The dance party on October 22nd at the West Road was a huge success. Pizza, desserts, and dancing……… We all had a great time! The food was delicious with homemade and store bought treats. The decorations were spooky. The costumes were some of the best that I have ever seen. A special thanks to Lisa Cummings, Charles Owuor, John LeBlanc, Vicki McDonald, Nancy Howell, Steve Georgiou, and John Clausson for going above and beyond with their time and efforts in making this dance party a reality. It truly takes a dedicated group of people with vision and action, in their "spare" time, to make such an event happen.

Halloween Dance Party at NHR by Sandi Swan

November 2010

Inside this issue:

Welcome New Employees to NHR!

2

NHR Birthdays and Work Anniversaries Celebrated in November

3

Employee of the Month 4

Teams of the Quarter, Trivia Question of the Month

5

Staff Appreciation, Spring Bulb Planting at Pleasant Valley, A Note from Rosemary Romano

6

NHR Honored! 7

7th Annual Fall Into Fashion Show 8

NYSACRA Mid-Hudson Region Excellence Awards, Save the Date for the NHF Spring Craft Show!

9

Current Job Openings at NHR

11

November Training Calendar

12

Inside NHR Scavenger Hunt

10

Enabling people with developmental disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives within their local communities.

Inside NHR

Bruce Pleasants

Sylvia Goldman

Adam Fitzpatrick

Suman Miller Cyrus Kirigi and Paul Molly

Sharon Gyurits

Todd Lehrer

Margaret Limnios

Inside NHR Page 2 Inside NHR

All of us here at NHR would like to extend a warm welcome to the following new employees:

Patricia Moran RN

William Morrissey DSP (Res Hab)

Kathleen Hussey DSP (Jansen Road)

Matthew Reed Maintenance

Ann Mugambi DSP (Relief)

Paul Njora DSP (Unionvale)

Kaitlin Traudt RN

Inside NHR Page 3 Inside NHR

Susanne Holtman, Finance—1 year Tonya Pearson, Respite Wing—1 year Sarah Roberts, Relief/Floater Group—1 year Kevin Brown, Relief/Floater Group—2 years Tennille Martin, Res Hab—2 years Shawne Eato-Roberson, Tyrrel Road—3 years Karen Grecke, Stormville—3 years Naquana Tissiera, Pleasant Valley—3 years Kristen Fox, Relief/Floater Group—4 years Tamia Haddad, Thornwood—4 years Anthony Palazzo, Prog. Administration—4 yrs Donna Watson, Relief/Floater Group—4 years

11-15 years!

Santa Credaroli, Res Hab—14 years

16-20 years!

1-5 years!

6-10 years!

NHR Employees Celebrating November Work Anniversaries

Danielle Humphrey, Relief/Floater Grp—16 yrs Donna Lyons, Finance—16 years Marie Kluge, Millerton—17 years Nancy Lashway, Dover Plains—20 years

Belinda Brown, Roundhill—6 years Victoria Smith, IT—6 years Jennifer L. Hall, Prog. Administration—7 yrs Kari Hart, Canal Path—7 years

Birthdays at New Horizons in November Quincy Ferguson, Prog. Administration—11/2 Jamie Ross, Relief/Floater Group—11/2 Raymond Born, Canal Path—11/3 William Cox, Stormville—11/3 Beverly Kaufman, Clinical Services—11/3 Jeffrey Mahoney, Dwight Street—11/3 Rissa Przekop, Relief/Floater Group—11/3 Vanessa Serino, Unionvale—11/3 Isabel Tortorici, Relief/Floater Group—11/3 Guy Milroy, Program Administration—11/4 James Stickler, Unionvale—11/4 Darrel Stroman, Relief/Floater Group—11/5 Barbara Ahlf, Tyrrel Road—11/6 Amy Budd, Tyrrel Road—11/7 Patricia Moran, Clinical Services—11/9 Matthew Reed, Program Administration—11/9 William Beattie, Prog. Administration—11/10 Dessie Clark, Roundhill—11/10 Mariana Cunningham, Morehouse—11/10 Heather Oles, Tyrrel Road—11/10 Susan Lynn, Service Coordination—11/12 Charles Proffit, Stormville—11/12 Dawn Beebe, Canal Path—11/14

William Desomma, Clinton Corners—11/14 Annette Pecora, Relief Floater Group—11/16 David Crichton, Mountain View—11/17 Jocelyn Murray, Clintondale—11/17 Douglas Schwall, Prog. Administration—11/17 Eric Bertin, Clinton Corners –11/18 Todd Berk, Jansen Road—11/19 Claire Newman, Pinewood—11/19 Wilter Lundy, Angelo Boulevard—11/20 Ivan Nosenchuk, Independent Living—11/20 Sabrina Wathley, Albrecht Lane—11/21 Jason Sealy, Relief/Floater Group—11/23 Darlene Albano, Pinewood—11/25 Theresa Peet, Relief/Floater Group—11/25 Sarah Roberts, Relief/Floater Group—11/25 Ashley Thiel, Canal Path—11/26 Nicole Thomison, Gerry Road—11/26 Rochelle Scott, Clinical Services—11/27 Sarah Owuor, Relief/Floater Group—11/28 Samuel Natal, Albrecht Lane—11/29

Diana Moore, Angelo Boulevard—8 years Anna Marie Gomez, Relief/Floater Grp—10 yrs Donald Peck, Relief/Floater Group—10 years

21+ years!

Stephen Bradley, Mtn. View—25 years Darlene Hornbeck, Mtn. View—26 years William Beattie, Prog. Administration—29 yrs

Inside NHR Page 4

Congratulations to Cheryl Dennis, DSP, Morehouse, for being selected as New Horizons’ Employee of the Month! Cheryl’s nomination said the following: “I would like to nominate Cheryl Dennis for Employee of the month. Cheryl has worked at New Horizons for 6 years at Morehouse. To understand Cheryl, one has to know Cheryl. As some staff will say, “Cheryl is hard on the outside but soft on the inside.” She is also very generous. She works the day shift keeping track of med appointments and keeps in close contact with our nurses to ensure the ladies are up to date with what needs to be done. One of Cheryl’s other specialties is that she is a savvy shopper. The house budget is well managed when she goes shopping and she keeps close tabs on what items need to be replenished. We hardly ever run out of items at Morehouse thanks to her! If the ladies are still at home when Cheryl arrives, she makes sure that are properly groomed before going out. The ladies get a kick out of Cheryl because almost every day she misplaces her personal items and they enjoy watching her go around looking for her purse, glasses, keys, etc. Last year, Cheryl decided to go back to school and enrolled in the Direct Care Certificate program at Dutchess Community College. She was supposed to get the Direct Care Certificate, but she opted to complete a few extra credits and get her Associate's Degree instead. Let me tell you about Cheryl’s culinary skills! Just about any dish she prepares is sooo good! The ladies surely enjoy Cheryl’s good food. She organizes many parties for the ladies and their families and friends. In addition, she lends a hand to her co-workers and cooks dinner early

when she knows they will have a busy afternoon. Her peers can count on her to get things done when she works with them. She pitches in in any way possible to make sure that things run smoothly. In the last six years we have gotten to know Cheryl and we understand Cheryl. She’s a hard worker and seldom calls out. This year, even with her busy school schedule, she hasn’t called out. Once, during a winter storm, Cheryl walked from her home to Morehouse because she couldn’t get her car out. In closing, this is a comment from a co-worker: “Cheryl is a great woman, team player, and the ladies and other staff at Morehouse are privileged to have her.”

Cheryl will receive a $50 gift certificate to the location of her choice for being selected

Employee of the Month.

Please congratulate her when you see her!

Nominations for Employee of the Month

are reviewed at our monthly Unity meeting.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday December 2nd at 11am at the Training and Ad-

ministration Building on West Road.

All are welcome, we hope to see you there!

Page 5 Inside NHR

We had a tie for Team of the Quarter!! Congratulations to the Pleasant Valley and Briggs Farm Summer Camp teams for being selected!

The next time you see them, please congratulate the staff of our Pleasant Valley House — Peri Fazio, Cyrus Kirigi, Lindsey Kort, Kathy Lederman-Miller, Steve McRoberts,

Chris Nwauzor, Ed Schebilski, Naquana Tissiera, and Julia Rountree-Henry— and the Briggs Farm Summer Camp team— Kate Nugent, Matt Wells, Sarah Beaumont,

Tammy Dellacamera, Tennille Martin, Rachael Oliver, Marguerite Clausson, Gordon Riggs, Nicole McCluskey, and John Clausson!!

Each team will receive a $200 gift certificate to the location of their choice for being selected

Team of the Quarter!

Trivia Question of the Month

Q. On the average how many words a day do women speak? Men?

David Griffiths, Medicaid Service Coordinator

Team of the Quarter?

The Pleasant Valley team’s nomination said the following: “During a recent home visit with Paul Molly, he told me that he was upset that he was not allowed to buy gifts for his staff. He said his staff are “so wonderful” to him and he wanted to show his appreciation. I suggested that he nominate them for Team of the Quarter and the following is what Paul had to say about this staff: “Hi. My name is Paul Molloy and I reside at one of the NHR houses. I have been residing here since it opened in 2001. Over the years, I have had staff come and go, but I want to take the time to tell you about the staff working at Pleasant Valley right now. When I’m sad, they talk to me as an individual and not just like a number. When I’m happy, the staff respond to me in a favorable manner. My staff care about me. They are always trying—they get things done. I am respected. I think the other guys who live here are just as lucky as me. These staff have made Pleasant Valley a home and us all a family. Thank you.””

The Briggs Farm Summer Camp’s team nomination said the following: “I would like to nominate the staff of the Briggs Farm Summer Camp for team of the quarter. We held 3 different weeks of camp this year and served 30+ children. All of the staff were dedicated and professional, and because of them we were able to make this the best camp yet. It was a busy 3 weeks of camp. We went to the Columbia County Fair, therapeutic horseback riding, the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum and much more. I am particularly impressed with all of the staff’s ability to think on their feet and their willingness to create childhood memories for all of the children that participated. I am more than happy to share that the family surveys mirror my pride in all of the staff.”

Staff Appreciation!

Page 6 Inside NHR

Trivia Question of the Month

A. Women speak 7000 words a day, compare to men who speak 2000. Do I need to say more?

Catherine Lawrence, DSP at Morehouse, celebrated her

5 year anniversary!

Brenda Smith, Residence Coordinator of Millerton, pictured above with Bill

Beattie, celebrated her 25 year anniversary!!

Thanksgiving is coming up and the weather is getting cold. Marilyn went home and when she was away, the maintenance workers took the rug out of her room and put in a brand new wood floor. When she comes back will she ever be surprised! Jerry and Bev have been coming to our house every Tuesday afternoon to have meetings with us. They are helping us with our problems. We have staff that help us a lot too. We have new staff in our house: Omar, Gianni, Cassandra and Shannon. We are going to have a birthday party for Todd in November on his birthday. Nancy Howell is going to have a birthday in December. I hope to have a party for her then. Tonight I fixed chili for dinner. Brooke put some pepper in it and I didn’t eat it. But everyone else liked it. Tomorrow we will be having chicken for dinner. I am going to my sisters Jo Ann and Lucy’s home for Thanksgiving on Monday, November 22nd and will be there for a whole week. It will be the first time I get to see my brand new baby nephew Joseph Romano Jr. He was born in September and he is already 10 pounds. I hope everyone has a good time on Thanksgiving day!

Planting Spring Bulbs at Pleasant Valley

by Kathy Lederman-Miller

It’s only October but Pleasant Valley is already getting ready for spring! First things first: Bruce Pleasants and Kathy Lederman-Miller went shopping for flower bulbs. Then Paul Molly (pictured at right) got to work planting them, with some help from friends Ryan and Tyler Miller, and Kathy too!

A Note from Rosemary Romano!

Page 7 Inside NHR

NHR Honored! by Beth Cookinham National Disability Awareness Awards

On Wednesday, October 27th, NHR was one of twenty employers honored at the 9th Annual National Disability Employment Awareness Awards Ceremony at the Civic Center by the

Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Hudson Employment Alliance

and New York State VESID.

Pictured above, from left to right, are Linda Sofka accepting for K-Mart, Matt Rowlette accepting an award for New Horizons and

Jamie Snider accepting for Baby Visions. We congratulate our fellow honorees!

Community Leadership Breakfast

The New Horizons Foundation’s 16th Annual Community Leadership Breakfast was held on Thursday, October 28th at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel.

This year we are pleased to have honored Stacey Langenthal, Rita McPeck, and Lisa

Morris for their spirit, dedication and leadership in fostering a better life for all

residents of the Hudson Valley. To read bios on our honorees, please visit our website:

www.nhrny.org

We thank our sponsors for their help in making this event a success!

From left to right: Linda Saland, Rita McPeck, Lisa Morris, Stacey Langenthal and

Senator Stephen Saland

2010 Self-Advocacy Conference

The Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS) held their annual conference October 28-30th at the Marriott Hotel in Albany, NY. This year’s theme was Breaking Barriers, Hopes and Dreams Stay Alive. Celebrate the ADA. A fun Halloween theme was also incorporated into the weekend. Many representing NHR were on hand to accept the award of “Agency of the Year”! We thank SANYS for this honor! This year people with disabilities are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. A march on Wolf Road to celebrate the ADA was followed by guest speakers talking about how the ADA has helped people live full lives in their communities and more needs to be done in the coming years! Workshops & Focus Groups were held on topics from Back to Grassroots-Self-Advocacy 101, Telling Our Stories and From Group Homes To Community.

A special thanks to Beverly Kaufman and Tom McCluskey for their help in coordinating efforts for this year’s conference! For more information about SANYS, please visit

their website, www.sanys.org.

Pictured above: Beverly Kaufman (left) and Sharon Wong (right)

Page 8 Inside NHR

7th Annual Fall Into Fashion Show by Beth Cookinham The 7th Annual Fall Into Fashion Show was held at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel on Thursday, October 7th. The latest fall fashions were shown by 40 models from Coldwater Creek, Crystal’s Closet, Dress Barn, Elizabeth Boutique, Magnolia’s Boutique, Mary H. Abdoo & You, Pleasant

Valley Department Store and Up To Date.

A special thanks to Lisa Morris for emceeing, Salon Verve for hair, Janna Whearty for makeup, Mary H. Abdoo & You for providing tuxedos, Elizabeth Boutique for being our goody bag

sponsor, Rosemary Bertelle & Rhinebeck Savings Bank for their help with our marketing, Steve Georgiou for DJ’ing, Steve Planck of Blue Sky Photography and Jessica McQoewn for

photography and the countless others who volunteer their time to make the show a huge success!

Shonta Morgan shows off a dress from Mary H.

Abdoo & You

Save the Date for Next Year! 10-6-11

If you would like to become involved in next year’s show, please contact Beth Cookinham at

bcookinham@nhrny.org or (845) 473-3000 x322.

Linda Sofka wears a fun outfit from

Magnolia’s

From left to right: Matt Rowlette, Quincy Ferguson, John Evangelista, Matt Sherlach and Ed Schebilski model tuxedos

donated from Mary H. Abdoo & You

Lauren Hann models fashions from

Coldwater Creek

From left to right: Sarah Spainhoward (Cablevision News), Bobbi Sue Telitocci (Marist College), owner Beth Madsen, Hannah Haslam,

Naquana Tissiera, and Kristin Tompkins model fashions from Elizabeth Boutique

Chrissy Prechtl shows off a dress from

Crystal’s Closet

Linda Milroy models fashions from

Up to Date

Missy Frank wears the latest business attire from Dress Barn

Rose Palazzo models clothing from Pleasant

Valley Department Store

Page 9 Inside NHR

Lynda Dipressi and Michele Tiffany were both recognized for demonstrating outstanding performance within our agency during the annual Direct Support Professional Conference that was held at The Holiday Inn in Fishkill on October 22, 2010! Lynda is a DSP at Gerry Road; she has been working with New Horizons for 4 years. She was described in her nomination as being compassionate, dedicated, and industrious. She recently completed her NADSP Credential, which makes her one of the first 4 DSPs in New York State to be certified. The credentialing was the culmination of 2 years of hard work. Michele, also a DSP at Gerry Road, has been working with New Horizons for 8 years. Most recently she has been working in conjunction with a person she

provides supports for and the Good Dog Foundation to train her dog to be a therapy dog. Once their training is complete, they will be visiting patients at Vassar Hospital. Michele’s nomination described her as being caring, committed, and a good advocate. Congratulations Lynda and Michele! We appreciate your hard work and we are proud of your accomplishments!!

NYSACRA Mid-Hudson Region Excellence Awards

Pictured above: Excellence Awards Winner Michele Tiffany (left) and Lynda Dipressi (right)

Save the Date!!

New Horizons Foundation’s 4th Annual

Spring Juried Craft Show

March 19 & 20, 2011 James J. McCann Center, Marist College

Featuring over 40 artisans displaying

Pottery, photography, jewelry, fiber and more!

For more information, please contact Beth Cookinham at (845) 473-3000 x 322 or bcookinham@nhrny.org.

Applications are available on our website.

Page 10 Inside NHR

Congratulations to the winner of the October Scavenger Hunt, Jennifer Rodriguez (Finance)!! Jeni, please contact Jerilynne in the HR Department at (845) 473-3000 ext. 323 to let her know where you would like your $50 gift certificate for!! The best reason to read Inside NHR is still to learn about important news within the agency and our field; acknowledge significant milestones; and, learn about and celebrate the many good things happening in the lives of people we support as made possible by the efforts of a talented and dedicated group of people on a mission to enable people with developmental disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives within their local communities. To encourage everyone to read the new electronic version of Inside NHR we will be conducting another treasure hunt open to all NHR employees (except HR department staff and agency directors).

Here is how it works!

∗ Search through the November Inside NHR and find the answers to following 8 questions:

1. Where was this years’ NHR Halloween party held? 2. Name one new RN that NHR welcomed this month. 3. On what date in November did 7 members of the NHR family celebrate their birthday? 4. Which house got a head start on spring planting? 5. What did Linda Sofka, Matt Rowlette, and Jamie Snider accept awards for in October for? 6. What was the theme of this years’ Self-Advocacy Conference? 7. Name one store that participated in the 7th Annual Fashion Show. 8. When is the 4th Annual NHF Craft Show scheduled for? ∗ Send an email with all 8 answers to Jerilynne Smith, HR Coordinator, at jlsmith@nhrny.org

by Friday, November 26, 2010. (Make sure you either request a read receipt or follow up with a phone call to ensure that she received your e-mail!)

∗ To pick the winner, Jerilynne will enter the name of each person who answers all 8 questions

correctly into an Excel spreadsheet. She will then use this website http://www.random.org/integers/ to pick one winner at random.

∗ Everyone who enters and answers all 8 questions correctly will have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the location of his or her choice!

Have fun and if you have any questions please contact Jerilynne at (845) 473-3000 ext. 323 or jlsmith@nhrny.org.

October Scavenger Hunt Winner!

Page 11 Inside NHR

CANAL PATH—PART TIME Thursday 5pm-9pm, Friday 3pm-11pm, Saturday 3pm-11pm CANAL PATH—PART TIME Monday 6:30am-10:30am, Tuesday 6:30am-10:30am, Wednesday 6:30am-10:30am, Thursday 6:30am-10:30am, Friday 6:30am-10:30am CLINTON CORNERS—PART TIME Sunday 8am-3pm, Monday 2pm-9pm, Tuesday 3pm-9pm CLINTON CORNERS—PART TIME Friday 2:30pm-9:30pm, Saturday 2pm-10pm, Sunday 3:30pm—9pm CLINTONDALE—FULL TIME Saturday 2pm-10pm, Sunday 2pm-10pm, Monday 2pm-10pm, Tuesday 2pm-10pm, Wednesday 2pm-10pm CLINTONDALE—FULL TIME Wednesday 3pm-11pm, Thursday 3pm-11pm, Friday 3pm-11pm, Saturday 3pm-11pm, Sunday 3pm-11pm CLINTONDALE—PART TIME Monday 6am-10am, Tuesday 6am-10am, Wednesday 6am-10am, Thursday 6am-10am, Friday 6am-10am

MOUNTAIN VIEW—PART TIME Monday 6am-10am, Tuesday 6am-10am, Wednesday 6am-10am, Thursday 6am-10am, Friday 6am-10am MOUNTAIN VIEW—PART TIME Wednesday 5pm-9pm, Thursday 5pm-9pm, Saturday 5pm-9pm, Sunday 1pm-9pm MOUNTAIN VIEW—PART TIME Friday 11pm-9am, Saturday 11pm-9am TYRREL ROAD—FULL TIME Wednesday 1pm-11pm, Thursday 1pm-11pm, Friday 1pm-9pm, Saturday 3pm-11pm RES HAB (CRH) & AT-HOME RESPITE Per diem opportunities available in both Dutchess and Ulster County. 4-12 flexible hours per week (depends on the needs of the family served). Some appointments may be able to be combined for part time CLINTONDALE—PART TIME—TEMP Thursday 3pm-11pm, Saturday 7am-1pm, Sunday 7am-1pm MOUNTAIN VIEW—PART TIME—TEMP Monday 8am-1pm, Tuesday 8am-1pm, Wednesday 8am-1pm, Friday 3pm-8pm UNIONVALE—PART TIME—TEMP Sunday 3pm-11pm, Monday 3pm-9pm, Tuesday 3pm-9pm

Contact Jerilynne, HR Coordinator, at (845) 473-3000, extension 323 or jlsmith@nhrny.org for more information on any of these positions.

**We are also accepting relief applications for all areas**

Do You Know Someone Who Would Make A Great New Horizons’ Employee??

Any NHR staff member (except Directors, Administrative Coordinators and HR Department staff), who refers a friend, family member or colleague to

NHR will receive $500 for each person we hire in a full or part-time position who successfully completes his or her probationary period.

Please help us add to our great team by referring someone you know to one

of the positions currently available at our agency listed below!