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Our mission is to bring about a vibrant community where people lead fulfilling lives and make meaningful contributions. |
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It’s a "fact of life:" Geri Jewell to headline 2012 Celebration of Possibilities!
 Fairfield DD is proud to announce that actress and comedienne Geri Jewell will headline its 2012 Celebration of Possibilities.
Introduced to millions as “Cousin Geri,” Geri Jewell has risen to become a leading force in disabilities advocacy. Geri started her acting career as the personal choice of famed producer Norman Lear for her role as Cousin Geri on the ground-breaking NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. With this role she became the first person with a visible disability to become a regular performer on a national prime-time television show. During her run on the show she broke barriers by addressing issues of disability awareness.
Geri is an exceptional actress and comedienne, and is famous for her uncanny ability to captivate the hearts of audiences by using humor to facilitate attitude changes. Geri shares her personal experience of having her behavior and actions misunderstood because of her cerebral palsy. By sharing her disability as her greatest blessing, and revealing insights about the world as she sees it, Geri turns the focus from disabilities to a true celebration of ability, resulting in an inspiring, empowering and healing experience. She teaches an invaluable lesson in saying, “My comedy is about the human condition. I'm trying to tell people they should give themselves more credit, feel less victimized, not be stopped by the judgments other people put on them."
After her ground breaking role on Facts she has appeared on such shows as The Great Space Coaster, the Emmy award winning movie Two of a Kind, Sesame Street, 21 Jump Street, Young and the Restless, Strong Medicine, and the HBO hit series, Deadwood. She recently filmed her first episode of Alcatraz, a new FX series which will be airing in February of 2012.
In April of 2011, she released her autobiography, I’m Walking As Straight As I Can: Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond.
Plan to join us and Geri on Thursday, March 29 at the Crossroads Center for the 4th Annual Celebration of Possibilities. Contact Gaynor Pfeffer at 740.652.7220 or by e-mail for ticket information and reservations. |
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Call for Nominations for 2012 Celebration of Possibilities
 FairfieldDD is presenting its 4th Annual Celebration of Possibilities awards program on Thursday, March 29, 2012, completing our recognition of March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. We’ll recognize those businesses and other community partners that help us accomplish our mission: To Bring About a Vibrant Community Where People Lead Fulfilling Lives and Make Meaningful Contributions.
Nominations will be accepted through Friday, January 27, 2012. Award recipients will be announced Tuesday, March 1, 2012. If you know of an individual, organization, or business that you feel is deserving of one of our awards, please nomiate them. You can get a copy of the nomination form by clicking HERE.
The 2012 Celebration of Possibilities will be held at a new venue, the Crossroads Center at 2095 West Fair Avenue in Lancaster. And stay tuned for exciting details coming soon about the Celebration program - you won't want to miss it!
If you’d like more information, are interested in sponsorship information or want to order tickets, please contact Gaynor Pfeffer at 740.652.7220 or by e-mail.
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Fairfield DD welcomes Sheila Meyer to the Board
 On December 20, the Fairfield County Commissioners appointed Sheila Meyer of Baltimore to the Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Ms. Meyer will fill the remainder of an unexpired term that runs through December 31, 2014.
Ms. Meyer is a native of Fairfield County. She graduated from Lancaster High School, received an Associate Degree in accounting from Ohio University-Lancaster, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Franklin University with a Bachelors Degree in accounting. She is the Director of Finance and Administration for the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International.
Most recently, Ms. Meyer served on the Fairfield Industries, Inc. Board of Trustees. She resides with her husband Ron and children Jason and Cameron in the Baltimore area. |
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Fairfield DD to participate in national survey
In cooperation with the Mideast Ohio Regional Council of Government (MEORC) and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Fairfield DD is participating in the National Core Indicators family survey for 2012 that is related to services received by children. Over the next few weeks 150 families receiving services from Fairfield DD will receive a post card from MEORC informing them that they will be asked to participate in the survey. Surveys can be completed by computer through a survey tool called “Survey Monkey” or can be done by completing a paper copy of the survey which will be mailed out a couple of weeks after the post cards. The information obtained from the survey is combined with surveys done across the region, the state of Ohio and several other states, and is used to determine trends and the level of satisfaction families have with the services they receive.
Families completing the survey on-line will be entered into a drawing for one of a number of WalMart gift cards. If there are any questions related to the survey families may contact Nate Griffin, Director of Quality, by phone at 740.652.7220, by e-mail, or by calling the MEORC contact listed on the post card they received. |
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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. |
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'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. |
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