Friends of WCDC Newsletter

Transcription

1 Cathy s Corner I do hope that everyone has survived the long, cold winter & you are looking forward to the warmth & sunshine of Spring & Summer. Growing up in the long snowy winters of Northeastern PA, I thought that I could survive any winter with no problem but I guess I turned into a cream puff because the cold Delmarva winter of 2018 really had me shivering. I truly believe in Climate Change. Please enjoy all the photos from the 1 st yr. Anniversary of the WCDC Aktion Club. Kiwanis Advisors Carolyn, Steve & Jackie are doing a great job teaching leadership, teamwork & community service. The Aktion Club membership is growing & so is the amount of community service they are preforming. Congratulations to all! Friends of WCDC Newsletter WCDC & Friends Calendar April 1 - Easter 2018 April 2 Easter Monday Day Program closed April 9 - Friends Monthly meeting via April 11 - April Birthday Celebration Noon April 16 Aktion Club Mtg. 9:30 AM April 21 Friends Garage Sale 7:30 AM - Noon On April 21 st, Friends will be holding its 1 st Garage Sale of Please remember us as you start to get ready for the warmer weather. Every penny that we raise goes directly toward client needs & services & WCDC Program needs. Your trash is our cash & we truly appreciate any donation that you can make. Come shop at our Garage Sale. We have real nice stuff. Cathy Gallagher Life isn t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Charles Swindoll Worcester County Developmental Center PO Box 70, Newark, MD

2 A Message from Our Executive Director The first quarter of 2018 has been exciting and very busy. We opened and filled two new residential homes, welcomed new clients in our day program, celebrated a big anniversary and made some significant changes to our management staff. All this, of course, in addition to running our normal operations. Opening the new homes was quite a learning experience. We renovated one home with wheel-in showers, wood flooring, ramps and a lift to make this home accessible for two of our clients who use wheelchairs. We are happy with the way this project turned out. The other home we opened was a response to two of our clients needing residential services very quickly. Everyone worked together to make this happen, and we now have three men residing in that home. Because of the rapid growth of our agency over the past few years, we have made a couple changes in our management structure. Nicole Dobelstein, who was our HR Director, has been promoted to Programs Director. In this position, Nicole will be overseeing both our day and residential operations. With her HR experience, Nicole is well versed with all the agency staff. She has also been closely involved with the changes coming to us due to federal rules, so she is more than amply prepared to guide these programs going forward. To replace Nicole in HR, we have hired Amy Ballard. Amy has been working as an HR professional in the DDA field for a number of years, so she will be able to hit the ground running at WCDC. Amy is well known to our staff since she has trained. everyone over the past few years when they started employment. These moves will allow us to be more responsive to the needs of both clients and staff. I can t believe how the time flies. It is one year since our AKtion Club was chartered. Action is the only service organization in the world that enables individuals with disabilities to perform community. service. There are pictures and write ups in this newsletter about this fine organization. This club is a great opportunity for our clients to work alongside other adults in community service. This collaboration would not be possible without the foresight of Carolyn Dryzga from the Ocean Pines/Ocean City Kiwanis Club. It was her leadership that started this club, and we are most grateful to her, Steve and Jackie from the Kiwanis Club and our own Janelle Deshields for guiding our clients through this noble venture. Jack Ferry

3 March Birthdays Front Row: Doris Eikenburg, Raythel Manuel, Bruce Clark Back Row: Mary Ferry, Charlene Brittingham, Danny Miller, Libby Davis, Eddie Davis and Steven Davis April Birthdays April 1 - Eddie Davis April 3 Brenda Hayes April 3 Katie West April 4 Markcus Sledge April 5 Julie Sebastian April 5 Elizabeth Showell April 6 Bryan Johnson April 8 Edith Bowen April 11 Vicki Gmurek April 12 Allen Purnell April 12 Olivia Tingle April 13 Lynnell Fletcher Pugh April 14 Ashlind Souder April 14 Stacey Payne April 24 Rodney Copes April 26 Erika Uebel April 27 Donta Smith April 27 Brandon Price April 28 Phyllis Cherrix April 30 Kristofer Hopkins

4 Friends of WCDC The Season is upon us. What Season could that be? It s the Season of our 1 st Garage Sale And if you make donations, all our profit will be free! Friends of WCDC will hold their 1 st Garage Sale of 2018 on Saturday April 28 th from 7:30 AM til Noon at 338 Ocean Parkway in Ocean Pines, MD We accept just about everything as long as it s in usable and in working condition. Please don t include lamps, toasters, TV s, etc if they don t work. Items like that will not sell and cost us $ to dispose of. Please remember us as you are preparing for Spring and the upcoming Summer months. Every penny that we receive for your donated items will be used for client needs and client services. Donations can be dropped of at WCDC or 338 Ocean Parkway at any time. If I am not at home, please leave your items or boxes in front of the garage or front door. If you need me to pick up your donation, please feel free to contact me at or me at Csgallagher1@aol.com

5 Inner Ocean WCDC is embarking on a major re-launch of our Inner Ocean Soap line. Director of Marketing Vicki Gmurek has been networking and signing up stores to carry our line of hand-crafted soaps. Andrea Lee and Elizabeth Showell have been hard at work to insure we have sufficient inventory. If you know of a store that might be interested in carrying our line, please let Vicki know. Vicki Gmurek Andrea Lee& Vicki Elizabeth Showell Above & Beyond Gift Basket Andrea & Elizabeth Large Gift Basket Every piece of Beach themed soap must be perfect before being placed into the main mold. This work is very tedious but important to maintaining the high quality of our product. Nick Haglich proudly displays the different Inner Ocean Gift Packets that are made by the WCDC clients and are available for sale

6 WCDC Aktion Club of Kiwanis International Celebrating 1 Year Anniversary Aktion Club Members Seated: Amy Azadi, David Allen, Katie West Standing: Tracey Fields, WCDC Adviser Janelle Deshields, Valerie Reed, Betsy Bernier, Raythel Manuel, Donta Smith, Carol McAllister, Alexis Smith, Melinda Cropper, Jenna Nowak, Robin Dannelly, Eric Jenkins President Donta Smith WCDC Aktion Club Officers Secretary Tracey Fields Treasurer David Allen Vice Pres. Valerie Reed The WCDC Aktion Club is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean City/Ocean Pines. We would like to send out a very special Thank You to Kiwanis Advisors Carolyn Dryzga, Division 5 Lt. Gov, Jackie Todd and Steve Cohen The Kiwanis Club & Aktion Clubs are in the Capital District Kiwanis International

7 The WCDC Aktion Club is an official member of the Kiwanis International Family & as such have their own Gavel, Flag & Bell All members received a 1 Year Certificate from Div. 5 Lt. Gov. Carolyn Dryzga Betsy Bernier Robin Dannelly 1 st Year Projects *Stuffing & Delivering Comfort Dolls to residents of local nursing homes * Collecting Wish List supplies for Kennilles Kupboard * Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army *Worked with the Kiwanis Club at their Monthly Breakfast *Sponsored a Valentines Party at WCDC *Members also attended Breakfast with the Stephen Decatur Key Club * Designed & made their own beautiful Greeting Cards that are for sale to the public Katie West Raythel Manuel Amy Azadi Melinda Cropper Alexis Smith

8 Aktion Club International Pledge I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the objects of Aktion Club International: To better my community, my country and myself; To help those in need; To demonstrate loyalty to our community & nation; And to encourage others to do the same. Core Values Character building, Leadership, Inclusiveness and Caring Vision To develop competent, capable & caring leaders through the vehicle of service. Motto Where development has no disability Thank you Aktion Club Advisors Carolyn Dryzga Steve Cohen Jackie Todd Janelle DeShields Jenna is pictured with the boxes that are in the community as the Aktion Club collects supplies for Kennilles Kupboard

9 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