|
Our mission is to bring about a vibrant community where people lead fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions. |
|
2012 Celebration of Possibilities a grand success
 The 2012 Celebration of Possibilities is in the books, and what a grand success it was!
With the theme of "Discovering Personal Genius," the Celebration, held Thursday evening, March 29, drew an overflow crowd of over 400 to the Crossroads Center to recognize those individuals, businesses, and organizations who help Fairfield DD achieve its mission to bring about a vibrant community where people live fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions.
Geri Jewell, actor, comedian, author, and activist, closed out the evening with a rousing and inspirational performance that brought the crowd to its feet.
Thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers, without whom this event could not be possible, to all of you who were able to attend, and to the Fairfield County community for its unbelievable support.
Read more about the event from the Lancaster Eagle Gazette front page article by clicking HERE.
To access the Celebration of Possibilities photo gallery on the Lancaster Eagle Gazette website, click HERE.
To see highlights from the celebration, visit our YouTube Channel HERE.
Photo credit: Tyler Wright for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette |
|
|
Three with Fairfield connections receive Ohio Public Images awards
 Cabot Rea, Cody Sarensen, and Tyler Wright were among the individuals honored by Ohio Public Images at its annual banquet on March 19, 2012 for significant contributions in promoting positive perceptions of people with developmental disabilities.
Cabot, news anchor for WCMH NBC 4, received an award of merit for his November 2011 TV feature on the Blue Shoe Arts Studio and Art & Clay on Main.
Cody, a student at Ohio University, received a special award of merit for developing the inclusionary No-Limits Baskeball Camp, held on the campus of Ohio University Lancaster in the summer of 2011. Cody is already planning for the No-Limits camp this summer.
Tyler, a former photographer with the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, won an award of excellence for photography in a daily newspaper with a circulation under 100,000 for his photo of participants in action at the No-Limits Basketball camp |
|
Fairfield DD receives five-year accreditation from the state
The Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities has been accredited by the state for the quality services and supports it provides to people with disabilities.
The five-year accreditation is the highest awarded by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD).
According to John Martin, Director of DODD, "Fairfield DD, its Board members, Superintendent, and staff are to be commended for your efforts in achieving this status. Department staff and I are well aware that this accomplishment required considerable commitment of resources and energy. Your efforts are now acknowledged as being in substantial compliance with state accreditation standards." |
|
Meet two new entepreneurs!
  Andra Kessler and Joseph Greene are two individuals who have recently established their own new business ventures.
Andra has created Wrangler Andys Horse Sitting, and Joe has recently established JagToons.
Click HERE to read more about these exciting new businesses! |
|
Fairfield DD receives international accreditation again
 The Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities has received a three-year accreditation award through CARF. This latest accreditation follows a three-year accreditation that the international accrediting body awarded to FairfieldDD in 2009.
By pursuing and achieving accreditation, FairfieldDD has demonstrated that it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence.
The CARF report cited excellence in leadership, governing body, and an obvious commitment by staff to the mission of Fairfield DD.
This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows our organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes individual-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. |
|
Art & Clay on Main named business of the year
 Art & Clay on Main was named the Downtown Business of the Year January 26, 2012 at the annual meeting of Destination Downtown Lancaster.
The award comes close to the two-year anniversary of the decision by Fairfield DD to acquire the business, which had been a lynchpin of the Downtown Lancaster business landscape for over a decade.
“We learned a lot when we purchased Art & Clay back in 2010,” said John Pekar, Superintendent. “We already knew that people with disabilities were a vital part of our community, but after we took Art & Clay under our wing, we found out just how important our role was in making the community more vibrant.
The success of the Art & Clay purchase led FairfieldDD to change its mission statement to Bring About A Vibrant Community Where People Lead Fulfilling Lives and Make Meaningful Contributions.
”We learned that we could only be as successful as our community is vibrant,” added Pekar.
After Art & Clay reopened in the spring of 2010, economic development officials from both the city and county began talking about what other contributions Fairfield DD could make to the city and county business climate. Those discussions continue as we assess new opportunities.
“We’re most proud of the fact that half of Art & Clay’s staff are people with developmental disabilities,” said Pekar. “And we’re taking a serious look at what additional services we can provide there, and what additional opportunities we can create for people with developmental disabilities.
“We see great potential in making Art & Clay a viable downtown social gathering spot,” he added.
|
|
Blue Shoe Arts Studio, Art & Clay on Main featured on WCMH NBC 4
 Cabot Rea, news anchor for WCMH NBC 4, visited Art & Clay on Main earlier this summer, and was intrigued by the operation and the Blue Shoe Arts Studio. Cabot told us that he wanted to come back and do a feature story on our venture, and early in November, he returned with a camera crew.
The resulting "Paying It Forward" feature aired on Channel 4 on November 9, and captures the creativity that abounds at Art & Clay on Main and the Blue Shoe Arts Studio.
The news feature is available on FairfieldDD's YouTube channel. Click HERE to link to the WCMH NBC 4 clip.
Thanks to Cabot Rea and WCMH NBC 4 for recognizing the talents and personal genius of the artists of the Blue Shoe Arts Studio. |
|
'Access for All' mural on display at OU-L
 The Americans with Disabilities 20th anniversary mural titled "Liberty, Justice and Access for All" is on loan to Ohio University Lancaster and can be viewed in the north lobby and the upper level of the Hannah V. McCauley Library until August 2013.
OU-L was selected by VSA Ohio to display the mural on a long-term basis because of "the commitment to access and inclusion demonstrated by Ohio University Lancaster and the Fairfield County community," according to an award letter from the VSA Ohio Board of Directors.
To read more, click HERE. |
|
|
