Stepping out! - Friends of Austin State Supported Living Center

A publication of the
Friends of Austin State Supported Living Center
Friends
Board of Directors
Officers:
Jack Scheider,
President
Barbara Vervenne,
Treasurer
Jennifer Windler,
Secretary
Members:
David Baker
Daphne Corder
Christine Engler
Dana Fisher
Kathy Hackett
Marjorie Heaton
Mary Hilliard
Michelle Johnson
Terry McKetta
Laura Mueller
Supplying Support, Service, and Smiles since 1956
June 2012
A Note from the new Director of the Austin State Supported Living Center
My background. As a way to introduce the new approaches at Austin SSLC, let me first
introduce myself. I come to Austin by way of Mexia State Supported Living Center,
having been at that facility for 36 years. There I served in many capacities in Residential
Services, Human Resources, and Quality Management Services. I have a Bachelor of Arts
in Teaching from Sam Houston State University with secondary education emphasis and a
certification in special education. I have a Master in Education degree from Tarleton State
University in educational administration. I have also taught school and served as a
juvenile probation officer. On the volunteer side, I became a volunteer fire fighter in
Groesbeck, Texas, in 1973 and served as Fire Chief for the last 10 years. My wife and I
are members of the Northcrest Church of Christ in Mexia and are proud parents of a
daughter and grandparents to Preston!
My goal. I come to Austin SSLC to offer leadership and direction needed to provide a superior service to
those for whom we are responsible. I believe those of us in this field should endeavor to provide quality
services in whatever we attempt, simply because we owe it to those we are charged to serve. It is my mantra
that no matter what we do, we should bring no harm to an individual we serve. We should always keep that
in mind. Like anyone, I’m human, which makes me imperfect, of course. I will, however, endeavor to make
the right decision for the individuals living here and provide the guidance to assure we get a quality job done.
In conclusion. As we move along, I’ll introduce you to more of the staff and to the goals we formulate for
the facility. We want everyone to be partners with us – parents, guardians, volunteers, and friends. If you’d
like to talk with me, please come by or call and we’ll visit.
Charles Bratcher, Director, 512 - 454 - 4731
Chris Ulmann
Stepping out!
Charles Bratcher,
AuSSLC Director
Laura Murphy,
Community Relations
Director
Anne Rickard,
Community Relations
Assistant Director
Our residents have been ‘touring’ Austin and central Texas over the last few months.
Choir: The 23 member resident-led Austin SSLC Community Choir has been on the
move since the year began. Their performances have included one performance per
month from January to May here in Austin: Westminster Manor, Austin State Hospital, Banncockburn Baptist Church, Crestview United Methodist Church, and St. George’s Episcopal Church.
Bruce Wayne Davis, one of the choir members, has branched-out and formed his own band. So far this year
his eight member band (consisting of volunteer and staff musicians) has taken his music on the road. First
was an outdoor festival – The Annual Art in the Park USA Texas Festival at the Mexican American Cultural
Center in downtown Austin where there were over 500 people in attendance! The band (BDB) then
performed at the AuSSLC Chapel and the Banncockburn Baptist Church for the Special Needs EXPO in
front of 15 special needs organizations. In May the BDB was scheduled to travel to Elgin, Texas for a U.T.
Celebration at the Downhome Ranch, and then to Gonzales, Texas to perform at the Adults with Disabilities
Camp.
There are a few more community performances awaiting them until they begin performing their Music Festival Acts to warm-up for their BIG competition in Nacogdoches, Texas in October. If you are interested in
having the band and/or choir perform for your next activity, worship gathering, and/or celebration please
call Chaplain Paul at 512 - 374 - 6438.
Continued on Page 4
The Austin State Supported Living Center provides 24 hour/7days a week services to over 325 individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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VRC INDUSTRIES
By Jack Scheider
This is part of a continuing series on AuSSLC activities
The Austin State Supported Living Center has an extensive number of ways to provide for the needs of the
residents. One campus organization that provides residents with feelings of accomplishment as well as money to
spend as they wish is the Vocational Rehabilitation Center (VRC Industries). At VRC, residents are trained to
use their skills to complete tasks for the State of Texas, City of Austin and many outside firms.
The residents provide “services” such as folding, collation, stapling, binding, packaging, shrink wrapping, paint
mixing, reporting to TXDOT regarding smoke-emitting vehicles, furniture assembly, etc. Some residents work
offsite providing support to other state agencies. Repetitive work is considered boring by many people, but is a good fit for many of
our residents. Payday is every Friday –a much anticipated day for resident workers.
With 25 and 27 years of state experience respectively, Ricky Sells and Patrick Thomas handle all the management duties needed
to keep VRC’s six different shops working efficiently.
VRC’s Director, Ricky Sells, is responsible for soliciting new business for VRC. He creates brochures and advertisements,
follows up with phone calls and participates in trade shows.
Patrick Thomas handles the day-to-day operations of managing the workshops. He emphasizes that training the residents is
full-time, important work.
Many thanks to the VRC staff for an in-depth tour and interview. Learning about this most important department was educational and time well-spent.
Want to learn more about VRC? Come to a tour on June 18th at 6:30p.m.! Look for the black
and white directional signs as you enter the AuSSLC grounds. To RSVP, or if you have questions,
please call 512-374-6048; or email friends@ausslcfriends.org. Light refreshments will be served.
The Living Center is trying to expand the amount of work available to the residents. If you have any
ideas, sales leads or know someone personally who could help, or if your company
has simple tasks they are interested in outsourcing, please contact Ricky Sells
(Ricky.Sells@dads.state.tx.us) or VRCmailhouse@hotmail.com
or 512 - 374 - 6197.
Residents Get “A Voice” at the Guardianship Event
By Terry McKetta
Guardianship carries many responsibilities as guardians give
the person with developmental and intellectual disabilities an
active voice when discussing their care and activities, but
becoming a guardian can be an expensive and lengthy process.
To assist people who were interested in becoming guardians,
Judge Guy Herman and his staff relocated to the Austin State
Supported Living Center (AuSSLC) on April 11 & 12. The
court’s purpose was to hold pro-bono guardianship hearings for 18
residents of the center. The new guardians appreciated the
convenience this relocation afforded. Instead of traveling to the
courthouse downtown, finding parking, then looking for the
courtroom—they were able to come to the familiar AuSSLC
Conference Room.
Nicole Hinojosa, the AuSSLC Guardianship Specialist, said
that the wonderful aspect about this special service Judge Herman’s staff provided is that families were not burdened with the substantial cost of becoming a guardian. Some of the guardianship applicants have been on the waiting list for as long as three years.
With assistance from Community Relations Director, Laura Murphy, and Assistant Director, Anne Rickard, the new guardians
were treated to refreshments as they waited and received assistance with completing official documents. Joann Villasana, AuSSLC
Human Rights Officer, was also on hand to answer questions.
Charles Bratcher, AuSSLC Living Center Director, presented Judge Guy Herman and his staff a plaque thanking them for their
extraordinary efforts in making this official process as uncomplicated as possible.
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WANT TO HELP WITH THE
SPOOKTACULAR?
Help make this event great by donating one of the
following items:
Bouncy House Pumpkins
Prizes Art Supplies
Halloween Decorations or by Volunteering
or Sponsoring a Scavenger Hunt “pit stop”
To volunteer, email:
Austin.Volunteers@dads.state.tx.us
Join us for the inaugural Friends fundraiser - the
2012 Spooktacular Seek and Sprint! The family event is a great To sponsor see below
chance for the community to see the campus and learn about the
WANT TO BE A SPOOKTACULAR
residents who call the Living Center home.
SPONSOR OR KNOW SOMEONE
WHO DOES?
Activities will include:
2 mile run
Scavenger Hunt/1 mile walk
Live Music
Petting Zoo
Art Show
Halloween activities and more!
The event will take place at the Living Center on
Saturday, October 20, 2012.
We are still accepting sponsorships for the event. Each
location or “pit stop” on the scavenger hunt around
campus can be sponsored by a company, an office or
an organization. If you’re a Sponsor for the event, your
name or business logo could be on Spooktacular event
materials. For more information on sponsorship head to
the website: www.ausslcfriends.org,
contact Community Relations at 512-374-6048
or email us at Friends@ausslcfriends.org
The fun run will start at 8:30 a.m. with other activities
starting at 9:00 a.m. Individual registrations will be $25
and family registrations will be $55. Each registration
includes participation in the run, scavenger hunt/walk,
a t-shirt(s), and access to activities. Pre-registration
will open in August.
Please help us by donating one of our wish list items listed on the
right, sponsoring the event and/or by attending!
our
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Sponsorships and ticket sales for this event will
help us buy wheelchair swings, a greenhouse, and
other materials for the residents that will help make
each day brighter!
For more information please go to our website at
www.ausslcfriends.org
Click on: ‘Spooktacular’ link .
Come to the Spooktacular Seek and Sprint and enjoy the activities!
Your participation will help improve the lives of our residents!
4
Continued from page 1 -- “Stepping Out!”
Special Olympics:
Over 60 residents competed in Special Olympics this spring! 10 athletes traveled to San Marcos for
Basketball and won fourth place in the 3 on 3 tournament. Two others competed in the cycling event
and won gold and silver!
Back in Austin, Vandegrift High School saw 53 of our athletes participate in eight events (25m wheelchair race, 50m walk, 50m run,
tennis ball throw, softball throw, 100m run, shot put, and Javelin event). They won 20 gold, 15 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Thanks to their great coaches: Angela C., Nick K., Jean S., Victoria L., Sarah, Amanda C., and Tom S. and congratulations to some
outstanding athletes!
Interested in helping the choir or the athletes? Donations towards the choir trips and/or Special Olympics expenses can be made
online at www.ausslcfriends.org (click on ‘Donate’ and designate your gift) or enclose a check with a designation in the enclosed
envelope. Your help will be much appreciated.
Save the Date & Come – All are Welcome
Tour of the Vocational Rehabilitation
Center; Monday, June 18th, 6:30 p.m.,
Look for black and white directional signs as
you enter the AuSSLC campus. For more
info, see the article in this newsletter.
Family/Guardian Meeting, Sunday, July 15th, 1:30 p.m.,
Staff Conference room, Building 727 (look for the black and
white directional signs). Update on the changes on the campus.
Call Marjorie Heaton, Family/Guardian organization President,
512-258-2171.
Spooktacular Seek and Sprint,
Saturday, October 20th, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Make a ‘Splash’ at our Fall Dash
Looking for information about Splash for Cash? As we started
planning this year, we realized there might be a better way to
stay true to our mission, reach greater numbers and achieve
growth in awareness of what a wonderful home the Austin State
Supported Living Center provides for its residents.
So join us on Saturday morning, October 20 th for our first
annual Spooktacular Seek and Sprint – you won’t be
swimming, but you will be making a “Splash” for our residents!
For more information or to volunteer to help, see article on
page 3 or contact the Community Relations office at
512-374-6048.
A fun-run, scavenger hunt/family walk, and
kids’ activities!
You can have fun while making a difference in someone’s life!
Do you enjoy going for a walk or bike ride or just sitting and visiting? Spend time on campus walking, bike riding, participating in
other activities or just hanging out with our residents – they really enjoy and benefit from spending one on one time with volunteers.
Are you part of a group or organization? We love to have groups come out and work together to brighten someone’s life! Groups
can host special activities at the residents’ homes or complete an outdoor campus beautification project.
Do you love to paint or draw? Volunteers are needed to help teach our residents to make art using various mediums, including paint
and clay. Their artwork will be displayed and sold at our fall festival in October. Enjoy this opportunity to really flex your creative
muscles!
Are you a musician by trade or hobby? Do you love to sing? Help the Austin State Supported Living Center Community Choir
prepare for the annual Music Festival. Last year, they won six trophies! We even have opportunities for volunteers to travel to Lufkin
in October to assist with the 2012 Music Festival.
Calling all event planners and fun-raisers! We are planning an incredibly fun fall fundraiser, called the Spooktacular Seek and
Sprint. The event will take place on the Austin SSLC campus on Saturday morning, October 20 th. We need volunteers to help with
the planning process, soliciting sponsorships from local businesses, and assisting on the day of the event in many different capacities.
To volunteer or for more information, please contact Anne Rickard, Assistant Director of Community Relations, at
anne.rickard@dads.state.tx.us or 512-374-6160.
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A note to Family members / Guardians
By Marjorie Heaton, Family/Guardian organization President, 512-258-2171
Family members/guardians: Please come to our bi-monthly meetings to learn about what is going on at the
Living Center. Our next meeting will be Sunday, July 15th at 1:30 p.m., Staff Conference Room
Important Note: In an effort to combat some of the negative publicity which has made the press during the past several months we
would like to have emails or letters from you emphasizing the positive things that take place at the center regarding your special
resident. If you do not wish to have your name or the name of the resident appear on your correspondence, merely state the years of
tenure at the center and why it is a special place for you and your loved ones who call it home. No organization is perfect, but
emphasis needs to be given to the positive to help alleviate the negatives that seem so prevalent. These emails and/or letters will be
placed in a scrapbook for presentation to the press or legislative committees as the need arises. Much care will be given to the issue
of privacy but the fact that the statement can be made that a scrapbook containing considerable items of support is available should
give an extra boost in defense of keeping the center open. Thank you!
Your correspondence can be sent via email to: Bill Glover at
or by mail to the:
Family\Guardian Assn. ;
bglover_97@yahoo.com
th
2203 W. 35 Street #502;
Austin, TX 78703-1203
Thank you!
To Westminster Manor for over 14 TRUCK LOADS of
gently used furniture
And
To the Lola Wright Foundation for a new people transporter
Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Thanking our Wonderful Volunteers!! “Our Volunteers are Gold!”
On Tuesday, April 24th, the living center hosted a ceremony honoring its wonderful volunteers and all that they do for the residents.
The theme of the event was “Our Volunteers are Gold.” Several residents who are members of the Special Olympics team
demonstrated their track and field skills for the volunteers. Everyone enjoyed watching the Special Olympics all stars in action! We
also played some fun outdoor games, including disc golf, bean bag tic-tac-toe, and turbojav.
Several volunteers received certificates of appreciation for their dedication to the center. A certificate was presented to Origins
Church, a new volunteer group that started coming out on a regular basis in January and now has multiple groups visiting two of the
homes every month. Certificates were also given to Caelie Dunn, Jessica Dunn, and Alyssa Trittin for going above and beyond
and lending their musical talents to chapel services as well as being part of the Bruce Davis Band. Canyon Ridge Middle School
also received recognition for their very generous donation of over 700 holiday gifts to the residents last December. Finally,
Jen Martinec received a special framed certificate for reaching a milestone in her volunteer service to the state – she has been
volunteering at AuSSLC for 10 years!
Several volunteers also won door prizes from great local businesses, such as Kerbey Lane, P. Terry’s, The Highball, Eastside
Café, Russell’s Bistro, Austin Children’s Museum, Round Rock Express, and more.
Thank you to everyone who came out for the recognition ceremony and thanks to all our volunteers for making a difference in the
lives of the residents who call the living center home!
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NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
AUSTIN TX
2203 West 35th Street, #502
Austin, Texas 78703-1203
PERMIT NO. 1681
Contact us by calling 512-374-6048
Or emailing at:
Friends@ausslcfriends.org
Visit our website:
www.ausslcfriends.org
RANDALLS Good Neighbor Program
gives Friends a donation when you shop
there and have your card linked with the
number
“3083”
King Florist When you order flowers
from King Florist on W.Koenig Lane,
please mention “Austin State Supported
Living Center Friends.” King florist will
donate to Friends.
Call King Florist at 512-453-6656.
Volunteers ‘Spring’ into Action
January and February – Karaoke, Movies, Dancing, Games and more:
In January, a group from Origins Church came out and sang karaoke with Castner residents. Texas Wrangler Darlin
volunteers helped out with movie night at NEOS on January 26 th and on February 10 seven volunteers from the Junior League of
Austin served at the Valentine’s dance at NEOS. They helped residents makeValentine’s cards, gave them temporary tattoos, and
had fun dancing with them. Thank you to these groups for their continued support of the Living Center through volunteering.
On February 3, The Austin Toros mascot and dancers visited the center for the All Stars Pep Rally. Austin State Supported
Living Center’s Special Olympics basketball team showed off their skills as “Da Bull” and others cheered them on. Then the Toros
cheerleaders taught everybody a few dance moves. It was a great event, and we thank the Toros for volunteering their time for the
residents.
Nine new chapel volunteers from University Catholic Center began their service at the center in February. These
volunteers come out each Sunday to assist residents who want to attend the 10:30 am Catholic service. They walk with the residents
from their home to the chapel and sit with them during church.
March and April – Special Olympics, refreshments, games and plantings:
The youth groups from St. John’s United Methodist and First United Methodist volunteered at the center during spring break, as
the conclusion to a weekend retreat. They went to several of the day programming areas and played games with, sang to, and visited
our residents, who really enjoyed their efforts.
On April 6th, residents competed in the local Special Olympics track and field competition. Big thanks to volunteers Angie
Gully, Karen from Mu Alpha Theta, and Kyle McConkey for helping out with the event! They helped score the competitions and
assisted residents with getting to the awards table to hear their results.
On April 14th, a group of alumni from the University of Virginia worked on a campus beautification project to improve the
entrance to the Living Center. They weeded, mulched, and planted 15 beautiful new rose bushes at our entrance. Thanks, UVA Club
of Austin!
Members from Westlake United Methodist Church visited home 797 on April 22nd. They brought refreshments and
provided musical entertainment through songs and guitar playing. The residents really enjoyed listening and singing along with them
– especially our own Community Choir members.
Many, many thanks to all these volunteers who improve the quality of life of all our residents!