Articles
Wow...Fairfield...Wow
As I sit back and look at the last year, one word comes to mind. Wow! Wow...Fairfield...Wow. Sure, there are other words. Pride, innovation and game changer come to mind. But some of the things that the individuals we serve, those who provide services and our staff have accomplished have made me look back in awe. Some of the individual accomplishments are nothing short of amazing. We really stepped out on a limb, for example, when we purchased Art & Clay on Main. We had the vision that it would become an incubator for people with individuals to own their own businesses. That's become reality. The Excellence Network, or TEN, has certified its first provider: ResCare. More transition students are on a direct path toward adulthood. More adults are choosing community employment as opposed to the sheltered workshop. Young people living all over the county are capitalizing on the latest technology to learn. Our staff has continued to work hard to develop innovative ideas and contribute to our bottom line...improved and innovative services. With apologies to Ohio State, they are truly The Best Damn Staff In The Land. This past year we completed the second of two very successful Five Year Comprehensive Long Range Plans. The result of the first plan was to reinvent ourselves. During that time, our agency embraced a number of challenging changes in the way we deliver services. We passed with flying colors. And those we serve benefited greatly. We passed a much needed levy that allowed us to implement a number of new programs and innovations. The latest five year plan helped us to really focus on the people we served in an effective and efficient manner. We spent much of the last year focusing on what FairfieldDD can become. We learned through what we called The Listening Project, where we hosted several "community conversations" with stakeholders to hear more about what we are and what we could be. One notion rose to the top. We can only be as successful as our community is vibrant. We learned that the people we serve, as well as the programs we support,can contribute to the vibrancy of our community. . After the listening project, we adopted a new Mission Statement: To Bring About a Vibrant Community Where People Lead Fulfilling Lives and Make Meaningful Contributions. So as we turn the page on another year, as we begin to implement another five year plan, we can only sit back and wonder what our agency will look like in five years. And as we do, we can proudly shout out to anyone who will listen: Wow...Fairfield...Wow. John R. Pekar
Superintendent