We Need Each Other

While vacationing alone in Vermont in my early twenties, I visited the Norman Rockwell museum. The older person working there was as sweet as pie and I apologized for being the last tourist in the store and offered to hasten my musing so that she could close shop and go home. She explained that, since her husband passed, she found herself "not in any big hurry" to go home to an empty house. I found myself staying and listening to her for some time. I thoroughly enjoyed our visit and genuinely appreciated her knowledge. I remember that my heart went out to her and that I did not want to leave her. Though I fail to remember what I learned about her family situation – whether or not she had grandchildren to toss on her knee – I was glad that she had the museum in which to interact with others, that she had much to give.

Again, in my early twenties, I was fortunate enough to have befriended several older men who had known my grandfather – after my grandfather’s funeral, I was welcomed to their weekly gatherings held at Jerry’s restaurant in Jasper, Indiana. These gatherings, in which I took part for the next several years, seemed to fill a gap for me. (In retrospect, they did more than that: They enriched my world forever.) The men evidenced the possession of wisdom I lacked and they were patient enough to suffer a fool forty years their junior. Eventually, I learned to listen to lessons of life that can only be learned by those who have suffered the losses and triumphs and lived to exude each; Veterans of war and survivors of losses that I had not known. I was humbled by these talks.

I realize how fortunate I’ve been – that the encounters I’ve enjoyed with others have shaped the person I am today. People I’ve met through Bridges of Indiana have shared with me the observation that their lives, too, have been made richer by the people they encounter in the community or in their home.

Charlie Brooks, Regional Director

Bridges of Indiana

Community Motivation Message from Terre Haute Director

For my first blog entry, I would like to highlight a couple of consumer and staff related events over this past year and to express my deepest gratitude for those who have volunteered not only their time, but also their resources and ingenuity into making those events such successes.

In April, Bridges of Indiana participated in two major events, World Autism Awareness Day and March for Babies. I have been fortunate to have been able to attend both of these events for the last two years and it was wonderful to see such a great turnout and to see so many new faces at both of these events.

In May, the office staff at Bridges hosted an Employee appreciation party. The goal of this event was to show our appreciation for the effort and hard work that our field staff put into their work and their consumers. This event was a great success and a lot of fun too! Those who attended enjoyed an old fashioned hot dog and hamburger cookout at Deming park with yours truly, cooking on the grill.

In August, Bridges of Indiana hosted a Car and Truck Show to benefit Autism. This was the second year for this event and I am happy to say that it was again, a huge success!

There are two upcoming events that I would also like to mention. In November, Bridges of Indiana will be hosting an Employee Appreciation Holiday party. Please stay tuned for details. I hope to see all of our employees come for some great food, fun and conversation. Additionally, please mark September 17, 2011 on your calendars to attend the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event. This is a great opportunity to participate in a community activity and meet new friends and I encourage everyone to come out and walk with us!!!

See you out in the Community!

David Ofsansky, Terre Haute Director

A Fun Message from our CFO

Bridges of Indiana has decided to jump into social media full force this year and all members of management have been asked to write a blog. As CFO, I considered blogging about financial changes or updates to accounting policy that may have an impact on Bridges of Indiana. The first thing that came to my mind was BORING! If I was looking at the company website or a newsletter and saw anything dealing with financial updates or changes in accounting policy/regulation I would probably NOT READ IT. So being a risk taker I decided not to blog about anything financial but instead write about a strong passion of mine…. Lacrosse.

Growing up on the east coast, I have been involved in lacrosse since I was 5, playing and coaching. I am currently the head coach of the Guerin Catholic High School girls’ lacrosse team. Over the past year, I have been trying to think of ways to make the sport accessible to anyone in Indiana especially our consumers. To date I have only been about to reach out to two different organizations, Wheelchair Lacrosse and Lacrosse for Autism.

Wheelchair lacrosse was founded in California by Ryan Baker and Bill Lundstrom a few years ago. What started as two guys looking for new challenges has turned into an entire lacrosse movement that spans the United States and Canada. There is huge support from US Lacrosse (the governing body of all levels of lacrosse in the United States) which has had a very positive impact on the growth. It is my hope to get a league established in Indiana and become the Midwest hub of the sport. To date, I have contacted both Ryan and Bill and they are willing to help get things rolling. I am just in need of a location. It looks like the best location is an old roller rink. If anyone knows of one or has an idea please reach out to me. For more information you can visit www.wheelchairlacrosse.com.

Lacrosse for Autism is a great organization located primarily on the east coast. Their mission has been to raise awareness and provide an opportunity for children with Autism to learn and play the sport. They can be found at www.lax4autism.com. The only problem is that they do not have a presence in Indiana…. yet ... I would like to take care of that.

So here I am. I have some great ideas, coaches, player mentors, access to fields, and officials. If I don’t have something I can get it. I just do not know the hows and whos in order to get some interest and grow this into something pretty cool. So I am reaching out to you blog readers for help. I am a coach and a financial guy. I know nothing about getting something like this rolling.

So what’s stopping you?
Brian Billand, CFO

Indy Update

As some of you may know, the Indianapolis Bridges of Indiana office has undergone several changes. These changes include myself being named the Indianapolis Area Director and the addition of three new Service Coordinators. Those new Service Coordinators are Mary Hanna, Ouida Butler, and Amanda Harper.

Each of these ladies bring with them a wealth of experience in the disability field. Mary Hanna has comes to us after many years of working with the Developmentally Disabled population in the Nursing home Industry. Amanda Harper brings to Bridges of Indiana her experiences with the Educational System and those who have Developmental Delays. Lastly Ouida Butler has been a Program Coordinator in the Indianapolis Area for another provider for the last 2 years.

We all look forward to serving the needs of those consumers in the Indianapolis Area. Over the next few weeks these new staff members will be calling on our consumers to meet and get to know you. In the meantime please stop by and see as if you are in the neighborhood.

I would like to finish with this quote from Ester Dyson "Change means that what was before wasn’t perfect. People want thing to be better." This is our goal for the remainder of 2011. I look forward to meeting each and every one of those people who are involved with the Indianapolis Area and Bridges of Indiana's services.

　　

Sincerely,

Luke A. Anderson, Regional Director

What Does BOI's Therapeutic Services Have to Offer?

Bridges of Indiana is a certified Medicaid Waiver Provider and provides an array of services to children and adults with disabilities.  In addition to Respite, CHIO, and Res Hab, Bridges of Indiana has added a new Therapeutic Services department. This department can provide therapeutic services in the comfort of your own home or at our therapy center.  Here are the following services we offer:

Behavior Management Services:  This service is provided by a certified Behavior Specialist who holds a Master degree in social work. Bridges of Indiana is committed to Scientific Based Behavior Modification for support and non-aversive interventions that accurately reflect the needs of the individual.  Our agency will use a Multidisciplinary Team approach in providing a variety of interventions and replacement behaviors to highlight the consumer’s strengths and needs. Our focus is on the person and the underlying factors surrounding the challenging behavior; not the behavior itself.   

Music Therapy:  This service is provided by a board certified Music Therapist trained to use various forms of music and instruments to promote self awareness, social interaction, and positive emotional expression.  Music Therapy can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, isolation and integration, or demoralization and dignity.  The Music Therapist uses Active and Passive therapy methods dependent upon consumer needs and abilities.

Recreational Therapy:  Recreational therapy improves and maintains physical, mental, and emotional well being.  This service is also provided by a degreed, certified Recreation Therapist.  Recreational activities provide access to the opportunity to achieve or fail at activities that have long been denied to individuals with disabilities.  Recreational therapy can reduce stress, help recover basic motor functioning and reasoning skills, and build confidence and social skills.

Bridges of Indiana is committed to providing quality, therapeutic services to children and adults with disabilities.  If you are interested in our therapeutic services please feel free to contact Gina Soulier, Therapy Program Manager at therapies@bridgesofindiana.com  or visit our website www.bridgesofindiana.com  for more information.  At Bridges of Indiana, we are all about quality comprehensive services.

Respectfully,

Gina Soulier

An Insightful Tale

A woman walking along the shore looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As she got closer, she noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. She came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled woman.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. It won’t be good from them if someone doesn’t help."

Upon hearing this, the wise woman commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? What possible difference can you be making?"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and held it up while preparing to toss it back into the ocean. To the wise woman he replied, "I feel like I’m making all the difference in the world…to this one."

This story is attributed to an anthropologist, Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977). I always passed it along to new employees during orientation. As the company has grown and more orientations are conducted, I’ve been unable continue this activity. We still find ways, whenever possible, to express that our work with others occurs "in the moments" of the day; that right here, right now is where we want our Bridges of Indiana  employees to be. Leaving our worldly problems (and egos) outside the door to be present to give what is needed, when it is needed…that should always be our goal.

Charlie Brooks, Bridges of Indiana Regional Director

Intake

Hey all! My name is Rick, and I am the Intake Specialist for Bridges of Indiana. I want to take just a moment to tell you a little about what it is I do. I work hand in hand with Case managers as well as agencies that work with the elderly and people with disabilities. All of us work together to focus on assisting in meeting your needs. My roll is to meet with potential consumers, explain our services, and do an assessment to make sure that we can appropriately satisfy your needs.

The first step in doing that is for a Case Manager or yourself to make a simple phone call to me at 812-881-1220 and schedule an intake interview. At that time I will go over all of the services that Bridges of Indiana has to offer. We will discuss topics like what it is you enjoy doing, things you want to have help accomplishing, and places you might like to go out in the community. I will take that information and share it with the Director of the office that serves your area. When you decide to choose our agency, the Director will call you to introduce himself and tell you who your Service Coordinator (SC) will be. Your SC will then be in touch with you to discuss setting up an interview for you to be introduced to possible staff that will be working with you. At that time you are given the opportunity to speak with the staff and conduct your own interview to see if that person is someone you would feel comfortable working with. If you feel that it is a good match you will let the SC know and the hiring/training will begin.

It is the desire of Bridges of Indiana to make sure that all of your needs are being met on a friendly and trust worthy level. We want you to be comfortable and feel safe with the individual that is going to be spending time with you. We also hope that you will have the opportunity to enjoy the things that you have wanted to do. A chance to build relationships and build bonds and friendships. So, it is my hope that you will give Bridges of Indiana the opportunity to help make your life more fulfilling and meaningful. Once again, if you have any questions, please contact ME at 812-881-1220.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Rick Spaulding