Partner of the Month. Holiday Closures. Looking Ahead 2018

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1 Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities Looking Ahead 2018 October Issue 2018 Partner of the Month October October 31 st Halloween November November 2 nd People First Meeting November 6 th Election Day November 9 th Employee Pot Luck November 10 th Veteran s Day Parade November 12 th Veteran s Day November 13 th Network Night November 14 th Sertoma Community Pancake Day November 22nd Thanksgiving November 23 rd Black Friday December December 21 st First Day of Winter December 25 th Christmas May North Valley Bank June Denny s Restaurant August Barnes Advertising September MRI Holiday Closures Admin and Community Services November 12 Veteran s Day November Thanksgiving Holiday Break December New Year s January 1 Starlight School November 12 Veteran s Day November Thanksgiving Holiday Break December 24 January 1 July Shelly & Sands October Kroger The Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities appreciates our community partners. We are grateful for their generosity and we thank them for supporting our mission to support individuals with disabilities and their families. Through our community partners who share the same vision as us, we are able to achieve so much more for people with disabilities and their loved ones. We recognize that with the help of our fellow friends and partners in the community we are able to achieve amazing outcomes for the people we support. THANK YOU PARTNERS!

2 Page 2 Program Wide DODD Fieldtrip The #DODDFieldTrip team made a visit recently to explore Muskingum County and to highlight stories of people served by the County Board. They made a home visit with Rebecca Eberly, Developmental Specialist to meet Holly and her daughter, Heidi. They are currently working on crawling after Heidi recently learned how to sit up on her own. For 6 years Valerie has worked at Kroger. Her co-workers say she is ready for the job, and they can count on her. Doing things for herself is important to Valerie who is happily married to her husband, Scott. They enjoy crafting and just planned their first vacation together. Alex looks forward to coming to work at Coconis Furniture. He is glad that he s made many new friends and likes the feeling of being on a team where he is one of the guys. Alex s manager, Beau says he s proud to work with the county board to employ people with disabilities. The County Board is proud of the accomplishments of the people we support. The Board is continuing to work with local businesses and organizations to help foster a community where everyone is involved and has a voice in Muskingum County. Knights of Columbus Council 505 Makes Donation to Starlight School Kellie Brown, left, Superintendent of Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities - Starlight Programs, receives a $1,200 check from Knights of Columbus Council 505 Measure Up Program Chairman, Ted Paul, center, and Grand Knight Mark Hill, right. Council 505 raises money annually through its Measure Up Campaign and is happy to be able to support Starlight with this donation Hill said. Starlight assists people with developmental disabilities and their families dream, believe and achieve in the same ways and the same places as other people.

3 Program Wide Page 3 Back To Basics Back to Basics is a comprehensive and continual training series offered by Ohio Providers Resource Association (OPRA) in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities' Office of Provider Standards and Review. The series aims to help providers become a higher quality provider by focusing on fundamentals. Back to Basics consists of ongoing regional, centralized, and webinar trainings. The first series was in three parts during the months of July, August, and September and the focus was on compliance. We were very excited and grateful to have the team provide the trainings in Muskingum County. People First The Muskingum County People First group believes that all people with disabilities should be treated equally and be able to speak up for what they want. The group helps to assist people with disabilities who are learning about self-advocacy to talk about their needs and rights with people in their communities. Self-advocates make sure that people with disabilities have the right to do what they want in their lives, are responsible for their own choices, and have the right to live and do things in the community like other citizens. People First of Ohio is a statewide organization that works with state legislators and builds relationships with other advocacy groups and state agencies. These relationships promote better interaction among people who make decisions in the communities and the state. People First believes that if policy makers begin to really know people with disabilities, they will be able to make positive changes for them.

4 Page 4 Summer Youth Program Starlight School A mission of the Muskingum County Board of DD Starlight Programs is to provide summer youth programs for children who are in the ages of transitioning into adults. These programs are designed to include education as well as recreation opportunities to help build self-confidence, self-esteem and promote positive human relations, attitudes and behaviors. The philosophy behind the support team is to strive to promote the well-being of children with disabilities in every aspect. We want to provide these great children with a positive model of the world and opportunities to develop interests outside of their everyday routines. This summer the children enjoyed doing arts and crafts at the Hub, going to Riverside Park, visiting the library and Colony Square Mall, shopping at Kroger and Walmart, and ending the program with a picnic at Shelly & Sands Park. It was a fun filled week and we look forward to the program growing in the future. Provider Appreciation Picnic With everything going on each summer it makes time go by way to fast. That could not stop us from taking a moment, however, to show appreciation for our dedicated providers/ partners of Muskingum County at our new annual Provider Appreciation Picnic. We feel fortunate to work alongside the new faces that have joined us this year, as well as those who have been with us for 5, 10, 20+ years. All of the supports and services we all provide are most successful when we work as a team for the individuals and their families. We are fortunate to have the privilege to work with dedicated, compassionate providers who are focused on providing individuals with disabilities the daily supports that get them through the bad days, and more often, the good. The County Board looks forward to any opportunity to bring our community together in celebration of the hard work and loyalty our providers display to us every single day.

5 Page 5 Starlight School Back To School Summer break, that s the magical time of the year every child, and teacher thinks about during the stressful moments of school. Summer is the most exciting time of the year when both students and teachers take much needed time to relax, have fun, recharge, and, perhaps, seek out an adventure or two. Unfortunately, summer break must come to an end but that doesn t mean that the fun has to. Well now it's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first few days of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. There's something about a fresh start that motivates our children. The new school year is their time to create new goals for what they want to accomplish in the next eight months and beyond. We will all learn a lot this year and at the same time have a blast.

6 Page 6 Program Wide News National Disability Employment Awareness Month National Disability Employment Awareness Month is an annual awareness campaign taking place each October. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities throughout American history and emphasizes the importance of ensuring all Americans have access to the services and supports to enable them to work. This year s theme is America s Workforce: Empowering All. The history of National Disability Employment Awareness Month traces back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word physically was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month. National Physical Therapy Month October is finally here, bringing with it the first signs of Fall, candy corn, and most importantly; National Physical Therapy Month. Since its inauguration by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in 1992, PT Month has been a great opportunity to celebrate all PT professionals as well as recognize the transformative power of physical therapy. Our physical therapy department is second to none. Lesley, Ashley, and Laura work hard every day to help restore and improve motion in many children s and adult s lives. We re proud to work with these fantastic physical therapy professionals that devote their careers to changing people s lives. Thank you for all that you do!

7 Program Wide News Page 7 Welcome To The World, Evelyn! Prayers were answered! After months of an extremely difficult pregnancy Flo s daughter, Michelle and her husband, Logan welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Flo and her family could not be any more blessed with this precious baby, Evelyn Anne Burt! In July, the doctors were not optimistic, but thanks to many prayer chains, and thousands of prayers, her granddaughter was born on September 25 th. She spent a bit of time in the NICU but is home now and doing remarkably well! Congratulation to Flo and her family! What s Happening Trunk Or Treat For the second straight year, the MCBDD FANS Network has transformed the OUZ/Zane Street parking lot for everyone s favorite costumed holiday. Trunk-Or-Treat was held on October 23 rd and it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy candy, games, and giveaways among friends and family in a safe and fun environment. We had a great turnout and everybody enjoyed the evening. If you weren t able to make it hopefully you can next year.

8 MUSKINGUM COUNTY BOARD OF DD 1304 Newark Road Zanesville, Ohio Follow us on Facebook ADDRESS UPDATE Help us update our Listing! If you would like a copy of the Focus ed next time it is published, please jsearls@muskingumdd.org Board Members: Caribeth Legats, President Ben Whitacre, Vice President Shayne Barnes, Secretary Robert Beitzel Cathy Martin Michael Norman Diana White Superintendent: Kellie Brown Kellie s Korner As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it is appropriate to express thanks for the people who make our programs amazing every day. It seems like we forget sometimes in our busy lives to thank others and show appreciation for people who work hard every day with a common goal that we share, which is to help others live a successful and fulfilling life. Before we get caught up in the festivities of the approaching holidays, we want to offer our gratitude to our employees, our partners, the people we support and their families. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to attend an event or have seen photos of some of our efforts for appreciation from the past 10 months. Events like the Day of Success, Celebrate Community Banquet, Celebrating Success Banquet, Provider Appreciation Lunch, and the Employee Appreciation Cookout & Breakfast are all wonderful celebrations and all well deserved. The expertise, loyalty and steadfast dedication for individuals with developmental disabilities in Muskingum County is amazing. On behalf of the Board of DD, we would like to extend Thanksgiving Blessings and we hope to see you during the Holidays. Any questions in regard to this newsletter, please contact Jordon Searls, Director of Administrative Services at or jsearls@muskingumdd.org. Mission Statement: Working in partnership with individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, providing opportunities utilizing public and private supports, to live, learn, work, and play in the community.