The morning began just like any other Saturday morning at the Yahara Program in Madison, Wisconsin. Community Support Provider (CSP), Jeanne Gebhardt was assisting the men who reside in the apartment with their morning routines. All three men, Jeff, Mark and Glenn have physical disabilities and use wheelchairs for mobility, but this by no means limits them from participating in very active lives and they were planning for a busy weekend.
As Jeanne was helping one of the men get ready for the eventful day ahead, Glenn began to yell. As she turned to look, she saw flames and smoke billowing from the dryer. The smoke coming from the dryer was thick and black; it was soon difficult to see anything in the apartment. Jeanne quickly sprang into action and contacted emergency services as well as the apartment on the floor below, where Dungarvin provides supports, for assistance. She rapidly began to assist the men to transfer to their wheelchairs and exit the apartment. This was no small task as all 3 men were in different places in the apartment doing different things. CSPs Binta Leigh and Corene Moody, as well as a neighbor, were instrumental in assisting with the swift evacuation. Jeanne’s ability to remain calm and focus on getting the individuals to safety was literally the difference between life and death.
Thankfully, the apartment was equipped with sprinklers. Because of Jeanne’s quick thinking, the fire department and the sprinkler system, the fire was under control very quickly. However, there was significant smoke damage to the apartment. The men needed to be relocated to a hotel until given the “all clear” from the fire department. Dungarvin Program Director Thomas Way, Program Director Veronica Polacek and State Director Julie Josephitis all arrived on the scene to assist in obtaining hotel accommodations and to make arrangements for additional staffing, food and supplies. The three men had quite an adventure as they were displaced to several hotels over the next three weeks while waiting for the apartment to be cleaned, repaired and deemed inhabitable so they could return home.
Because of the heroic efforts of CSP Jeanne Gebhardt, the lives of three incredible men were saved that day. Dungarvin Wisconsin will be forever grateful for Jeanne, Binta and Corene’s assistance and quick thinking that late March Saturday morning.
ARRM honored six outstanding caregivers during its ARRM Cares Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, at the DoubleTree Bloomington-Minneapolis. The ARRM Cares Award program began in 1996 to recognize professional caregivers who provide exemplary services to people with disabilities. Caregiver awards recipients must demonstrate a commitment to providing innovative, professional services to people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. Each year, six outstanding Minnesotans are selected from a field of over 100 nominees. We are proud to announce, Priscilla Spaeth, was one of the deserving winners.
Priscilla Spaeth, ARRM Award Recipient
2014 marked the eighth year of the ANCOR DSP of the Year Awards competition. A direct support professional from each state was celebrated at the ANCOR Conference in Miami. We are thrilled to announce, Priscilla Spaeth was the recipient of the Minnesota DSP of the Year Award! Priscilla was recognized for her unique talent of working through complex problems with a personal approach and making the solutions seem so easy.
Dave Toeniskoetter, Dungarvin CEO with Priscilla Spaeth, ANCOR DSP of the Year Award Recipient
We couldn’t be prouder of the positive influence and presence she has in the lives of those she supports at Dungarvin Minnesota. Priscilla is a valued employee and an excellent example of someone who demonstrates a commitment to providing innovative care. Congratulations, Priscilla, on your well-deserved awards!
Congratulations, Ann McMahon, on 25 years of service with Dungarvin!
It is incredible how many memories have been made during Ann’s 25 years at Dungarvin, both for her as well as for the individuals she supports. Twenty-five years ago, Ann applied for and became the household coordinator of Como Place. During her tenure at Dungarvin, she has been fortunate to have spent most of her employment here with most of the same individuals with whom she started! Ann has moved the location of the site five times in the past 25 years and she continues to be the Residential Coordinator (RC) with them today. Each time she moved the house, everyone came with her. Ann’s years at Dungarvin have been filled with a great deal of excitement and accomplishments, for which we’d like to extend our congratulations and share our appreciation.
Ann is an excellent RC who is always on top of her game. She shows up every day ready to take on the responsibilities of her job which, over the years, have increased greatly. A few years ago, she tackled learning Therap, a newly implemented web-based system at Dungarvin for documentation, reporting and communication. Although hesitant of Therap at first, now Ann is a pro at it! She meets deadlines and keeps appointments up-to-date, and does exactly what is needed, lets me know when she needs something or communicates when I need to know something. Ann definitely keeps her PD on her toes. She has an amazing sense of humor and just makes us all laugh!
When I spoke with the individuals Ann supports, they all said that she is funny, helps them, is a good cook, and that they miss her very much when she is gone on her world travels. She has hosted birthday parties for the supported individuals, Halloween and New Years Eve celebrations and just makes sure everyone is happy, comfortable, well taken care of and having fun. We couldn’t ask for a better RC; she is THE BEST! We like to joke that she is not going to be allowed to retire and so she might as well just get comfortable!
So, thank you, Ann, for your time with us here at Dungarvin. You have definitely made an amazing and positive difference in the lives of the folks who have lived at the site for which you provide supports. They couldn’t have asked for a better person to be with them for all of these years.
In the midst of what seems to be complete chaos involving staff shortages, long hours and difficult transitions, there are still moments that make us sit back and reflect on all the positive things happening around us every day. These things often get overshadowed by our lengthy to do lists and our constant feeling of “what’s going to happen next.” But, at the end of the day, we can feel assured that we are doing exactly what we were meant to do. So, here in Oklahoma, we want to share a few of our proud moments.
First, we are very proud to announce that we had an ANCOR DSP award winner from Dungarvin Oklahoma. Her name is Michelle Siegfried and she has been employed at Dungarvin Oklahoma since October 2009. Since her hire, she has made a positive impact on all of the individuals she has supported by introducing them to activities they have never previously experienced, as well as being an avid advocate for those individuals to obtain the services they desperately need. Kudos to Michelle, who recently enjoyed traveling to the ANCOR DSP conference in Miami, Florida as the representative of Dungarvin Oklahoma.
In another proud moment for Oklahoma, we are happy to announce that we just completed our six-month Quality Assurance review for a very challenging transition from the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center (SORC). We have been cleared of any issues previously noted for the 30 and 90 day reviews and the transition has been deemed a success by DDS/QA and OCA (Office of Client Advocacy). Thanks go out to to Frances Case, program director, for her tenacity and willingness to go the extra mile to make this a successful transition. Frances was able to lead her team of HTS staff to new heights in order to serve these three gentlemen with extreme needs and challenges.
In addition, in April, we successfully completed our annual license review with the state of Oklahoma. The state reviewed our services earlier than we expected and yet, we were able to shine with minimal citations. Thanks to the entire Oklahoma Team for their hard work and dedication in preparing for this review.
Everybody committed to our mission knows and expects the ups and the downs associated with supporting folks with various disabilities. Because of and despite those challenges, it is essential to pull together and reflect on these moments when we feel most proud and uplifted.
Testimonial provided by: Marlene Kuxhausen, Family Member
“I am writing to express my appreciation and admiration for Lauren’s work at [the] Sycamore [location]. Under her supervision, there have been more opportunities for enrichment, for fun, for involvement…..just simple things like doing crafts, ordering a pizza, having a special dessert, planning one-on-one time with staff, things that make the house more of a ‘HOME’ for the residents. My daughter, Lissy, seems very happy, and her needs are being met in a timely and respectful manner. Thank you, Dungarvin!”
We have great appreciation and gratitude for Tonia Manske and her years of service!
Tonia began her employment with Dungarvin on April 19, 2004. She has worked as a float Program Coordinator in the Ramsey houses, Residential Coordinator at Eustis and Arner, Float Residential Coordinator in Ramsey County, House Manager at Hiawatha and she is currently the Residential Coordinator at Arner again. She has also worked at multiple other locations including 15th, Quilty, Jessamine, Park, Ballantyne, Camara, Victoria, Richmond, Turtle, Eustis, Tikvah, Highland, Eden Prairie. Tonia has helped out with tasks when these locations didn’t have a permanent Residential Coordinator, including working direct care shifts, helping with staffing schedules, making and transporting individuals to appointments, as well as completing taxes for a person served. In addition, Tonia has been very helpful in assisting Program Directors figure out issues on PD audits. Because she has been particularly good at finding the little mistakes staff make, we have been able to resolve many issues by calling in her “fresh eyes” to help us figure out areas of concern. Tonia’s supervisors have included Jamie Johnson, Christina Middleton, Robin Stepney, Jerry Meuer, and Mary Dornfield.
Over the years, due to how much she has “been around,” Tonia has had the opportunity to develop relationships with many staff and people to whom we provide supports. Being able to work in so many of our locations has been one of Tonia’s favorite parts of her job. When she worked at 15th, she was one of the few staff who could get one individual to participate in the community. He would look forward to when Tonia was working every time! She specifically remembers making the list of Christmas presents that he wanted to buy for his family, taking him shopping for those gifts, and afterward wrapping them with him. Another support Tonia provided to this individual, who appreciated it greatly, was taking him to visit his parents’ graves.
Earlier in her career with Dungarvin, Tonia helped a person served plan her wedding. This included attending various meetings before the ceremony and helping the bride to get ready and to the church on time on the day of the event.
Thank you, Tonia. We appreciate you and your 10 years of service!