FALL
2016
RESPECTfor All
Creativity ruled at LEAF (Learning. Exploring. Arts. Fun.) day camp this summer at Robert Treman Park in
Ithaca. Campers collaborated with a professional songwriter to compose their own tune about what it means to
live with a disability. Camp coordinator Patricia Haines shares the scoop behind the special song:
“I know Jan Nigro from his work with Vitamin L. He has worked with many groups to help them write their own songs.
LEAF Camp seemed a perfect place for him to work with the group to compose something appropriate. The chorus is
most important: that everyone deserves respect for who they are and what they can do. It speaks for all of us, since we all at
times doubt our abilities and need to remind ourselves that we can respect ourselves and ask respect from those around us.”
AN
)
I KNOW I C; lyrics written at LEAF Camp 2016
n Nigro
(song by Ja
number
you got my
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:
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a stand
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se
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And
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orking over
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d heart are w
an
d
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m
‘Cause my
(Chorus)
34 WRIGHT AVENUE • AUBURN, NEW YORK 13021
Executive Director’s
P E R S P E C T I V E
Spirit is published
three times a year by
Unity House of Cayuga County, Inc.
34 Wright Avenue, Suite C
Auburn, NY 13021
www.unityhouse.com
EDITOR
Kelly D. Buck
Director of Marketing &
Development
315.253.6227 x 313
[email protected]
To be added to the Spirit e-mail list or
to opt-out, please call 315.253.6227
x 313 or e-mail
[email protected].
Learn more about Unity House’s
services and how you can support
Unity House at
www.unityhouse.com.
ADMINISTRATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Smith
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
TBA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Cindy Wilcox
Southern Cayuga Instant Aid
VICE PRESIDENT
Andrew Cuddy
SECRETARY
Kenneth Knight
Cayuga Health Assoc., retired
TREASURER
Bradley Chapman
Auburn Community Hospital
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Donna Clark
Elane Daly
Jessica Janssen
Joseph Manning
John O’Connor
Christopher Ryan
Christopher Sloan
James Vivenzio
Kristen Wilmot
It is with a sense of wonder that I realize Unity House will be
observing its 40th anniversary next year. The agency has done
phenomenal work over the past four decades, and I look forward to celebrating all that we’ve accomplished. We are planning a year-long series of activities in 2017, and you are invited
to join us. Watch our website for details.
Allow me to reminisce for a moment. One of my very first jobs
was at Unity House. I was hired in 1987 as relief staff and then
Liz Smith
as one of the agency’s first job coaches. At that time, the agenExecutive Director
cy was still relatively new – only ten years old – and so much
smaller. We operated 18 community residence beds at our headquarters in the Case mansion
on South Street in Auburn, plus 33 apartment beds for those with mental illness around Cayuga
County. We had just started supported employment services and a supportive apartment program
for developmentally disabled (DD) individuals. We were solely in Cayuga County and everything
happened out of 108 South Street.
I took a break to have children, then returned to Unity House in 1995 as a Medicaid support
specialist, where I wrote habilitation plans for the DD apartment program and our group home
(IRA) at Half Acre. While I was away, the agency had expanded its services into Onondaga County
and Geneva.
Everything changed dramatically in 1997 when we were asked by New York State to take over
management of HOMES, Inc. in Ithaca; we assumed operations of all their DD programs. This
brought us into Tompkins County and more than doubled our DD services. The state was very
pleased with our ability to turn programs around in Tompkins County. So much so, they asked us
to open two more IRAs – Danby Road and Campbell Avenue – and invited us to offer day habilitation services in Ithaca as well. We were already doing day hab in Auburn, so it made sense to
branch out to Tompkins County.
In 2009, I was named executive director and we moved our Auburn headquarters to larger space
at 34 Wright Avenue in the former Red Star building. Over the years, we’ve seen our share of
ideas that worked and some that didn’t. We took advantage of opportunities that came our way,
and have experienced tremendous growth, especially over the past ten years. Our finance office
maintains 48 different department budget lines now. We have opened even more programs, are
in the process of purchasing West Middle School in Auburn, are working on a new rehab and
treatment center to help address the opioid crisis, and now employ about 400 staff who assist
nearly 700 individuals a day in six central New York counties. This is a 38% increase in human
resources since I took the reins seven years ago.
As the executive director at Unity House, I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by people
who are smart, talented, creative, and dedicated. I have never had to worry from an administrative standpoint because my staff are so committed to our mission and the people we serve. Opportunities will continue to present themselves, and I intend to research and move on those that
make the best sense for the agency.
We’re LinkedIn
The agency is now on LinkedIn. Find us online!
http://bit.ly/1jS8xDh
2
www.unityhouse.com
•
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
Goodbye to Paul
www.unityhouse.com/givingtuesday
Unity House bid farewell to Paul Joslyn in August during a party at the Springside Inn.
Paul served Unity House since 2009, first as deputy executive director and then as
chief operating officer. We wish Paul the best as he begins his new position as executive director of AccessCNY in Syracuse.
November 29, 2016
Be king (or queen!) for a day, just like
Owen! Please consider making a gift to
Unity House on Giving Tuesday.
Every donation, big or small, makes an
important difference to the people we
serve. Join with others nationwide on
Giving Tuesday to impact the charitable
organizations that mean the most to you.
From left to right: Director of Maintenance Gary Fellows, Director of
Residential Services Amy Santobianco, Paul, Executive Director Liz Smith,
Board Member Ken Knight, Director of PWDD Services Darlene Podolak,
and Director of Quality Assurance Amber Amidon
Please join us at these upcoming fundraising
events. Find and print vouchers at
www.unityhouse.com.
Tell them you’re there to support Unity House!
Buffalo Wild Wings
Tuesday, October 18
11:00am – 11:00pm
1612 Clark Street Road, Auburn
Texas Roadhouse
Monday, November 14
4:00 – 10:00pm
719 S. Meadow St, Ithaca
www.unityhouse.com
•
If your phone
rings the evening
of Wednesday,
December 7, it may
be a Unity House
employee or board
member calling for
the annual year-end
phonathon. Please
help us reach our
$25,000 annual
fund goal by
December 31!
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
3
What is your
Legacy?
We have been committed to caring for
individuals with disabilities for 40 years. By
leaving a legacy gift to Unity House, you help
ensure that we can continue to empower and
enrich lives for the next four decades.
Empowering Lives. Securing Futures.
Empowering Lives. Securing Futures.
Please speak with your attorney or financial
advisor, and learn more at
www.unityhouse.com/plannedgiving.html
Unity House will celebrate its
40th birthday in 2017
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone,
but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”
Watch for announcements about exciting events and activities
taking place all year. We invite you to join us as we look back
on four decades of outstanding human service, and forward
to the next 40 years!
Seeds of
Kalu Ndukwe Kalu
Art Flaire joined forces with Auburn Founder’s
Day this August. The weather was not in our favor
this year, but Art Flaire will return in 2017, even
bigger and better when we move to the Exchange
Street Mall near Auburn Public Theatre. This places
the art show right in the middle of Founder’s Day
action, and will be our final landing spot. Many
thanks to all 18 of our vendors this year, and
especially to our first-ever sponsor, Maguire
Family of Dealerships!
Joy
Young seedlings planted in May
filled a large plot in the Ithaca
community garden over the
summer, thanks to careful
tending by Marty, Roy and
others. Residents are still
enjoying the fruits
of their labors.
4
www.unityhouse.com
•
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
C E L E B R A T I N G
S U C C E S S
by Margaret Phinney, Chair, Peers of Cayuga County
Mental health recovery is hard. The work that is involved with recovery is daily: no breaks, even at night.
The funny thing is, I had never thought about it until I had a breakdown in 2011. At that point, I didn’t
know life could get better and that I would survive.
Skip forward to the spring of 2012. I left my home of 13 years in New Mexico and returned to New York
State and was homeless. I stayed with a friend for a few weeks and ended up living in a small camper on
my daughter’s lawn. After three months, my world turned upside down. I hadn’t been sleeping or eating,
and was hallucinating and hearing things. I knew I needed help, but just didn’t know what to do.
One day when I was alone, a migraine came on and I didn’t want to be in pain. I went to my daughter’s
house, took 800 mg of pain meds and hoped for the best. It didn’t work quickly enough, so I took more
and a sleeping pill. That wasn’t enough, so I took more and more and finally went to sleep.
Two days later, I woke up in the Auburn Behavioral Health Unit. While there, I had a flashback and broke down again. I was discharged 12 days
later to the Unity House respite room, and then moved into a supportive apartment. I began working with a therapist, which I didn’t think would
do me any good. If I couldn’t fix myself, how could anyone else?
I need to say: peer support and therapy have pulled me through. I know if I hadn’t had other people to speak with about all of this, I wouldn’t be
alive right now. The best support I got was from the two women who founded Peers in Cayuga County (PC2). My therapist also helped me look
into myself and find emotions I didn’t know I could have.
Peers in Cayuga County (PC2)
146 North Street, Auburn
Office: 315-294-8056
Warm Line: 315-246-3004
Help is available. Please call.
What I know is this:
In the past four years, I have gone from being scared to leave my apartment to going out
to stores and being able to be around some people. I even go to big functions sometimes,
as long as I have someone with me. I am more confident about my abilities, which is
why I became the chairperson of the PC2 board. I have also been asked by Unity House
to help train their staff in becoming more aware of the sensitivities of people diagnosed
with a mental illness. I have learned how to help other people who are working on their
recovery. I have become a better friend, a peer advocate, and basically a better person in
general. I have come such a long way since my initial breakdown.
Recovery is possible. Believe it can happen and it will.
BIRTHDAYWishes
Lisa R. (in the cowgirl hat) works at the First Love soup
kitchen in Auburn, helping prepare for the Friday meal.
On Lisa’s 49th birthday, the three women with whom
Lisa works surprised her with a birthday cake and three
$10 Subway gift cards. A little love from First Love!
www.unityhouse.com
•
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
5
by Assistant Mental Health Director
Amy Sargent
You can do so much
by doing so little.
When I first started at Unity House in 2006, I was a residence counselor assigned a caseload for providing mental health services. One of
my first visits was with a gentleman who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a severe thought disorder. At the time, I was taking college
courses in psychology and felt I was well equipped to provide services to this man and knew quite a bit about his illness.
After some small talk, I informed him that we would be doing a service on symptom management. About 45 seconds into my “educating” him about his illness and symptoms, he cut me off and casually asked, “How old are you?” I responded that I was in my early 20’s
but I did not see how that was relevant. He said “I have had schizophrenia for more than thirty years. Would you like to play Mario Kart
on my Nintendo with me?”
Doing what
felt like nothing
actually meant
something
to him.
After soaking in what he was telling me for a minute, I realized he was very gently putting me in my place.
No amount of college education was going to tell me about him, his life and what his illness means to
him. He had been living with this disease for longer than I had been on this earth; how could I possibly
tell him what his life is like? I did not know anything about him.
I told him I would be happy to, and then sat on his living room floor with him for the next hour, racing
the Princess and Luigi. While playing the video game, he told me about how he came to live at Unity
House and his struggles early on, about not understanding his symptoms and using drugs and alcohol to
get through each day. I shared with him my hopes for working with Unity House and how I was realizing I
had a lot to learn. When I left the apartment he thanked me and said that was the best day he’d had in awhile.
That really struck me walking back to my car because the visit did not go at all how I had envisioned it. I did not feel like I “provided
him a service,” I did not teach him anything, and there certainly wasn’t any major breakthrough in his recovery. Yet his appreciation
seemed so genuine and sincere by me just simply listening and spending time with him. Doing what felt like nothing actually meant
something to him.
Our working relationship has continued since that day and throughout the last decade. He is in a different program now and will call
me periodically to get my opinion on something. I ask him advice on how to talk to people and have let him know how appreciative I
am of that subtle yet immensely important lesson I learned on that first visit with him. Each of us are our own experts and sometimes
just being present means so much.
According to Quality Assurance, five sites turned in perfect record audits for the third quarter 2016.
Congratulations and thanks to: Auburn Supportive Apartments (Melanie Coleman and Sharon Pratt),
New Life (Tammie Miner), 62 South Street (Chris Kinsella), OASAS – SLF (Brad Case), and OASAS –
GRACE House (Allie MacPherson and Ashley Short). Kudos to Nicole Overstreet at Oak Street IRA
and Melanie Coleman and Sharon Pratt at East Street IRA for being “almost perfect” too!
6
www.unityhouse.com
•
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
&Gifts
Grants
Unity House is the grateful recipient of funding from these sources:
Triad Foundation - $5,000
This generous grant will be used for training purposes at our various programs in Tompkins County. With so many on-going state policy and
procedural changes, it is imperative that Unity House and its employees stay on top of the wave.
Maguire Family of Dealerships - $1,500
For the first time, Unity House’s Art Flaire event had a corporate sponsor! The Maguire Family of Dealerships in Ithaca stepped up with support to
help offset the costs associated with putting on the 3rd annual event in August. With Maguire’s help, the agency was able to raise an additional
$2,572 to support our people and programs.
Auburn Kiwanis Club - $300
Auburn Rotary Club - $300
Once again, these two service clubs will support our Drop-In Center’s holiday dinners. Unity House staff-volunteers prepare and serve a
Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas meal for those in the community with mental health diagnoses.
Special kudos to The Printery, SEIU, Lynch Furniture, and Liz Golembeski for sponsoring Unity House’s participation in the annual JPMorgan
Chase Corporate Challenge in Syracuse. Now in our fifth year, nearly 50 agency employees walked or ran the 5K along with 7,000 others!
The agency is delighted to publicly thank and
recognize our amazing employees below who
reached special milestones by June 30, 2016.
Bravo and many thanks to each of them for their
hard work and dedication to Unity House and the
people we serve!
20years
5years
Van Etten, Julie
Beaumont, James
Day, Heather
Overstreet, Nicole
Searing, Tamara
Crawford, Stefanie
Feeney, Annette
West, Charlene
Lepak, Chris
Willwerth, Beren
Dudley, Angie
Case, Sandie
15years
Several Unity House residents performed in a holiday conHaynes,Under
Elisha the tutelage of
cert at the historic Willard Chapel.
Fitzgerald, Pete
musician Susan May, the group
practiced diligently,
then
Huffman-Baez,
Sandra
Martin, Deb
led the audience through a number
of festive carols and
Tack, Jenn
old holiday favorites.
Ithaca Longevity Award Recipients
3years
Krause, Ron
10years
Auburn Longevity Award Recipients
Saxman, Candi
Post, Renee
Craig, Terri
Tedd, Marilyn
Stone, Jessamine
Carver, Rich
www.unityhouse.com
•
Jablonski, Amie
Morelli, Luigi
Galbraith, Jamie
Neuman, Shelly
Slaski, Sue
Moon, Tyler
Scott, Jesa
Murray, Mike
Brucato, Nicole
Downie, Mickie
Sargent, Amy
Anderson, Shaena
Stage, Michelle
Fishlock, Mary
Schwarting, Glenn
Unity House of Cayuga County Inc.
•
Fall 2016
Harvill, Donnamaria
Simpson, Mary
Ide, Susan
Renk, Tiffany
Trousdale, Chad
Cooley, Victoria
Wilkinson, Roxanna
Butera, Jodi
Kinsella, Christine
Bogert, Roxanne
Turner, Justin
Jackson, Stacey
Nichols, Michele
Sukhanov, Luba
Stratton, Paul
Kissinger, Brittny
Budetti, Brett
Budetti, Lorraine
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NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
34 Wright Avenue
Auburn, New York 13021
AUBURN, NY 13021
PERMIT NO. 128
Unity House is blessed to receive so much support from the communities in which we serve. It
felt right to give back by having a number of agency employees volunteer to help out at the
5th annual Finger Lakes Mud Run on September 24 in Owasco.
The Mud Run is sponsored by Champions for Life in support of their Brian Bisgrove Home
of Courage. The Home is a retreat and respite home for families with children who have life
threatening or severely debilitating illnesses.
Nine Unity House employees gave up their day off to help Champions for Life pull off the
huge event. The extreme race was laid out over 4.5 miles and featured 33 obstacles with such
names as Sneaky Pete, Leap Log, Great Gully, and more. About 830 runners showed up to give
it their best shot. Champions raised about $18,000 this year, and Unity House was pleased to
be part of this special day.
Some of Unity House’s staff volunteers:
Corinne Rusinko and her children,
Alice Stoyell, and Kelly Buck
Employee Mary Simpson and her husband,
and board member Jessica Janssen were
hard core race participants
The muddy finish line, followed by
a shower, food and live music