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The Board of Directors for Henderson Haven met at
an all day retreat in August to make plans for the
coming year. The retreat included a restructure of
our Board activity as well as plans for the future
direction of the organization.
The Henderson Haven Board of Directors
are:
Back row(l to r): Lee Henderson-President, Bobbi Nagle, Rory Eggers, Jon Thrasher- Treasurer Front row(l to r): Pat Stuart, Sherri Henderson-Vice President, Dorita McDonald, Bridgete Watkins-Secretary Not Pictured: Fran Watkins Thanks to our Board's involvement, you're going to
see a lot happening down the road. From annual
events to strategic changes in the way we provide
our services, there's a new excitement building.
Bringing choice and inclusion to everyone in
Northeast Florida has always been and will be our
mission. Our New Board is dedicated to making sure
this mission is fulfilled by incorporating new and
inspiring ways to make it a reality. If you see one of
our Directors, stop them and ask about our services
and
plans. Then thank them for giving their time and
knowledge to help our organization.
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One of the issues in keeping with our mission of
providing all of our services in the communities we
serve has been making sure all staff are kept up to
date on training and certifications, as well as
providing ongoing support and supervision. While
quarterly staff meetings will continue, we felt that
more was needed to insure the services being
provided are to our standards.
The first step in this process has been to develop a
staff resources area on our web site. This area will
contain online training presentations, certifications,
and exams. This system will allow staff to
receive instruction in a more timely manner, enable
us to ensure competency, and will also
make it possible to make immediate changes to
instruction or policies as needed.
The second step is to create a new position in our
organization to help mentor staff and families in the
field. The staff in these mentor positions will
schedule time to be present when
services are being provided. They will be able to
provide immediate feedback to the CTAs and family
about how to help make sure the goals and choices
of the individual being served are met, and how the
direct services are being provided and what could be
improved. These visits will not take the place of
supervisory follow-up visits. They will enhance them
by allowing supervisor visits to concentrate on the
families and individuals receiving the services, getting
their feedback on services, and discussing other
needs
in the home and what we can do to help.
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It could be argued that one of our most important
programs financed by charity dollars is the
Advocacy program. Advocacy can take many
forms:informing people of programs
available in the area; assisting an individual get on
the list to receive state support; helping
parents
prepare for and understand their child's IEP and then
accompanying them to help them feel supported in
the
process. The importance of our advocacy program is
seen in the faces of those we help.
The most requested advocacy service is IEP
assistance. This process can be overwhelming to
parents trying to make sure their child is receiving
the best possible education. By working alongside
the families in expressing their wishes and assisting
the schools in developing new ideas and approaches,
we're able to promote a sense of teamwork and
cooperation. We do all this at no charge to the
families or the schools. It's important to us that
everyone get as early a start as possible in making
their own life choices.
Take Erika (pictured). Erika's parents contacted
Henderson Haven because they felt that she was not
making the progress she could at school. They were
concerned that the school seemed to be focusing on
Erika's negative behaviors and not her abilities. By
participating in her IEP, Henderson Haven was able to
learn that the school was having problems with
Erika's transition from one
activity to another and adapting to change. By
developing a schedule
board specifically for Erika, we were able to give
Erika a way to express her choices and remove some
of her frustration. Now Erika's not only setting her
daily schedule for home and school, she's in charge
of making
sure her class calendar is updated daily. She's
making great progress and enjoying her school days.
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In our continuing effort to meet our mission of
enabling the people we serve to remain in their
communities, schools and homes, we are taking our
services to a new level. We're not quite ready for an
official announcement yet, but be assured that we
are going to change the face of support services.
We'll keep you posted as we move forward and you'll
be the first to know the whole story once we're
ready to make it official. In the meantime, just know
that your involvement with our organization is going
to make great changes for the families and individuals
we serve.
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Henderson Haven is once again participating in the
Simon Evening of Giving. This event
allows you to
enjoy an evening of Christmas shopping with no
crowds, special pricing, and door prizes. This special
night will be held on Sunday, November 19th at the
Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, and only those
holding tickets will be able to attend.
Each ticket is only $10.00, of which $7.00 goes
straight to Henderson Haven with the remaining
$3.00
going to The Simon Youth Foundation. To get your
ticket, simply contact any Henderson Haven staff or
Director. Or, you can request your tickets by email
by clicking the link below.
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I hope that you have found this newsletter enlightening. Please feel free to pass it along to anyone you think would enjoy it by clicking on the link below. Many people have asked what we mean by the The Butterfly Effect. The meaning comes from a 1972 talk given by Edward Lorenz to the American Association for the Advancement of Science describing the chaos theory titled, "Does The Flap Of A Butterfly's Wings In Brazil Set Off A Tornado In Texas." In other words, the ripples of a very small change can make a huge difference down the road. That's why we use the butterfly as our logo. The small changes we're making in the lives of those we serve can make a huge difference in the lives of everyone down the road. Dreams, no matter how small, can ripple out into certainty.
Sincerely,
Lee Henderson
Henderson Haven, Inc.
email:
info@hendersonhaven.org
phone:
904-264-2522
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