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Volume 15, Issue 7 July 2014
The Madison Express
Visit us online at www.co.madison.oh.us/dd/
Madison County Board of Developmental Disabi l i t ies
Gospel Road stops at Fairhaven All roads lead to Fairhaven School.
Last week, Gospel Road – a group of Columbus
Dioceses Catholic-sponsored youth who spend their summer
helping others – made their way to Madison County. The
contingent of approximately 200 teenagers – accompanied
by adult supervisors – performed community service work at
more than 30 sites throughout Madison, Franklin and Union
Counties.
This is the tenth year of Gospel Road – an
appropriate name since the youngsters hit the streets to
spread their mission through community service. The
program is spearheaded each year by whichever youth
minister throughout Ohio wants to take on the project. This
summer it is being led by Kelly Jacobs, Director of
Religious Education and Youth Ministry at St. Joseph’s
Catholic Church in Plain City.
Jacobs said she sent out about 200 letters at the
beginning of the year asking businesses, schools and
organizations if they would be interested in being a stop on
the Gospel Road.
“I see the good that it has done in the past, and I
wanted to see it in our county,” Jacobs said. “These are
incoming ninth graders through those who have recently graduated high school who want to help others.”
One such letter came to the Madison County Board of Developmental Disabilities. MCBDD Organization
Services Director John LaCivita immediately thought of Fairhaven, a school that houses Preschool age students, Head Start,
and the Early Intervention Program. See ROAD, Page 4
Remembering Jonathan ‘Lane’ Beekman
By Mark Watson
Sometimes folks come into our lives to allow us to know that people are good and this person brings hope that goodness will overcome the bad we see so much of in the world. Lane was one those people in my life and the lives of those he touched. Lane will be missed by all of us, especially those of us he allowed into his world.
A moment of silence was observed during the Opening Ceremonies for Madison
County athlete Lane Beekman, who passed away a week before he was to
participate in the State Games.
Some members of Gospel Road – a summer youth program run
by the Dioceses of Columbus – spent the week painting murals
on the hallway walls of London’s Fairhaven School. The artists
included (bottom, left) Meghan, Anna, Alex, Josh, Gerard, Na-
talia, (top, left) Abby, Lily, Michael, Megan, Nicole, and Andy.
PAGE 2 THE MADISON EXPRESS VOLUME 15, ISSUE 7
DD Buses Get Clean Bill of Health
Keeping our children safe.
That is a top priority for all who work for the
Madison County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
It was further evidenced recently as the annual
school bus inspection earned them high marks.
Conducted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Office of
Licensing and Commercial Standards, the yearly
check-up is to ensure vehicles that transport children
and young adults are in tip-top shape.
Madison County Board of DD Business Director
and Transportation Supervisor Susan Thompson extended the kudos to mechanic
John Chesser and driver Justin Hicks (at above right) who spent countless hours
preparing for the 60 pages of items inspected.
“They were working 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to make sure the vehicles were
how they should be,” Susan said of John and Justin “They dropped everything to
get ready, and it showed.”
The inspection encompasses everything from the steering gear box to
manual shut-off valve for the compressed natural gas to the bus’ back-up warning
system. All three said it is important to remain familiar with the ODOT (Ohio
Department of Transportation) rules.
According to John, in addition to the annual visit, spot inspections may
take place.
“They check the whole bus over,” John said of the comprehensive check-up. “If you have certain
items that didn’t pass, when they come back they just rechecks the parts that failed.”
For example, one of the school buses had a torn seat cover, so Justin fixed it himself with a needle
and some fishing wire.
And the second vehicle got a clean bill of health.
“Bus two was immaculate,” Justin said. “They didn’t find any issues with it whatsoever.”
Know Your Rights with Mike Ellis .. Self-Advocate
The next right I would like to talk about is … “The right to
participate in appropriate programs of education, training, social
development, and habilitation and in programs of reasonable
recreation.”
This right is telling you that you have the right to
participate in sports that your county provides. This includes any
social activities like movie nights at Fairhaven or Cincinnati Reds
games. Right now the Ohio State Fair is going on. These are some
examples that you have the right to get involved with anything
you would like to do or want to do.
Responsibilities for these could include — budgeting your money, arranging transportation,,
and/or requesting time off from work.
PAGE 3 THE MADISON EXPRESS VOLUME 15, ISSUE 7
Tigers Feeling ‘Olympic Fever’
Madison County Finds Success Again at State Games
Shaundra Sayre and Laura Cotton each
earned a pair of gold medals – Sayre in the 100m
run and shot put, while Cotton placed first in the
softball throw and 100m walk.
The track and field duo were not the only
Madison County representatives who found success
during the games as collectively the Tigers earned
an impressive 32 medals and 20 ribbons for their
efforts while at OSU.
Others capturing first place and earning
gold medals in individual events were Nick
Dummitt (shot put), Debbie Morris (softball throw), Virginia Smalley (bowling) and Michael Elfrink (mini-javelin). The
two-person bocce teams of Dale Jones/Paul Hiles and Nick Post/Kenny Stischok beat their competition to finish on top.
Earning silver medals were Marlyn Zeeck (softball throw), Kody Price (shot put), Charlie Gildow (bowling),
Macey Clark (softball throw), Dominique Gonzalez (100m walk), Jeff McCarty (bowling), and Morris (100m walk).
Also finishing in second place was one of Madison County’s unified volleyball teams. The silver-winning squad
included John Zeeck, Chris Zeeck, Lincoln Comer, Mike Ellis, Shawn Stewart, and Susan Thompson. Ellis, John Zeeck,
and Comer recently earned a silver volleyball medal as well while representing Team Ohio in the Special Olympics
National Games held in mid-June in New Jersey.
Rounding out the individual medalists was Adam Campbell with a bronze in the shot put. Other third place
finishers were a 4x100 relay team (Clark, Morris, Sayre, and Marlyn Zeeck) as well as the two-person bocce team of Rae
Ann Wright and Rebecca Bell.
A number of fourth through sixth place ribbons showered the Tigers. Earning the ribbons in their various heats
of the 100m run were Dummitt, Marlyn Zeeck, Campbell, Elfrink, Price, and Clark. Gonzalez captured a ribbon in the
softball throw, Michael Williams earned one in
bowling, as did the bocce duo of Jeff Horn and David
Howard and the 4x100 relay quartet (Elfrink, Price,
Campbell, and Dummitt).
Completing the ribbon winners were the
unified volleyball squad made up of Bryan Thompson,
Geoff DeLong, Elle Scott, Jessica Thompson,
Michaela Williams, and Kendra Chapman.
The coaches for track were Caternia Pierce,
Wesley Pierce, and Judy Coy. Coaches for bocce were
Autumn Clifton and Garrett Law, while Melody
Williams and Lexi Comer coached the volleyball
squads. They were assisted in the various sports by
volunteers Mia Comer, Liam Comer, Bobbi McCarty,
Harold Stockman, Linda Gildow, Roger Campbell, and
Jorge Gonzalez.
Tiger Trio Earns Silver at National Games Madison County Special Olympians Mike Ellis and
John Zeeck are used to playing on volleyball teams coached by
Madison County Board of DD Recreation Coordinator Lincoln
Comer.
But this was a little bit different.
In June, John and Mike had a whole new bunch of
teammates as they were part of Team Ohio in the National
Special Olympics Games, held in
Trenton, New Jersey on the campus of
Rider University. The Ohio squad was
coached by Lincoln. John and Mike are
multi-sport athletes for the Madison
County Tigers, and are served by
MCBDD.
In the final, Team Ohio took
Team Wisconsin to the brink in a very
competitive championship game. The
title match went to a third game where
Wisconsin squeaked out a dramatic 15-12 victory.
The Madison County connection was instrumental in
Team Ohio making it to the gold medal match. Against Team
New York in the national semi-final, John stepped up to the
serving line when the score was tied at 23-23 and served the
final two points that put Team Ohio into the title game.
A Sign of the Times Thinking of more ways to serve.
Deanna Wilson is a driver for Madison
County Ride. One of her regular routes is to
transport a pair of children to the Ohio School for
the Deaf. She thought it would be advantageous to
be better equipped to communicate with those
who have hearing impairments.
Through that suggestion, an opportunity
was created for Madison County Board of DD staff
to participate in an American Sign Language class.
The class began in early July and will
continue for eight weeks. The class meets weekly for 90 minutes and has 17 staff
members participating. It is being instructed by Lily Thompkins from Columbus Speech
and Hearing, who has been signing for 18 years.
In the initial class, the participants learned letters and numbers. The next week
they needed to be prepared to put those together to sign their telephone numbers and
names in front of their classmates. Homework will be assigned most weeks.
The participants are excited about the opportunity.
“The instructor makes it interesting and easy to learn,” said MCBDD Health
Services Coordinator Denise Zerkle. “The biggest challenge will be putting it all
together and make sentences.”
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD) – a branch of the United States Department of Health and Human
Services – 17 percent of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.
Additionally, NIDCD states that two or three out of 1,000 children in the US are born
deaf or hard of hearing.
The Hearing Loss Association of America states it is the third most common
physical condition after arthritis and heart disease.
Madison County Board of
Developmental Disabilities
Superintendent
Jim Canney
(740) 852-7050 x1819
(740) 852-7051 FAX
Organization Services
John LaCivita, Director
(740) 852-7050 x1816
Business
Susan Thompson, Director
(740) 852-7050 x1820
Family Support Services
Carol Ansel, Director
(740) 852-7050 x1838
Children Services
Mike Mast, Supervisor
(740) 852-7052 x1910
ROAD, from Page 1
An idea LaCivita had was to have murals painted in the school’s hallways. Upon inquiring
further, it was discovered that Gospel Road had a dozen or so teenagers who were budding artists,
making them perfect for this project. They were supervised on-site by youth minister Kathie Rath, who
assisted LaCivita with the coordination of the project long before the first brush stroke was made at
Fairhaven. Rath was assisted on-site by adults Linda Hall and Sean Robinson.
With characters ranging from Cat in the Hat to Shrek to the Hungry Caterpillar shining in living
colors throughout the hallways, the Fairhaven students will have an unexpected surprise when they
return to classes next month. The group at Fairhaven included St. Patrick School graduate Alex Coates.
“The Gospel Road group showed not only amazing talent and creativity, but commendable teamwork and sense of
community,” LaCivita said. “The students and Youth Ministers worked hard to create an expression of wonder that the
children and families will no doubt find welcoming them when they start school this year.”
Many preparations were made before the Gospel Road artists arrived at the MCBDD school. Pre-painting of
hallway walls and replacement of ceiling tiles were by MCBDD Maintenance and Custodial staffs, who were aided by three
youngsters in the Madison County Department of Job and Family Services Summer Youth Work Program, as well as a pair
of volunteers.
“The efforts of the Summer Youth workers and Volunteers helped our maintenance and Custodial staff give the
school a much needed facelift,” LaCivita said. “Their efforts enabled this to be done in one summer and in a very cost
effective manner.”
According to Jacobs, the Gospel Road teens are scattered at places throughout London, Plain City, Marysville, and
West Columbus. In addition to painting Fairhaven, Jacobs said there were different groups of youth doing yard work,
spending time with the elderly, washing windows, building ramps, delivering Meals-on-Wheels, and a contingent fixing the
art trailer at MATCO Services, Inc.
Throughout the week, the students and adults called London’s St. Patrick School their home. With a brand new
parish activity and recreation center, St. Pats was more than willing to be the home base.
“They did not hesitate to help us when we needed it,” Jacobs said of St. Patrick School.
And the same can be said by those who have benefitted from the good work of Gospel Road.
Carol Ansel (right) signs to
Gretchen Peters in class.
