STAR. Save the Date... THE COMING EVENTS. Feb. 9 Hancock County Speaks Out 11:00-11:45 am 4:30-5:15 pm. Feb. 13 Aktion Club 5:00-5:45 pm

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1 THE STAR A publication of Blanchard Valley Center Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities Feb COMING EVENTS Save the Date... Feb. 9 Hancock County Speaks Out 11:00-11:45 am 4:30-5:15 pm Feb. 13 Aktion Club 5:00-5:45 pm Feb. 20 President s Day Holiday Feb. 27 BVC Board Meeting 5:30 Admin. Conference Room Plans are well underway for the second annual Celebrity Basketball Game to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March. Last year s inaugural event was fantastic, and we re hoping for an even bigger and better event this year. We ll once again have two teams comprised of local celebrities and Special Olympics athletes competing against one another. Cheerleaders from our pep squad and schools throughout Hancock County will be on hand to root for the teams, and a special proclamation from Findlay Mayor Lydia Mihalik will take place during halftime. Mark your calendars to join us on March 21, 2017, at 7:30 pm in the Croy Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Findlay. Doors open at 7:00 and concessions will be available. It is sure to be a fun-filled evening for all, so bring your entire family and cheer on your favorite team!

2 Celebrations! Board Members Renew Terms Three members of the Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities were sworn in to renew their terms at the annual organizational meeting held on Monday, January 23, Hancock County Commissioner, Brian Robertson, renewed the terms of Bill Wilson, Kathleen Crates, and Charles Hirschy (shown in the photo from left to right). We wish to thank them for their ongoing support. CSI Presents...

3 News Notes from the Superintendent... Happy New Year, everyone! Heading into 2017, we find ourselves off and running here at BVC. Blanchard Valley Industries privatized on January 1st, and things are going well. In February the artists and staff at Kan Du will be moving into their new space! We are all very excited about this! Stay tuned for details on an upcoming Open House that will be open to the public. In March we have lots of activities planned to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Several people will be traveling to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus for Advocacy Day on March 8th. There will be an All Inclusive Walk on March 9th, our Celebrity Basketball game on March 21st, and Miss Ohio will once again be hosting our annual Coloring Contest Awards Luncheon on March 31st. We will also be speaking to several groups in the community to increase awareness. We will begin implementing steps from our Strategic Plan throughout the year as well, so 2017 will indeed be another busy year! As always, you can reach me at if needed. Exxon-Mobile Donates to BVS Blanchard Valley School received a donation recently from Exxon-Mobile. Our school was chosen to be the recipient of a $ Educational Alliance Math and Science grant, thanks to the nomination submitted by Michele Schumacher from the Exxon- Mobile gas station at 1303 N. Main St. Many thanks for your generosity! Director of Children s Services, Tanya Pike, accepts donation from Exxon-Mobile representative, Michele Schumacher Kelli Grisham Superintendent

4 Celebrations! Aktion Club & Speaks Out News Submitted by: Denise Roush Aktion Club is all about service in We spent this month s meeting planning out some of the service projects that we would like to be a part of in the new year. The club recognized our local first responders this month by sending letters to the Findlay Fire Department, Findlay Police Department, Hanco EMS and the Hancock County Sheriff s Department thanking them for their service to the community. The Aktion Club is currently holding a canned food drive through February 13 th that will be donated to City Mission. If anyone is interested in making a donation, please drop off your canned goods to the BVC Administration, School or SSA offices. Hancock County Speaks Out members enjoyed a presentation from Blanchard Valley Center s Jenny Ferguson and Debbie Back. They talked about benefits analysis and how you can work in the community while maintaining your benefits. This presentation sparked a lot of really good conversation and interest in the topic. This was also a good learning tool for the members to observe presenter s skills that they can use as well. Dinner and Dialogue Submitted by: Denise Roush As we head into 2017, we will continue to be a resource and share as much information as possible in regard to changes in our system. That being said, we are implementing Dinner and Dialogue. This platform will allow for a time to get together, have dinner and learn about important changes at the Hancock County Board of DD and how they relate to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. We are pleased to announce that the first Dinner and Dialogue was a great success! We welcomed a mix of 14 residential and day providers on January 26 th to participate in learning about the Characteristics of Home and Community-Based Services. CMS implemented new regulations in 2014 to ensure that individuals receiving services and supports through Medicaid HCBS programs are afforded full access to community living. Individuals shall be afforded the opportunity to have access to age-appropriate activities, engage in meaningful employment and non-work activities and pursue activities with persons of his or her choosing in settings not created exclusively for individuals with disabilities. We were able to share with the providers what these types of settings must look like and what this means for both existing and brand new providers, as well as the role that our Service and Support Administrators play in this when they are performing their routine monitoring. Overall, a great discussion was held and the providers shared their thoughts, concerns and suggestions with each other on how each interpret these new regulations and how they can better support individuals in Hancock County. Thank you to all of you that took time out of your evening to spend with us!

5 News Just a reminder that if you aren t subscribed to our delays and cancellations notification system you can sign up at any time. Receive calls, texts or s to your home phone or cell phone or both. All you need to do is call x1022 or kdarnell@ blanchardvalley.org and let us know: 1. the address or phone number you would like us to add, 2. and if you want your messages in text or phone call form. This is an easy way to make sure you are notified directly in case of delays! You may tune in to the following stations for delay or closing information: WKXA- FM 100.5, WFIN-AM 1330, WBUK-FM 106.3, WCKY-FM 103.7, WPFX- FM 107.7, WBVI MIX 96.7, and TV channels 11, 13, and 24. MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS Rob Scasny (left), and Joe Stoner (right) were recognized as the February Employees of the Month for their hard work and dedication to BVC. Congratulations, Rob and Joe. You guys ROCK! Austin M. (left) and Deonte C. (right) were chosen as the February Students of the Month. Both of these boys have been working very hard and learning lots of new things. Way to go, Austin and Deonte! Ron Cable was chosen as the Community S.T.A.R. Award winner. The Board thanked Ron for his many years of service as a Board member and serving on the Human Rights Committee. Thank you, Ron!

6 BVC Mission BLANCHARD VALLEY CENTER Hancock County Board of Developmental Disabilities 1700 East Sandusky Street Findlay, Ohio BVC provides resources and supports that empower people with DD to live lives with meaning and purpose. THE STAR Feb Blanchard Valley Center 1700 E. Sandusky Street Findlay, OH Administration phone fax School phone fax Community Works! Superintendent Kelli Grisham Quality Services Dept phone fax Service and Support phone fax Service & Support Emergency Number Board of Directors President Chuck Hirschy Vice President Don Bozell Secretary Mary Walsh Members Dr. Rahman (Buzz) Dyer Dr. Kathleen Crates Mike Chiarelli Bill Wilson