Entries from Advocates' Art Exhibit, held each year in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. | |
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NAMI MetroWest will present a free MassHealth seminar for those dealing with Mental Health issues on Thursday, January 20th from 7p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham Union Hospital in the Perini Conference Room.
Deaf Services will hold an ASL Silent Soup Competition and Brown Bag Lunch on January 25th from 12 to 2 p.m. at our Advocates office at 1881 Worcester Road, Framingham.
Advocates and The Transformation Center will co-host "Speaking of Hope," a presentation about mental health recovery on Friday, January 28th from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at our Advocates office at 1881 Worcester Road, Framingham.
Advocates' South Coastal Family Support Center will host a Winter Carnival for its member families on Saturday, January 29th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Parish, 44 School Street, Quincy.
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Advocates Celebrates the Holidays
The holiday season is a special time here at Advocates where we celebrate the generosity of giving and gathering with friends and loved ones. This year, with the help of employees, supporters, board members and vendors, Advocates ensured that its community enjoyed a memorable time of year.
Several of Advocates programs celebrated this season with special holiday meals thanks to generous donors and volunteers. The Sisterhood of Temple Beth Am provided hot dinners with all the fixings to four Framingham group homes. SCS Building Maintenance donated funds for the residents of group homes in Ashland and Newton to have a special feast.
Members of Advocates Developmental Disabilities Division joined Greater Framingham Self-Advocates Together, Advocates, Inc. and Keefe Technical High School for their annual holiday celebration. Many individuals, staff and students enjoyed socializing, dancing, music, arts and crafts, tasty food and, of course, Santa Claus. Special thanks to Matt Warren of Keefe Technical High School for his leadership and organization of the event.
The grand opening of Advocates newest location, 1881 Worcester Road in Framingham, was celebrated by employees, individuals Advocates serves and friends at a festive open house. Thanks to employee volunteers and the detailed organization of Amy Morgan, Nikki Mottla, Susan Nathan and Barbara Banks, guests were awed by beautiful winter décor and plenty of food to enjoy.
Highlights of the afternoon included a live music performance by Peer Specialists Sam Acre and Jason Scolnick, the professional women's a cappella group The Copley Cats and an award ceremony honoring Advocates' supporters Sam Swisher, retired Town of Framingham Planner, Mario Mummolo of Sanbolic, Greg Susco of Telamon, Marilyn Santiago and Dave Cannon of Parsons Commercial Group, Paul Mina of United Way of Tri-County, Chris Ross of Housing or All and Dena Stetson and Laurie Schneider of the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Am.
 1881 Worcester Road was decorated with shimmering snowflakes and ornaments. |
Aritst Profile: Megan Rasbold-Gabbard
 
(Left) Forsynthia is featured in Advocates' 2011 Art Calendar. (Right) The Purple Flower is featured in Advocates' 2010 Art Calendar.
Emerging from the short, green strokes, thin brown stems branch out to unveil bright, sunshine yellow petals. With pops of vibrant orange, a glimpse of blue sky peeks between each opening of the early spring bloom.
This beautiful, water color depiction of a forsythia bush was intricately painted by Megan Rasbold-Gabbard. Her piece received the most votes in Advocates' 2010 Art Exhibit and is appropriately featured as the March artwork in our new 2011 Art Calendar.
Megan first began painting during a summer program in middle school, and by high school established that water colors were her preference. She mostly paints flowers and outdoor scenes. "Painting creates a calmness in me and is a way of communicating my perception of the world," Megan has said about her art.
Born with cerebral palsy and little sight, Megan applies each delicate stroke with the assistance of a partner who stabilizes and positions her arm according to Megan's direction. Megan's mother Ruth Ann says that it is difficult for someone to paint with her daughter, because they "want to guide her hand but she just needs someone to stabilize her."
Megan's art has been featured in the art calendar for the past four years, since she joined the Advocates community through a unique partnership. After struggling for years to find a support system that met Megan's needs and goals, she and her family turned to Advocates. Together, the family and Advocates staff developed an individualized model of support that coincides with Megan's abilities and allows Megan and her family to be at the center of all decision making.
A 2003 graduate of Newton North High School, Megan lived in her own apartment for several years but returned to her family's home in Newton after suffering a medical setback last year. Since then Megan has made much progress rebuilding her strength and has recently begun painting again.
You can enjoy more art by Megan and other Advocates artists in our 2011 Art Calendar. Email Francesca Santoro at fsantoro@AdvocatesInc.org to get your copy. |
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Advocates Supporters Make Holiday Wishes Come True
Advocates would like to thank all who contributed to our Holiday Gift Drive. Through the generosity of employees, board members, corporate supporters, vendors, the United Way and friends of Advocates we were able to fulfill holiday wishes for over 600 clients.
Parsons Commercial Group donated holiday gift funds and collected nearly 100 new sets of hats and gloves through their company-wide drive, benefitting over 300 individuals.
Telamon Insurance Network held a "Donate to wear your jeans to work" day to provide holiday gifts for over 50 adults and families who otherwise would have gone without. They also conducted a holiday decoration drive to distribute festive decor to Advocates homes and programs.
The United Way of Tri-County donated gift cards for over 200 group home residents in the Tri-County area.
Advocates also recognizes and thanks the following for their generous contributions: Beautifica Day Spa, Embassy Cinema, Marla Taub Design, American Cleaning Co., Inc., Apothecare South Shore, Inc., Cadwell Company, Inc., Flanigan & Cotillo, Kraft Tire and Auto, L/R Construction, Peterson Party Center, Reimer & Braunstein, Under Pressure Power Washing, Weng Corporation, Clean All Over and Village Bank.
We deeply appreciate all who donated gifts and funds to the Holiday Gift Drive and made the holiday season special for individuals in need served by Advocates.
 
(Left) Jen Maseda of United Way of Tri-County and (Right) Greg Susco of Telamon Insurance Network receive awards for their contributions to the holiday gift drive. |
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Advocates Employees Brave Mother Nature
In less than a month, New England has been buried by two major Nor'easters. The State of Emergencies placed upon Massachusetts and the harsh travel conditions created serious challenges for our residential programs requiring 24-hour staffing. Many Advocates employees went above and beyond their designated duties during the December and January blizzards to answer the call.
Residential staff members demonstrated their extraordinary dedication by working well over their scheduled hours, staying overnight, supporting residents alone, hand shoveling fire exits and parking areas, and leaving home several hours prior from their shift start to be on time.
President and CEO Bill Taylor personally thanked these individuals for their efforts. "On behalf of all of Advocates I want to declare my admiration, appreciation and gratitude to all those who fought highly unusual circumstances to do their jobs. Human service workers are a special caring force in the world."
Many employees made these exceptional efforts not only to provide care for residents, but also to make sacrifices for their coworkers. Among them are:
Ronda Mothersell Andrew Kalule
Fergus Kabiswa Estomichi Merisali
Stephen Taku Jumba Lule
Anthony Yoffe Kathy Spencer
Angie Geraci Ellen White
Andrea and Nancy from Winward Christine Terrelonge Files
Cynthia Nicolas Simon Gichanga
Paul Mathinji James Kamau
Christopher Mwichigi James Votaw
Mary Anna Dymek Ebenezer Boateng
Elsie Goyette Chantal Jean
Angella Bukko Fidellis Carter
Ibriham Jabbie Shane Sidebotham
Kevin Ahern Paul Paro
Edine Noisette Charmaine Stephenson
Tina McFarland-Rodrigues Paul Gitaka
Alice Ahrin Larry Tiah
Edwin Oyomire Front Street Staff
Hubert Dalexis Rena Dunton
Kianna Stephenson Sarah Parsons
Linsfort Francois Jack Alfred
Marie Dorcely Vero Gipson
William Wagumbulizi Mike Match
Dominique Ellison Viviane Mubiru
Stacy Connolly
And everyone else in the Advocates community who worked their scheduled shifts and beyond during this inclement weather.
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Advocates' mission is to help people achieve their hopes and dreams within the fabric of their communities. We partner with people with disabilities, elders, and those with other challenges to overcome personal obstacles and societal barriers so that they can obtain and keep homes, engage in work and other meaningful activities, and sustain satisfying relationships. We work to inspire communities to create opportunities for contribution and participation by all.
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