may_2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Uhl Named to 40 Under 40 While the official first day of summer isn’t until June 21 this year, soon the school year will end and local kids and their families will find their schedules turned upside down. It’s an interesting time of year for young people with developmental disabilities and their families. For many of these children, they spend the school year in relatively structured environments. Some may be in mainstream classrooms while others may receive more tailored educational instruction. Still some students may even spend their schoolyear in a specialized school not catering to children without disabilities. But summer is the great equalizer. Every child looks forward to three months free of teachers, curriculum, and schoolwork. Instead, they shift their focus to things like ball games, summer camp, swimming pools and, let’s face it, video games. Many years ago, kids with developmental disabilities had few choices when it came to how they would spend their summers. I’m happy to say, however, that the options available today are much more vast. While Fairfield DD does not offer direct service, the people employed here are resourceful. If an opportunity exists, they will find it. And if it doesn’t exist, they will find a way to get it created. As you read through the pages of this month’s newsletter, I hope you will be encouraged to see the many things available to the children we support. Our staff has worked closely with the camps in the area to help them to be more accessible to all children. They have scoured the county looking for events and activities for the entire family to enjoy. Our transition and employment teams are assisting older kids to find internships or employment education programs. And our resource management team is helping families find the funding they need to take advantage of any summer experience a kid may want to try. This is what “it takes a village” really looks like. County Boards working in tandem with community organizations, churches and agencies to find a perfect fit for every child. Whatever you and your family decide to do this summer, I hope it is enriching, memorable and exactly what you hoped it would be. Every child deserves the chance to enjoy life and to just be a kid. John Pekar, Superintendent Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities Director of Business Development and Government Relations David Uhl has been selected by Columbus Business First to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2018. In its 26 th year, the central Ohio business journal received more than 300 nominations from around central Ohio. Uhl was selected from that pool for his dedication to the Fairfield County Board, the local business community and for his numerous community affiliations. Uhl will join his 2018 classmates on May 24 at a gala in their honor at the Hollywood Casino. A special edition of Business First will elaborate on all the winners and be published on May 25. Kane to Speak at OACB OACB is pleased to announce that the keynote address for the 2018 Spring Conference will be delivered by James Kane, a behavioral scientist and consultant specializing in the study of loyalty and relationships. His keynote address will open the OACB 2018 Spring Conference in the morning of Thursday, May 10. Drawing on more than 40 years of research, Kane will make the case that human beings have an innate need to be loyal and actively seek out specific clues from others that tell them when they can and should be. In his presentation, he will explain how leaders at county boards of DD can understand and demonstrate these loyaltybuilding behaviors to develop lifelong relationships and generate lasting public support.
Lasting Impressions The following letter was received last month from Tiffany Flowers, mother of Cruz who was enrolled in Forest Rose’s Integrated Preschool as a typical student/peer model. “I have a story to share with you. After I got the call, I thought of you and Forest Rose. I was at the hospital today working when I got a call from [my] boys’ school. I was in a patient’s room and apologized because I needed to answer at the bedside, but my heart skipped a beat because it was the school. It was the principal and it was about Cruz. She told me who she was and then told me that Cruz walked into her office today to “share his thought “with her and to give her a letter that he had written. There are a few kids at the school with handicaps and Cruz has noticed that a lot of the kids stare at them. He told her in his letter and in her office, that it’s not ok that kids stare at these kids with handicaps and not only did he point out that it’s an issue, but he gave her some ideas on what he thinks should be done about it and how she needs to address it. He also asked her to make an announcement over the speakers to let everyone know that it’s not nice to stare at people just because they look differently than us. It probably hurts their feelings and we need to be nice to everyone, regardless of how they look. She told me that I should be very proud, and he is mature beyond his years and she wishes just half of her kids were as empathetic and kind and thoughtful as he is. She is also proud of the fact that not only does he think it’s wrong to treat these kids differently, but that he wants to put something into action to change it, and that he had no problem going directly to her to speak up about how he feels. I couldn’t help but think of Forest Rose and of you and I am certain that the reason he is so thoughtful, and caring is because of you and the two years he spent there. And I shared that with the principal as well. So THANK YOU for everything you do and for instilling that into children at such a young age. When they learn that young, I think it lasts a lifetime. Everyone there should know what an amazing job you guys do and how it truly does impact and change lives. “ For information about enrollment in the Forest Rose Preschool, call 740.652.7225. Fairfield County Athletics Special Olympics will host an equestrian invitational at the Lancaster Fairgrounds on May 19. Come out and support our athletes!
Page 1: May 2018 Bringing about a vibrant c
Page 5 and 6: Tiki Pool & Miller Pool Tiki Pool w
Page 7 and 8: Adaptive Clothing Line to Launch wi

may_2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?