Welcome to the May Edition of our agency wide newsletter!
Hackettstown
I really enjoyed going to the library playing bingo with my peers. We walked up the stairs and entered a small room where bingo was held. Jared the librarian called out the bingo numbers, all my peers won something. I had so much fun I asked when we could come back.
~Patty
I love painting! Harley set up a big table for my peers and I to paint some different flowers/cherry blossom trees! Haley showed me and my peers different utensils you can use to make textured paintings. I painted using bright colors so you can see it from every angle.
~Sarah
Mary Apgar
Latest news and updates from your reporter on the scene; Darren.
The past month we went on a trip to Shop-Rite for ingredients to make cupcakes to celebrate April birthdays, another trip for the items to make Oatmeal Cookies for National Oatmeal Cookie Day, and another trip to get ingredients for Root Beer Floats to have at our pizza party to celebrate National Pizza Party Day. Groups went to Meadow Breeze Park, Thomas Stewart Park and Oxford Lake for lunch and to enjoy the weather. A group went out to play an “I-Spy” game in the community, Applebee’s and Meals at Home 7 times!
We had vegetables and herbs donated to us by a consumer’s family to grow in our raised garden beds and the green house. I’ve been reminding staff every day that we need to go out and water them. The plants are starting to get big and have some flowers growing. I’m looking forward to the vegetables to start growing.
On May 15th we had a pizza party and had root beer floats. Everyone really enjoyed that.
Joke of the Day: Q: What is a Gardners’ favorite game?
A: Tic-Tac-Grow 😊
This or That:
- 11 individuals would rather play hide and seek and 9 would rather play tag
- 10 individuals would rather play a board game while 12 would rather play a video game
- 7 individuals would rather have crinkle cut fries and 13 would rather have curly fries
- 12 individuals would rather drink lemonade while 6 would rather have fruit punch
- 10 individuals would rather have brownies and 11 would rather have cookies
- 8 individuals would rather play basketball and 9 would rather play baseball
- There was a tie between pancakes and waffles!
In this month’s breakfast survey, we learned that 233 cups of coffee/tea, 78 eggs, 119 cups of juice/water, 73 bowls of oatmeal, 33 pancakes/waffles, 58 servings of breakfast meat, 42 bagels/muffins and 201 other items were consumed this month!
Until next time, everyone!
Residential
Washington CRP
My Time at Abilities
by Joel
This April marked my 3-year anniversary at Abilities, and looking back, it’s crazy to see how much has changed since my first day. What started as something new and a little scary became a place where I learned cool new skills, made awesome friendships, and grew more confident in myself. It showed me how much new and supportive people can help someone grow.
Even after doing a tour with my sister Sarah, I was still a little nervous when I first walked through the doors, but the staff and people at Abilities made me feel welcome right away. I still remember meeting Services Manager Nicole Ivin for the first time and how she helped me get everything I needed to get started. I also remember how Shartae kindly showed me around and introduced me to people who later became some of my really good friends.
Over the past three years, I’ve had the chance to try different jobs, join fun activities, and be part of exciting community events that gave me great memories. From dressing up as Harry Potter for the Halfway to Halloween celebration, to bringing our pups to the Pickle Run, to line dancing at the Blue Denim Ball, Abilities gave me chances to try new things, have fun, and meet amazing people.
I’ve also really enjoyed being part of The Rockstar’s Choir, and I want to thank Cathy for making that happen every year. It’s something I always look forward to and it gives me the chance to perform, learn music, and be part of something special with everyone at the Festival of Trees.
I’ve also enjoyed learning different jobs and responsibilities, including being part of the cleaning crew, helping with projects like packaging masks and other tasks, and I really love working on the Messina’s project we have now. Every new experience helps me become braver, more independent, and more willing to keep trying new things.
I’m especially thankful for the support and encouragement from my family, my Support Coordinator Krista Cooper, and everyone at Abilities who believed in me and continue cheering me on along the way. I feel proud of how much I’ve learned and accomplished, and I’m excited to keep growing, learning new things, and making even more great memories in the future.
— Joel
Admin
Additional photos can be found by clicking here.
