enAble of Georgia News & Events, January 2011

enAble Foundation Logo minus tagline

Supporting People with Special Needs

to Lead Fulfilled Lives

News & Events

January 2011

A Message from Our Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Cecelia "Cec" Camp

Executive Director

enAble of Georgia, Inc.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and hope 2011 is going to be as exciting for others as it is going to be for enAble.

In September, enAble's Board of Directors and the Leadership Team participated in a series of strategic planning sessions led by Dr. Jim Crupi of Strategic Leadership Solutions, Inc. These sessions provided us the opportunity to review our current situation and have some heart-to-heart discussions about our strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities.

All of this lead to the development a 10-year Strategic Plan that was initially drafted by Board member Lynn Brantley, reviewed by the full Board at its October meeting, and finalized and approved by the Executive Committee on December 15.

All About enAble's 23rd Annual GALA

Antiques & Collectibles Appraisal Extravaganza

Have your items appraised by an antiques and collectibles aficionado during enAble's first ever "Antiques & Collectibles Appraisal Extravaganza" on Saturday, January 29, 2011 from 12 Noon to 5 PM at enAble's Day Services Center in Roswell (1200 Old Ellis Road). This appraisal event will be held in conjunction with enAble's 23rd Annual GALA (Saturday, March 12) which will feature a "vintage" section. You can have three items appraised for only $20 if you pre-register for this event online! If you pay at the door, the fee is $25 per three items appraised. Each additional item will be appraised for $10. Please note that enAble cannot offer assistance in unloading or loading large or heavy items. If there's anything you don't wish to keep, feel free to donate it to enAble of Georgia Foundation!

Volunteer Spotlight - Erica Dumpel

Erica at enAble's 2009 GALA

Looking backward through a camera lens at Erica Dumpel, we see her as a volunteer taking candid photographs at nearly all enAble events. Looking further, we see Erica is not only a volunteer of twenty-five plus years at enAble, but also a vendor of same. This vendor gives back her time, talent, and treasure.

Erica's insurance brokerage company, Czajkowski Dumpel & Associates, Inc. in Norcross, began working with enAble when there were only four enAble office staff. "I've enjoyed watching enAble staff grow from four to what it is today at 170," states Erica.

Person Served Spotlight - John David

John at enAble's 2010 GALA

John David has been served by enAble since August 1988. His parents, John and Marian, have been longtime supporters of the agency and were instrumental in its formation along with other family members. John currently resides at our Grimes Place home with his housemates Evan, Kenneth, and Matthew. He is quite well-known in the community and is affectionately nicknamed the "Other Mayor of Roswell." He knows so many people that wherever he goes, he's bound to see a familiar face and shake a hand or give a hug.

John volunteers during the week at North Fulton Community Charities where he helps other volunteers and staff there collect donated items from the public. He enjoys being out in the community and pitching in to help however he is needed.

How We Used Our Gala Auction Purchase

Wayne & Julia at enAble's 2010 GALA

Wayne and Julia Scruggs were the winning bidders for a stay at the "Big Easy," a 5 bedroom, 4 bath beach house with a heated pool located in Rosemary Beach, FL. The rental was generously donated by Randy Rodden, Jr. The Scruggses also won the auction bid for the trip to San Diego, CA with 2-day accommodations at the fabulous Indigo Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, and a pair of AirTran Business Class tickets. This package was donated by InterContinental Hotels Group and AirTran.

Rosemary Beach, FL

We and three other invited couples flew into the new Panama City airport for a week's vacation to celebrate Wayne's birthday. The next day the city hosted a magnificent Seafood and Wine Tasting Music Festival. We bought trinkets from the booths, danced, and ate until our hearts were content. After our daily morning walk on the breathtaking beach, each day posed new adventures.

Spread the Word

Please spread the word about the great work happening at enAble to your family, friends, and associates by forwarding this newsletter.

www.enablega.org

Project JUMO

IHG Shannon

"Jumo" is a West African word meaning "together in concert," and at enAble it will be the defining characteristic of our new volunteer program, ably led by Lindsey Yeager.

The first phase of Jumo will be enAble staff coming together to envision our volunteer needs (current, future, sporadic, seasonal) and how they might be filled by volunteers.

GoodSearch and GoodShop

GoodSearch is a Yahoo! powered search engine launched in 2005 that donates 50% of its sponsored search revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. The money GoodSearch donates to your preferred cause comes from its advertisers - the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!