Inside This Issue:

Inside This Issue:
Through My Eyes....................Pg. 2
Staff Kudos..............................Pg. 4
ISL Wish List............................Pg. 5
Caregiver’s Corner..................Pg. 6
Vol. 2
Issue 1
Winter 2015
OUR JOURNEY
I
n the early years of the newly incorporated CDD, we
had a great deal of change with new people moving
into our homes. On October 9, 1979, CDD began to
support a 45-year old man with a lot of swag and
confidence. Buddy Williams was the debonair guy
who established himself among the ladies at the dances
and other gatherings. Buddy was, and 35 years later is
s ll, the ul mate ladies’ man. For 35 years, Buddy has
been living with four of the same men he met on his first
day. He is, however, the patriarch of the group.
This past December amongst all the hustle and bustle of
the holiday, CDD honored Buddy for his 80th birthday by
taking him and the other men from Birch House to Olive
Garden in Independence for a celebra on. We invited
his 81-year old sister and her daughter and grandbaby.
We also had several current and past sta from Birch
a end the party. The employees at Olive Garden did an
amazing job of serving the large crowd and they made
sure there were candles for the cake.
Buddy celebrates his
80th Birthday at Olive
Garden.
Buddy gives Jody a hug at his 80th
Birthday party.
Even though Buddy is way past re rement age, he has
refused to quit working at the workshop he loves and
does not want to live anywhere other than Birch house.
Buddy will tell you that the sure-fire way to a good long
life is going to work every day, coming home to a daily
cigar and beer, pre y women and his family at Birch. He
“…loves his brothers and can’t leave them.”
A er 43 years of helping people, CDD has been honored
to support someone who has hit the 80-year-old milestone. Do not be fooled by Buddy’s age; he is sharp as
a tack!!! We hope we are able to celebrate with many
others as they turn 80 years old.
Buddy holds up the fish he
caught during a fishing trip
at Longview Lake.
Buddy works with roommate Steven at their workshop working in
the early 1990s. The two men still
live at Birch House.
ssink hoses,
eetc.
In
n January and February,
February CDD welcomed many new faces to the agency.
We opened an ISL in Grandview we
call Parker House. One individual from
Lafaye e Manor and new person to the
agency, Patrick Adams, moved into the
home in January.
Since the two men moved into the
home, Patrick says they get along well
and enjoy hanging out with each other.
Della, DDP for Parker House, said Patrick
makes breakfast for himself and his
roommate each morning. She went
on to say he recently purchased a new
gadget to use in the kitchen.
“He wants to learn how to do crockpot
cooking,” she said. “[In fact] He recently
got a crockpot and a few recipes to go
with it.”
it ”
Patrick’s daily rou ne has come a long
way since he moved. Della said she
has no ced how he has changed since
coming to CDD.
“His outlook on his daily rou ne has
changed because he has dependable
sta to take him to his ac vi es,” she
said “He has become influenced by the
rela onships he has formed with his
sta (at Parker).”
Patrick said he has gained a lot of independence since he’s moved to Parker.
He has a job and is very involved in the
community doing numerous ac vi es.
He goes to work each day at Southeast
Enterprises and works to recycle Christmas lights and cleans a achments to
““I like my
job and it
jo
aallows me
tto be independent,”
he said.
Some of
the ac vies Patrick
is involved
Patrick prepares to cook
dinner for himself and his
in include
roommate.
being an
Eagle Scout,
a Boy Scout troop leader, a member of
Knights of Columbus and a choir member at St. Catherine’s Church.
Della said Patrick has a lot to o er.
“Patrick is very proud of who he is and
his involvement in the community,” she
said. “All of the ac vi es he is involved
in strengthen his character.”
CDD welcomes several new staff as the agency grows
What do you do when you have several
new people to support in a three-week
me period? Well, you tackle it head
on. To say the least, CDD has grown a
bit this year. We have expanded our ISL
program adding four new ISL loca ons
throughout the city as well as a few new
individuals to our group homes making
them full for the first me in several
years.
Along with opening the new loca ons,
the sta numbers have increased as
well. In the administra ve o ce, we
have increased our numbers by adding
two DDPs and one part- me agency
nurse. We have also hired one new
House Manager. In addi on to the
new faces, exis ng admininistra ve
sta have made some changes. Nicole
Henson has been promoted to Program
Coordinator. Nicke Briscoe, DDP, will be
our Training Coordinator, in addi on to
having a DDP caseload.
Our part- me nurse, Becky Mendenhall,
Pg. 2
comes to us with a background in being
a school nurse as well as a nurse for another small agency that supports people
with developmental disabili es. She
will be assis ng Chris na Haynes, RN,
as her caseload grows and the agency
expands.
We would also like to welcome new
DDP Josh Billingsley. He comes to us
from another area agency that supports
adults with developmental disabili es.
He has several years of experience in
this field. He will be working with people who live at the Villas Apartments
and at Lafaye e Manor.
ager Deanna Shaw. She brings a couple
years of experience from other agencies
in town as well.
Someone in the o ce said it best, “it’s
like the ISLs are in an earthquake and
the rest of the agency is feeling the
e ects.” The earthquake (new growth)
is beginning to calm down and we
are con nuing our focus on providing
quality services and wonderful places
for people to live. This will be easier to
do with the wonderful sta addi ons to
the agency.
Jennifer Downs, DDP, is also a new asset
to the team in the o ce. She brings
with her many years of experience in
the field working with youth and children who have developmental disabili es. She will be working with folks at
Summit Apartments and Cedars House.
Along with the new DDPs, CDD would
like to welcome new Birch House Man-
(from left) Josh, Becky, Nicke, Jenn Nicole
and Deanna take new positions at CDD.
From the desk of the Executive Director
Sarah Mudd
“Whew”
experienced sta are training the
newly hired sta . The House Managers have been filling shi s when
we have needed their sta and they
have helped with calling PRN sta
to fill shi s for other loca ons other
than their own.
As my first year as the Execu ve Director comes to an end, I look back
on what has been accomplished, and
I am amazed at what the sta have
done. This past year has been one of
change and expansion. The team at
CDD has been open to many changes within the organiza on that have
resulted in posi ve outcomes for the
people we support. We have improved our systems, enhanced our
culture and now we are upda ng
our homes.
We have begun suppor ng nine new
people in their own apartments or
homes in the last couple of months
and this is no small feat. To open one
new loca on results in six to nine
sta to cover all of the shi s. In the
midst of our change and expansion,
we have really stretched many of the
employees beyond what we thought
they would be willing to give or do.
They have proven us wrong. We
have asked many of the direct support sta to work over me to cover
shi s for our new loca ons. We
have pulled them from one home
to work in another so that the more
President: Jim Breed
Vice President: Mark Arnesman
Treasurer: Angela Kuhlman
Secretary: Betty Krah
The program management sta
have confirmed that CDD has the
right group of people in place to
oversee services. They have rearranged, arranged and rearranged
again to ensure that the people we
are suppor ng have the things they
need to be comfortable, happy and
well cared for. They have directed
services in a way that has me in awe
of what they are willing and able to
give to this agency and to the people
we support.
In the midst of our expansion, we
are giving our four group homes a
faceli . We are redoing ceilings and
pain ng the homes, and we know
this will be a li le inconvenient for
the people who live there. However,
in the end, the homes will look fresh
and feel warmer for them.
I could not ask for a more dedicated,
crea ve, caring group of people to
work with. Thank you to all the CDD
sta who give of yourself, at mes
at the expense of your own family,
to provide a caring, loving, home to
others. KUDOS to Everyone!!!
Members: Peter Frick
Megan Hover
Jerry Wheeler
Karrie Duke
Vonzel Sawyer
Staff Appreciation for
CDD
Paige, of the Villas Apartments, spoke
about how much she enjoys working
at CDD.
“Hands down, the dedica on and
selflessness of everyone who works
at CDD has me wan ng more,” she
said. “I’m inspired every day by
the seemingly small things that my
co-workers and supervisors do to
ensure that our people feel safe and
loved, whether it’s bringing stu ed
animals to a person in the hospital or
if people are having a bad day give
them a hug.”
Secretary leaves after eight years
Board Member, Be y Krah, has ended
her term on the Board. Be y first was
elected to the Board in 2007. She has
served several years as our Secretary.
Be y works as a provider of services
to people with developmental disabili es in Pla e County. The other Board
members o en turned to Be y when
guidance was needed on how other
agencies are doing a specific func on.
The agency is grateful for Be y’s service and
we appreciate her
contribuons to
ensuring
that
industry
expectaons are
met.
Pg. 3
The ISL program has expanded tremendously over the last two months, and
the dedica on and work ethic of all CDD
sta has really pulled together to make
this program a success. Each day we
can find inspira on in the sta who give
their all to the people we support. We
want to thank everyone in this agency
for you all played a part to help make
the ISLs shine. The following are the
people who have gone beyond what
they are asked to do on a daily basis.
Brewster Gaines
has worked
with Elliot for several months and CDD
relies on him to support and advocate
for him. Elliot is Spanish-speaking only
and o en counts on Brewster to communicate with other people. He uses his
Spanish-speaking skills to translate for
Elliot every day.
Elliot commented on how he feels
about Brewster, “Bruce es realmente
agradable y parece a mi hermano.” This
translates that he is really kind and is ike
a brother. Brewster has picked up extra
shi s with Elliot and other individuals
throughout the agency. He is quick to
volunteer his assistance and how he
advocates for people is really admirable.
Paige Haring is the Live-in sta
for the Villas Apartments. We shout out
a huge thank you to Villas’ Manager and
sta for allowing us to borrow Paige
while we opened new ISLs in January
and February. Paige has a fantas c work
ethic and helped get all the new ISL
homes up to the CDD standard.
Paige said she enjoys working with
CDD and it feels good to come to work
each day. “I love being able to go into
a house and feel like I’m in a home environment,” she said. “The abundance
of hugs doesn’t hurt either. It feels like
family.”
Jamie, Manager at Villas, said she was
sad to give up Paige for a couple weeks,
but knew she would excel for the ISL
program.
Jaron Davis recently joined
the ISL team as a Lead Direct Support
Professional at Three Amigos. He has
picked up the responsibili es quickly
and has formed a great bond with the
men he works with.
Roger says, “He’s a nice person to work
with.”
Jaron lent some advice for new sta
members, “This is more than a job,”
he said. “We are dealing with lives and
with doing that, we need to remember
they are people and their lives ma er.”
Another person Jaron supports is Michael. He added, “Jaron, hmm… He’s
kind. He’s a good sta member and
takes care of me really well. He’s always
on top of meds, and you have to put in
big le ers, HE IS A GOOD FRIEND.”
“Paige is a good employee to Villas
because she is always willing to help
me, the individuals and her co-workers,”
she said. “During the two weeks that
Paige was gone to help out at the ISLs,
her absence was greatly missed. I could
not wait for her to return. I knew Paige
would do well because not only does
she love helping people, but she is a
gentle teacher and very nurturing.”
Jaron (third from left) pauses to give the men
at Three Amigos a hug. Jaron recently became
the Lead staff at Three Amigos ISL.
Elliot and Brewster (right) visit the office. The
two men have worked together for several
months.
Pg. 4
Paige (left) of the Villas hangs out with DJ
from one of the new ISLs. Paige helped the
ISLs by filling in shifts and supporting DJ and
his roommate as they got settled.
A year ago, sta at CDD’s o ce started a “Jeans Day” fundraiser. Once a month, sta can wear jeans to work if they
bring in $5 or $5 worth of supplies for the ISL program. The
benefit of this fundraiser became evident in February, when
two new ISLs were opened. For one apartment, the gentlemen who moved in did not have much. They had trash bags
full of clothes, two beds and a couch. They literally did not
even have a pot to cook with. They did not have dishes, cups,
utensils, pots/pans, cooking utensils, storage containers or
even bath towels.
Thanks to the generous dona ons of our sta , we were able
to help provide these supplies for the men from the “Jeans
Day” dona ons. Our storage room was depleted, but the
apartment was filled.
We ask a lot from our sta , and they always rise to the occasion. Some mes though, we all need a li le help. We would
like to ask our newsle er readers to consider helping with
dona ons for our ISL program.
Please consider dona ng either through our Web site at
www.cddkc.org, sending a check with the envelope in this
newsle er, or just calling the o ce at (816) 531-0045. Your
dona ons can help make an apartment into a home.
We are also looking for some of the following items:
• Dishes
• Cookware
• Silverware
• Decora ons
CDD frequently has openings in our apartments, group
homes and individualized homes in various areas of the
community. If you or someone you know is interested in
being supported by our agency, please contact us.
CDD is a private, not-for-profit organiza on.
We are designated as tax exempt by the Internal
Revenue Service under sec on 501(c)(3).
All dona ons to CDD are tax-deduc ble. We have a
restricted account for donors to assist the residents with
financial needs, travel and recrea on. If you wish to
contribute, please send your check or money order to:
• Couches
• Tables
CDD Donor Account
1010 W 39th Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
• Chairs
Check us out on our Web site at www.cddkc.org
• TVs
• Gi cards
Please give us a call at (816) 531-0045 and we can
arrange to pick up any large items of furniture you may
wish to donate. Thanks again for all the past support!
Addi onal informa on about the agency will be made
available upon request.
Pg. 5
Center for Developmentally Disabled
1010 W 39th St.
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: 816-531-0045
Fax: 816-756-5612
Web site: www.cddkc.org
E-mail: info@cddkc.org
Caregiver’s Corner
Tips and recipes for the caregiver to
promote a healthy lifestyle.
Spring me is just around the corner!
It’s a great me to take advantage of
the nicer weather and get outside.
Walking for just 30 minutes a day
is enough to promote weight loss
and encourage heart health. Small
amounts of exercise add up over
me and make a di erence. Just
keep it moving!
One way to keep moving is to get a
pedometer that counts your steps
to see how far you can really go in
a day. Challenge your friends and
family to a walk-o and see who
can walk the farthest in a day, week
or month. Take a walk around your
neighborhood block or go to the
park and stroll on the path.
In fact, one of the individuals at Elms
House had a walking outcome in
her plan. This individual did NOT like
to walk. Sta had the challenge of
trying to implement this goal with
an individual who liked to sit down,
no ma er where she was, and refuse to get up. I encouraged sta to
park the van far away from the door
at her day hab program and count
her steps as she walked across the
parking lot towards her goal. A er
a few months, sta was able to get
her to walk laps around the group
home and even out to the apple tree
in the backyard. These small e orts
paid o in a way we never thought
possible.
When doing my quarterly check
with the day hab program, I was told
“Whatever you’re doing with (her),
please keep it up! She is more alert
and engaged with her peers. We are
able to take her on ou ngs and she
doesn’t sit down!”
As you can see, the benefits outweigh the nega ves when taking
small steps towards your health
goals. Posi ve e orts break the cycle
of nega ve e orts. Take advantage
of day light savings and the extra
sunshine. Your heart (and waist) will
thank you!