Spirit Spring 2022 Newsletter

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A Letter from the President

Gracious Friends,

As we enter the warm months, we’re thankful for the gifts that we receive every day. This is the time of year when the sun and the rain transform our landscape, giving us fields of green.

Similarly, we are using the monetary gifts provided to us from generous donors to transform the direct support landscape and the aging experience of the people we support.

Funding from the Golisano Foundation and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, in addition to many other donors, will allow us to perform renovations on several of our existing homes, which will make them more physically and holistically accessible for the people who live there. These renovations will widen hallways for people who require mobility aids, add and ensure there are gathering spaces to make socializing easier, and concentrate services on the first floor of the home to enrich the quality of life. They will also allow us to right-size some homes in order to provide more personalized services.

The gifts we receive go directly towards supporting the people we serve and our hard-working employees. Last year, we used some of our many donations to provide increased wages for our staff. This year, we continue to use these gifts as we look to recruit more staff, provide more success coaching and promote employee retention.

The cycle of giving makes Heritage Christian Services a better agency. We are excited to lead the charge for better services for our staff and the people they support.

Stay faithful and stay well.

Sincerely,

Marisa Geitner

President & C.E.O.

Golisano Foundation Funds Home Renovations

Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation have long sponsored initiatives in the Finger Lakes, Western New York and southwest Florida regions to help adults with unique needs, including sponsoring the Special Olympics. His long history of patronage towards Heritage Christian Services has allowed us to transform our services over the years to meet the changing needs of the people in our locations.

The Golisano Foundation continues to stand with our industry and agency. They will be awarding Heritage Christian Services funding over the next three years towards home renovations, allowing us to create settings that can continue to support people as their needs change.

At Heritage Christian Services, we take many factors into account when making homes more accessible, including aging-in-place. The Center for Disease Control, along with other healthcare entities, defines successful aging-in-place as the ability to live in one’s home safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level. Since over half of the people in the Heritage Christian Services residential program are over the age of 50, physical accessibility is very important to our aging-in-place strategy.

Our newly renovated homes will feature more first-floor services including laundry rooms and common areas, allowing people to access what they need quicker and reducing the risk of injury that can result from using stairs. Hallways will be widened to allow for people who use walkers and wheelchairs to get through, support railings will be added to bathrooms, and ground-floor patios will be built in for people to enjoy the outdoors.

With these renovations, we are also hoping to “right-size” homes, allowing us to provide services tailored to each person’s individual needs. The gift from Golisano Foundation ensures that we can continue our legacy of personalized, optimized care in our locations. Without the kindness of B. Thomas Golisano and his foundation, along with the many other believers in our mission, this kind of work might not be possible. For that, we are eternally grateful.

The Positive Effects of the Renovations at 1305 State Road

The renovations that have already been completed at 1305 State Road in Webster offer a great window into the benefits of right-sizing homes and ensuring that the people living in them can successfully age-in-place.

1305 State Road currently supports six women on one floor, which has made life significantly better for them. For Jennifer Clark, residence manager, and the rest of her staff, it’s also easier to support them.

“It’s easier to support six women on one floor, staffing wise, rather than on multiple floors,” she said. “We don’t need to split up now.”

Before renovations, the women living on the second floor of the home had to go all the way down to the basement to do and eventually collect their laundry. Now, they just need to walk down the hall, a much safer and easier trip.

One of the other benefits of concentrating the home on one floor is the ease of regulating temperatures to optimize comfort for the people who live there.

“It used to be difficult to regulate temperatures on both floors,” Clark said. “Now, we only need to worry about one thermostat.”

The renovations also allowed for the expansion of important rooms in the house that were previously unable to accommodate someone using a wheelchair. As these women age, the rooms will be set up to be accessible for all people.

The outdoor living space has been converted into a patio accessible from both the kitchen and the back floor, meaning anyone regardless of physical ability can use it. Before, it was an elevated deck that would make it difficult for people with aids to access the backyard.

Renovations like this make life simpler and safer for the people who live in the homes and the staff who support them, and the agency is seeking to do this with multiple homes in the coming years. Newly renovated homes will foster a healthy sense of community, and ensure that people will be able to age-in-place comfortably and with dignity.

Donor Spotlight:

Mother Cabrini Foundation

Mother Cabrini was the first American saint and focused on providing for the most vulnerable in the community. She helped New York’s youth, the poor and the under-served. Today, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation continues her legacy. As a foundation, they work to tangibly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in need. They’ve recently awarded two grants to Heritage Christian Services. One, awarded in 202, supported in addition to a home. This renovation added bedrooms, widened hallways to make them wheelchair accessible, and added railings and accessible tubs in bathrooms. We want to ensure that people are supported in every part of the house. Another grant, which was awarded in 2021, supports the construction of a new, fully accessible house that will become home to six people. These renovations are the key to providing quality lifelong care, so people have the choice to age in place as their needs change with dignity and grace.

Volunteer Spotlight:

Heritage Stables Volunteers

Every Thursday Morning, Heritage Christian Stables welcomes a group of dedicated volunteers. No matter the weather, they do a multitude of tasks such as cleaning paddocks and stalls, helping with feeding, cleaning tack and doing anything that needs to be done around the barn.

They have become a little community, doing the important work of caring for the horses used in our therapeutic riding program. Building meaningful relationships not only with one another and the horses, but also with the instructors, staff and the riders many of the volunteers work alongside.

Some of the group has been volunteering for many years, while others just began recently. They are from all walks and stages of life, and welcome newcomers with open arms and hearts to share their experience and friendship.

Volunteers shared that they find doing barn chores and being around the horses therapeutic, and they look forward to coming each week. Lively conversations and laughter can always be heard while this group works. Through their volunteering, they have created friendships, stayed physically active and appreciated being outside and around the horses.

We are very grateful for our wonderful Thursday morning volunteers who have chosen to give their time to Heritage Christian Stables. The stables continue to grow thanks to the eff ort of our volunteers, and soon we will even begin to sponsor a veteran’s riding program with Compeer. If you would like to apply for a volunteer role at the Stables, reach out to us via email at info@heritagechristianstables.org or complete our online application at heritagechristianstables.org.

Power of Why

This past fall, Heritage Christian Services and Phil and Melinda Andolina hosted the Power of Why, a 30-minute program on 13WHAM- TV Rochester and Facebook. The program featured leaders and community supporters sharing their reasons why they choose to support Heritage Christian, which touched on many aspects of our mission and services. The virtual event raised over $179,000 through the generosity of families, friends and community supporters. If you missed the program, you can watch it here.

Special Thanks to our Sponsors

Gifts of Support

Thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors, people touched by HCS have the opportunity to learn and grow and to be respected for their individual gifts and strengths. Thank you for making a difference.

A Record Fundraising Year

Heritage Christian Services Foundation celebrates a historical milestone of raising a total of $3.2 million dollars in 2021, a nearly 80% increase over 2020. “We are incredibly grateful for the tremendous support over the past year! The gifts we received will have an incredible impact in so many people’s lives,” shared executive director of the Foundation, Mark Zawacki.

Heritage Christian Service Foundation Supports Agency Priorities

Thanks to the many thoughtful donations made throughout the 2021, Heritage Christian Services Foundation was able to grant $600,000 to Heritage Christian Services to support the following priorities:

Compensating direct support staff, making it possible to reward and retain those employees who make a difference in people’s lives every day.
Upgrading and modernizing Heritage Christian neighborhood homes to ensure that people who live there have the opportunity to age in place, maintain their quality of life and receive end-of-life care.

Heritage Christian Services has received a grant from the Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation to develop transition workshops for youth with disabilities who face employment barriers in the Greater Buffalo-Niagara region. These educational workshops, hosted by Heritage Christian Services’ Employment Alliance and Eleversity divisions, will focus on transition topics such as career exploration, how to become ready for employment, transportation and navigating benefits.

The ESL Charitable Foundation has awarded a grant to support ERN-Rochester and the work of its success coaches. The funds will support eff orts to address issues such as emergency car repairs, bus passes, emergency health care and other burdens employees face that require immediate attention to maintain their stability.

A grant award made possible by the Gonsenhauser Family Fund of the Rochester Area Community Foundation will provide crucial resources to support animal-related care expenses for Springdale Farm. Heritage Christian Services is the recipient of funding from the J.M. McDonald Foundation, which will help us with renovations to our home on Ballantyne Road. The Joseph and Irene Skalny Charitable Trust has awarded a grant to Heritage Christian Services to assist with renovations to homes. The Ralph G. and Wilma J. Maibaum Foundation will be awarding funding to Heritage Christian Services to assist the organization as we seek to renovate homes for successful aging-in-place resources.

Awards and Recognition

Ruth Benjamin To Retire After 32 Years of Service

After 33 years of dedicated service as our director of health and research, Ruth Benjamin will retire on July 15. Ruth leaves behind a legacy of innovation and dedication to health care. A lifelong learner, Ruth has earned certifications in developmental disabilities and gerontology, and even traveled to England to learn about unique diagnoses for people receiving services at Heritage Christian Services. Ruth plans to stay busy in retirement, and will be joining the regional Certified Developmental Disability Nurses board.

Sara Taylor Earns NYS Office of Mental Health Equity Award

Sara Taylor, who serves Eleversity as a community liaison and training specialist, continues to be awarded for the work she is doing for mental health awareness. She was recently presented with a 2022 Office of Health – Behavior Health Equity Journey Award in recognition of her efforts to reduce disparities for underserved populations.

Patricia Larrabee Named RBJ ICON

Congratulations to 2021 RBJ’s ICON honoree Patricia Larrabee, founder and CEO of Rochester Clinical Research. The ICON Honors are given to business leaders in Rochester to recognize their outstanding leadership and successes, both within and outside of their chosen field. Larrabee has been a member of the Heritage Christian Foundation board since 2020.

Award winners

Heritage Christian Services was pleased to present the following awards to both our hardworking staff and passionate community supporters for their outstanding contributions to our mission.

Congratulations to the winners of our staff awards!

The 2021 Amy Marie Tessoni Award went to Anna Adams, day habilitation manager.

The Anne Wolf Memorial Award was presented to Carrie Hallock, fiscal intermediary assistant.

The Eunice Hanson Excellence in Nursing Award was given to Amelia Hebing, registered nurse.

The 2021 Jobina Bruinsma Memorial Award winner was Katrecia Dellaporta, residence manager.

The 2021 Paul W. Hanson Excellence Award was given to Rachele Gugliuzza, associate director of program development in day habitation.

The inaugural VK Tarneja Empathy Award was presented to Adam Datthyn, direct support professional.

Congratulations also go to the winners of our community awards, for their dedication to our agency.

The 2021 Carol & Ernie Forth Community Service Award was given to John Osberg, Owner of Power of OZmosis Consulting.

The 2021 Community Partner Award was given to the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative.

The 2021 Gail Otto Community Service Award went to Gavin Neville.

Heritage Christian Services Honored at Buffalo Business First Idea Awards

Buffalo Business First recognized Heritage Christian Services for being a champion of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness at the IDEA Awards. We believe that all people are entitled to dignity, respect, equity and justice, and we are committed to promoting diversity in our workforce and care setting.

Drew and Riley Hoselton Honored with National Philanthropy Day Multi-Generational Award

The Hoselton family received the Multi-Generational Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Genesee Valley Chapter. The Hoseltons have been offering their philanthropy since 1920s through their corporate and personal giving. Drew Hoselton has served the Heritage Christin Foundation board since 2015.

Kathy McCarthy Honored by the Rochester Business Journal

Kathy McCarthy received a Healthcare Hero Award in the Special Needs Advocate category from the Rochester Business Journal for her work guiding the Heritage Christian Services residential team. Kathy serves as our residential director for the Finger Lakes.

Rebecca Mack Wins Buffalo Business First 30 Under Award

Congratulations to Rebecca Mack, director of customized support, for being named Business First’s 30 Under 30 for 2022. She is responsible for managing a team of more than 400 employees, a team that has doubled in size under her leadership. The Western New York Heritage Christian Services community services team will be on track to support more than 500 families before the end of 2022, enriching people’s lives.

Please Welcome our New Board Members

Jim Goetz

Foundation Board

Jim Goetz has been in the investment services industry since 1997, and hold the certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant )ARPC) designation from the Society of Professional Asset Managers and Record-Keepers.

Cindy Voelker

Agency Board

Cindy Voelker is skilled in nonprofit organizations, addiction recovery, strategic planning, program development, and mental health. She was selected in June 2021 by Buffalo Business First as one of its 2021 Power Professional Women in the community.

Patricia Feola

Agency Board

Patricia Feola recently retired as Director of Ambulatory Nursing after working at URMC for 44 years. She served on the Medical Center Quality Board as well as several leadership committees. Her son currently receives services through Heritage Christian.

Heritage Happenings

Event Calendar

Heritage Christian Services Foundation is launching a complimentary webinar series beginning this fall. Topics will include:

Leadership talks
Staying connected through technology
Mindfulness
Supporting your loved one
HCS programs and more!

To ensure you’re on our list to receive webinar invitations, email info@heritagechristianservices.org

Learn more at HeritageChristianServices.org/events.

Friday, June 24

Heritage Christian Services Anniversary Celebration

Thursdays, July 21, July 28 & Aug. 4

Women of Color Summit

Virtually hosted on zoom

Monday Aug. 1

Heritage Christian Services Golf Classic

Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford

Saturday, Sept. 10

Heritage Hero Run + Stroll + Roll

Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester

Saturday, Sept. 17

Heritage Hero Run + Stroll + Roll

Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island

Thursday, Oct. 13

Many Hands, Many Hearts Award Celebration

Hosted on Heritage Christian Services Facebook page

Thursday, Dec. 15

RPO Gala Holiday Pops

Eastman Theatre in Rochester

More information available soon.

Internship and Career Support Opportunities

The HCS Employment Alliance continues to see success in providing students of all abilities with opportunities to experience work in their desired field. As schools and colleges release their students for break, many will be looking for internship and employment opportunities to complement their studies. Whether you are a young professional seeking a new opportunity or an employer looking for a young professional to join your team, reach out to info@hcsemploymentalliance.org for more information on how the HCS Employment Alliance can help you reach your professional goals.

Success Coaching Showing Trends in Retention

ERN Success Coaches Amethyst Powers, Chanel Terrell, and Marcus Elliot

Our mission at Heritage Christian Services, in addition to providing the best resources for the people who use our services, is to provide a place where our employees feel valued and have opportunities to success. To advance this goal, Heritage Christian Services continues to offer success coaching that all staff members can take advantage of.

Success coached have helped our staff with professional land personal barriers to employment, including providing safe housing, child care solutions and access to coursed and certifications that give them the skills they need in our field or the field they wish to enter.

By the end of 2021, we reported a 93.4% retention rate among staff who took advantage of our success coaches, demonstrating the program’s success.

Recognition, Rewards and Engagement are Priorities

Our strategic focus at Heritage Christian Services starts with People and Culture. People are at the very foundation of our work, and our employees are the backbone of our mission. From past surveys, we learned that employees were interested in more frequent and detailed corporate communications. In addition, we heard from employees that they like feeling recognized for the work that they do. We’ll be launching a new comprehensive employee recognition and reward program in 2022, which will include the ability for supervisors to recognize their staff members in a timely, personalized and tangible way. If you wish to recognize somebody now, you can go to HeritageChristianServices.org/highfive.

Afterschool Respite Launches in WNY

Heritage Christian Services has expanded respite services in the Buffalo-Niagara region with the opening of Afterschool Adventures, which will grow to eventually support up to 10 students a day from 2 – 6 p.m. on weekdays. If you know someone who is interested in supporting the program as a respite staff, please refer them to DirectSupport.org.

Dan Ross Promoted to Vice President Position

Dan Ross will be bringing his skillset and knowledge to his important new role on the Heritage Christian Services leadership team.

We are excited to welcome Dan Ross to the Heritage Christian Services leadership team as our new vice president of corporate compliance and risk management.

He holds an MBA in Business Administration from St. John Fisher College, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Before his promotion, Ross served HCS as a corporate controller. Ross has overseen numerous developments in the finance department that have helped our staff, including expanding employee benefit offerings and modernizing the agency’s payroll system.

Ross’ passion for his work and his character both make him an excellent fit for the new role.

Business Intelligence and Analytics Department Formed at HCS

Laura Ryan is heading up the new Business Intelligence and Analytics Department.

Heritage Christian Services is excited to announce the formation of the Business Intelligence and Analytics department. The department is headed up by Laura Ryan, business analytics and strategy advisor to the president.

As our agency focuses in on data-informed decisions, the Business Intelligence and Analytics (BIAA) Team is building out a structure to support these eff orts. Our vision for the team is to serve operations and administration by creating tools that transform the organization’s data into actionable formats. This will strengthen our decision-making process, and allow us to be anticipatory rather than reactionary.

Send a high five!

Heritage Christian Services staff members recognize our co-workers by sending them a High Five at HeritageHighFive.org, and you can too. Head over to HeritageChristianServices.org/highfive to recognize a staff member.

Memorials and Honorariums

Often people will make a donation in memory of a loved one who has passed away. The agency sends the bereaved family a note of sympathy and informs them of the gift, without disclosing the amount. People also mark joyous occasions – like birthdays, anniversaries and weddings – by donating in honor of a friend or family member. Sue Hoh, donor relations manager, can help you through the process. Call her at (585) 340-2045.

See Page 6 of this PDF for a listing of memorials and honorariums

Obituaries

Ward Donahue

Former agency board member Ward Donahue passed away on January 9. Those blessed to know him will always remember his encouraging quotes, his wonderful relationship with his wife, Doris, and his devotion to his children.

Shamekia Barron

Shamekia Barron was known for her warm sense of humor and her love of people. She passed away on January 25 at the age of 27.

Judy Pawlik

Beloved friend Judy Pawlik passed away on January 29, at the age of 77. Judy was known for her loving hugs and sense of humor to her family, friends and loved ones.

Pamela Nelson

Pamela Nelson passed away on April 2 at age 53. She loved spending time at the beach, listening to live music, being outdoors and doing crafts.

The Heritage Hero is Back

And with an exciting announcement!

We will be hosting the Heritage Hero in person this year – and not only in Rochester, but we’re bringing the event to Buffalo as well! Gather your friends, family and colleagues for the Heritage Hero fundraising event.

Saturday, September 10

Seabreeze Amusement Park

Rochester

Saturday, September 17

Beaver Island State Park

Grand Island

Follow these steps to get your team started today!

Register at HeritageHero.org

Invite friends and family to join your team

Inspire others to do the same by sharing your story

Your support of Heritage Hero will allow Heritage Christian to right-size and renovate our homes to provide a safe place for people to effectively age in place, as well as to promote the well-being and advancement of our incredible direct support staff through wage increases and success coaching.

Unable to join us in person? Register for our virtual event from anywhere in the world!

HeritageHero.org