From the Desk of the CEO

Dear Citizens Options Unlimited Families and Friends,

As we spend time enjoying the warm summer months, we also find ourselves at the mid-point of our year. Much has been accomplished to advance inclusion and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities!

It would not be summer without Camp Loyaltown and once again we are able to welcome campers and counselors from around the world for the first time since 2019. These past seasons have not been easy for campers or caregivers, which makes this season so special. Sessions are well underway, with activities ranging from swimming in the pool, to time caring for new calves, to arts and crafts. I encourage you to follow Citizens on social media (Facebook, Instagram) to become a part of Loyaltown’s fans for 2023. 

Downstate, here on Long Island, nearly 90 direct support professionals (DSPs) across our family of organizations recently completed the E-Badge Academy Credentialing Program from the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and The National Association of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). A celebration was held on June 23, with OPWDD and NADSP, to recognize individual achievements as well as the ongoing importance for friends in government and the community to understand the need to further professionalize the DSP role.

All in our community deserve recognition — and celebrating successes is important. The partnership among people supported, families, staff and friends is how we’ve continued to create profound results and why OPWDD designated Citizens Options Unlimited a Compass agency — a designation we hold along with our affiliate agency AHRC Nassau. Our agency is additionally recognized with a Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation With Distinction through CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. 

Enjoy the summer!

Best Regards, 

Stanfort J. Perry | CEO

Table of Contents:

Agency Excellence

·   Welcome Back to Camp Loyaltown!
·   Professionalizing the Role of a DSP: NADSP E-Badge Credentialing

Residential Spotlight

·   In the Picture: Thomas Rosenthal Makes Family Milestone, Attends Sister’s Wedding

Staff Spotlight

·   25 Years and Counting: A Q&A 25 Years With House Manager Alister Guillaume

Self-Advocates Making a Statement

·   Meet April Kloepfer

Welcome Back Camp Loyaltown!

Camp Loyaltown is back in full swing with sessions running from June to September — after a few years on pause due to the pandemic. On July 16, we said goodbye to Session 2 and welcomed Session 3!

Every day is different here at Camp Loyaltown! Not only do we have an amazing time creating friendships and memories, we also learn and try new things!

Each day at camp, we host different events like Loyaltown’s Got Talent, Loyaltown Olympics, Loyaltown on Broadway, the Street Art Festival, treasure hunts, karaoke, game shows, and campfires. Each day also has a fun theme like 80’s Day, Tie-Dye Day, Science Day, Fashion Day, Flag Day, Sports Day, and Crazy Hair Day.

Taking a walk through camp, you might find:

·    Over at the barn, campers learning about animal care while petting and feeding the cows, ducks, and bunnies.

·     On our nature walks, lessons on all of the native species of animals, bugs, and plants around camp. 

·     Indoors, campers playing basketball, card games and bingo, or even creating lanyard necklaces, or relaxing in the ball pit and sensory room.

·     Campers lounging in Adirondack chairs on the lawn, playing a round of mini-golf, or swimming in the pool while soaking in the mountain views.

Follow along with camp this summer:

   ·   Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram)

   ·   Visit our public gallery at waldo.photos/@CampLoyaltown with join code: camployaltown2023.

A reminder to camper families and guardians: We sent you an email with steps on how to create a Waldo account and receive cellphone notifications whenever we upload photos of YOUR camper.

Learn more about joining us at Camp Loyaltown here.

Professionalizing the Role of a DSP: NADSP E-Badge Credentialing

Please join us in congratulating Citizens’ 20 enrolled learners who are actively engaged in The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) E-Badge Academy. Made possible by a grant from NY State’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), this national certification program offers direct support professionals (DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLS) the opportunity to earn stackable electronic badges leading to credentialing and a bonus.

On June 23, Alison Pingelski, Acting Associate Commissioner of the Division of Administration for OPWDD; Ryan Cox, Director of Workforce Development & Talent Acquisition, OPWDD; and Kathy Brown, NYS E-Badge Academy Administrator, NADSP, joined agency leadership to celebrate the nearly 90 E-Badge learners in our family of organizations.

“Our hardworking DSPs deserve the recognition and professional development opportunities that come from training and credentialing programs like those offered through our partnership with NADSP,” said Pingelski. “We continue to see the growth of this exciting new program, and I am incredibly grateful for the dedication of the DSPs who work tirelessly to enhance the lives of people with disabilities and are equally dedicated to improving their knowledge and skills to better reach that goal.”

Once all three tiers are completed, DSPs receive the title Certified Direct Support Professional (CDSP) as well as a financial bonus for each tier completed, which is funded through the grant initiative, as well as an hourly wage increase provided from our organization.

Across New York State, there are 31 organizations in the program, with five on Long Island. Citizens and AHRC Nassau were two of the first three agencies to be a part of this pilot program. There are currently over 1,200 DSPs going through this program statewide.

Shout out to all of our incredible staff currently enrolled in the E-Badge program: Emily Barcelona, DSP at Shoreham; Chad Barker, DSP at Shoreham; Briana Brito, DSP at Glen Head; Coretta Brown, DSP at Greenlawn; Jennawade Callum, House Manager at Shoreham; Migdalia Candelario, DSP at Shoreham; Kenesha Cherry, DSP at Lake Grove; Vanessa Freeman, DSP at Shoreham; Krystle Foss, DSP at Shoreham; Renee N. Gill, DSP at Shoreham; Opal Johnson, DSP and Medical Appointment Counselor at Helen Kaplan; Neschel Lafortune, DSP and Medical Appointment Counselor at Port Washington; Wolguens Lormestoire, DSP at West Islip; Ruth Michel, DSP at West Islip; Ebony Miles, DSP at Greenlawn; Kayla Moore, DSP at Shoreham; Justine Pacheco, DSP at Valley Stream; Francois Saintcyr, DSP at Northport; Georfeann Sciulla, Assistant House Manager at Shoreham; and Elsbeth Thomas, DSP at West Hempstead.

In the Picture: Thomas Rosenthal Makes Family Milestone, Attends Sister’s Wedding 

For Thomas Rosenthal, attending his sister’s wedding was an important milestone — and one the Shoreham ICF team partnered with his family to make a reality.

Thomas, who is on the spectrum, has struggled for decades with intense and challenging behaviors, often in response to frustration and confusion.

“I knew we would be sad if he wasn’t in the family photos, but I was nervous to see if he could come,” Thomas’ mother, Rosemarie Rosenthal, said. “I wanted to sit him near the exit, just in case, and worried the music might be too loud or the crowd might overwhelm him.”

With the help of his two preferred DSPs, Elijah Muhammad and Erik Trusch, Thomas was able to attend the majority of the reception, take photographs with family and friends, and enjoy dinner and dessert with his parents at the family table.

To prepare Thomas for the big day, his mother laminated the wedding invite with a photo of his sister Emma and (now) brother-in-law Juan-Francisco.

He brought this with him to the wedding, proudly showing guests and pointing to his sister.

Years of teamwork by an engaged group have led to the creation of cherished moments like these, reflecting the significant strides made in supporting Thomas' behavioral progress.

The devoted team includes Mary Gilleran, Director at Shoreham ICF; Posney Gilles, Assistant Director at Shoreham; Krysta Fabian, Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS); Eileen Plumacher, Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP); Sara Buckley, LPN; Stacey Forman, LPN; psychiatrist Dr. Magery Satish; and the many DSPs who work at Gardenview.

Since moving into his Citizens Shoreham ICF in October 2020, Thomas adjusts to change more easily and is more fully present in the lives of his family and friends.

Celebrating Alister’s Achievements: A Q&A on 25 Years and Counting

Congratulations to Alister Guillaume, House Manager at Citizens’ Lake Grove Residence, on his recent 25th work anniversary. Alister’s career began in March 1998 as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at the Helen Kaplan ICF in Plainview. In that time, Alister has worn many hats in the agency, including DSP, Program Coordinator, Diversity Facilitator, Incident Investigator, and DSP ICF trainer. For Alister, the positions that he’s liked the most have been hands on.

For the past several years, he has overseen residences for sister agency, Brookville Center for Children Services (BCCS). He worked across the three children’s group homes until late last year when several of the young men from the BCCS Lido Beach homes transitioned into Citizens Options Unlimited’s adult residences.

Q: Why did you choose to transition along with these young men?

I see a lot of regression (when people age out of children services), so I didn’t want to see that happen to this group of boys. . .I know what these boys like to do, so I can ensure that continues for them, like keeping the same schedule and activities.

Q: How do you maintain an environment where the people you support can continue to learn, grow, and thrive?

When you go into the community (adult residences), it’s much more lax than when you’re in school because staff can’t make you do activities once you’re an adult. The supports aren’t there for adults in the same way they are for children, but we try to do more here. I try to encourage them, but I also try to keep it natural. We are always practicing and building skills.

Q: How do you create a supportive and transparent work environment?

It’s important in this field to show people exactly who you are. That’s what I want to teach the boys and my staff. It’s okay to be yourself, but make sure it’s respectful. No one should feel like they have to change who they are when they come to work, and people appreciate the consistency and honesty. No one expects you to be perfect, which is why I say it’s always better to let people know when you screw up and how you plan to fix it, especially when it comes to parents. 

Self-Advocates Making a Statement: Meet April Kloepfer

Written by April Kloepfer

My name is April, and I am 31 years old. I was born in New York City and currently live with my parents in Setauket. I have also lived in Connecticut and Ohio. I have participated in OPWDD’s Self-Direction program for many years.

I got to know Citizens Options Unlimited when I went to Camp Loyaltown for the first time in the summer of 2019, and fell in love with it. Jerri Walker worked at camp at that time and Jerri was the first person to introduce me, first to Camp Loyaltown and, later, to all of the other services offered by Citizens Options Unlimited and AHRC Nassau.

Camp Loyaltown relies on young adults from other countries to staff the camp each summer. In 2021, I led an effort to increase awareness for J-1 cultural exchange visas — which are the visas that need to be issued to international students and others to come to the United States and work at camp.

I made over twenty T-shirts that said, “Save J-1 Visas, Cultural Exchange,” and also wrote letters to President Biden, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Representative Zeldin requesting the reinstatement and faster processing of these visas.

In recognition of my efforts, I was awarded the Citizens Options Unlimited 2021 Self-Advocate of the Year and received a plaque from Citizens, which now hangs on my bedroom wall.