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2013 Annual Report Champlain Community Services “Community is our middle name” Champlain Community Services Our Mission is to help individuals with developmental disabilities experience all of life’s opportunities by enhancing self esteem, maximizing independence, and enabling community membership. 512 Troy Avenue, Suite 1 Colchester, VT 05446 802.655.0511 ccs-vt.org From the Executive Director Welcome to our Annual Report FY 2013 represented an exciting time of rebirth for "the little agency that could," and that has, for more than 46 years! We completed a total interior renovation of our building at Fort Ethan Allen. This brought out the best in this beautiful and historic structure, and allowed us to stand poised for growth over the next 46 years. As executive director, I feel a strong commitment to both our past and our future. CCS is a unique and special place, founded and developed by families. While we've grown and branched out over the years, we've maintained our ability to provide personal and creative services. Having been a part of CCS for more than nine years, my primary goals are: to help ensure our agency continues the wonderful work of providing valuable employment, community, and residential options to the people we serve; to maintain our strong sense of community; and to develop, train, and sustain our staff so we’ll continue to deliver the highest quality, family-oriented supports in the state. CCS, while small, is part of something bigger, and I also recognize an important role for us in the community. We have a responsibility to mentor our community about the real value of the people we serve. When the value of all people —no matter their differences or abilities—is embraced and understood, we all join the world a little more. I invite all of you to join us in celebrating our wonderful new space, and being a part of this wonderful little agency. Stop by anytime! Best, Elizabeth Sightler Champlain Community Services (CCS), Inc. is a not-for-profi t 501(c)(3) corporation, in its 45th year of service to our community. CCS offers supports to children and adults with developmental disabilities in Chittenden County and throughout northern Vermont. Our Services Champlain Community Services, in its 47th year of serving its community, offers carefully coordinated one-to-one supports to adults and children with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties. CCS serves a vulnerable population, with changing needs, providing lifelong supports in a dynamic world. Our small size, experienced staff, and tradition as a family-centered agency enable us to design “whole person” support plans that are highly individualized. Individualized Service Agreements, designed collaboratively by individual consumers, family members, and other natural supports, working with CCS coordinating and direct-service staff, guide services throughout the year. Direct sup- ports are delivered by a dynamic and well-trained staff of Community Inclusion Facilitators, supervised by our experienced team of Service Coordinators. Areas of service include: • supported employment through Way2Work • high school transition & career development through School2Work • home and shared living, including • independent living skills development • community engagement: education, • recreation & health, volunteerism, personal depelopment • support and encouragement for • self-advocacy activities • respite home (contracted) Regular trainings provide staff professional development and ensure they have the knowledge and resources required to best serve our consumers. In addition to annual staff in-service training and retreat days, this year CCS staff received training in therapeutic options, communication & facilitated communication, job-coaching techniques, Alzheimer’s and early dementia, autism, personal/professional boundaries, as well as Red Cross First Aid and CPR. Our Board of Directors Our Members CCS is governed by a Peter McDougall President & Treasurer volunteer board that meets ten Deb Rorris times per year, in addition to Vice President committee meetings and special Zoltan Sachs meetings. Committees include Secretary Executive, Finance, Personnel, Kerry Kurt Program, and Strategic Planning. Jill Shumway The Mission of Way2Work is to help individuals with developmental disabilities find paid employment that is meaningful to them, valuable to their employer, and inclusive in the community. Champlain Community Services’ nationally recognized Way2Work supported employment program offers state-of-the-art employment—and self-employment—supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Way2Work offers highly individualized supports, building on each consumer’s vocational skills and interests. We emphasize career development—or, when appropriate, micro-business start-ups—over mere “job placement.” Participants fi nd vocations within the competitive economy to establish a foundation for sustainable fi nancial security. In addition to fi nancial rewards, Way2Work participants build important life skills from independent living to money management, and accumulate the social capital that comes from being part of the workforce or running a small business. Those we serve include both CCS consumers and individuals supported on a direct fee-for-service contract basis. Our partners include dozens of area employers, nonprofi t and government agencies, as well as local high schools and colleges, including Think College at UVM. Way2Work also serves as a resource for training and technical support in supported employment and self-employment to employment and vocational The United Way of Chittenden County rehabilitation agencies and professionals throughout invested $45,000 in the Way2Work Vermont and beyond. program last year. Way2Work Statistics CCS is governed by a volunteer board that meets * For the second straight year, Way2Work was awarded additional fundingten fortimes exceeded per year, annual in goals for employment placement and retention. addition to committee meetings and special * This year, the Vermont Department of Disability, Aging, and Independentmeetings. Living Com- (DAIL) named Way2Work the State’s most successful supported employment program.mittees include * At CCS, 72 percent of consumers are participating in supported employmentExecutive, Fi- through Way2Work. (This is 50% higher than the next highest agencynance, in Vermont.) Personnel, CCS Values Communication CCS remains committed to professional development for staff, as well as staying at or ahead of the curve on best practices for serving our consumers. This year, service coordinators Kate Martin and Liz Cross participated in The Summer Institute of Syracuse University’s Institute on Communication and Inclusion. Kate said the conference emphasized the importance of communications to full inclusion for people with disabilities. “It shed light on the tools and opportunities for augmentative communication, and, in a non-judgmental environment,” she said. Kate now serves on the Vermont Communication Task Force. Liz said she was fairly new to facilitated communication, but was inspired by the event. “It was good to get insights on what works and what doesn’t,” she said. “The participants and speakers represented a wide variety of communications abilities – what true inclusion should look like.” Evolving Techniques, Technologies, and Best Practices Technology can help build Community Communication Techniques Jeron and his staff have been riding the city bus for over Individuals served by CCS refl ect a a year, and made acquaintance with other regular broad spectrum of communication passengers. Until styles and abilities. recently, Jeron was We tailor communication tools to the limited to saying “Hi” specifi c needs of the consumers we serve. and “Bye,” until he got an iPad. Some of the technologies and techniques utilized include: He and staff spent Wednesdays creat- ing communication • Facilitated boards on the iPad, Communication and he was able to • Picture Books expand the depth and • iPads breadth of conversa- tions. As a result, and • Dynavox these “acquaintances” got to know each other better, • Sign Language and now calls a number of them “friends.” Our Consumers Speak Up At CCS, we listen. We encourage individuals we serve to express themselves through self-advocacy to speak for themselves, to make decisions, and directly address the issues impacting their lives. Con- sumers guide development of their individualized service plans at CCS, and fi nd vehicles and supports to engage the community beyond CCS. CCS hosts, and provides coordinating staff for, Champlain Voices, a self-advocacy group that meets weekly. Champlain Voices is open to anyone interested in self-advocacy, and in- cludes active members who are not CCS con- sumers. Members plan social and community service events—from picnics to food drives— problem solve disability-related challenges, mentor high school students, and connect with peers. Our consumers also speak out through a local cable access TV program, The Advocacy Group, on V-CAM, and through a consumer- driven newsletter called D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself). Opportunities, Venues, and Supports Paul received the prestigious Theresa Wood Citizenship Ryan was a keynote speaker at the Autism Award at Voices and Choices, the Annual Green Puzzle Foundation’s annual Benefi t Dinner Mountain Self-Advocates and Casino Night last April. conference, last May. The event was held at the Sheraton Burlington. The award honors