GCS Newsletter THE LEAFLET Issue MAY/JUN 2020

MAY/JUN

2020

Garden Center Services

The View From My Chair A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

purchasing the requisite Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and the commitment of our wonderful employees.

Gerry & Cindy

INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE VIEW FROM MY CHAIR Page 1 IN THE HOMES Page 2 COVID RESPONSE Page 3 MORE NEWS Page 4

During this unprecedented novel coronavirus epidemic our agency’s top priority has been the safety and health of the wonderful individuals we’re honored to serve. I am so thankful that we are into our 7th week of shelter in place and we have not had one positive case of the coronavirus thus far, and I consider this an incredible achievement. It has taken a lot of planning, creative staffing, relentless efforts at finding and

We discerned that the best way to keep our individuals safe was to limit the amount of exposure they have as much as possible. We reached out to our staff to inquire if there were persons that had the interest and ability to move in to a group home for a specified period of time. We were so thankful by the response we received. What truly impressed us was staff’s inclination to make whatever arrangements were necessary in their personal lives that would allow them to take on such a responsibility because “it was the right thing to do” for individuals they

considered family! Now all of our residential sites have this live in model completely, or to some degree, which is really limiting our exposure. Due to our extraordinary employees GCS will continue to provide our residential participants with safe, sanitary housing along with healthy meals and an engaged environment. Our front line staff will continue to follow the COVID 19 directives to help keep our environments as free from exposure to the virus as humanly possible.

The truth is however, the situation we are dealing with is far from over.

As you know, Governor Pritzker has extended the stay at home order through the end of May. continued on page 4

GARDEN CENTER FAMILY GCS STAFF SHOW THEIR TRUE COLORS ... AND THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL Garden Center has long known that we have the best staff around and we are proud to have even more proof of that fact. GCS began our shelterin-place on March 16th. In an effort to reduce contacts with the outside, GCS staff began making (and continues to make) regular deliveries of food and supplies to each home’s doorstep so that no one from the home is put at risk.

To minimize outside contacts for all of our staff, several of GCS’ day staff are gathering food with the help of the Evergreen Park Cares food pantry, Panera Bread and KFC, which they then package along with other purchased food staples into individual orders each week for all GCS staff. This helps staff avoid putting themselves, their families, and the people they serve at risk by having to pick up groceries at the store.

To reduce the potential risk even further, the number of people coming into the homes have been greatly reduced. Several amazing GCS staff have taken on extra responsibility to make sure that we reduce the number of contacts people we serve have with others. Most of our homes currently have a live-in staff who have moved in to ensure there are no additional outside contacts for the people we serve in those houses. Some houses have two staff who take turns living in the home for a period of days at a time. A couple of homes have additional day support as needed to meet the needs of everyone in the home. We are so grateful to our staff who have taken on this challenge and to all of our staff who continue to come up with creative solutions to unique problems, boost each others spirits, and care for one another in such a generous and compassionate way.

We are Garden Center Strong - because of you. THANK YOU!

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO AT HOME? As we all know from our own experience, the sudden and seemingly ever-extending change to our routine has brought about several unexpected problems and frustrations. At Garden Center, we are trying hard to meet these challenges and make the most of our extra time at home.

Not being able to spend time with family and friends is one of the most frustrating issues we face. At the beginning J ame e ge of the shelter-in-place, GCS purchased Amazon Echo t bag s in so Shows for each of the homes. The Echoes allow people prac me tice bean to communicate with family and friends via video chat.

People also use the Echoes to attend virtual classes on The ladies at Kolin enjoying some various topics through Garden Center like meditation, cooking, BINGO! exercise, bingo, and choir. People also use them to attend their Garden Center counseling sessions and to attend our Social & Emotional Support Group. We have also used the Echoes to take YouTube virtual tours of parks, zoos, museums and just recently of the City of New Orleans. On May 10th, many of us will be using the Echoes to participate in a Disney Sing-A-Long.

Easter was a particularly difficult time for many who usually out her Genel checkswindow spend that holiday with family. Thanks to so many of you, we e newly mad ns were able to make the most of the day. We created beautiful decoratio Easter baskets filled with many goodies for everyone in the homes, we held egg hunts and even had a visit by the Easter bunny who stopped by each home to say hello. The unusual holiday was topped off with a delicious meal prepared by Chuck’s Cafe’.

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Our staff are working hard to create unique opportunities to make the most of this time. If you would like to learn Maureen shows off a about ways you can help, please check out the back of this finished puzzle while Lynn works on a drawing newsletter for some ideas.

Jos make thua & Denis e ime fo r a wa lk

GARDEN CENTER SERVICES

COVID-19 Response Fund

In order to respond to our current challenges, GCS has created the COVID-19 Response Fund. Donations to this fund will help with the increased costs related to staffing our homes 24/7, gear procurement, cleaning and disinfectant supplies, increased food provisions to the group homes, groceries for the GCS food pantry supporting our staff, curriculum materials for the homes, and a number of active plans we have in place to recognize and reinforce our great staff.

All contributions made to the Fund will be doubled up to $25,000 by a matching fund established by a small group of anonymous sponsors!

Visit our website for details. www.GardenCenterServices.org Please help us get the word out about this amazing match opportunity by sharing with your family, friends, co-workers and employers with encouragement to help us reach the $25K goal for a total of $50K funds raised.

National Nurses Week May 6 - 12

National Nurses Week is almost here and there has certainly been no better time to share our appreciation and gratitude for our Director of Nursing, Terry Viebach. Terry has been helping guide our coronavirus response and has been instrumental in daily decisions as we address and maintain the health of the people we support. She has been a steady and calm presence and made herself available days/nights/weekends whenever and wherever she is needed. We could not be more grateful for her support.

Thank You Terry!

Join us June 6th for an online Garden Center Celebration!

GARDEN CENTER SERVICES

We have been cooped up at home a while now and we are ready to get our party hats on! Although social distancing precludes us from getting together in person, we have a great way to share some fun with you!

Check out one of our social media platforms on June 6th Choose either the GCS facebook page, the GCS website, or the GCS YouTube page to watch a video celebrating the best of GCS and learn the final results of our COVID-19 Response Fund tally. Watch your email and social media for more details.

GET YOUR Garden Center STRONG SHIRT

You have seen these super cool Garden Center STRONG shirts popping up on our social media, now you can get your own! Garden Center Strong Shirts have been ordered for all GCS program participants and have already been delivered to GCS residential homes. We will soon be contacting program participants who are with family to make arrangements for getting their shirts to them. If you would like to order a shirt for yourself and show your support for GCS, visit our website to place your order to have your shirt shipped directly to you.

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Growing dignity and independence

MORE NEWS Association Efforts in regard to COVID-19 We want to give a shout out to the state Associations that have come to our aid, safeguarding the agency’s efforts to curtail exposure to the coronavirus and save lives. The IL Association of Rehabilitation Facilities along with the ARC of IL, the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities, and the IL Association of Behavioral Health have combined their energies to make sure that we have up-to-date information on how to deal with the pandemic and the resources to do so.

8333 S. Austin Ave. Burbank, IL 60459 10444 S. Kedzie Chicago, IL 60655 phone 773-941-4151 email info@gardencenterservices.org

A huge Thank You! to Mr. Joshua Evans (IARF), Ms. Meg Cooch (ARC), Ms. Kathy Carmody (the Institute), and Mr. Randy Wells (IABH)! Your leadership is truly evident during this unprecedented time.

web www.GardenCenterServices.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joan Strainis Anthony Di Miele Florence Head

The Sunny Smash has been postponed to 2021. We will share more info when it is available.

Tom Beemsterboer Donna Blair Representative Fran Hurley Dave Rauen Ava Rhodes - Smith Maria Zeimen, OSF

CHARITY EVENT Presented by Garden Center Services’ New Growth Advocacy Board

A Heartfelt Thank You

Cindy Malloy John Dahlke

THANK YOU to all of you who have helped make these days go by easier. So many of you have sewn masks, donated games & puzzles, craft supplies, had meals delivered, and some of you (I’m looking at you Miller Family) even dressed up as a giant Easter bunny for our amusement.

OUR MISSION Advancing lives of connection, contribution, and meaning for persons with developmental disabilities and the individuals that support them.

We are so grateful for all you have done. Please know that these kind gestures are making a difference in our days.

As you can, please keep us in your thoughts.

Donations of the following are still needed and greatly appreciated: • cloth masks • Clorox wipes • hand sanitizer

• puzzles • craft kits/supplies • lawn games

Donations can be dropped off outside our State Road building Monday - Friday between 9am and 3pm 8333 S. Austin in Burbank, IL

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We really miss all of our community day services participants that are staying at home with their families, and we thank these families for all they are taking care of. We will keep you apprised of all information related to the re-opening of our day programs.

Due to social distancing directives, we will not hold the Super Sunny Walk N’ Roll fundraiser. Instead, I have asked our fund development team to commence with our own GCS COVID-19 Response Fund. Further information about this can be found inside this newsletter. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Please be safe and stay healthy,