GCDD Excited for the Year Ahead - Around GCDD from MAD Winter'13
The following is the Around GCDD article from the Winter 2013 Making a Difference magazine.
GCDD Excited for the Year Ahead
2013 will be a year for change for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), as they said goodbye to several staff members in 2012. However, GCDD is excited to bring new energy with the New Year.
Governor Deal Makes New Appointments
Governor Nathan Deal renewed one Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities board member and made eight new appointments to the 27-member board, comprised of at least 60% individuals with developmental disabilities and family members. Other members include policymakers that represent various agencies and organizations having a vested interest in persons with developmental disabilities.
Renewed Board Members:
- Tom S. Connelly, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation – Rehabilitation Employment Specialist
New Board Members:
- Josette B. Akhras, Teacher and Advocate for children and adults with disabilities
- Jason M. Bearden, Highland Rivers Health – Chief Executive Officer
- Farah A. Chapes, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Government Affairs Team – Government Affairs Director
- Teresa A. Heard, Easter Seals Southern Georgia – Director of Nursing and Clinical Services
- Deborah C. Hibben, Henry County Public Schools Retiree and Woodland High School – Part-Time
- Geneice McCoy, Real McCoy Brokerage Co. – Owner and Georgia Region 2 Mental Health – Chair
- Evan H. Nodvin, Weinstein Senior Adult Day Center at the Marcus Jewish Community of Atlanta – Assistant/Support Aide
- Mitzi R. Proffitt, Parent to Parent of Georgia – South Georgia Manager
A GCDD Advisory Board Member Recognized in the Community
Kylie Moore, a 24-year-old resident of Roswell, GA and a member of GCDD's advisory board, was recognized for her involvement in the community and has been selected to serve on the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) governing board. Moore will join NYLN, a youth-driven, youth-led organization overseen by young adults with disabilities from around the country, as the nonprofit is embracing new beginnings in 2013 – a new board of directors, a new team of volunteers, a charge of bringing to life a new mission statement, a new vision statement and a new theory of change through the organization's goal and priorities.
"Our members are the core of our organization," shared Jessica Croner, NYLN president from Idaho. "We lead from experience, and we bring together a wealth of information and diversity through our board members and volunteers. There is no question that they are perfect for the job."
Moore, a graduate from Reinhardt University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, is looking forward to joining the governing board and becoming a part of NYLN's new leadership team.
Moore's passion is advocating for individuals with disabilities, and as an avid sports fan, she is actively involved in playing wheelchair sports.
In June 2012, she completed a fellowship for the Georgia Leadership in Education for Neurodevelopment and Related Disabilities Program (GaLEND). Currently, she works for a nonprofit organization called Great Prospects, as a self-advocacy and life skills teacher.
To learn more about NYLN, visit www.nyln.org.
Project SEARCH Continuing to Evolve and Expand
GCDD has an ongoing partnership with Project SEARCH, a unique, business-led-school-to-work transition program designed for students with disabilities whose main goal is employment and will benefit from career exploration through the program. Currently, there have been lots of exciting things going on, and in November, the Shaw Industries Project Search site graduated its first group of young adult interns. Aaron Marcelli, the site coordinator, reported he had been pleased with how welcoming Shaw Industries was. "They are working hard to find employment for these capable workers," he said.
Vicki Little, the executive director of Support Services/HR from Effingham Health System recently sent a letter reporting on the success of their new Project SEARCH program. The local Board of Education and school superintendent had visited and were very impressed with the progress made by the student interns. Little also reported that their hospital staff had become personally invested in supporting the interns.
Bartow County Schools has been working to put together a team to implement Project SEARCH in Cartersville beginning in Fall 2013. Susie Rutkowski, co-founder of Project SEARCH, made a presentation to the Cartersville Medical Center administration in early December to seek their participation as a business partner, and the hospital was very enthusiastic. After going through its chain of command, they reported back that they wanted to have a Project SEARCH site at their facility.
Dottie Adams, statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH in Georgia and retired GCDD director of family and individual supports, was invited to go to the United Kingdom to share her experiences with the program. She met with a group of people in Glasgow, Scotland who are being asked to serve as regional coordinators for Project SEARCH in the UK. Adams explained her roles in helping market Project SEARCH, coordinating technical assistance, organizing training opportunities and quarterly meetings, providing initial information to interested communities and serving as a liaison with partner agencies at the state level. The group enjoyed the map of Georgia that was shared with them, which noted active Project SEARCH sites, those in the planning stages and areas that had expressed an interest. She also had the opportunity to travel to Aberdeen, Scotland where she attended a meeting with a group of people who are making implementation plans to start a new Project SEARCH site at their University.
Lastly, two of our strong supporters of Project SEARCH in Thomasville, Bonnie Seery and Christy Jacobs, are making some changes. Seery retired as special education director of the Thomas County Schools, but has committed to staying involved with Project SEARCH, while Jacobs, the instructor, is moving to Texas. To recognize their commitment to the program, a celebration lunch was held for them in Macon at the last Project SEARCH quarterly meeting.
