Assisting people with
developmental disabilities so that
they have the opportunity to
build safe, healthy, meaningful
lives in the community
CHOICES IN COMMUNITY LIVING, INC. EST. 1985
Founding Partner of Partners for Community Living
Remembering Annie
Annie Long was 53 years
old when she passed away
on March 8. She was one
of the first people served
by Choices in one of our
first homes when we were
founded in 1985. She
lived at our Huntsview
home at the time of her
death. Hers is a survivor’s
Annie shared a happy
story. As a young girl she
summer outing at
was taken to the Orient
last year’s Game Day
State Institution, where
coordinated by LexisNexis,
she lived for many years,
enjoying time with Program
alongside Rose, one of her
Administrator Leah Byrd.
housemates at Huntsview.
They shared and survived things that most of us can never
imagine, forming a bond far beyond friendship. In every
sense of the word, the two of them were family, as were
her other housemates and her Huntsview staff.
always looking out for others. A simple sneeze or cough
and she would have to make sure you were okay. “You got
a bad cold, friend?” she would console.
Following is a story about Annie from those who knew her
best, shared with us by Leah Byrd, Huntsview’s Program
Administrator:
This is Leah’s favorite
She loved pancakes, ice cream
photo of Annie.
and diet pop. Every day when she
came home from workshop she would have her driver,
Jack, help her do a ballerina twirl outside the house before
she would come in. The way she would call for people
To Annie Long, everyone was a friend, whether she was
meeting you for the first time or had known you for years.
She was an incredibly loving and caring person. She was
Annie had a list a mile long of doctors she saw, so to
say she kept staff busy is an understatement. Doctors
appointments, ER visits, lab work, days spent at home and
away from workshop, yes, she always kept us running.
She loved to listen to country music in the van, as loud as
possible. She would sing along,
wave to cars going by, motion to
truck drivers to honk their horns.
She was always so polite. She
even thanked the nurse who gave
her a flu shot! She had a laugh
that nobody will be able to forget.
Her smile could light up a room.
She loved to dance. As she got
older it became harder to do,
but she couldn’t help but wiggle
when a good song came on.
Continued on page 3
Celeste’s legacy
It is with both sadness and a deep
sense of appreciation that we say
good-by to Program Director Celeste
Boehm as she retires after 23 years
of passionate and dedicated service.
She came a long way from her first job
at Choices, which was cleaning our
homes. It those early days, Celeste did
do windows, along with a range of
other ‘deep cleaning.’
Celeste was always a hands-on
administrator, as in this photo
lending a hand with landscaping
with some of our volunteers.
Issue 1, 2014
It was those first experiences meeting
the people in the homes she cleaned
that Celeste found where she wanted
to be. She found herself drawn to the
people. She became a direct support
professional in one home and then
moved into a leadership position
as program administrator for that
home, the place where she would first
establish her reputation for determined
advocacy on behalf of those she served.
When one of the men in the home
became ill with terminal cancer, she
fought for his right to pass away with
dignity in his own home, comforted
and surrounded by the family who
shared his life.
Continued on page 3
Page 1
Change the way you see and see how you change
by Tom Weaver, Executive Director
Organizations that serve people with developmental
disabilities have struggled for years (and continue to
struggle) with the words we use in describing those we
serve. All those dark years ago in state-operated institutions
they were ‘patients.’ We’ve used terms like clients, residents,
consumers as ways to describe them, words that too often
lead to a “we” and “them” mindset, leading us to focus on
what is different between us more than on what is alike
between us. Many of us are not comfortable with this
struggle over semantics – the way we use words and the
words we use, for words can be used to categorize, label,
separate, segregate.
How that thought hit home for me just this March and how
appropriate that it hit me during National Developmental
Disabilities Awareness Month, the time set aside for us to
consider the words we use and the power they have to
create change. As forms come across my desk for me to
complete there is often some of those words – words like
clients – how many clients do we serve? It’s not a bad word
by itself, not even a negative word. Maybe it’s just that it
isn’t a ‘complete’ word. It doesn’t tell anyone about who
our ‘clients’ are, what they believe in, what dreams they
have for themselves, who they are as just other human
beings alongside us on shared journeys.
Latisha, Shali and Mary taught me something about the
use of words and yes, they taught me. It was a routine day
in their home on Swallowtail as Monique was preparing
dinner for them. The stove was turned on and food was
cooking. In a moment, as can happen to any of us at any
time, Monique, our Direct Support Professional (DSP) in
the home that night, was no longer tending the food on the
stove. She had a seizure and collapsed on the floor, the first
and only time she ever had such an experience.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Mary went to the stove and
turned it off and then went to Monique’s side with Shali, one
of them cradling Monique’s head in her lap, while Latisha
called 911, then Program Administrator Vicky Wagers. Before
Vicky could get to the home, the ambulance was already
there. The three women were deeply concerned about
Monique but were calm, looking out for each other.
Monique is now fine and grateful to Latisha, Mary, and Shali
for their quick and calm actions. And so here’s a thought.
When we’re struggling for the right word to describe these
three women, what if we use this word – heroes!
Then there is Annie’s story, Annie Long, with us for as
long as we have been an agency. We weren’t ready but we
recently had to say good-by to Annie nonetheless. It’s been
hard. She shared her spirit and her enthusiasm for life
openly and, I must say, with gusto. As we came together
to celebrate her life and to share our grief at her passing, I
was moved as I watched her housemates console not only
each other, but their staff as well. When we’re struggling to
find the right word to describe Annie and her housemates,
what if we use this word – family!
And there is Bill, Bill Eakman, Resident Home Association’s
Bill Eakman, a witty, humorous, deeply spiritual man who
has felt the call from something beyond himself to minister
to others. And in his own way, he is doing just that. He is a
part of his church choir. Every Sunday he joins his pastor
in front of the congregation and they share a message. He
recites scriptures. He has even shared his own messages
on some Sundays. He’s known since he was a little boy, he
will tell you, that he has a calling and that his dream is to
be a minister, perhaps not realizing that he already is in the
way he serves his community and the way he ministers to
the spirit of all who come in contact with him. When we’re
struggling to find the right word to describe Bill, what if we
used this word – faith!
Change the way you see them and see how you will change.
In the News
Celeste Boehm was among those honored on
April 25 at the Mandalay Banquet Center during
the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and
presentation of regional Erin Ritchey Memorial
Awards (ERMA.) She was awarded the Spirit
Award in recognition of her 23 years of service on
behalf of people with developmental disabilities.
Celeste Boehm
Page 2
Issue 1, 2014
Resident Home Association’s Bill Eakman was one
of the 2014 inductees into the Developmental
Disabilities Hall of Fame on April 25. He was
recognized for his community service, which
includes not only his commitment to his ministry,
but many years of raising funds by participating
in the Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and Down
Syndrome’s Buddy Walk.
Bill Eakman
Remembering Annie continued from page 1
with a little ‘sing-song’ in her voice … those
are memories we will never forget.
I could go on to talk about how we were
family because she didn’t have involvement
with her family. Family isn’t always blood. She
had this enormous family through Choices,
especially her staff and housemates at
Huntsview. We were her family and she was
ours. Her absence has left a vast emptiness
at home. Her housemates and staff struggle
every day with the loss of our Annie. As we
lean on one another for support, we find
comfort in that we now have an amazing
guardian angel watching over us all. “When
someone you love becomes a memory, the
memory becomes a treasure.”
Editor’s Note: We thank the George C. Martin
Funeral Home for their caring and generous
support in helping us celebrate Annie’s life.
Memorial donations in celebration of Annie’s
laughter and life may be made to Partners For
Community Living, 1651 Needmore Road, Dayton,
Ohio 45414 or online at www.partnersohio.com.
Celeste Boehm continued from page 1
She became a Program Director in
1995, overseeing the administration and
supervision of ten homes serving 30 people
with 45 staff. In that position she gained
a reputation for her abilities to work with
and for people with challenging behaviors,
abilities that earned her recognition and
respect not only from within Choices, but
with county board staff as well. She also
received recognition at the state level with
an award from the Ohio Provider Resource
Association (OPRA.)
She is the one person we can look to as the
person who made it possible for people
who might have otherwise been cast
aside to become successful as members
of households, to become independent,
each in his/her own way. She has been the
source of strength who has turned what
initially seemed like impossibilities into life
changing and life affirming possibilities.
For years to come, there will be people
living in safe and nurturing homes, who
live together as families, who are a part of
our community and not apart from it, and
there will be those of us who remember that
they are doing so because once upon a time
all those years ago Celeste Boehm started
washing windows.
Grants Touch the Lives of Those We Serve
James is only one of the people smiling as they not only welcome
spring, but new furniture and flooring for their homes due to a
generous grant from The Brighter Tomorrow Foundation. In addition
to the new recliner for James, Matt received a new recliner, Natalie
received a new sofa and loveseat, while four individuals at our
Wendhaven home are enjoying their new sofa and loveseat. There
is new safety equipment for David, who lives in his own apartment.
Funds were used to purchase a fire alarm system. There is new
flooring to enjoy for our four individuals who call Blue Ash home.
“Without support from The
Foundation we wouldn’t
be able to provide these
necessities,” says Executive
Director Tom Weaver,
“Medicaid provides funding
to cover our staffing costs, but
does not pay for things like
furniture and clothing. That
means we couldn’t provide
the people we serve with
the same things we want for
our families, things like safe
and comfortable furniture
and updated flooring. I don’t
know where agencies like ours
would go if we didn’t have The
Foundation supporting these
needs.”
A very happy James Howard
relaxes on his new recliner that
was made possible by a grant
from The Brighter Tomorrow
Foundation. It was hard to tell
what made him happier, watching
his old torn recliner finally going
out the door or sitting in his new
one for the first time.
In addition to the grant to
Choices, Brighter Tomorrow
also awarded a grant to
Resident Home Association
to assist with flooring and to
provide materials for their resident-driven classes. Brighter Tomorrow
was established in 1990 and is a supporting organization of The
Dayton Foundation. It shares the same mission as Choices, Resident
Home and Partners For Community Living – to improve the quality of
life for people with developmental disabilities.
We also acknowledge the support of the Gorman-Hewitt-Ayars
Memorial Fund for their support of our three new individuals in
our Village Green Home. They were in urgent need of clothing and
furniture for their home and thanks to the Fund, some of those
needs are now being met, along with funds from Choices Wish List.
The Fund, which is associated with United Rehabilitation Services,
provides support to assist individuals with developmental disabilities
in realizing their maximum level of independence.
Choices has also received a donation from First Alert of 40 Carbon
Monoxide Detectors that are being installed in our homes with gas
heating, one of our safety priorities.
The applications for grants and donations were coordinated through
Partners For Community Living, one of the important areas of
support to Choices and Resident Home made possible through the
partnership.
Issue 1, 2014
Page 3
Choices In Community Living, Inc.
1651 Needmore Road
Dayton, OH 45414-3851
(937) 898-2220
(937) 898-3553 fax
www.partnersohio.com
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Dayton, OH
Permit #1522
Return Service Requested
Board of Trustees
Stephen McHugh, President
Eugene Aukerman, Treasurer
Janet Peasant, Secretary
Clinton Brown
Ronald Johnson
William Kramer
Dr. Julie Williams
Choices Voices is written, edited and distributed
through the office of Partners For Community Living
Host Homes
Needed
WHAT WE NEED:
Imagine the joy of creating a
better life for a person with
a developmental disability.
Imagine the smiles you can
create by helping someone grow
and explore life. Imagine the
fulfillment when you make a
difference in the life of someone
who needs you and who, in turn,
makes a difference in your life.
• safe living environments with private sleeping area for the person with a
developmental disability
You can be that person making
a difference by becoming a Host
Home provider with Choices.
• caring individuals and/or families willing to share their homes and lives
with an adult with developmental disabilities on a long-term basis
• people willing to make their lives better by helping someone else
WHAT WE PROVIDE:
• competitive, reliable stipend per day (paid monthly)
• 10 paid vacation/respite days per year
• financial management by Choices
• assistance and/or management by Choices of medical appointments
• training, certification and oversight by Choices staff
• reliable and responsive caseworker from Choices
• home study, placement and paperwork management provided by Choices
For more information about our Host Homes program,
please contact Tom Weaver at 937-898-2220.
Page 4
Issue 1, 2014
Partners For Community Living
a collaborative partnership between Choices In Community Living, Inc.
and Resident Home Association
Thank you, Pam
It is with appreciation that we say good-by to our Volunteer Coordinator Pam
Winston as she retires. For ten years she was the guiding force behind the
development of a shared volunteer program that resulted in more than 5000 hours
of volunteer service each year in support of those we serve and our agencies.
It was Pam at the helm as we developed strong partnerships with Sinclair
Community College, the University of Dayton and Wright State University, as well
as high schools and other schools throughout our area.
It was Pam who initiated contact with business leaders like LexisNexis that led to
so many good times and even greater friendships. Go through the list – Fish Fry;
Bingo; annual Halloween Party; OTA students; Game Day; Summer of Service;
Day of Caring; landscaping; gardening; storytelling; holiday decorating; house
and garage cleaning; building fences; Volunteer Recognition and Friend By Choice
– and it was Pam there making good things happen – good and lasting things for
those we serve and for those who serve as volunteers.
It’s moments like this one with
Pam Smalley (Choices) at our
2013 LexisNexis Game Day that
Pam Winston will remember
from her years of service as our
Volunteer Coordinator.
Partners receives
Award of Excellence
Welcoming guests
to their home
were (l-r)
Sandy Rees,
Judy Matthews
and Mary Lou
Marcum,
along with
guest of honor
Brenda Whitney.
The house on Piedmont Avenue (Resident Home Association) was full of
laughter and brightly colored packages as the nine seniors who call it home
welcomed guests to the official opening of Brenda’s Bistro, their newly
renovated kitchen, named in honor of Brenda Whitney who served as RHA’s
Executive Director for more than 30 years. Guests helped celebrate the
occasion with a kitchen shower that included an array of gifts for the kitchen,
from juicers, pots and pans, mixing bowls, baking pans, towels and even
aprons with the name Brenda’s Bistro on them.
The renovation of the kitchen, which included new flooring, cabinets and sink,
was funded in part by donations made in Brenda’s honor upon her retirement.
The new kitchen replaces the original kitchen in the home that was there when
RHA purchased the home in 1975.
Partners For Community Living was
among 25 award winners from across
Ohio honored during the annual Ohio
Public Awards Luncheon in Columbus
on March 10, receiving an Award of
Excellence for our website. Ohio
Public Images (OPI) was established in
1983 to promote positive awareness
of people with developmental
disabilities. Through its Public Images
Network it creates a range of materials
that are distributed nationally as
part of Developmental Disabilities
Awareness Month in March.
Now just one year old, our updated
website is unique in that it successfully
integrates not only Partners, but
our two partner agencies, Choices
In Community Living and Resident
Home Association, into one seamless
website that was recognized for its
functionality and well thought out
design that celebrates people with
developmental disabilities.
We invite you to visit our website and
blog at www.partnersohio.com and
to join us as one of our friends on
Facebook.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Join us at Dining with the Stars
Mark your calendars and join us on Wednesday, May 14
at Thai 9 Restaurant in the historic Oregon District for
our 2nd annual Dining with the Stars celebrity waiter
event. You order your dinner from the Thai 9 menu and
then generously tip our celebrity waiters as they serve
you not only dinner, but perhaps a song or dance, a
photo with you, or other special and fun requests.
– Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
We thank each of our donors for caring a
whole awful lot and making things better.
Our raffles will include a pair of autographed basketball
shoes from the Miami Heat’s Norris Cole, autographed
OSU photos; signed P. Buckley Moss print; Dayton
Dragons tickets; and many items celebrating Dayton,
including dinner at the Racquet Club, tickets to the
Dayton Playhouse, a stay at the Inn Port Bed and
Breakfast, gift certificate from Siebanthaler’s, and more.
We will have two dinner seatings: 5:30 – 7:00 and 7:30
– 9:00. Reservations are required. Please call 937278-0791 to confirm your reservation and be sure to
specify which seating you prefer. You may also request
which celebrity waiter you would like to serve you.
Proceeds (which includes tips) will support Partners
For Community Living on behalf of the people served
by Choices In Community Living and Resident Home
Association.
Art & Soul Sponsors
Art Patrons
Butler County Board of DD
Greene County Board of DD
Hamilton County Board of DD
Montgomery County Board of DD
Warren County Board of DD
3F Coaching
Sketches Frame Shop
Bob & Gloria Archer
Vincenzina Krymow
Judy & Paul Leasure
Tim & Barb Riazzi
Dining with the Stars
SPONSORS:
DONORS:
McGohan Brabender, Platinum
Norris Cole, NBA/Miami Heat
Comp Management Systems, Silver
Dayton Dragons
Hutcheson Pharmacy, Silver
Dayton Playhouse
LexisNexis, Silver
Dayton Racquet Club
Quanexus, Silver
Inn Port Bed & Breakfast
Strategic Employee Benefits, Silver
P. Buckley Moss Society
Superior Dental Care, Silver
Siebenthaler Garden & Landscaping
Coolidge Wall, LPA, Bronze
Troy Country Club
Irongate Realtors/Marty Mavin-Moe, Bronze
UNUM, Bronze
Partners Fish ‘N Chips Fish Fry
2014 Celebrity Waiters announced
Partners is pleased to announce our list of celebrity waiters
who will be joining us for our 2nd Annual Dining with the
Stars fundraiser on Wednesday, May 14 at Thai 9 Restaurant
in the Oregon District. Joining us for their second year of
adventure and fun are Nancy Wilson and Frye Guy of K99
Radio and Larry Hansgen of WHIO Radio and the voice of
the UD Flyers.
They will be joined by new waiters, including John Paul,
WHIO Television; Gabrielle Enright, WHIO Television;
Chick Ludwig; WONE Radio; Christian Hahn, Joseph
Toyota; and Nan Whaley, Mayor, City of Dayton.
A reminder about Kroger Rewards
Thank you to every Kroger shopper who
has helped us raise $3700 through our
participation in the Kroger Community
Rewards program! We are continuing our participation in
this program and welcome your ongoing support.
Reminder – you must register each year by the end of
April to continue your participation in the program,
even if you have registered in previous years. You can go
to our website at www.partnersohio.com and click on the
Kroger Rewards link to take you directly to their registration
site or go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com. Once
you are on the site, enter #80367 for Choices In Community
Living or #83245 for Resident Home Association.
Lisa Barnes
Boston Stoker
Deb Brown
David Casey
Cassano’s
City of Centerville
David Fair on the Square
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
Dorothy Lane Market
Carl Eubank
First Financial Bank
Kathy Fitzwater
Frantz Barber Shop
Frisch’s Restaurants
Furst Florist and Garden Center
Edith Fuson
Good Samaritan Hospital
Helene Gordon
Hairy Situations
Bobbie Hartsog
Vivienne Himmell
Fredina Jackson
Ron Johnson
OTHER:
Gallery Home Furnishings
George’s Family Restaurant
Tom & Sheri Giver
Judy Leasure
Legacy Pancake House
Gary Lewis
Robert & Marie Lewis
Liberty Maids
MONCO Enterprises
Gary Newton
Ohio Lottery
Janet & Rore Peasant
Diann Reid
Rhonda Rich
Nora Rutherford
Steve & Ann Schulte
Sinclair Community College
Speedway
Rick Thomas
Tuffy Brooks Sporting Goods
Weber Auto
Pamela Winston
Gail Basine, Choices
Brighter Tomorrow Foundation, grant to Choices
Brighter Tomorrow Foundation, grant to Resident Home
Dayton Dragons, to CICL
Vanessa Guenther, community campaign to Choices
Paul & Judy Leasure, in memory of Annie Long
George C. Martin Funeral Home, Annie Long memorial service
Tom Purkey, to Wish Lists
Ellsworth Szkudlarek
The First Baptist Church of Vandalia, in memory of Annie Long
Nancy White, in memory of Annie Long