Issue 120 Jan., Feb., March 2013

By: Cindy Wildermuth

It’s difficult to put into words what we, here in the Northeast, have been through during the final months of 2012. First, hit by the unprecedented “Hurricane Sandy” on October 29th, New Jersey and New

York residents were sent into survival mode, experiencing the loss of loved ones, homes and businesses.

Suffering only power outages at each of our locations, Abilities was fortunate to only miss four full days of programming in the aftermath. Halloween, once again, was “postponed” due to another devastating storm.

During the Thanksgiving Holiday, we were reflective and thankful and also gave of ourselves to help those less fortunate. And then, on December 14, just when we were about to get into the spirit of Christmas, an

unimaginable act of horror came down upon 20 innocent children and those attempting to protect them at

Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut. Our spirits have been tested beyond belief to the point of being nearly broken, but we do our best to move forward, even in the face of such unexplainable tragedies,

desperately wishing we could prevent them from happening again. Here at Abilities, our thoughts, prayers

and wishes of recovery and peace go out to all suffering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the tragedy at Sandy Hook School.

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As a follow-up to my last Shop Talk article, I am thrilled to share that the potential repeal of FLSA

Section 14(c) is currently off the table. Your pleas to our legislative representatives were heard and your

ability to earn a paycheck, even if you are unable to meet productivity standards, will remain! We now move

on to the next fight to prevent budget cuts to Medicaid, SSI and Social Security.

In the spring of 2012, Governor Christie announced that New Jersey would become the 14th state to

implement an Employment First initiative. This means, through agencies like Abilities, competitive

employment will be proactively promoted in the general workforce for people with any type of disability.

While this has always been part of our mission, we are actively exploring opportunities and options to expand

our current services and support to those seeking employment in the community.

Administration is in the initial phase of a three year strategic plan process. Included are two critical

areas of concentration which will lead to policy and procedural changes as well as the restructuring of our

business operations:

Compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

DDD’s “Supports Program” and “Fees for Service” through Medicaid. Over the next year or more,

DDD will require agencies to become qualified Medicaid providers in order to be reimbursed for their

services. It is important to know that once this initiative is complete, all DDD eligible consumers

must also be Medicaid eligible to receive services. For more information, please visit:

http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ddd/programs/supportsprgm.html

I welcome 2013 with hope and optimism and wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Issue 120 Jan., Feb., March Shop talk page 2

By Sue Zukoski

BOOGIE NIGHTS BASH Join us as we honor JEFF HERB, from Mars

Chocolate North America, for his dedication

and advocacy of Abilities services. This

year’s gala is the “BOOGIE NIGHTS

BASH”, featuring music from the 70’s.

Break out your disco clothing and bell

bottoms and save the date of February 23,

2013. For more details visit Abilities website,

www.abilitiesnw.com.

Festival of Trees, December 13, 2012: A wonderful time was had by all with 32 beautifully

decorated Christmas trees and the sound of the Newton HS choir filling the showroom.

Many THANKS to the Rossi Chevrolet, Buick GMC Family for opening their doors and

hearts to Abilities and for sponsoring the "Festival of Trees" event. The event was beyond

our expectations with community support and was a beautiful way to wrap up the 2012

holiday season. All of us at Abilities appreciate the Rossi's generosity.

Congratulations to ABILITIES for winning this years decorated tree contest. Thank you

to the staff and consumers from our WEC program for the beautiful decorations and

vision for our pink breast cancer awareness tree.

Also thank you to the ISP staff and consumers for our snowman decorations!!

THANK YOU FOR SELLING QUILT

TICKETS!!!

Pictured is the beautiful grand prize quilt that

was raffled in December. Our grand prize

winner was Dawn Leaning. 2nd prize, Regina

Bunting and 3rd prize, Noel Supavai.

Also THANK YOU to Dawn Clark for selling

the most quilt tickets and earning a day off. CONGRATULATIONS!! Thank you to our volunteer quilters for their

hard work and dedication!! We appreciate

everything you do for Abilities!!!

WISHING ALL OUR FAMILIES, BUSINESS PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY FRIENDS A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON AND A NEW YEAR FILLED WITH PROSPERITY

AND SUCCESS!

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Congratulations to all those celebrating a Milestone Anniversary in 2013 with Abilities! Thank you for your hard work and dedication through the years.

30 years

*Linda Ketrow 20 years

*Susan Gackenbach *Peggy Miller *Gail Minorics

15 years *Debbie Martin

*Jane Neuls *Tina Ryerson

10 years *Suzanne Knutson

*Wayne Palmer 5 years

*Grace Dillon *Dawn Leaning *Amanda Miller

Catelyn Kise-Production Supervisor, CRP

Lori O’Hanlon-MSN Joshua Nyamweya-ISP

Sal Valente-PEC

Very special thanks go out to all personnel who

assisted in helping Abilities keep bare minimum operations ongoing

through hurricane Sandy!

For all participants in the Health Benefits Plan provided by Abilities,

additional information regarding the cost of benefits will appear in box 12 of your

W-2 form for 2012. The amount listed will be for

informational purposes only and should not be included

in your tax return. For additional information

regarding the amount which will appear in box 12 please seek the advice of your tax advisor and/or visit the IRS

website at www.irs.gov.

Consumer Surveys: Statistics from Karen Stocker… Caregiver Survey:

95% of the respondents stated they were satisfied with the Abilities programs that their individuals attend. Positive comments included: “All the staff are great. Do not know where we would be without this program” “Keep up the excellent work” “My daughter loves Abilities. She enjoys being with her friends there and is very comfortable with the staff. The smile on her face when she comes home with her check says it all.” 96% of caregivers reported that the program(s) their individual(s) attend are welcoming and inviting. 93% also agreed that the programs were neat and clean. 93% of the caregivers agreed that the staff is courteous and respectful to them. “Communication is excellent”. Satisfaction with communication between Abilities staff and caregivers remained high at 95%.

Business Services Survey:

103 surveys were sent and 31 were returned; for

a 30% response rate. The responses that were

received were overwhelming positive.

“Excellent services and always pleasant to

work with!”

“Always pleased with your staff. Keep up the

good work.”

“Terrific Job! Exceeded my expectations”

“We Love Abilities”

“Wonderful job, as always”

By: Debbie Martin

We have some upcoming events over the winter months. The walk-a-thon that was scheduled for this past October will be held in January. Instead of walking outside we will be walking in town square. Plans are in the making for a hot cocoa and cookie sale as well as our annual carnation sale in February. Please remember to label all coats, hats, scarfs and gloves so they go home with the correct owner. Lunch boxes should be cleaned and washed out weekly. We would like to thank everyone who donated to Adopt-A-Child!

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BY: Nina Denysenko Brought to you by the US Department of Energy Ad Council

THE EASY ENERGY ACTION PLAN 10 Simple ways to use energy wisely

1 Turn off lights.

2 Use energy-saving light bulbs.

3 Shut off computers.

4 Use “smart” power strips

5 Turn off TV, games systems and other entertainment devices when not in use.

6 Use natural light, heat and cooling.

7 Unplug your chargers when not in use.

8 Look for energy saving appliances.

9 Use programmable digital thermostats.

10. Make home improvements to decrease

energy loss from doors, windows, roofs, etc.

By: Peggy Miller

The holiday season is here, and with it some jobs. Barb White,

the job developer for Employment Pathways, has

assisted 5 people with obtaining employment. Four of the jobs are

at sites that Employment Pathways already has a working

relationship with; Wal-Mart, Quick Chek, Shop-Rite and A&P.

The fifth site is a newly developed site, Forest Manor in Hope. We wish everyone good luck with their new positions!

The transition program has also partnered with two new sites: Piggy’s Deli in Mansfield and

Tech Station Computers in Panther Valley. We hope to enjoy

a long-lasting, working relationship with both.

New Year means new beginnings! We will continue to come up with some innovative ideas as

well as recycling some old ones. The 2012 year has been a very busy one at Mary Apgar. We have increased our outings; the center now goes to Meals on Wheels twice weekly and we continue to go to the library at least twice per month. Outside activities also include trips to Merrill Creek, bowling, out to lunch, trips to the park, Nutrition, Phillipsburg Mall, delivering paper shredding, and visiting the Northampton SPCA to deliver donations. Most everyone enjoys going out. For those that choose not to go out to lunch we have an order out day.

The holiday season went well. The center made and sold grave blankets. We had our first “Holiday Hoe Down” complete with cowboy hats and all; fun and games. Everyone got to enjoy the Newton High School Choir. The holidays flew by as usual. We are looking forward to the warmer months when we can start planting our spring plants and go on outings. Time for new resolutions?

Happy New Year to all from your friends at Mary Apgar!

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By: Kelly Burch and Patricia Merrill

We have already experienced some very dramatic weather. As the winter months approach us let’s remember:

To keep hydrated with lots of liquids. To keep ourselves warm. To dress accordingly to the weather. (It’s a good idea to bring a sweater to work) If you are sick, this is a good time to stay home. You don’t want to get anybody

else sick.

We would like to welcome back Katie Skillman, who just transferred from ISP. We also

have a new staff, Shawn Flynn. It’s always great to see old and new faces. HEC has been very busy with contract from Mars as we now have multiple contracts with them. Their business is greatly appreciated! Soon we will be campaigning and voting for our Self Advocacy officers for the coming year. Good Luck to all!

Upcoming Holidays

New Years * Martin Luther King Jr Day * President’s Day * Valentine’s Day * Good Friday*

By: Becky Snook We’ve been busy here at ISP working on our caps contract. All our consumers are really excited to be getting

paychecks; it’s been a long time since we’ve had paychecks in ISP. We continue to go out and volunteer with Meals on Wheels twice a week. Our consumers surely enjoy this outing! We enjoy listening to festive music on the radio this time of year as well.

In job club we took a trip to the apple orchard and picked apples. Then we learned how to make apple crisp and got to sample it with our lunch. Everyone seemed to like it!

In self-ad we discussed the presidential elections and what our voting rights are. Information was given on how individuals with disabilities can have a representative from each party present when they vote, so they have the same free will as all Americans do.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

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MEDICAL MINUTE

By: Heather Tucker, RN Hello again…..ahhhhh the joyous holidays are upon us, and so are the miserable germs that lurk

around as we come in contact with many more people during this shopping, and stressful season.

A reminder to all caregivers and consumers, please stay home from work if you are feeling ill.

Please review Abilities Program Restrictions in your handbook. If you send someone into

program who is not feeling well before work, there’s a good chance you will be receiving a phone call

asking you to pick the person up. Phone calls must be answered or returned promptly. If you have

to take, or give Tylenol to someone in the morning because they have a fever, then they are NOT

to attend day program! Think, and be considerate of others at all times. We do NOT

appreciate the sharing or spreading of bacteria, viruses, or skin mites!

Another reminder of the continuing “Bed Bug” outbreaks….BE SURE TO INSPECT YOUR

BEDDING, yourself, & your consumers for “mosquito” looking bites. Be diligent about

cleaning and inspecting! Please notify your supervisor or the Agency RN if your home has been infected.

We can then take extra precautions & do the extra cleaning at the program facilities.

Winter-time = spending more time in-doors, and within close quarters with one another. It is a

time to be diligent in inspecting yourself, and your consumer’s skin ON A DAILY BASIS for any kind of

rashes and take prompt action to have them examined by a physician and/or a

DERMOTOLOGIST. Scabies love to emerge during the Fall, Winter, and Spring

months. A few minutes of skin inspection can save you hours upon hours of

cleaning your homes, prevent excessive treatments, and more importantly missed program days.

“HAVE A HAPPY & HEALTHY HOLIDAY!”

Consumer Survey: Statistics from Karen Stocker… 91% percent of the consumers who responded stated that they are happy at Abilities, an increase of 4%

from 2011. 93% felt safe in their programs. 93% also stated that their program is neat and clean, a 7%

increase from last year. All of these results were higher than in 2011. 76% percent stated they are

satisfied with the amount of work/activities they are given to do. 92% of respondents would recommend

Abilities to a friend.

Happy New Year!!!!! We hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays!

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We’re hoping this year is as busy as last year was! Everyone has been earning nice paychecks & ALL consumers need to be proud of themselves for the outstanding jobs they’ve done & continue to do! We’d like to shout out a big THANK YOU to some of our satellite centers for allowing us to meet our deadlines! EVERYONE was such a help & we can’t thank you enough!

We had our 1st

shrink wrapping gig & it was wonderful! Our customer, Paper Strategies, was quite pleased which made us happy. We’re still working on Cyro: de-masking, labeling & bagging or boxing the finished product which are square acrylic pieces. We also continue to work with our ongoing customers such as BASF, Cablevision & Service Partner.

We have acquired a new contract from PET GIFTS USA from Stanton, NJ. This is a GREAT job because it enables everyone to work & make money! The “pet gifts” are magnets that look like paws & have very funny sayings printed on them. Some of the magnets are in the shape of a bone with the breed of dog printed on them. The consumers insert the magnet into a poly bag, fold a header card & staple the header to the bag with 2 staples. This business has really taken off & we’re thankful for that! This PERFECT job came here by word of mouth, so please keep us in mind if you know anyone who could benefit from our services. Speaking of, I better get back to work……….!!!!!!

The fall meeting of the Wildcats Self Advocacy group brought to light plenty of new information from the New Jersey ARC, the Self Advocacy project as well as the DDC Topics were:

1. 2012 Presidential election – We again went over; Are you registered to vote? What are your rights? Many “folks” with intellectual disabilities believe (many have been told) that because of their disability, they have lost their right to vote. NOT TRUE!!! If you have a political opinion that is yours, not a friend’s, family members or staff, you can register to vote.

2. Repeal of the FLSA Section 14(c). So far, so good. Our method of pay have not changed 3. Holiday cards to Gov. Christie and Pres. Obama – the NJ Self-Advocacy Group has sent

out instructions on how to not only send holiday greetings but to voice your opinion on our advocate’s concerns, especially the budget. .

4. Looking forward to 2013 – We will be holding our own election of officers. We will be nominating candidates, campaigning and holding the election early in the year. Offices up for election will be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Sargent-at-Arms. There will be no treasurer since we do not collect dues or do fund raising activities.

Anyone needing info on these projects can contact me, L’inda Ketrow at 908-689-1118 Ext. 21.

By: Cathy Setzer

This newsletter finds us covering the coldest three months of the year! Many of us will experience the

exhaustion following the Christmas and New Year holiday but setting our sights on the coming warmer months.

Hopefully the winter weather will be kind to us this New Year and we will not have to shovel too much of the white

stuff. Let’s be safe when the snow falls, please wear appropriate winter clothing that is labeled with names for easy

identification and listen to any announcements that could affect transportation or center closings.

Festival of Trees

Our program participated in the Festival of Trees hosted by Rossi’s again this year. We were able to decorate

two Christmas trees this year. The first theme was the candy cane. All of the ornaments were made by the program.

Our second theme was Breast Cancer Awareness. We are pleased to let everyone know that Abilities won this

year! If you were unable to attend this event, you can view the tree being decorated on the Abilities web site.

Coffee Shop

Our coffee shop continues to be a success. We offer hot and cold drinks, a large variety of snacks and

Wednesday lunch specials. We employ six consumers in the coffee shop and provide training and/or job sampling for

interested consumers.