The View From My Chair
A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Gerry receives gift cards from Village of Worth
It’s so hard to believe that we are already halfway through the first month of 2025! I guess it’s a good time to check how many of our New Year resolutions are still in place!
On behalf of myself, my wife Cindy, and our Board of Directors, I want to wish each of you a safe, healthy, and joy-filled 2025. I want to use my article for this Leaflet to mention a number of exciting goings-on at Garden Center Services that will be happening over the coming year. But first, let me take a moment to express my deep gratitude for the incredible
outpouring of moral and financial support that so many of you provided during this past year. The lives of the individuals that we are honored to serve are truly made better by your generosity!
One of the positive changes that you will observe throughout this year will be the enhancement of our services as we implement the recommendations made by the accrediting body, the Council on Quality Leadership. The Council represents and advocates for the highest standards pertaining to the supports and programs for individuals with intellectual/and or developmental disabilities. We were very proud to have obtained accreditation status last year and will work hard to maintain it in the coming years.
I’m happy to share with you that sometime next month we will finally be closing on the Garden Apartments project. Once that occurs, then as soon as the weather
permits, the digging will begin! The final result, a year to a year and a half later, will be a beautiful, sixteen-unit apartment building that will become home for persons with disabilities that can live somewhat independently. It makes me very proud that our agency is so committed to doing whatever it takes to help provide a home for those that otherwise may be without. Truly living our mission!
We are also looking for a home to purchase that would be the initial site of the shared living program that we’ve been wanting to start. This is a living arrangement model where one or two individuals that are funded for residential support choose to move in and live with a family that is committed to being their caregivers as they now all share a home together. The house we’re purchasing can be rented by the couple or family that would be welcoming the individuals into their home.
GARDEN CENTER FAMILY
WELCOME OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES
Garden Center is proud to welcome Tamara Dobbins, our new Director of Clinical Services. Tamara joined GCS this past October. She works with our QHSP Team, providing the resources and support they need to ensure they are able to provide the highest quality of care possible to those we serve.
Tamara has extensive experience in long term care, community outreach, and supporting teams who provide health services. In Tamara’s time at GCS so far, she says she really appreciates the “warmness of the people” and Garden Center’s enshrined Core Values. “You don’t find a lot of companies that have compassion as a part of their mission...and put time and energy into that. Not only does Garden Center say we are person-centered, but in our works and actions... we actually are.”
Tamara is looking forward to some big projects she is a part of with our new accreditation body, The Council on Quality and Leadership. Explaining her thoughts on the extra effort and the benefits that this type of voluntary accreditation brings she said, you can be an average organization...”but if you can do more to help people be more happy, more independent, more successful, and have a better quality of life, let’s do that.”
That’s Garden Center’s sentiment too! Welcome Tamara - we’re so glad to have you on our team!
We are grateful for your incredible generosity and support this past Giving Tuesday. We surpassed our fundraising goal with donations that continued to come in for weeks following Giving Tuesday! Because of you, Garden Center raised over $40,000 to make a meaningful impact on adults with disabilities.
Together, we are making a difference, and your kindness has paved the way for an even brighter 2025.
Tamara Dobbins
GCS Director of Clinical Services
GCS IS MAKING MORE TIME FOR FUN!
Garden Center continuously strives to increase the number of opportunities we provide those we serve to be more involved in their communities. In recent issues of The Leaflet, we have shared several related initiatives including most recently; creating new positions for Activity Coordinator and Employment Specialist. Now, we would like to share our newest endeavor with you.
This past October, Garden Center budgeted for and began hiring additional staff in our homes. The extra support will free up the home’s Team Lead who will be able to spend up to 50% of their time focused on providing one-on-one opportunities for each person who lives there. Our goal is for the Team Lead to provide three community-based and three home-based activities per week to ensure that everyone in the home will have individual opportunities based on their personal interests a few times each month.
Three of Garden Center’s homes already have the additional staff person in place and are engaging in the new personal activities. We are looking forward to hiring these positions in all of the remaining homes.
Want to help?
If you or someone you know would like to share event tickets (sporting events, museums, theater, gift cards, etc.), please contact Joanne at 708-887-8829.
If you would like to contribute toward our activities fund, visit our website donation page and choose Activity Fund under Campaign.
Come out and see some old Garden Center friends and make a few new ones while we gather for a wonderful meal, enjoy live music by the Erik Skov Trio, and learn about the many great things happening at our agency.
More information coming soon! Watch your inbox or GardenCenterServices.org for details.
MAR 30th
9pm
(Info presented with focus on clear language for people we serve)
2pm
& Family
- All
Meeting info will be covered as well as additional topics of interest to families)
Ron & John at the Bears Game
Growing dignity and independence
8333 S. Austin Ave. Burbank, IL 60459 10444 S. Kedzie Chicago, IL 60655 phone 773-941-4151 email info@GardenCenterServices.org web www.GardenCenterServices.org
SECOND CHANCE THRIFT SALES
SPECIAL Sales
GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME
ALLFEBRUARY
SUPER SALES
50% off EVERYTHING Storewide!
JAN 25th FEB 22nd
Any time you can help is appreciated. If you can sign up for one three-hour shift a week, that would be terrific! Visit our website and follow the THRIFT link for more information OR reach out to Gerry directly at 708-560-4400.
Advancing lives of connection, contribution, and meaning for persons with developmental disabilities and the individuals that support them.
Tuesday, January 21 2025
9am: Open Meeting - Info will be presented with focus on clear language for people we serve
2pm: Open Meeting - Info will be presented with focus on information most relevant to staff
6pm: Friends & Family Forum - Open Meeting information will be covered as well as additional topics of interest to families
Tuesday, January 21st, Garden Center will hold our new, quarterly Open Meeting.
In an effort to offer an option that will fit everyone’s schedule, GCS will hold two Open Meetings during the day; one at 9am and the other at 2pm, and will share the Open Meeting information again that evening, at 6pm, in our regularly scheduled Friends & Family Forum Meeting.
In these meetings we will share data collection on several key indicators that impact our program’s quality and effectiveness. (The Friends & Family Forum will cover this information in addition to other information relevant to families).
continued from page 1
In terms of living our mission, at Garden Center Services we are also very committed to taking care of our employees. For a couple of years we have been providing free counseling to the staff through an on-line program named TalkSpace. Now I am pleased to share with you that starting this January, 2025, our employees can register for a membership at the Burbank Recplex with the costs being covered by the agency! They will also have the opportunity to sign up family members at a discounted rate. They will cover the cost of any family members on their own.
Finally, I’ll mention the Spring Fling that we’re working on putting together for March 30th. We’ve heard from a number of you that it would be nice to have an agency sponsored dinner again where old and new friends of Garden Center could gather, break bread together, and hear more about our great agency. The event will differ from our past galas, as there’ll be no models or raffles. But we hope folks will enjoy seeing one another, sharing a good meal together, watching a professionally produced film about our agency, and listening/dancing to a live music trio! More info to come!
Whew! These are just some of the highlights of things happening at your agency! Looking forward to seeing you in the coming year.
Peace,