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The Anderson School for Autism Spring 2009 Newsletter
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L ifeLong LearnerSM
L I F E L O N G L E A R N I N GTM
Spring 2009
· Executive Director’s Message 2
· Fundraising Highlights 3
· Family Corner 5
· Notes and Notables 6-7
chamber breakfast highlights autism awareness month at aca
WHAT’S INSIDE
In April, as part of Autism Awareness Month, Anderson Center
for Autism (ACA) and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber
of Commerce hosted our third annual joint Public Policy Breakfast
at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel. The breakfast brought together
over 100 attendees including community and business leaders as
well as colleagues from ACA’s sister agencies. It is designed
to promote awareness of autism throughout the community.
Keynote speakers for this year’s event were David Strathairn,
actor and Dutchess County resident, and ACA parent and
supporter Rupert Holmes. Strathairn is familiar with ACA
because his border collie, Bodhi, has visited the Center twice a
week as a trained therapy dog with the Good Dogs Foundation
for more than a year (See photo on page 6). Strathairn also visited
ACA recently to research his role in an upcoming HBO special. In
the special, which airs in October, he plays the high school biology
teacher of Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who is world
renown as an animal behavior expert.
Neil Pollack – CEO ACA, Guest Speakers David Strathairn
and Rupert Holmes, David Melby of Rose & Kiernan, John
Maserjian of Central Hudson, Scott Cruikshank of
Kirchhoff Construction and Ellen Baker of McCabe &
Mack
Rupert Holmes provided the breakfast’s most moving and heartfelt moments with his speech on how the little things in life are so
important. He told the personal story of his family and his son Timothy, a resident at ACA. Describing Timothy’s condition as “a
tremendous roadblock between him and the rest of the world,” Holmes spoke of the progress his son has made since coming
to ACA.
Attendees also watched a short video on ACA and were treated to a
rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance by two of ACA’s adult residents.
Special thanks go out to the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of
Commerce, event sponsors Central Hudson, Kirchhoff Construction
Management, McCabe & Mack and Rose & Kiernan, and to all who worked
so hard to make this event a tremendous success.
2
a u t i s m t o d a y
In the last issue of LifeLong LearnerSM, I reported that we
had not yet received approvals for many of our graduating
students to leave the campus and move into their adult
community group homes and day programs. I am pleased to
share the good news that the approvals we were waiting for
have come through. These individuals will now be getting
settled in their new homes and day programs where they can
continue their LifeLong LearningSM and further their
attainment of productive and fulfilling lives in a safe, nurturing
and supportive environment.
Thoughts from the
desk of Neil J. Pollack,
Executive Director/C.E.O.
With these beds/desks available, Anderson Center is now able to
accommodate new incoming students, many of whom are at the
most challenging levels of the autism spectrum. Here we provide
crucial direct care services in a positive climate filled with
educational, cultural and recreational activities designed to foster
continuous growth, independence and social interaction. Our
dedication to being a results oriented forerunner of agencies by
offering the most current state of the art program opportunities
is strong as always. But, in an era where budget cuts are everyday
occurrences and economic distress continues, our dependence
on fundraising is at an all time high.
The state agencies have done their part in providing the placement
approvals we so deeply need. Now, we are ready to take on the
challenge but we need your help more than ever. Once again, we
urge you to contribute, or continue to contribute, to Anderson’s
Campaign for Autism. Please support Anderson Center’s work
with children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. For
more information on how you can help, please contact Rosemary
Hoffmann, Vice President of Development, (845) 889-9201
b o a r d s o f t r u s t e e s
Anderson Center for Autism operates under the guidance of our exceptional Boards of Trustees. We appreciate the contributions that each of these talented and generous individuals makes towards the achievement of our goals.
David W. Melby, Chair
Neeraj Alimchandani, 1st Vice Chair
Francis M. Synan, 2nd Vice Chair
Peter M. Olympia, Jr., Treasurer
anderson center for autism*
Sarah E. Sholes, Secretary
Elinor B. E. Arnold, Trustee
Justin L. Cole, Trustee
John S. DeJoy, Trustee
Pompey H. Delafield, Trustee
Joe Lepore, Trustee
Richard Lewis, Trustee
Lynne M. Liptay, MD, Trustee
Jeanne R. Raichle, Trustee
John A. Scileppi, Trustee
*Trustees for Anderson Center for Autism are also trustees for Anderson
anderson foundation for autism, inc.
Center Services, Inc.
Margaret Cusumano, Chair
John Maserjian, Vice Chair
Robert Shoemaker, Treasurer
Rebecca A. Valk, Secretary
Ellen L. Baker, Trustee
Louis Fratto, Jr., Trustee
Vance A. Gage, Trustee
Allen Gerber, M.D., Trustee
Joseph F. Heavey, Trustee
William F. Melcher, Trustee
Marissa Perez-Rogers, Trustee
William R. Salmeri, Trustee
Fritz Sonnenschmidt, Trustee
lifetime honorary trustees
Michael McNaughton Wilfred Rohde Jaime Rodriguez-TellezEllen Baker
fundraising highlights
PoughkeePsie Plaza Pitches inPoughkeepsie Plaza, Manager/Marketing Director, Josephine Dayger,
recently presented a donation check for ACA to Rosemary Hoffmann, Vice
President of Development. The donation was made from the proceeds of
a Plaza Health Fair and fountain coins.
We are happy to report that the concept of fundraising
house parties is catching on! We already have two
scheduled for this summer. Fundraising House Parties are
a fun way to support ACA! They provide an opportunity
to gather old and new friends and spread the word of
ACA’s good work and how people can help.
With the generous support of our families, friends and the
community, we have passed the $1.1 million mark in
Anderson’s Campaign for Autism. We are sure that our
ultimate goal of $2.5 million can be achieved with
continued successes at our annual events and with the
contributions of the inspired individuals and organizations
who believe in our mission. Our heartfelt thanks to all!
Looking for a way to ensure support for ACA? Consider
Planned Giving. Planned Giving doesn’t have to be a
complicated process and it is not just for the very wealthy.
It is a unique way to pledge your future commitment to
the Center and its programs. Options include naming
ACA as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy or IRA,
including a bequest to ACA in your will and more.
ACA has been named the recipient of the following grants.
We are very grateful for the support.
Air & Waste Management Association, Eastern New York
Chapter, 2009 Earth Day Grant, Plastic Plastic – Proceeds
will be used to expand the Transition/Vocation recycling
program, allowing us to include plastics - $292.50.
Parents of Autistic Children, Hudson Valley, The Gym
is Open – Proceeds will allow us to purchase gym/
recreation equipment to enhance our after-school and
residential activities both in the gym and in the residences
- $1000.
Ronald McDonald House Charities, New York Tri-State
Area, Family Recreation and Therapy – Proceeds will be
used for playground equipment and outdoor furnishing for
the Village Center - $20,656.
For more information on all the ways you can help to
support Anderson Center for Autism, please contact
Rosemary Hoffmann at 845-889-9201 or
Joseph F. Heavey, Trustee
William F. Melcher, Trustee
Marissa Perez-Rogers, Trustee
William R. Salmeri, Trustee
Fritz Sonnenschmidt, Trustee
3
all in a day’s workJarrett, Marc, Kyle Z., Kyle G., Richard, and
Jare participate in a tier - 3 work program.
These students clean Center Hall and three
houses for their work program.
s t a f f k u d o s
4
aca wins comPuterworld award
In April, NEC Corporation of America, a premier provider of IT, network and identity management
solutions, announced that the Computerworld Honors Program has recognized Gregg Paulk, ACA’s
Director of Information Technologies, as a Laureate for his innovative use of NEC HYDRAstor®
grid storage to address storage backup and archive challenges. Gregg will receive the award at a
gala in June at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
For more than two decades, the award has been given to individuals and organizations that have used
information technology to benefit society. An important factor in the award was information
technology’s role in ACA’s commitment to maintain an ongoing fully integrated support network for
our families and guardians.
“ACA was faced with the daunting task of bringing our IT infrastructure out of the IT Stone Age and converting millions of paper
documents stored in trailers offsite to readily-accessible digital archives,” explains Gregg. “NEC HYDRAstor® provided a cutting-
edge technology solution that could tackle existing data backup and archives as well as the future data we expected to accompany our
plans for aggressive organizational growth. It’s extremely gratifying to be recognized by the Computerworld Honors Program as the
culmination of our efforts.”
“It’s fabulous that Gregg is receiving this recognition for being a pioneer in implementing cutting-edge technology to benefit society
and so appropriate during National Autism Awareness month,” said Karen Dutch, Vice President of marketing, NEC Corporation of
America. Congratulations Gregg!
tina Payeur honored for volunteer effortsThe Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce recently honored ACA’s own Tina Payeur with the Chamber Volunteer of the Year
Award presented at their Installation dinner. Tina is a vital member of the Chamber’s Board as Secretary and is recognized as
a strong advocate for individuals with disabilities who is always the first to volunteer when needed and is especially interested
in events that involve children.
Currently Assistant to the Executive Director, Tina has been with ACA since 1977 and was instrumental in opening the first
group home in the autism program. Tina is the quiet giant, who hates the limelight but thrives on making an impact. She
especially enjoys the opportunity to educate our community about ACA, the services they provide and their integration into the
community. Congratulations Tina on a well-deserved honor!
aca Presents at nysacra conferenceJennifer Rathjen, Coordinator of Adult Day Services; Nathan Briggs, Day Habilitation Instructor and Andrew Overton, Day
Habilitation Instructor recently presented a Networking Neighborhood session at the NYSACRA Conference. Through the session,
families of individuals with a disability and other Human Service agencies were given information on ACA’s LifeLong Learning model,
including the benefits of the evidence-based team approach to treatment and how ACA’s adult programs are designed to facilitate
the development of educational, social, vocational and life skills in a structured and supportive environment. Great work Jennifer,
Nathan and Andrew!
5
exPressing a mother’s love
It’s been nearly nine years since Susan Angeles chose Anderson Center as the second
home for her then 16 year old son with autism. “At that time, Paul was having difficulty
expressing his needs, occasionally resorting to physical aggression. I knew he needed a
structured, supportive environment where he could thrive,” says Susan. Today, she
admits that back then she couldn’t have imagined just how grateful she would be to
ACA. “Paul has grown up to be a wonderful young man with a great disposition –
thanks to Anderson Center’s commitment to LifeLong LearningSM.”
Paul is mostly non-verbal and uses limited gesturing to communicate, but Susan can
easily recognize the signs of his progress and contentment. “I know that structure is
vitally important to Paul. When he is on a “home vacation” I notice his reliance on
routines. He is observant and affectionate and also learns my routines. For example,
after a shower, he is often there to hand me a hairbrush or towel. He is good with chores and loves to fold laundry.” And
he loves to make lists – especially grocery lists – which never fail to include chicken and cookies – his favorites!
Now nearly 25, Paul lives in an ACA adult group home. “Like many other parents, I have experienced the ups and downs
of raising a child with autism,” explains Susan. “ACA gave me my life back and I know that Paul is in exceptional hands.
The staff members are caring and skilled and truly understand what he needs.”
Recently, Susan organized a Creative Self-Expression Workshop project at ACA (see related article on page 6). “As Paul’s
mother, I am always seeking different ways to connect with him. For some individuals with autism, including Paul, art is
a great non-verbal form of communication and self-expression. Through the event, local area artists were able to work with
the Anderson adults and relate through art.” And for Susan, this is just the beginning. “In the future we hope to explore
ways to expand this concept of connection and self-expression to include the broader arts, including dance and music.”
f a m i l y c o r n e r
Paul explores self expression through art at the recent ACA workshop
celebrating earth day
Jeff F. of ACA’s Adult Services Program participates in an Earth Day tree planting.
Central Hudson, in collaboration with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, donated a blue spruce to ACA. Pictured: Tammy Cilione & Audra Gerty - DCRCC, Neil Pollack - ACA, Paul Tesoro & Jill Sammon - Central Hudson, Gloria Cukar - DCRCC, Duane Phillips - X-scape Landscaping, Charlie North - DCRCC.
6
A C A n o t e s a n d n o t a b l e s
creative exPression through artIn early April, in support of autism awareness, ACA hosted a Creative Self-Expression
Workshop at our Violet Ave. Adult Services Day Hab site in Poughkeepsie. At the workshop,
Hudson Valley and NYC artists explored and collaborated with individuals from our adult
services program and their families in creating artwork while highlighting self-expression. It
was an exciting journey into a whole new world, where those in attendance drew inspiration
from the challenges our artists face and the many talents they possess. Spearheaded by ACA
parent Susan Angeles (see related article on page 5), the workshop was a great success that
will surely be the inspiration for future art-related events at ACA.
hudson valley autism walkACA was a proud sponsor of the Hudson Valley Autism Society Autism Walk and Expo
of the Hudson Valley in April at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck.
Anderson Cheerleaders cheer on the walkers! ACA’s Kathleen Marshall, Jare R.
and his Mom enjoy the day.
artists’ recePtionIn March, our Adult
Services artwork was
displayed at Cunneen
Hackett Arts Center.
The “Through Our Eyes”
exhibit was well received,
and we look forward to
future opportunities to
have our students’ and
adults’ art appreciated.
good dogAEC student Alissa interacts with
Bodhi during a Dog-Assisted Therapy
session with Teacher’s Assistant BJ
Haas, left, and Bodhi’s owner and
Good Dog Foundation volunteer,
Logan Goodman. Dog Assisted
Therapy is a structured, goal oriented
therapy providing our students with
sensory processing, functional
communication and social
opportunities through interactions
with specially trained dogs.
aca athletes shine in sPecial olymPicsIn late April, ACA students and adults competed in the Special Olympics at West Point. With the help of ACA’s Kwame
Wiafeakenten and Jamar Richardson, the athletes had worked diligently to get ready to participate – and the results were fantastic!
Staff members were a big help by keeping our athletes safe in a very busy, crowded environment while encouraging and cheering
them on to success.
A big thank you to Kwame and Jamar and to Tony Glenn, Jennifer Parsons, Pamela Gales and Sharon Scafe for working toward
their Special Olympics coaching certification. Congratulations to Brian Muse and Frank Allen who both obtained their coaching
certification as well! The efforts of all involved are another example of our staff “going the extra mile” toward supporting our kids
and adults! Congratulations to all the ACA’s Student and Adult Services Athletes on a job well done!
autism breakfast Together with the Rhinebeck and Hyde Park
Chambers of Commerce, ACA recently hosted
an Autism Breakfast. The event featured a
presentation by Patrice Courtney Strong of The
New York State Energy Research & Development
Authority, entitled “Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy for Home & Workplace.”
Thanks goes to sponsors Coppola’s Italian &
American Bistro and McCabe & Mack.
7
brownies visit acaIt was all hearts and smiles as Brownie Troop 10074 made a
pre-Valentine’s Day visit to ACA. The girls assisted some
residents with Valentine projects and shared a snack together.
They also donated some Valentine cards they had made. The
girls had a lot of fun visiting the center and are looking forward
to visiting again. Special thanks to Antonio Coppola for making
this connection.
8
Save the Date
4885 Route 9 · P.O. Box 367
Staatsburg, NY 12580-0367
Ph: 857-889-4034
www.AndersonCenterforAutism.org
The date has been chosen and planning is
well underway for one of ACA’s signature
annual events. So, mark your calendars
and plan to attend!
Eighth Annual Gala2009 Honoree: M & T Bank
Featuring a Fashion Show from Adult Services
Lead Sponsor - Kirchhoff Construction
October 3, 20096:00-11:00 pm · The Grandview, Hudson River
Poughkeepsie NY
Call 845-889-9208 for details.
uPcoming events
thursday, June 25thACA Graduation Ceremony
1:30Location: AEC Auditorium
Congratulations to all of our graduates!
saturday, July 18th Cultural Festival
11:00-3:00Location: ACA
A day to celebrate cultural diversity.
For more information on ACA events, please call 845-889-9208.
