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| 2010 Celebration of Possibilities Award Winners Announced! |
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The winners of the 2010 Celebration of Possibilities awards were announced March 1. Please make plans to attend the second annual Celebration of Possibilities on March 31, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Liberty Center in Lancaster. Plan to be present that evening to help us honor these very deserving award recipients! Please contact Gaynor Pfeffer by e-mail or by phone at 740.687.7240 to reserve your tickets. Our award winners for 2010 are:
Deanna Kirwin Award for Individual Achievement: Derek Upp Derek is a senior at Lancaster High School and, despite his disabilities, has been active during his four years, including serving as a manager for the Gales basketball program. He has also been active in wheelchair sports, and played an integral role in establishing a wheelchair basketball league as the only one of its kind in the national Upward basketball program. He has overcome many obstacles to obtain his driver’s license, as well as an adaptive vehicle, and plans to attend college upon graduation.
Vision Award: Project SEARCH Partners: Fairfield Medical Center, Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, and the Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation These three organizations embraced the ideals of Project SEARCH, an international program that began in the Cincinnati area, and partnered with Fairfield DD to bring the program to our community. Students with developmental disabilities from high schools throughout Fairfield County spend their final year of school learning job skills through rotating internships at the medical center. Just midway through its first year, the program is a resounding success and will expand with the next school year.
Commitment Award: Tammi and Jo Neighbor of Tammi Jo's Cafe
Brian Hough had worked 13 years at Lancaster Inn before it closed. But when he was hired at Tammi Jo’s, Brian not only found a new place to work that helped him cope with a major change in his life, he became part of a new extended family. In nominating Tammi and Jo for the award Brian’s parents, Marilyn and William Hough, wrote, “They have incorporated him into the daily routine of the restaurant, made it a friendly place to work and have given Brian a sense of accomplishment.”
Goldie Fields Spirit Award: Blue Shoe Arts Volunteers: Steve Acton, Patty Decker, Sue Diehm, Lou Gatch, Peggy McDevitt and Robie Snoke Blue Shoe Arts relies heavily on its volunteers for its success, and these six people are extremely dedicated and play integral roles. Whether serving as an extra pair of hands in the studio, teaching new techniques or media, setting up at art shows or helping to create products, these six have made an incredible impact on the lives of the Blue Shoe artists.
Hartung Family Pioneer Award: Marvene Blume, June Hoy and Jean Miller-Kennedy
Along with the Hartung family, these three ladies were instrumental in establishing services for children and adults with disabilities, not only in Fairfield County but in the state of Ohio. They have served Fairfield DD as educators, mentors, board members and more.
Distinguished Service Award: Matt Haban Matt is currently employed by Pickerington City Schools as a one-to-one aide for students who attend Forest Rose School. He has voluntarily worked with two students over the last few years who have not been successful in the public schools due to their challenging behaviors. He has gone above and beyond the expectations of his job duties, working closely with both Fairfield DD and Pickerington staff to meet the needs and goals of the students and their families.
Inspiration Award: The McGhee Family and Jimmy Cordle The McGhee family has collectively made the mission of Fairfield DD its mission. Through years of dedicated volunteerism and hard work that began with the late Clark McGhee and continues through his children, Terry McGhee and Sally Grimm, this family has made it easier for those with developmental disabilities to prosper. Jimmy Cordle, a senior football player at The Ohio State University, and his family and friends organized a fundraiser in 2009, Bowling with Buckeyes, that raised nearly $20,000 for Special Olympics and gave people with developmental disabilities the opportunity to meet and bowl alongside Buckeye football players and members of the Lancaster and Fairfield County communities. The financial shot in the arm for the Special Olympics program will create opportunities for athletes well into the future.
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