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ACHIEVA Informer - Employee Newsletter
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| ACHIEVA is on Facebook and Twitter | |
Please let your family and friends know that ACHIEVA is on Facebook and Twitter.
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| ACHIEVA's 2015 Newsletter | |
Please click here to view the Newsletter.
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| ACHIEVA Informer |
For your convenience, the Communications Department has a link where you can submit story ideas or photos, request updates to the website or reserve items for community events and fairs such as brochures, table covering, banner, display boards, brochures or even some giveaways.
Please check it out by clicking here. Supervisors, please provide access to the ACHIEVA Informer to your staff.
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| Shop ACHIEVA! | |
You can now find all ACHIEVA merchandise online. The
merchandise can be purchased at the South Side office using ACHIEVA bucks, cash or VISA. Click here to view the ACHIEVA online store.
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ACHIEVA Disability Talks on KQV Radio 1410 AM
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ACHIEVA's Disability Talks featured on KQV Radio are available online. Listen in as ACHIEVA staff explain all of the services provided by ACHIEVA and families share their experiences having a loved one with a disability and the years of services and support they have received from ACHIEV
Click here for all three of ACHIEVA's Disability Talks.
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| Sports N'at Tomorrow at Carson City Saloon |
Are you coming? Join us tomorrow, October 27th, at Carson City Saloon, 1401 East Carson Street, South Side, for an evening of food, drinks and fun in support of ACHIEVA. Along with an amazing Pittsburgh sports auction, Bill Crawford from the WDVE Morning Show will host Pittsburgh trivia with a chance to win great prizes. All monies raised at this event will help to pay for supports when families don't qualify for other assistance; create and expand services; and sustain programs that don't receive other funding.
Some autographed memorabilia items in the auction include: jersey by Gerrit Cole; hockey helmet by Evgeni Malkin; baseball from Clint Hurdle; football helmet by Heath Miller; baseball bat by Neil Walker; football by Cameron Heyward; jersey by Antonio Brown and much more.
Buy your tickets online, contact Jamie Rhoades at 412.995.5000 x526 or email
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| Sports Memorabilia |
Celebrate the start of the holiday season by shopping for  memorabilia that will take items off your gift list and benefit ACHIEVA, too!
Click here and and shop for certified authentic sports collectibles from exclusive memorabilia, the provider for many of the top Pittsburgh sports athletes.
Ten percent of each purchase made through this link only will be donated to ACHIEVA!
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| Special Olympics of Westmoreland County |
  Recently, several individuals in ACHIEVA/The Arc of Westmoreland's Vocational program golfed at Special Olympics of Westmoreland County. These four champions each received medals at the Norvelt County Club for their golfing skills.
Left photo: Jason, Joey, Coach Sharon Greene, Kevin and Mark.
Right photo: Kevin wearing his medal.
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| Children's Picnic at Hempfield Park | |
ACHIEVA/The Arc of Westmoreland's Early Intervention picnic was held in September at Hempfield Park in Greensburg. Over 100 people attended this annual and enjoyable event.
Children and their families had fun in the bounce house, making bracelets, creating tool boxes as a craft from Home Depot, playing in a sensory table filled with bird seed, receiving tattoos and keeping the balloon man busy making all sorts of balloon creations. There was plenty of delicious food and everyone had fun saying they are looking forward to next year's picnic!
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Bene-bits
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From the Human Resources Department
There is good news for employees who have children enrolled in ACHIEVA's health plan. On
July 1, 2015, UPMC Health Plan changed its process for covering children attending school or residing outside the western Pennsylvania service area.
All dependent members up to age 26 (regardless of student status) will be covered at the highest level of benefits for eligible services when they use providers that participate in our national network through Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS) or Medical Mutual of Ohio (MMO) or obtain services at a student health center. This applies for all commercial group products sold by UPMC Health Plan (EPO, PPO, HMO, etc.). There are no member specific notification requirements needed from the employer or the employee.
Note that certain services require a prior authorization and those requirements will remain in force.
As always, true emergencies are covered at the highest level of benefits for all UPMC Health Plan members. Members can search the online provider directory at
www.upmchealthplan.com/find. Enter the city or zip code where care is needed, then select "Coverage Through Your Employer" under "Coverage Type". Scroll down to see the buttons "Care in Ohio" or "Care Outside of Western PA. and Ohio". If you do not have Internet access, call Member Services at the telephone number on the back of the member ID card.
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Employee Appreciation Banquet Update
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From the Internal Marketing Team
Congratulations to the Internal Marketing Team for another successful  Employee Appreciation Banquet. This year's banquet was held at Edgewood Country Club on Saturday, October 24, 2015 with 170 employees and their guests in attendance.
The following were honored for achieving 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service with ACHIEVA at the beautiful Edgewood Country Club.
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Annual Awards of Excellence
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From the Communications Department
The Annual Awards of Excellence will be held on Monday, December 7, 2015 at the Sheraton, Station Square, Pittsburgh. The ACHIEVA Awards of Excellence honors a group of extraordinary and talented individuals, organizations and community groups who go above and beyond on behalf of people with disabailities.
The 2015 committee consisted of Helen Aldisert, Nancy Green and Lisa Silverman. Nancy Murray was the facilitator.
2015 Awardees:
Excellence in Advocacy - Aurelia Carter-Scott
Excellence in Community Awareness - Rebecca Stern
Excellence in Employment - Health Care Services Group
Excellence in Family Supports - Elaine M. Cole
Excellence in Legislation - U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Yvonne Zanos Excellence in Media - Halle Stockton
Excellence in Professional Service - Drs. Roy & Matthew Lanz
Excellence in Volunteerism - Maggie Root
Tony Leech Award - Ryan Cenk
Sattler Humanitarian Award - Dorothy Horvath
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| Subscribe to your ACHIEVA Informer | |
Your ACHIEVA Informer has updates on ACHIEVA fundraising events, employee events such as Kennywood Day and the Annual Employee Appreciation Banquet as well as new hires, service anniversaries, birthdays, updates from the Human Resources and IT departments and important communications from within the agency.
And, we now have a link where you can sign up for the Informer. It will still be sent to those that have an ACHIEVA email address, but you can receive it at your personal email address.
Click here to subscribe to the Informer. You will be required to enter your first and last name and personal email address. Privacy is important to us; therefore, ACHIEVA does not sell, rent or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at 412.995.5000 x420 or pwatson@achieva.info.
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New Hires!
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Congratulations to our new hires!
| Thomas Barnhart | Community Homes Supervisor | Residential Supports | | Greg Benzy | Trust Assistant | Family Trust | | Samantha Boyle | Program Specialist | Vocational Supports | | Tracy Campbell | Counselor | A Home of My Own | | Craig Caro | Crew Manager | Vocational Supports | | Desiree Critcher | Protective Services Caseworker | Protective Services | | Patricia DeStefano | Home Care&Com Hab Provider | Home Care | | Alonte Griffin | Advisor | Residential Supports | | Tyler Leitza | Home Care Provider II | Home Care | | Brittany Lilac | Residential Counselor | Residential Supports | | Robert Penn | Driver/Advisor | Residential Supports | | Lorie Surgent | Home Care & Community Hab Provider | Home Care | | Lindsay Wallace | Home Care Provider | Home Care | | Sayfenmea Williamson | Family & Community Worker | Parenting Education |
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Welcome to ACHIEVA's team!
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Service Anniversaries!
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Congratulations!
Please click here for the November service anniversaries. |
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Birthdays!
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Happy Birthday to each of you on your special day!
Please click here for the November birthdays.
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Winners of the Good Attendance Raffle (GAR)
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Congratulations to our winners of the October 2015 Good Attendance Raffle:
Diane Edgar, Floor Supervisor, Vocational Department
Kim Nickel, Floor Supervisor, Residential Department
Caroline Olds, Human Resources Generalist, Human Resources Department
James Zehler, Overnight Advisor, Residential Department
Diane, Kim, Caroline and James each won $125!
Click here to view the complete list. |
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Winners of the Yearly Good Attendance Raffle
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Congratulations to our winners of the Yearly Good Attendance Raffle. Names were drawn at the Employee Appreciation Banquet at Edgewood Country Club.Ashley Alexander, Advisor, Residential DepartmentJennifer Campise, Physical Therapist, Early Intervention DepartmentGary Debar, Plant Manager, Vocational DepartmentAndrew Kight, Clerical Aide, Administration DepartmentKimberly Parnell, Advisor, Residential DepartmentBrian White, Floor Supervisor, Vocational Department Ashley, Jennifer, Gary, Andrew, Kimberly and Brian each won $500!
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| Future Planning Legal Clinic |
Future Planning Legal Clinic on Tuesday, November 3, 2015 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at ACHIEVA, 711 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, 15203.
Local attorneys who are experienced in special needs planning for families of individuals with disabilities will be available for 30 minute appointments** during which they can help you develop a preliminary future planning strategy. The purpose of the clinic is to provide individuals with disabilities and their families a no-cost initial consultation after which they are free to schedule a follow up appointment with the attorney in order to have the appropriate documents drafted.
Please contact Abby Hile at 412.995.5000 x414 or ahile@achieva.info to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated.
Please consider taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to plan for you and your family's future. ACHIEVA has free and accessible off-street parking at its South Side office. Click here for the flyer.
** If you are an employee of ACHIEVA, please check with your supervisor before scheduling during your working hours at ACHIEVA.
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| See You at the Polls on November 3 | |
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 - General Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
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| Family Life Fund Event to Benefit ACHIEVA's Parenting Education Program |
Family Life Fund is having "A Sweet Gesture 2016 Casino Royale" on February 13, 2016 at the Fairmont Hotel, Pittsburgh. Proceeds from this event will benefit ACHIEVA's Parenting Education Program, the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh and the Family Life Fund.
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| ACHIEVA Teams up with Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon |
Join Team ACHIEVA at the 2016 Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday, May 1, 2016 and help ACHIEVA raise funds to support kids and adults with disabilities in southwestern Pennsylvania. To sign up for Team ACHIEVA, click here and choose to run the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 5K or Kid's Marathon. You'll get your own fundraising page to share with all your family and friends.
To search for a Team ACHIEVA runner and make a donation to their cause, use the search field to find the individual's fundraising page. To make a general donation click on the large Donate button.
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| Insuring the Future of ACHIEVA |
Have you ever considered the possibility of making a more significant donation to ACHIEVA? For many families and supporters this probably sounds impossible, but it may be easier than you think. When we were young and concerned about an uncertain future, many of us bought life insurance as a hedge against a situation that could devastate our young family. Life insurance was a tool that provided financial security for our loved ones' future. As time passed and we built a "nest eg", we found that the importance of life insurance shrinks. The kids grow up and become independent, we build a retirement plan and some of us may have invested in real estate and/or financial investments that provide security for our remaining years.
Even if we have a family member with a disability, many of us created a special needs trust to ensure they are cared for without it affecting other financial needs that our families have. Therefore, the life insurance policies that were paid for over many years can now serve as a great way to give a gift of value that may not be needed by your family. Please take a few moments to think about whether you too might be able to make a gift of a life insurance policy to ACHIEVA. It's an easy gift to make, it simply requires adding a beneficiary or changing the ownership on an existing policy. If the policy is already paid up, there would be no additional cost for making a very special gift that will benefit future generations of people with disabilities and their families who will continue to be served by ACHIEVA. To discuss a gift of life insurance or another special gift, please contact Dave Tinker at 412-995-5000 x436 or dtinker@achieva.info.
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| Donate that Clunker! | |
Do you have an old car that you want to get rid of? You could consider donating it to The Arc of the United States before the end of the year and take a tax break and help pepople with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) at the same time.
Simply call 1.877.272.2270 or click here for an online form and a representative will make arrangements to pick upo or tow the vehicle, sell it at auction and deliver the cash proceeds directly to The Arc. |
| Give Back with Smile.Amazon | |
You can give back to ACHIEVA from the comfort of your own home. Just visit
www.smile.amazon.com, search for ACHIEVA and select it as your charity.
You can then shop as you normally would and ACHIEVA will receive 0.5 percent of the total amount that you purchased. Items will have the words "Eligible for Amazon Smile donation" in the product description.
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ACHIEVA and its family of organizations - an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)
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ACHIEVA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, ancestry, age, national origin, genetic information, veteran status or sexual orientation. ACHIEVA further prohibits discrimination based on an individual's gender identity or expression.
ACHIEVA maintains an open and equitable personnel system. Employment policies, procedures and practices are designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, ancestry, age, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identify or expression.
ACHIEVA provides employment opportunities for applicants with disabilities and reasonable accommodation(s) are made to meet the physical or mental disabilities of qualified employees and applicants.
Mission Statement
ACHIEVA supports and empowers individuals with disabilities and their families.
Vision Statment
ACHIEVA envisions a community where disability is a distinction that makes no difference.
www.achieva.info
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