About LIFE |
Living Independently Forever, Inc., is a non-profit organization that has served adults with learning disabilities within its condominium communities on Cape Cod, Massachusetts since 1993. Residents have joined the LIFE community from many areas of our country and beyond. LIFE's professional staff is dedicated to the goal of encouraging each resident's aspirations, strengths and abilities. LIFE provides support and resources in the areas of vocation, education, social/community involvement and daily living. LIFE is a thriving community, whose residents live full and productive lives.For more information about LIFE, please call:Diane Enochs, Executive Directorat 508-790-3600or email Diane here.
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| Our Board Members | |
William G. McKelvey, Chairperson
JoAnn Simons,
Vice Chairperson
Peter Capernaros, Secretary
Trustees:
Peter Barrett
Jody Bellows
Peter Bowman
Pamela Dempsey
Jill Edelson
Nancy Jones
David Leary
Joseph Reardon
Stephen Rothenberg
Kathy Titus
Dick Weir
FALL Events:
Oct 18 - Costume Dance
Oct 19 - Chris Sturz Dedication
Oct 20 - Special Olympics Soccer Qualifiers
Oct 27 - Hay Ride
Oct 31 - Halloween!!
Get your orders in!
Our very own entrepreneur in residence is at it again this year, Elizabeth Bowman is now accepting orders for her holiday greeting card collection. Download the full brochure and order form here.
LIFE Snapshots:
         
    
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With the hustle and bustle of the summer season now officially over, our residents and staff are ready to enjoy the cool crisp air that comes with the fall on Cape Cod. Here's a glance at what we've been up to these last few weeks, and stay tuned for much more news as fall doesn't mean we're slowing down at LIFE!
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Activities
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Our very own LIFE Soccer team goes Pro!
LIFE was chosen by Special Olympics to represent Team Massachusetts in an exhibition soccer game against team New Jersey following the New England Revolution/NY Bulls pro game on October 5th at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.
LIFE players tied the NJ Unified Bulls team 1 to 1 in a well executed 30 minute game (2 15 min periods) on a really warm, humid night. The team played with a lot of intensity and had a blast.
Jace LaPlant was outstanding as the goalie, stopping many difficult shots. Mike Shapiro and Liz Dale had many great shots that had the crowd cheering. Kevin Nickerson, Jon Derr, and Josh Edelson played terrific defense while Alex Cohen and Jill Connell were hustling all over the field. The pro players and coaches congratulated the hard working team after the game. The group represented LIFE, Special Olympics Mass and the New England Revolution in the best way possible. Players received medals and full uniforms to keep.
Major League Soccer hosted our team in the very impressive W hotel in Hoboken. We were also able to take a bus tour of New York City, going through Times Square, China Town, past Ground Zero, the new Freedom Tower and down 5th Avenue. We ate late lunch at Planet Hollywood, and returned to New England on Sunday via the train. It was an amazing weekend!
For more activity information, download our calendars! |
| LIFE Welcomes New Residents |
Erin Bressler joined us in August from Atlanta, GA. She's a recent graduate of Riverview and so far has been enjoying many of the swimming and art activities that happen in Hyannis. She's also a master beader, and creates beautiful earrings, lanyards, purse hangers, salad servers and more. Erin sells her work at craft fairs with her mom, and they give half of the proceeds to charities that help children. Erin says she uses the other half to buy more beads! Erin even has an artist shanty reserved for next year in Hyannis where she'll sell her goods locally. Welcome, Erin!
Allison Quinn is from Weston, MA and has been at LIFE since mid-September. Allison is LIFE's first Special Olympics swimmer which we are all very excited about. When she's not in the pool Allison enjoys keeping up with her friends on Facebook, and listening to her favorite music--Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers. She says, "LIFE is great, I like it." She also enjoys spending time with her mom, dad and two sisters. Welcome, Allison! Jacob Bergstein came to LIFE a month ago and has settled in quickly... Jacob is from Chappaqua, NY and graduated from Riverview last spring. He's enjoying meeting everyone at LIFE and likes going on the Hyannis walks with Kim (and Cinnamon!). Jacob also participates in the Community Meal with Jean. He's our local computer guru and has started a job at Secure Networks, and also works at Riverview whenever they have computer needs. He's interested in working on websites and also enjoys relaxing in front of the TV. Welcome, Jacob! Olivia Raulerson comes from Danvers, MA and arrived at LIFE in early September. She went to Riverview and attends Project Search and works Café Riverview. When she's not working or visiting with her new friends, she enjoys dancing and swimming, in fact, she likes swimming so much that she wants to start a LIFE swim team! She is happy at LIFE but said she also looks forward to visits from her mom, dad and brother. Welcome, Olivia! |
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New Director in Hyannis
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LIFE is happy to welcome Amanda Dana as our new director of supported independent living in Hyannis. Amanda Dana is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and has previously worked at the Kennedy Donovan Center and Seven HIlls. She was born and raised on the Cape and now lives in Cotuit with her family, including two young children. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and making jewelry. Amanda says, "LIFE is an amazing place--the independence of the residents is so impressive and the staff all seem very warm and welcoming. I'm happy to join the community here." We couldn't be happier, either. Welcome, Amanda!
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Fitness News
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Congratulations to our Summer Sizzler Winners: Abby, Brooke, Jace, Jill, and Jake! We are very proud of your accomplishments! Keep up the good work everyone!  Congratulations to Charlotte Lawrence for being selected to the Special Olympics Massachusetts delegation to the USA games. The games are taking place in Princeton, NJ in June of 2014 and Charlotte will be competing in golf. Way to go, Charlotte!
Despite the cooler mornings, our Mashpee walking club with Rachelle is going strong. Last week they walked nearly three miles before 9AM! They are an inspiration to the rest of us!
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Employment Update
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Did you know that 85% of LIFE residents have jobs?! That is certainly something we are proud of. That's why once a year we gather together to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our residents who are employed throughout the Cape Cod community. Quite a crowd attended this year's annual Employment Cookout in Mashpee, good food, good laughs, and great workers! Find a complete list of our employers on our website, here. Please support us by supporting them!
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| Remembering Chris Sturz | The Family Association at Hyannis LIFE is joining with the Hyannis residents and staff on October 19th to honor the memory of Christopher Sturz. Chris was a best friend to many at LIFE, both in Hyannis and Mashpee, and will always be remembered for his enthusiastic support of LIFE activities, from the Special Olympics to the Art of LIFE players, and from road races to the wish trips. The Family Association, of which all our Hyannis families are members, will be commemorating Chris with an inscribed granite bench to be located on our grounds for all to enjoy.
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