Entries from Advocates' Art Exhibit, held each year in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. | |
|
|
Upcoming Events
 | |
Register online. |
Register now for the
Jack Gives Back Charity Golf Scramble on August 19th
benefiting the Autism Alliance of MetroWest and the Fred
Gaspari Fund for Families;
both programs of Advocates.
Thank you to our current tournament sponsors:
 
 
  
Chris Sanders
Eric, Gretchen and Will McCoy
Vincent, Antonietta & Sofia Caputo
Applied Behavioral Associates
Ken Bates
Chris Hubbard
Leslie Bois
The Friendship Network for Children
Stretch What Matters
MetroWest Engineering, Inc.
Corcoran and Havlin Insurance Group
LoJack
Dr. Mel Ehrlich
RPJ
Golfers Warehouse
Myra O'Dette
A special thank you to the Brickley and Winters Family for all your hard work to host and make this special event possible.
Mark your calendars for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Conference on September 16-17.  | |
Register online. |
Join us for a Deaf Awareness Celebration on Friday, September 23rd.
|
|
Your Support Continues to Impact Lives
Thank you to all of our generous donors this summer season. Because of you, the families who visit Advocates Community Counseling (ACC) in Marlborough are greeted by a colorful, child-friendly environment. Clinicians were able to transform the family reception area into a familiar and welcoming place for visiting children and their parents. Learn more in our latest edition of
Thanks to you!
You Make Every Season Special
Through your support, we were thrilled to offer an internal grant opportunity this past spring for Advocates programs called the Enrichment Grant. This summer, awarded programs are gratefully fulfilling their goals to enrich and enhance their quality of life.
 | |
Lori Newell and Melissa Paddock enjoy swimming in
Lake Winthrop. |
Advocates' Mayflower Road program used their Enrichment Grant to purchase a Lake Winthrop pass where residents with Prader-Willi Syndrome can relax and swim safely in a private environment. According to Cheryl LeBlanc, Program Manager, "For most residents swimming is the easiest and most relaxing form of exercise for them."
The Enrichment Grant allows Advocates Elder Community Care (ECC) to provide yoga and meditation resources to help seniors improve their physical and mental health. Lynn Kerner, LICSW, Program Manager, says, "Mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety and improve coping skills."
 | |
Cory Johnson aboard the Batman themed rollercoaster at Six Flags |
Advocates' Upland Road used their Enrichment Grant to travel to Six Flags to build community integration. According to Brendon Castle, CPRP, Clinical Program Manager, "This trip provided another opportunity to access the community in a recreational way, to practice social interactions and to build camaraderie with each other."
|
|
|
Drug Court Team:
Using Technology to Save Lives
The Ayer Concord Drug Court Program (ACDCP) Team continually seeks innovative, cost effective and clinically successful ways to meet the needs of drug court participants. Last year, Kerin Raymond, Clinical Director and Massachusetts State Wide Drug Court Coordinator, Hilary Curtis, Ph.D., Ayer Concord Drug Court Program Director and Judge J. Michael Brooks, Region 4 Administrative Judge Commonwealth of Massachusetts, partnered with the University of Wisconsin, Madison in a pilot project using smart phones to support drug court participants in their recovery. The technology was successful in allowing participants, to reach out for help with impulses and cravings to use substances, obtain support from peers and access recovery resources. One participant said,
"I ended up slipping and I wanted to die. I threw that on the
board (discussions on the smart phone) and it saved my life... I didn't
think I was going to get any support. The whole drug court team
supported me and told me to come in, had an immediate group. If it
wasn't for that, and for the phone that I had at the time, I probably
wouldn't be talking right now."
ACDCP applied for a SAMHSA grant to continue funding for the smart phone program.
Members of the Drug Court team have presented their evidence-based practices at several conferences this year and will also be presenting at the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals this September in Boston.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
QUICK LINKS
Advocates, Inc.
DID YOU KNOW?
Advocates Day Habilitation program in Ashland maintains a plot in the Ashland Community Gardens. Check out how they enjoy their summer gardening in this MetroWest Daily News story.
|
|
