happy New Year! Congratulations Gretchen!! Friends of WCDC Newsletter 2018 Friends & WCDC Activities Jan. 8- Friends Monthly Meeting 6pm Jan. 15 Martin Luther King s BD Day Program Closed Jan. 18- Birthday Celebration - Noon Board of Director s Mtg. 6 pm March 3 Finnegan s Wake Seacret s *************************** Gretchen Cooper, pictured above with her mother, Susan, has been the Top Seller of Pumpkin Roll for the past 2 years. Gretchen is a great ambassador for WCDC & Friends throughout the year volunteering her time and talents for the annual Tootsie Roll sale and at the Berlin Nursing Home. Gretchen is also a charter member of the WCDC AKtion Club. Worcester County Developmental Center PO Box 70, Newark, MD

2 From the desk of our Executive Director Happy New Year to All. I hope you enjoyed a happy holiday season with family and friends was a very good year for us, and we are looking forward to another great year in We have had and will continue to have many challenges, but if we continue to work together, we will come out on the other side with even better supports for our clients. At the Friends of WCDC December birthday celebration, ones of our parents, Vicki Daisey, gave me a newsletter from KSI. KSI is a large agency located in Milford, DE, that is similar to WCDC. Recently, a woman named Robin Kennedy spoke to families at KSI about an advocacy group that was started in Wisconsin called the A Team. It is a grassroots organization for individuals and families to advocate for personal choices in all areas of the services they receive. The area of advocacy that caught my attention was centered on facility-based employment. The A-Team s motto is My Work. My Choice. When the changes to our programming were first proposed by the federal government in the early teens, hundreds of thousands of family members and individuals wrote to the feds telling them they wanted to keep the option to work in a center open. Their voices were ignored. The federal government and the state say it is all about client choice, but then they limit the choices. We know there are now in place a number of federal and state restrictions that will severely limit our ability to provide real work in our center, but we need to continue to advocate for all choices being on the table.. I have been in contact with Ms. Kennedy about coming to our area to speak, and I am hoping shortly into the New Year we will be able to make that happen. You or your family member are receiving the services and it is your voices that should count. I will keep you informed about this exciting opportunity for self-advocacy. Happy New Year Jack Ferry Executive Director Aktion Club Christmas Party The Kiwanis Club of Ocean City & Ocean Pines held a Christmas Party for the WCDC Aktion Club at The OC Boardwalk Dough Roller. It was a great time for all and everyone received a Mc Donalds Gift Certificate.

3 December Birthdays Libby & Eddie Davis, Vick Daisey, Eugene Jarvis Kern Taylor, Vicki Tillery & Gordon Ashley

4 Volunteering in the Community The Church Mouse, Berlin In anticipation of the upcoming changes in the Federal and State Government guidelines for Programs such as WCDC, the staff have developed a program where clients are out in the community volunteering their time as they are helping others. Pictured above is Katie West helping at The Church mouse in Berlin. Clients also volunteer at the Berlin and Snow Hill Nursing Homes, several local food banks, The Samaritan Shelter and The Shepard s Nook Thrift Store Pumpkin Roll Sale The 2017 Pumpkin Roll Sale was a great success again this year. More than 225 Pumpkin Roll were sold and we are still receiving requests for more. Of course, we always have a few extra for sale throughout the year and will always fill any requests we receive. A very special Thank You is sent out to our bakers, Mary Ferry, Libby Davis and Cathy Gallagher who put a dash of love in every roll. Our Motto is: No matter what the #, the last Pumpkin Roll must be made with the same attention as the first. In addition, a very special thank you is sent to all of our sellers and all of you who bought our famous dessert. Your support and patronage is truly appreciated and enables us to support WCDC and the clients.

5 A very special Thank You is sent out to The Ocean City Lioness Club, The American Legion and The American Legion Auxiliary for sponsoring these beautiful and fun filled parties each year. Words can not express how much June Todd is loved and appreciated at WCDC. Thank you for turning our everyday voices into a choir of angels. American Legion Christmas Party Sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary

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12 Friends of WCDC The purpose of Friends of WCDC shall be to see that the needs of people who live with a disability are made known to the community and that these needs are being met. The members of Friends of WCDC shall be advocates for the individuals who live with a disability within the community and are participants in the programs of the Worcester County Developmental Center. Friends of WCDC shall provide support and assistance to WCDC whenever possible. Friends of WCDC Needs You!! * Meetings are every 2 nd Monday of the month in the WCDC cafeteria * Meetings start at 6:00 p.m. and last one hour * Yearly dues are $5.00 * New members are welcome at any time. Your talents and ideas are needed * All our projects are fun filled * All our efforts support the clients and programs of WCDC Officers Friends of WCDC President Cathy Gallagher Vice President Mary Ferry Secretary April Davis Treasurer Jack Ferry, Sr. Friends of WCDC Membership Slip Name Address Phone # Cell E Mail Please return to Jack WCDC or mail to : Cathy Gallagher 338 Ocean Parkway Ocean Pines, MD 21811