Home, it's a place of rest, comfort and family. There is no place like it and we are happy that three ladies now have a place to call home! We are pleased to announce the opening of a new home for these ladies in Brunswick. Karen, Carole and Constance moved in this week and are excited to celebrate the holidays in their new house! They can't wait to explore their new community and continue their hobbies such as bowling, dining out, movies and swimming. You, our supporters, helped make this dream possible, thank you! Find out more about our residential program at www.thewayside.org.
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Our Lady of the Wayside -- in conjunction with the State of Ohio’s Department of Developmental Disabilities and the Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain and Medina Boards of Developmental Disabilities -- is creating a new future for children and adults with developmental disabilities by ensuring that everyone served by the agency’s Residential Program lives in a community home of their own. In a recent celebration, DODD Director, Dr. John Martin, praised The Wayside for embracing change and creating living environments that are a significant improvement on living in traditional institutional settings. Our Lady of the Wayside moved the final residents of its 42 bed Guadalupe Home facility to homes of their own in October, securing the dreams of everyone involved. “This is huge,” says Terry Davis, President and CEO of The Wayside. “Our Guadalupe Home was a very special place to our staff, Board and of course the hundreds of people it served. But care for individuals with developmental disabilities has evolved to a point where it’s more than possible to live in a home in the community … it’s just the right thing to do.” Our Lady of the Wayside is Home to Opportunity to nearly 300 residential consumers living in 70+ homes in 30 communities throughout Northeast Ohio.
Our Lady of the Wayside is growing and we have your opportunity to be a part of it. We are currently seeking entry level positions as well as experienced direct care staff to join our team and will be conducting open interviews at Lorain County Community College, our Administrative Office in Avon and at our Pathways Day Program in Valley View. We offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees as well as comprehensive training, including a Management Training Program, for those who wish to grow within the organization. There are also Part-Time, Weekends only and PRN positions available for those who may still be in school or looking to expand their work experience. The Wayside offers the opportunity to work in a comfortable home environment and be out in the community. Positions are open in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake and Medina Counties. Open interviews will be conducted on-site with candidates. For more information including qualifications and what you need to bring, please visit here. It's always exciting when one of our consumers is honored for their talents! We are thrilled to announce that Joe, a resident at the Bay Village Home was recently one of NorthCoast Community Homes honored artists at their annual Home Sweet Home Gala. Joe lives at the Bay home and is pictured with Wayside Manager Angie and friend Chris. Congratulations Joe! It's been a busy Summer at The Wayside! We were thrilled to recently host a visit from Mr. John Martin, Director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) and his team at the Bremerton home. Wayside’s Bremerton home is unique in that the agency, in partnership with DODD and the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, has converted funding to supported living services for the individuals residing in the home. This replaces from traditional Medicaid funding with an individual-based waiver. Mr. Martin stopped in to see how the individuals living in the recently converted home served by The Wayside were doing with the changes. Our Lady of the Wayside is one of the largest agencies of its kind participating in the conversion with DODD and is at the forefront of this process with 29 of its 42 eligible beds being converted by October of this year. Additional beds will be converted in 2016. We are also pleased to announce a partnership with Habitat for Humanity-Greater Cleveland on a house for four individuals with disabilities in Cleveland. The house is being revitalized and modified to accommodate those with disabilities. In this process with Habitat for Humanity, “Home to Opportunity” goes beyond being Wayside’s tag line to become a call to action to improve lives. Look for more exciting info to come as the project progresses! The Best Opportunity to Do Well You could say we’re people pleasers. Our Lady of the Wayside supports 600 children and adults with developmental disabilities and each and every one of them comes to us with their own individual abilities, preferences and dreams. With so many critical factors to consider in their care, Wayside knows that success comes when we train our focus on the one thing each and every person we serve has in common: being happy. Nearly 50 years of caring for people with developmental disabilities has taught The Wayside that making everyone happy is possible when we give each person the best opportunity to do well. A dazzling matrix of planning, programming, evaluating, overhauling - and most importantly, caring - go into creating opportunities for the children and adults we care for. This kind of work requires our staff to go above-and-beyond typical standards-of-care and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Making people happy is more than our job and responsibility … it is our mission and our privilege. Our Lady of the Wayside ... Home to Opportunity. View the 2014 Annual Report at www.thewayside.org. ~Terry Davis, President & CEO Direct Support Professionals provide residential services to children and adults with developmental disabilities based on the individual’s needs. The DSP assists in maintaining and meeting consumer’s health, occupational, social and emotional goals and advocates on their behalf. Certainly, this job description is clear and concise, but to really understand how special this career can be, we thought we’d take you behind the scenes and let you hear from some Direct Support Professionals from The Wayside Family: In one-way-or-another, Jamie has been supporting individuals with developmental disabilities all of his life. "I have family members with special needs and my mother has worked in this field all of her life – so it’s always been in mine." Jamie tells us he finds his career as a Direct Support Professional challenging and rewarding, "It’s all rewarding because every day you don’t know how you’re changing someone’s life. And if you go home feeling you have helped change one life – even for a millisecond of their day – you’ve done what you’re supposed to do." We think Jamie says it all when he says, "If you look at it from any standpoint,every day’s a good day." Angie has worked with children and adults with developmental disabilities at Our Lady of the Wayside for 15 years. "I had an affinity for helping people (and) found out that I really like taking care of people. I like taking (the consumers) out in the community and doing stuff with them. And these guys are so hilarious that I have a really good time when I do it!" Angie adds, "I like being involved in their lives and getting to know their families. It’s pretty cool – it kind-of expands my own family." To sum it up, Angie says, "I like joking around with them. There’s a funny story every day. We have a lot of fun!" Sarah has worked in Direct Care for 18 years, 8 of which have been at Our Lady of the Wayside. Listening to her speak about her career, the word that comes up time-and-again is, fulfilling. "To see them happy… to see them smiling … getting so excited about things that we take for granted -- that’s so fulfilling to me!" Sarah says, "I go into work and I do what needs to be done but it’s not a job to me. It’s not a walk-in-punch-in-walk-out-punch-out thing. You’re taking care of them, you’re cooking for them, you’re cleaning for them, and you’re helping them learn sign language or how to put in a DVD. It’s my life and (in many ways) they rely on me as much as I rely on them." Interested in starting your career with Our Lady of the Wayside? Visit www.thewayside.org for more information or to view Jamie, Angie and Sarah's videos on their careers at The Wayside. Each day our dedicated staff work around the clock to ensure that each of our consumers receive the support and assistance they require to lead full lives. This week is Direct Support Professionals Week and we would like to take a minute to shine a spotlight on the people who work tirelessly to help the individuals in our care achieve their dreams. Direct Support Professionals staff each of our 56 neighborhood homes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether it's assisting with daily living tasks, preparing meals, providing transportation or any of the other countless things they do each day, our staff does them with professionalism and compassion. They are the backbone of Our Lady of the Wayside and we appreciate them! Join us in saying Thank You! Want to make a difference in the lives of others? Join The Wayside team, apply online at http://www.thewayside.org/careers.aspx. A Letter from Terry Davis
President & CEO Opportunity Lives Here! It enjoys spending time in our adult day program, Pathways. It is on tap at all of our special events. It's on the road with our Transportation Program. And it lives in our residential and respite homes. Opportunity is present in every facet of Our Lady of the Wayside because nearly 50 years of supporting children and adults with developmental disabilities has shown us that it's what they need, want and deserve. The opportunity to take their place in the community in a home of their own. The opportunity to take pride in their work. The opportunity to develop interests, make friends and pursue dreams. Our Lady of the Wayside believes we are the creators of opportunity for the individuals we are privileged to support. Thank you for joining with us to make the most of each and every opportunity. See the opportunities created by The Wayside in 2013 by browsing through our 2013 annual report http://www.thewayside.org/2013_annual_report.aspx. We know you have been just as excited as we have been waiting for Scott, Chris, Molly and Lisa to move into their new home! The day has finally arrived and everyone is thrilled to be in their new place! Like all Wayside houses it's designed for individual with disabilities but it's also comfortable, warm and feels just like home! Scott and Chris gave us a tour of their new home recently and talked about what they love the best and showed us their rooms. Chris loves the green paint, his comic book posters and his Sonic the Hedgehog bedspread. Scott loves his sports themed room with a special built in bookshelf to house all his favorite movies and photos. Molly and Lisa both like pink and each of their rooms reflect their own diva style. Everyone is excited that it is finally warmer outside so they can enjoy their lovely deck and backyard. Most of all Scott and Chris are excited that they get to live with their best friends, each other! They want to give a special thanks to Wayside staff, especially the maintenance crew, who helped make special modifications to the house to fit their needs, paint, install new appliances, help decorate and make their new home so inviting. Making a house a home for those with disabilities is a privilege an one we couldn't do without the wonderful support of our Board of Directors, friends and supporters. Thank you for making Scott, Chris, Molly and Lisa's dream come true!
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AuthorPosts from The Wayside family highlighting our programs and services, events, and other happenings at Our Lady of the Wayside. Archives
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