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Community News
September 2023
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Celebrating Direct Support Professionals
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Heather Cothran, State Director
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September 10-16, 2023, marks one of the most important weeks dedicated to celebrating our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and the fundamental work they do every day.
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The role of a DSP is one of the most essential roles vital to supporting a person. Our DSPs are caregivers, role models, professionals, supportive decision makers, teachers, friends, advocates, technical support, housekeepers, cooks, schedulers, etc. There are so many ways to describe how important they are to a person’s life. Every day they show up with unconditional support. They hit the ground and lead the charge as warrior advocates. They help weather the storms of everyday life.
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We see you, DSPs! We see all the hats that you wear. And we are proud you have chosen to stand with us. We stand beside you! On behalf of everyone at Residential Resources, we THANK YOU for the love, passion, and contributions you make to the I/DD community.
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Rosie’s Morning Pick Me Up!
Sarah King, Director of Residential Services
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Rosie, who lives in Westbrook, visited our office several months ago and I just so happened to have my dog, Jack, there with me. I had no idea at the time that Rosie was such an avid animal lover. They hit it off spectacularly and she made me promise that I would drop by her home with him, regularly! I kept true to my word. Usually pretty early in the morning I drop by her home, and after a few visits I found that Rosie isn't a morning person. However after going in and saying hello, even if she wasn’t bright eyed and awake yet, saying "hi" to Jack was just the boost she needed to start her day! Rosie shows him such kindness and he adores her. You never know where you might meet one of your next new best friends!
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Home is where the heart is...
I have been fortunate enough to spend most of my shifts with Becky and her roommate Sonya. These ladies never fail to put a smile on my face.
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Becky has a very big heart and getting to know her throughout the months has truly been a blessing. She LOVES horror movies and loves to see my reaction and laugh when I get scared. She enjoys coloring and making bracelets with me. Becky likes to try new things from new hairstyles to new foods. Spending time with her is very special. I am thankful to spend as much time as I do with Becky; and she is very excited for our Halloween projects we have planned soon!
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Sonya always makes me laugh. She loves to play charades, and out stretch me when I do my exercises! She LOVES to color and to be out in sun. Sonya is very thoughtful and helpful around the home. She enjoys helping to prep food, fold laundry, and take out the trash. Sonya always makes a joke and gives me a big hug when I leave. When I pack her lunch, she looks forward to a kind note acknowledging her help for the day.
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This program is truly a gift because it feels like a little family every day. Sonya and Becky brighten my day and make work fun! I am very thankful to impact their lives like they impact mine every shift!
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Rolita at the Beach
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Rolita Boston and Cheryl Stancik, DSP
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Rolita is a happy lady who loves going to her day program. She loves going places and being outdoors. One of her favorite things to do is go to the beach. It doesn’t matter if it is spring, fall, or summer, she just loves going.
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Rolita likes to walk around the stores there and see what new things they are selling. She likes to buy jewelry, especially the ones that have pearls in them. Rolita also likes walking round the beach and the shoreline to look for some seashells, sea glass and rocks to paint. She makes crafts with seashells.
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Rolita loves to sit on the sand and build sandcastles with her friends. She loves relaxing at the beach. Rolita’s favorite part of being at the beach is wading in the ocean and feeling the cold water on her toes. She laughs watching the sea gulls flying around looking for food. To Rolita the best part of going to the beach is being with friends.
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When The Fair is in Town
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Cassie King, FI Coordinator
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With the warmer weather of summer, the fair comes to town. Jessica loves to go to the Franklin County Fair in Malone, NY. She enjoys it so much that she visits daily. She likes to go on some rides, eat some of the food, and watch the demolition derby. Jessica’s favorite rides are the Spin Out and Bumper Cars. Her bravery is shown by going on the Ferris Wheel even though she does not like heights. She was able to overcome that obstacle and went on the Ferris Wheel ride with her cousin. Jessica enjoys eating some "fair" food like cotton candy, hotdogs, and french fries. She has an interest in the demolition derby as well. She likes to watch the demolition derby and cheer on her cousin, Travis, who parcipates in the demolion derby. She was able to get a t-shirt for the demolition derby supporting her cousin that included the team’s name and her name on it. Even though the fair is only in town briefly, Jessica enjoys it and appreciates walking around the track at the fair and looking at the rides.
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The Perfect Picnic
To wrap up the summer months, Residential Resources staff came together to create a lovely picnic party at Wheelock Park for the Individuals we support.
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On top of the delicious food and fabulous weather, Becky and Chelly loved doing lawn darts together. Jessica and Shana did a sing along with the group and sang some icon songs like Take Me Out To The Ball Game, You Are My Sunshine the Hokey Pokey. Gregg cheered everyone on to participate in dancing to the Hokey Pokey! With the rare sunny days we have had this season, Sonya was thrilled to soak up the sunshine and visit with Kevin. Dave was very content and happy with all the food choices while eating with Michelle and Mike. Anne enjoyed a nice walk while listening to her favorite song.
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It was so nice to be together and have such a fun afternoon! At the end of the picnic, everyone received calendars of there favorite animals to enjoy for the whole year. It was the perfect picnic!
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Rockstar
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Ricky Berry, Associate Director
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Anybody that spends time with Shawn knows that his love of Nickelback is second to none. At any given time, you can walk into his Sandown home, and you will more than likely be greeted by a Nickelback tune coming out of his room. When the opportunity arose to take Shawn to a concert in person, we said there’s Gotta Be Somebody who would like to take him, and sure enough Tony wanted to go. Given the fact the concert was in Massachusetts, not too Far Away, it provided Shawn and Tony the chance to spend the evening jamming with a quick return after being Rockstars all night. Shawn came home with a sweet tour t-shirt and guitar pick as souvenirs from the night. Someday, when he’s singing to Nickelback, he can look over at the shirt and think of the fun he and Tony had that evening. However, don’t take my word for it that he had fun. Just look at these Photographs of pure excitement and joy on Shawn's face!
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My Employment Experience
I started working at Hannaford with the First Jobs Program when I was 17 years old. I was a bagger and did carts. My job coaches helped me do better and improve. When I was finally moved to Produce, I would have taken ANYTHING! I had a rough beginning there, learning and remembering how to do things. Sometimes I get to learn new jobs like cutting up watermelons. I like Produce better because it was more laid back and less hectic. I started to make bonds with customers who actually liked me. I like having the same coworkers to talk to and we get to chat for a few minutes. I can’t believe I’ve been there for 19 years. I feel great about that. How often do you hear of a person who has had the same job for that long? I LOVE my job!
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Send us your questions, comments, or suggestions. We'd love to hear from you!
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TRUST - RESPECT - QUALITY - TRUTH / HONESTY - CREATIVITY - EMPOWERMENT - DIVERSITY
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