June-2015-newsletter.. - Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse

News on the Side
Label
Summer 2015
Celebrating Side-by-Side
(770) 469-9385 fax
Inside this issue, you’ll find:
(770) 469-9355
sidebysideclubhouse.org
pg.2
We Celebrate our
15th Anniversary
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
pg.3
Notes from
the
Executive
Director
pg.4
Member
Introductions
pg.5
Current Events
pg.6-8
Jawbones vs.
Sawbones Event
Summary
pg.9
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse advances the long-term well-being of
people with brain injury-related disability and their families through skills
development, support and advocacy.
Side by Side
Supporters
pg.10
Celebration of 15
Years Past & 15
More to Come
Our Vision
pg.11
Volunteer
Appreciation
Return Service Requested
1001 Main St.
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse
Same 15 Year Mission, NEW Mission Statement!
Our Mission
Connect to
Side by Side
Like us on Facebook.
Sign up for our
e-newsletter.
Donate. Volunteer.
Visit www.sidebysideclub
house.org.
$100 pays for a day.
People with brain injury-related disability have access to services that assist
them in managing health and well-being so they can contribute
interdependently and safely at home, work and in the community for the best
possible quality of life.
If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please contact Chris at
chris@sidebysideclubhouse.org or 770-469-9355. Thank you.
2015 Georgia Senate Resolution Commending
Deputy Sheriff Cynthia Hall for her bravery and
commitment to serving Georgians
(L-R: Loyal friend Holly Badger, Senator Henson, Cindi Johnson, Senator Fort, son Joshua
Hall, son Delonté Hall, Senator Ramsey, Deputy
Sheriff Cynthia Hall, Lt Governor Cagle, and
Senator James
We Celebrate our 15th Anniversary
with 15 Everyday Gifts!
Celebrating Technology
Thanks to the generosity of First Data, Side by Side will receive Technology Upgrades in partnership
with TechBridge®, a nonprofit that drives community impact by bringing affordable technology &
business expertise to other nonprofits. This grant along with First Data staff contributions of time
and talent will allow us to catch up to the 21st century with both our volunteer and donor management software as well as our electronic health record system. Thank you
for including Side by Side in your Adopt-A-Nonprofit Program!
Thanks to Our Everyday Volunteers
Y’all are Amazing!
Volunteers & Interns
Alexa Johnson
Ann Owen
Benitra Hale
Brent Wilks
Clemence Bradley
David Decker
Elliott Morris
Keisha Robinson
Leanne Gotvald
Lori Wong
Martha Morris
Ralph Woestemeyer
Sandra Clements
Scott McEvoy
Shelby King
Tayla Dockins
Walter Vaughan
15 volunteers work side-by-side with Clubhouse members every week
15 members and staff in Friday’s Business Unit make it the week’s busiest unit
15 caregivers attended our inaugural caregiver retreat
15 ! is what our family photo spells out (above)- can you see it now?
Jawbones vs Sawbones
Steering Committee
Don Wells, Chair
Terry Ingwersen,
Vice Chair
Barb Hess
Cindi Johnson
Elizabeth Wells
Greta Ann Hurst
Jack Sartain
Jim Long
Julie Adkins
Lori Harrison
LuRae Ahrendt
Kim Garcia
Martha Decker
Marian Dickson
Robert Glass
Pat Sartain
Wanda Staebell
Board of Directors
Mark Gannon, Chair
Jim Long, Past Chair
LuRae Ahrendt,Vice Chair
Catherine Mickle, Treasurer
John Cleveland, Secretary
Dave Burke
Debbie Berens
Humberto Izquierdo
Jennifer Broom
Kathryn Waybright
Ron Seel
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11
Celebrate 15 Years– Side by Side!
Notes from the Corner Office
Yippee and Yikes are my favorite phrases these Thanks for supporting us through both the Yippee
days. Yippee because we’ve made it through 15
and Yikes stages of development. We couldn’t
years of providing much needed support to peo- do it without YOU.
Cindi Johnson
ple living their lives with brain injury-related
disability AND we’re on the home stretch of creating a strategic plan for the next 5 years- positioning Side by Side for success as healthcare
and community-based service landscapes change
drastically. Check out our new mission and vision statements on the back cover and join us in
reaching our Vision for 2020:
The support you have generously gifted has created more awareness, educated
families, strengthened communities, and most of all provided a safe haven for
persons with Traumatic Brain Injury. With your contribution, Side by Side
Clubhouse will continue to answer the questions, How can I realize my NEW po-
tential? How can I feel connected?
Please consider a monthly contribution of $15 over the next year in celebration
of the 15 years Side by Side has been the only program in Georgia helping
people with brain injuries help themselves and help each other - long after
medical treatment has ended. Your $180 gift goes directly toward Clubhouse
members achieving goals like re-learning everyday life skills, and gives a day of
respite for a caregiver. A $15 monthly donation or a one-time gift can be made
by check; via credit card or Paypal on our website, www.sidebysideclubhouse.org;
or via automatic bank draft.
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse is:




Consumer driven, innovative and flexible
A provider of highly valued services
A leader in policy and advocacy for Brain Injury
Financially and organizationally sustainable
Sounds ambitious, right? Sounds crucial for ensuring a life with quality and fulfillment for each
one of the millions of Americans living with
brain injury, right? Now, onward and upward to
the action steps that help us attain this vision.
But wait…. YIKES! What do you mean, there’s a
new requirement that Side by Side become licensed as an Adult Day Center? What do you
mean we must install a $100,000-$200,000 sprinkler system throughout our 1920’s bungalow attached to a 1999 2-story addition? What do you
mean we have to (pay to) dig up the road and
install pumps and more alarm systems than our
existing piercing shrills and strobes (which,
BTW, bring on seizures- double YIKES)? Say it
ain’t so! Triple yikes- alas, it is. So, while encouraged by the oversight of hundreds of centers across Georgia supporting adults who are
elderly or compromised in various ways, dang,
who has a couple hundred thousand lying around
for a sudden game-changing demand? And just
when we were loving the new fit of Yippee!
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Speaking of Advocacy...how many dedicated
brain injury and disability advocates do you
see here pow-wowing at JvS 2015? Where
would we be without the decades of leadership
of Mark and Susan Johnson, Dan Miears, and
LuRae Ahrendt? Hats off to y’all on the 25th
Anniversary of the ADA!
Welcome
Chris Pearson, Side by Side’s new Resource Development Director. Chris replaces Marian who moved on to
The Carter Center but not
before orienting Chris -”I
feel like I’m drinking
through the fire hose.” Chris
brings his humorous, cando spirit and 7 years of
nonprofit experience as
director for supportive services for homeless families
in Georgia and as a district
executive for the Boy
Scouts of America.
“Side By Side is a place that feels like family...it always feels good to be around family.”
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Thanks to our Rebuilders
Celebrating Our Members
Supporters of Side by Side from January 1 to May 15
Marquise joined the Clubhouse in early 2015 thanks to support from the Wounded Warrior Project. Marquise served on
a nuclear submarine as a Quarter
Master working in navigation and
communication until he sustained a
brain infection. His favorite memory of active
duty is being on base in Japan with his
friends and wife. Here, he enjoys the
camaraderie of the maintenance unit
and working with colleagues alongside Air
Force veteran and staff member, Ken.
Marquise credits Side by Side staffer Bill, who
coaches him in life skills at home, for
helping him learn to be a good father to his 4year old son. “That’s why it’s called
Side by Side because of the great advice staff
gives us, everyone works together, and
the staff works next to us.” When he is not at
Clubhouse, Marquise enjoys writing
poetry, watching the news, and learning about
science history.
Suzee’s contagious joy has ignited Side by Side since 2014 where she works in both the
business and kitchen units. Suzee is proud to be approaching her 40 year post-injury
anniversary– after a car crash in 1975 she was unconscious for several weeks, and
remembers feeling pleased that she was discharged from the hospital on her father’s
birthday. She has 7 siblings, 4 of them local, and she lives in a group home. I love coming
to Clubhouse. Everyone here is much nicer …. Coming here keeps my mind
functioning...and I really love that.” She enjoys swimming at the neighborhood YMCA,
cooking at home, and playing cards with her housemates but says she feels closer to
Side by Side members almost more than anyone else. Suzee wishes she could join all
Side by Side social happenings outside of the regular workday but Medicaid-sponsored
transport isn’t available and she lives outside of MARTA’s service area.
Dan joined Side by Side back in October 2013. His days in the Navy led him to naturally
gravitate to the kitchen and maintenance units...he loves kitchen unit the most. Dan
comes two days a week and wishes he could come more days. Being that Dan lives in
Lawrenceville it is difficult on occasions for him to get to the Clubhouse. Dan’s favorite
time is eating lunch with colleagues and chatting about each other’s days and weekend
plans. When not at the Clubhouse he takes great pleasure in traveling with his wife. His
favorite places to travel involve water bringing him right back to his days in the Navy.
When he can’t sail, scuba dive, or race sailboats he is fine tending his 90-gallon salt water
aquarium. “I love my aquarium. It has a star fish, two puffer fish, two flat fish, snails, and
one big shrimp...for some reason no animal in the aquarium messes with the shrimp.”
In-Kind Donors
Agnes Scott
Cheerleading Club
Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders Alumni
Bobby Cookson
Brannon & Black
Bryan Durio
Chick-fil-A of Decatur
Concepts, Inc.
Dora Jackson
Elite Sporting Goods
Fred Kalil
Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC
Gloria Garner
GFWC Dunwoody Woman’s
Club
GFWC Lilburn Woman’s Club
GFWC Stone MountainWoman’s Club
Jacquelyn Saylor
Ken Cook
Kroger of Mountain Park
LTS – Legal Technology Services
Lynne Dundon
PRG – Production Resource
Group
The Imperial OPA Circus
Tina Chang
Tom Holder
Game Night
Sponsorship
Gotvald Family
King & Spalding Discovery
Center
Lee Family
Omega Phi Alpha Sorority Kennesaw State Univ
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Memorials & Those Who
Honor Them
Laura Powell
Pat Steph
Lauren Buckland
Andy & Ann Owen
Miriam Kiser
Howell & Betsy Kiser
Suzanne Hugueley
Andy & Ann Owen
Jo W. Koch
Joan Everett
Pargen & Lauralee Robertson
Tanya Boyd
Marvin Beasley
Virginia Vaughan
Bill &Willa Cleveland
Honorees & Those Who
Honor Them
Ann Owen
Jane McAbee
Cynthia Hall
Pam Lovallo
Heddi Silon
Dick Ingwersen
Kimberly Zell
Emma Kiser
John & Stephanie Kiser Jr
Laura Alexander
Jennifer Broom
Mo and Jane Thrash
Jim & Connie Broom
Andy & Beejee Dickson
Ken & Anne Robichaux
Individuals
Brenda Horne
Butch & Teresa Little
Candler & Colline Broom
Catherine Mickle
Danny & Lois Yates
Darwin & Mary Womack
David Schuster
Debbie Berens
Donald & Betty Lockett
Douglas & Amanda Penn
Gail Larsen
Gary & Martha Sledge
George & Janice Watson
Humberto Izquierdo
James & Bonita Mueller
Jeff & Helen Lewis
Jennifer Broom
Jim Long
Joan Chapman
Joe & Lia Zelazny
John & Janet Porubsky
Katherine Dunlap
Kathyrn Waybright
Kendall Henderson
Leila Hartley
LuRae Ahrendt
Marian Dickson
Mark Gannon
Martha Morris
Mike & Jane Kokoska
Nancee Horton
Peter Melo &
Judy Parker-Melo
Rita Case
Robert Angstadt
Robert Ingwersen
Roger & Zora Herr
Ron Seel
Steven Cywilko
Steven & Leigh-Ann Spokane
Vaughn & Juli Burton
William Shortridge
William & Sara Turnipseed
Foundations, Corporations, &
Charitable Organizations
AmazonSmiles
Community Health Charities
The Christopher &
Dana Reeve Foundation
The Kroger Company
DeKalb County
King & Spalding LLP
Shepherd Center
Stone Mtn Woman’s Club and
JvS Steering Committee member Martha Decker and grandson, Michael, make volunteering a family affair
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Side By Side Salutes the
Celebrating Health
Jawbones vs. Sawbones Sponsors!
Full Court Press
$2500
Fried Rogers Goldberg LLC
Glass & Robson, LLC
Huff, Powell & Bailey, LLC
MobilityWorks
Morgan & Morgan Atlanta, PLLC
Restore Health Group
Shepherd Center
Slam Dunk
$1000
Carlock, Copeland & Stair, LLP
Ingwersen & Taylor, LLP
Law Offices of Humberto Izquierdo, Jr.
Mark & Kathie Gannon
R & R Mobility
Side by Side Board of Directors
The Comprehensive Care Group, Inc.
The Mulholland Law Firm, LLP
The Saylor Law Firm
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP
Buzzer Beater
$500
Accord Services
Albert M. Pearson, LLC
Anonymous
BAY Mediation & Arbitration Services
Bexley & Osofsky, PC
BJ Pak
Castan & Lecca, PC
Craig & Cindy Belisle / GV Financial Advisors
George & Dot Hillegass
GFWC Lilburn Woman’s Club
GFWC Stone Mountain Woman’s Club
Hasner Law, PC
Hoffspiegel & Associates
J. Franklin Burns, PC
Jason Schultz
John Drummond, MD
Kathryn Waybright
Michael Moebes
Parsons Law Group
Perales & Fernandez, LLP
Randall Newberry & Brent Garcia
Rick DeMedeiros, PC
Robert & Nancy Hawkins
Rogers & Hardin, LLP
Rogers, Hofrichter & Karrh, LLC
Savell & Williams, LLP
Slater & Wilensky LLC
from January 1 to May 15
(continued Buzzer Beater)
Stephen Andrews
Stephen Goldman, Attorney at Law
Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP
Thomas C. Holcomb
PRESENTERS
Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
$10,000
Cash, Krugler and Fredericks, LLC
Long & Holder, LLP
$5000 each
Assist
$250
Adamson & Cleveland, LLC
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732
Ashenden Law
Bader Law Firm
Benzine Law Group, LLC
Ellene Welsh, Attorney at Law
Gary Kazin, Attorney at Law
Goodman & Goodman, LLP
Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP
Julie Adkins
Kalka & Baer, LLC
Kim Garcia
Lance A. Cooper, Trial Lawyer
Lanham & McGehee, PC
Marvin L. Price, Attorney at Law
Michael R. Eddings, PC
Nathaniel F. Hansford, LLC
Perkins Law Firm
Randy & Meredith Lord
Scott & Lisa Kennedy
Slappey & Sadd, LLC
Susan J. Sadow, PC
(continued Assist)
The Law Offices of Andrew E. Goldner
The Mabra Firm, LLC
Zachary & Segraves, PA
Thanks to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program, Side by Side was awarded funds
to start a Healthy Lifestyles Program. The grant has
allowed us to add a part-time staff to head up this new
program.
Please welcome Natalie Stone-King, who jumped right in,
literally with 2 fists– teaching us an easy way to measure
food portion size. Natalie is an Occupational Therapy student at Brenau University and is also involved in a Diabetes
Self-Management Education Program at the University of
Florida in hopes of becoming a Certified Diabetes Educator
by the end of 2015. For the next 6 months, she will be
teaching members and staff strategies to make healthier
food choices. “Everyone is very friendly and family oriented
here. Similar to my family growing up, my mother taught me
healthy recipes. Now I’m teaching those same recipes to
members and staff. I love teaching others how to adapt their
Cheerleader
<$250
Andy & Beejee Dickson
Anna Gibson
Anonymous
Bart & Liz Smith
Berens Frozen Custard
Brenda Horne
Brian Sumrall
Candise Durnwald
Carroll Putzel
Cathy Gragg-Smith
Dan & Ellen Hillegass
Dave & Brenda Morris
Elnora C. Houston
Foy S. Horne, Jr., PC
Greta Ann Hurst
James & Debra Freeze
Jeff Zachman
John Despriet
John Kiser, Sr.
John & Stephanie Kiser
John & Janet Porubsky
Kathy Willard
Kimberly Zell
Laura Alexander
Law Office of D. Lee Biola, LLC
LuRae Ahrendt
Mark Hand
Mike McCord
Patrick & Gail Zernick
Ragland & Jones, LLP
Richard Shivers
Robert Godsall
Roy & Barbara Clanton
Sami Khan
Sheryl Swain
Stottlemyer & Associates
Sue Gena & Gordon Lurie
The Law Offices of Robert Benfield, Jr.
Tony & Leanne Gotvald
Valerie Martin
Walter Vaughan
Warren R. Hinds, PC
Wayne & Nira Stephens
Will Johnson & Dian Parsley
William & Libba Shortridge
daily activities so they can accomplish things they want and
need to do.”
A fond memory she has thus
far is developing a plan to
create new and healthier Clubhouse snack options.
“Everyone here loves Snickers...I will find a healthy and
tasty alternative to Snickers
before I leave.” You have
your work cut out for you, Natalie.
(Shh, don’t tell anyone, but
this week’s mashed potatoes were a Natalie creation of
cauliflower and instant potatoes. “I’ll wean everybody off the
potatoes and they won’t even know it.”)
Current Events
Our neighbor, Lynne
Dundon, went into
sudden cardiac arrest
while working at
Stone Mountain Park
in 2013. For Lynne,
quick action of a bystander doing CPR and the Stone Mountain Park Fire Rescue unit arriving with
an Automated External Defibrillator
(AED) saved her life. Now she wants to
increase someone else’s chance of survival. Life is Sweet is a soon to be nonprofit organization with the mission to
provide AED units for organizations that
otherwise wouldn't be able to afford,
and to increase sudden cardiac arrest
awareness. www.lifeissweet.org Side
by Side is SOOOO GRATEFUL to be a recent AED recipient!
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In April, Jaye Watson of 11Alive News presented Side by Side
with a Presidential Community Service Volunteer Appreciation Award at an Atlanta Community Food Bank Event. The
award was achieved at the Bronze level which indicates
200+ volunteer service hours by our members. Side by Side
prides ourselves on giving back to our community through
volunteerism with many organizations.
(left to right) Antonio (member), Jaye Watson, Denise
(Jack's assistant), Judy (Side by Side Vocational Specialist),
and Jack (member).
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Jawbones vs Sawbones 2015
Atlanta icon Ken
Cook reviews his
master of ceremony script with
stage mgr and
board vice-chair,
LuRae Ahrendt
Longtime member, Cynthia Hall was honored for her commitment to public service. Cynthia celebrated her 10th post-injury
anniversary in March. She was injured in the line of duty during
the Fulton County courthouse shootings of 2005. Senator Steve
Henson, Side by Side Director Cindi Johnson and Fulton County
Sheriff Ted Jackson commended Cynthia for her tenacity, compassion and service before the crowd serenaded with her favorite song,
Country
Roads, Take
Me Home.
Staffer Melissa recruits
her family to keep up
with record breaking
raffle ticket sales
Impact

Exciting pregame show compliments of Cyr Wheel
Champion Bobby Cookson,
Imperial Opa Circus, and
Fulton Cty Sheriff’s Office
Honor Guard accompanied
by volunteer Jack Sartain
(after his Falcons Cheerleaders photo op of course)

53% increase in number of individual donors
and organizational sponsors

Proceeds fund 800+ Clubhouse days filled with
activities to rebuild cognitive, vocational and
social skills

JvS Grows Year by Year
A repeat performance by a dedicated volunteer
planning committee raised $91,000, and held
event costs low— netting $82,000 for Side by
Side’s scholarship fund.
$75,000
$12,000
$44,000
$10,000
$14,000
$40,000
$19,000
2012
2013
Sponsorships
At least 8 families will experience wrap-around
support for new members and for themselves
as caregivers
Lucky
winners
of one
of over
140
silent
auction
items
$16,000
The doctors
(Sawbones) fight
hard to a 79-73 win
and evened the series 2-2 against the
lawyers (Jawbones).
Practice sessions at
Shepherd’s gym obviously paid off.
Jawbones sponsor,
attorney Jim Long,
vows it won’t happen again. Next year
gentlemen...
Berens Frozen Custard is always
a delicious hit
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2014
2015
Tickets, Sales & Silent Auction
The Backbone of JvS: GFWC
Stone Mountain and Lilburn
Women’s Clubs partner for
the 4th consecutive year to
organize and execute an
operational feat. Thanks to
all these energetic ladies
and their families for countless volunteer hours over
the whole year!
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