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The foundation of our work is to provide support to individuals in our care. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are the backbone of our organization, working daily with these individuals. Bea Morehouse, Residential Program Coordinator, has spent her career lovingly building relationships with individuals for more than 20 years.

Bea is a 2023 ARRM Cares Award winner recognized by our Minnesota association as a DSP who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to quality services among her peers in the industry.

Today, we invite you to watch this short clip and take a peek at a “Day in the Life” of a Direct Support Professional. See what makes Bea so special and why her role at Dungarvin is so important.

Bre is a 39-year-old fun loving woman who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a complex, genetic disorder that affects multiple systems in the body. The syndrome usually results from partial chromosome deletions that affect how genes turn off and on. The most predominant symptom of PWS is an inability to control eating.

“Within months after her birth, we knew Bre would need support, especially after she was diagnosed with PWS at three (years of age),” says her mother, Beverly. “The school system and various private pay agencies assisted our family until Bre graduated from high school and turned 21 years old. Unfortunately, Prader-Willi will prevent Bre from ever living on her own.”

While living in Jefferson County, Bre’s host home living situation wasn’t working out. In 2016, the family moved to Colorado to be closer to Bree’s brother Kit Jr., and his growing family. Upon moving, notifications and referrals were sent out to new agencies searching for a good home for Bre’s continued program services. “Mary Anne Cooper, a Dungarvin Placement Supervisor, received our request and began to really pursue Bre. We are so thankful she did,” shares Beverly, who then began working for Dungarvin as a Direct Support Professional (DSP). Through this process, the family discovered that Bre could actually be supported by her parents while living at home. So, Beverly and husband, Kit, became Dungarvin Host Home Providers for their daughter, but not before making sure they had enough support.

“Becoming a provider is a fairly easy process,” says Director Bruce Mayberry. “After processing one’s application and completing background checks, the staff provide you with an outline of trainings required from the State of Colorado and from Dungarvin. Most trainings are done online, from the convenience of your own home. Dungarvin’s staff are here to support you with a common goal of being able to support family members (or others) with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities while being compensated for your services.”

For the last eight years, Bre has been supported by the Dungarvin Day Program in El Paso County (CO). Four days a week, the Day Program picks up Bre up each morning and drops her safely at home after a day full of community activities. Beverly says this is the first time she has ever encountered such a service-minded Day Program. “They have been providing amazing activities this year,” says Beverly. “Bre and the Day Program participants are planting two gardens; visiting museums; doing ceramics; and going bowling. Bre has the highest single game and series, and she’s even become captain of her team! The staff keep Bre active and engaged all while providing crucial line of sight supervision, making sure she is safe around extra food temptation.”

Day Program Director Jennifer Acree, Robin Avitia and Cindy Ward stay in constant communication providing daily journals on Bre’s activities, food consumption, exercise, and any issues to keep Beverly in the loop.

“Dungarvin has been an answer to our family’s prayers,” believes Beverly. “They genuinely love Bre and have become like family to us.” Program staff have all studied Bre’s rare syndrome and partner with her parents at monthly home visits by Program Director Tandi Schips and Nurse Kathy Diamond. Dungarvin supports family care givers to prepare annual reviews both with County agencies as well as Human Rights Committees. Beverly reports that Dungarvin has offered classes to keep her up-to-date on necessary requirements to fulfill her qualifications to remain Bre’s Host Home Provider.

“Bre has a never give up spirit which has propelled her to do more and to function at a higher capacity than specialists told us she would be capable of,” gushes Beverly. One of Bre’s favorite activities is being a co-host in an annual holiday fundraiser called “Christmas This Year.” Each year, she and her friend Matthew Gordon sing and dance with children and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) to raise money for Club 21, a non-profit benefitting South African children with Down Syndrome. The play has been held at the ENT Center in Colorado Springs with several thousand in attendance, and Bre truly shines when she steps onto the stage.

Matthew Gordon and Bre are the official co-hosts of the annual event.

If you live in Colorado and are interested in becoming a Host Home Provider, please contact Bruce Mayberry at bmayberry@dungarvin.com.

Brandy Gerdes-Schutz is no stranger to serving others. As Senior Director of Compass Career Solutions, Brandy is proud of the work she does. “The people that we help have experienced barriers to finding consistent employment or permanent housing,” she shared. “The state of Washington is trying to solve a chronic homelessness problem, and I feel fortunate to be part of a solution.”

Through person-centered work, Compass helps its clients reintegrate into their community. Through one-on-one consultation, Compass supports a vulnerable population get back on their feet by making informed, independent choices through support structured in safety, setting clear boundaries, and most importantly, fostering dependable relationships with its staff. Compass specializes in supported employment, supportive housing and community integration services that help individuals develop a sense of pride as they land a job and find safe and affordable housing. Let’s take a peek at this important work through a Day in the Life with Brandy Gerdes-Schutz:

Today, I started my morning with the Compass team in Spokane, Washington. Nate Rees is a Vocational Specialist. Nate meets with individuals one on one, helping to identify their passions and interests, to match them with employment opportunities that work for them. He and his support dog, Diesel, are a huge help to us in Spokane. I saw today that Diesel had his very own Compass badge, which I thought was adorable and just had to share!

This is Mikel Friedlander, Brandy Mandery and Debra Durham. They are all Team Leads focused on employment services for our operations in Spokane. They were meeting to train Brandy, as she’s new to her role. They are so crucial to our team because they support clients to find engaging employment, working with both employers and individuals to ensure a successful outcome. These leaders make sure our quality of services meet Compass’ established standards, and we appreciate everything they do.

Next, I headed into our (soon to be) new office space in Spokane. We’re moving here to be more accessible to the people we serve as well as the partners we have in our community. I went with Executive Assistant, Kristen Wilke and Area Director, Shawna Parry, to discuss what we need to do to ensure the new space is ready to go when we move in early this fall.

Afterwards, I joined a virtual call with Northwest Regional Director, Brent Aberg, Talent Acquisition Specialists, Kara Marmon and Regional Talent Acquisition Manager, Nikki Lawless, to discuss our recruiting efforts. We talked about an in-person recruiting event on July 10th, being hosted by one of our community partners, ‘The Hive.’ The Hive is a non-traditional library in Spokane centered around arts education. Currently, we have six job openings in Spokane, and we’re hoping to meet qualified candidates at this event. This meeting was taken from my phone due to spotty Wi-Fi. Ironically, that’s what my next meeting was about. I met with our Network Project Team to continue the discussion of getting all our systems on the Dungarvin network. We’re super close to finalizing this project! (Compass Career Solutions was acquired by Minnesota-based Dungarvin in August of 2022). I also want to give a special shoutout to our Project Manager, Jamie Galley. She’s really great at keeping us on task and moving this important work forward.

After a busy day, I finally had a few moments to check my emails and complete approvals, like for the 3rd Annual Compass Community Resource Fair that took place on June 21st. The fair provided free lunches, haircuts, raffles and giveaways, as well as IDs for community members who are in need of one. (An identification card is essential for someone to gain employment, housing, or access opportunities in their community). The Community Resource Fair hosted 25+ vendors offering free services, resources, and consultation to more than 200 community members in need of support. It was a huge success, but it also took a lot of preparation. I’m so proud of the efforts our team makes for supportive events like these. Myriam Campos, Kennewick Program Director, had a vision three years ago, and now it’s turned into an annual event that the community looks forward to!

This is the Spokane office space I use when I come in to meet with my team. Compass is now in nine cities and counting, but I find myself doing much of my work from Spokane. Here’s a snapshot of what today’s agenda included:

Time for my 190-mile drive home — phew! I snapped this photo of one of my favorite views. This is the Columbia River, and my long, relaxing drive is a nice finish to a long day!

If you are interested in joining the Compass team, view open career opportunities at https://www.careersbycompass.com/jobs.

Just under two weeks ago, Dungarvin hosted a Summer Celebration in Denver, Colorado. Over 85 people attended to celebrate the milestones of five Dungarvin employees: Bruce Mayberry (20 years), Jen Acree (20 years), Kathy Tasker (20 years), Steve Darnell (15 years) and Andras Palyer (10 years).

The day was full of fun, laughter, sharing memories and speeches for those being recognized. Congratulations to all those who were honored!

We thank you for your continued commitment to our mission of respecting and responding to the choices of those in need of support.

Christina Rivers, Project Assistant, just joined the Project Management (PMO) team and she’s already making waves in her new role. “The PMO team is lucky to have Christina,” shared her coworker, Jamie Galley. “She has been a welcomed addition and a breath of fresh air to our team. Christina is eager to learn and grow within Dungarvin and is always willing to help out with a smile on her face.” Get to know her, her dedications and the things that excite her through ‘5 questions with Christina Rivers:’

1. Why do you have a passion for this work – how so?
I take pride in being a part of ideas becoming plans, plans becoming projects, and projects becoming the reality of those ideas. The fact that Dungarvin’s “reality” positively impacts so many realities of different people — Well, that is just the cherry on top for me!

2. What would you most like to see happen in your state to better serve people with disabilities?
I am remote in sunny South Florida where there aren’t any Dungarvin offices (yet 😉). What I would most like to see happen is Dungarvin open an office in Florida. There is a HUGE need for supports.

3. Who are your heroes in life and why?

4. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I would say achieving my certification in Project Management.

5. What do you most value about the Dungarvin team with whom you work?

When I was interviewing for employment, my main concern was being able to work alongside experienced Project Managers who would be willing to mentor me and teach me the ropes. The PMO team I work with at Dungarvin goes above and beyond what I was looking for! They are so busy with so many different projects, yet they always find the time to pour into me. That to me is priceless.