Chenango
We’re proud to recognize our October Employee of the Month, Day Habilitation Trainer and Residence Aide, Rita Giangarra!
Congratulations, Rita!
Broome
Chenango
Chenango
Ashley is an amazing worker who comes to work every day well-prepared with her craft projects and science experiments ready to go. She always keeps her group active and engaged, while continually being willing to listen to a problem or suggestion. She is willing to step up and take on extra duties without complaint - just a smile and she is good to go!
Ashley is a great team player who not only helps out individuals, but all of her co-workers. She is a very caring, dependable person who is a pleasure to work with every day!
Broome
Broome
Chenango
Suzy took the daytime medical position at North Broad Street and has proven herself indispensable, focusing on the expectations of the nursing staff, management, and outside agencies. She excels at making sure that all policies are followed down to the most intricate detail.
Broome
Broome
Irvelt is a fantastic staff member that truly represents ACHIEVE. His positive energy and passion is felt in everything that he does, whether that's working with individuals in his care, doing a run, or even taking the trash out. He's never without a smile on his face and kindness radiating from him.
Irvelt never hesitates to step in to help someone that is struggling or just needs a little support, and his demeanor and happiness goes a long way towards calming those around him and deescalating difficult situations.
Broome
Lisa is always kind, friendly and makes everyone feel welcomed each and every day, and is a genuine, caring, helpful person who exudes positivity and lives the ACHIEVE Mission.
Lisa has stepped up in many ways during the COVID pandemic; not only in her everyday job duties, but with all the extra tasks she offers to take on, none more important than making sure every person she comes in contact with is having a good day.
Chenango
Jeff Woodard is an amazing asset to this company. He is always willing to help and go above and beyond what is asked of him. Jeff comes to Day Habilitation every morning to do a building check and if we need something, he is more than willing to help us out. Several times we have had issues with car doors being frozen, trouble getting the truck hoods open to fill with washer fluid and needing something to be moved. Jeff does all these things with a smile on his face and never complains. Even when the building flooded and the ceiling tiles collapsed, he made light of the situation and helped us all get through it.
We could not ask for a better team player like Jeff.
Broome
Tori is an amazingly talented employee. She is always enthusiastic to collaborate and helps fine-tune our visions to fruition. She possesses so many great skills that are a tremendous asset to ACHIEVE, including video production, visual graphics, and appreciating staff. Tori is the go-to person we all reach out to when we don’t know what to do. She has shown great leadership qualities as the Chair of the Staff Appreciation Committee, and one can easily see the drive and motivation she consistently displays to recognize and acknowledge the efforts of her coworkers. For all of her efforts of putting others first, she is certainly worthy of recognition herself.
Beyond Tori’s talents, she also is a genuine, beautiful person. She truly cares about her fellow staff, the individuals we support, and our incredible agency. She is universally loved by all who know her, and brightens the day of anyone fortunate enough to cross paths with her.
Chenango
One of the biggest reasons for Chenango Day Habilitation’s success is the fact that we have Sue Benjamin on our team. Sue always puts ACHIEVE staff and individuals above herself and has a great rapport with everyone she is in contact with. Sue is willing to help anyone with learning vital skills for their jobs and provides little hints on how to develop relationships with those we support. Sue is always the first to volunteer for additional duties, committees, events, securing donations, and whenever help is needed. Aside from being a phenomenal staff member, she constantly invests her personal time to help ACHIEVE with various events. Sue is a proud member of the Staff Appreciation Committee and is always finding different ways to make sure all the employees in Norwich feel valued.
Since the start of the pandemic, Sue has been coordinating and helping with the delivery of food and supplies to the IRAs who have sheltered in place. She has also maintained contact with all the families from Day Habilitation to ensure that they are doing well and do not need anything. Sue herself has bought items and delivered them to families in need. She goes above and beyond to make sure that the houses have all the things that they need. Anything that has been needed she has done, without question. She is a tremendous asset to this organization and deserves all the recognition for all the things she does, especially behind the scenes.
Chenango
When we’re in a pinch, there is one staff who we know will be willing to step up and help – Melissa Santiago. Melissa joined the ACHIEVE family in 2019, and has been an absolute asset to the Chenango Day Habilitation Program along with Residential. She has headed many clubs and promoted inclusion and volunteerism within the Day Habilitation Program.
Melissa has an amazing rapport with the individuals, not just at Day Hab in Chenango, but in all of the houses. When a message goes out that coverage is needed, she is the first person to volunteer. Melissa is currently working at our Sterry Drive House, and she hast taken much pride in planning recreational activities to keep the residents engaged during this difficult time.
Melissa is such a sweet person, and you can tell that she truly cares about each and every one of the individuals served. She does an exceptional job every day, and we are proud to call her our coworker. She truly is an asset to ACHIEVE.
Broome
We all faced many challenging times since the start of the pandemic, and one of the greatest stars during the reopening of Day Habilitation is Shannon Westbrook. We had to implement many changes and precautions to ensure the safety of our individuals and staff, and Shannon was the Day Hab Specialist to lead the charge on the On the Pond side of the building.
Shannon would continuously run back and forth between On the Pond and the rest of Day Hab helping anyone that needed it. She greeted staff and individuals coming back to program every day with a smile and kept that smile even when multiple challenges were thrown her way. While there were many uncertainties we had as staff, Shannon was there to answer all our questions and make us feel comfortable. Shannon was TRULY an AMAZING leader helping us get back to Day Programs!
Chenango
Shawna demonstrated strong leadership skills that foster a positive and holistic approached environment for the individuals that we serve. Shawna has compassion and love for the field, starting her work for Arc right out of high-school and has always had a passion for helping others. Shawna has distinguished herself as an incredible leader at the Fowlston IRA and various other IRAs in the past. This past year through her leadership, her team was nominated for Employee Group of Year for their excellence in care that they provide to the residents at the IRA. Shawna Chesebro is not only a wonderful manager but, a great person inside and out.
She has a pure heart, so working in this field comes natural for her. She is so calm and does wonderful when working with the individuals. Shawna goes above and beyond for her staff and individuals and never fails to make you feel appreciated. If you need something, Shawna is so easy to talk to and she never passes judgement. Shawna maintains a calm and professional demeanor, but also knows when it’s time to make someone laugh. Shawna has made working at the Fowlston house an amazing experience and I am thankful that she is our manager. Her strong work ethic has certainly formed Fowlston into the home it is today.
I can truly say I look forward to coming to work every single day, and it’s because of her leadership. Some people say that it is hard to get along with your boss, I can honestly say that speaking for the staff here, it couldn’t be easier. We all have a great respect for Shawna and truly believe that she is a deserving candidate of Employee of the Month.
Broome
When I think of someone who is absolutely selfless, I think of Katie. Katie gave up her life, her health, and her responsibilities, to not work at her own IRA and come work at a COVID positive IRA. Katie is the definition of #ACHIEVEStrong. She is the meaning of WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. Katie is not only a great leader herself but she is professional, supportive, and generous when it comes to the individuals we serve. She has taught me that as long as you put the individual’s health and safety first, everything else will fall into place. I have never met someone so invested in helping others like Katie.
During a really rough week, she has taught me about building up a team and things I can do to improve my own IRA. She has treated the individuals with so much respect and kindness while they are recovering from COVID. Katie was strong when I need a shoulder to cry on and she was there when I needed something funny to get us through the week. The day we found out there were more cases at the IRA, my heart broke but Katie was right there giving support to the individuals and myself. Katie deserves to be recognized for not only risking her health but for choosing to step in when others have stepped out. I will forever be grateful for a peer like Katie and always remember what she did for the individuals and myself.
Chenango
Since the start of the pandemic, many of our staff went above and beyond to ensure we were providing the best services to our individuals – including Courtney Sarpriacone. During this time we were trying to be innovative and provide services in new and different ways to the individuals served. With Day Hab being closed, there were many individuals that were left without any daytime services, and we quickly took action to ensure those that needed services could get them. While we were able to provide Comm Hab to people that previously had not received the service, a lot of work needed to be completed to ensure services were done accurately.
Courtney jumped right in to assist with all of the needed documentation, staffing, schedules, and trainings for staff in order to start providing Comm Hab services. Her help was instrumental in the success of starting Comm Hab services for these individuals. Courtney worked alongside others within the Comm Hab department and was always there to make sure all operations went smoothly. You could easily tell that the interests of the individuals were always in Courtney’s heart and she gave it her all to make sure those she cares for dearly were taking care of during such unprecedented times.
The Employee of the Month program started as a way to recognize one of our remarkable staff each month and honor them for their commitment to the agency. Month after month, we receive countless nominations, and have to make the difficult decision of choosing just one person. This month, however, it quickly became apparent that we cannot choose just one person.
Our Direct Support Professionals, Registered Nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses are the true heroes of ACHIEVE, and are collectively receiving the Employee of the Month recognition for May. It’s astounding to witness the pure dedication our staff possess as our agency and community faces one of the most difficult times in our 68 year history. We’ve had to make quick and difficult adjustments to ensure the safety of those we serve, and this meant our staff needed to make the same adjustments in their own lives. Not only did they step up to the challenge without hesitation, but they continued to reach out and ask how they could help further.
They are the total embodiment of #ACHIEVEProud and are living what it means to be ACHIEVE Strong. Their actions continue to prove that we are not just an organization, but we are a family – and families stick together during difficult times. Thank you again to our Direct Support Professionals, Registered Nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses for all the sacrifices you’ve made over the last month, and for ensuring that the Mission of ACHIEVE continues as we enhance the lives of individuals in our community. You are the reason that we are #ACHIEVEProud, and now more than ever, that we are #ACHIEVEStrong. Congratulations!