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From the Desk of
Andrea Pyke, Executive Director
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Dear Friends,
I'm thrilled to join the team at Friendship Home as the new Executive Director! What an exciting first month it has been as I attended my first Circle of Friends Gala and met many of you last Thursday at Lombardo's. I'm excited to report that our Gala tallied a record-breaking $585,000 in gross revenue, which will benefit our respite programs and support services. Thank you to all who attended and/or donated, and I hope you and your family had a great time!
As someone who has worked and advocated on behalf of vulnerable populations throughout my career, I am proud to be joining an organization with an impressive 18-year history of working to develop an inclusive community throughout the South Shore! Friendship Home is known for being one of the leading service providers throughout Massachusetts and one that I've followed and admired for years.To partner with the dedicated staff and Board is an honor!
As we move ahead in 2017, I look forward to meeting you, spending time with your loved one at Friendship Home and working collaboratively to achieve continued success!
Warmly,
Andrea
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Wilma's Corner
Wilma Goodhue
Co-founder
It's a pleasure to share with you that our friends at the United Church of Christ are sponsoring a breakfast program for South Shore clergy of all faiths on Wednesday, April 26th, from 8-11 am. The program will focus on ways that religious communities can become more intentionally welcoming to people with special needs and their families. For those of you who are affiliated with a house of worship, I would very much appreciate it if you could join us and also encourage your clergy to attend as UCC's guests. Our goal is to make church more welcoming, engaging and comfortable for families. Save the Date cards will be mailed shortly with invitations to follow later in March. Thank you so much for your help!
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Jack Spurr, Chairman of the Board, thanked the staff on behalf of the entire Board. Other Board members attending included Ken Mullare, Paul Jevne, Bob Hawk and Susan Daileader
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Staff appreciation party
On Valentine's Day, Friendship Home's Board of Directors held an in-house appreciation luncheon to thank staff for their hard work and dedication in providing quality programs and services.
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Friendship Club Member
Amy Minns Honored
for 35 Years at Electroswitch
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Amy Minns is a longtime member of our Thursday Night Club and attends many of our theme parties. She always dresses in the spirit of the theme and amazes us with her incredible artistic flair.
Amy works in the Assembly Department at Electroswitch, which recently honored her for 35 years of service.
Bob Pineau, President of Electroswitch, said the following at the ceremony to honor Amy.
"Amy joined the Electroswitch family in June 1981 as a young woman and has grown with the company through the years and has contributed to its success. We congratulate Amy for her 35 years of service and look froward to her continued contributions."
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Amy accepts her award from Bryan Gregory, VP/General Manager of Electroswitch, and Bob Pineau, President of Electroswitch (left to right)
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Three of our BTW members - Kevin Farrell, Derek Hoffman and Andrew Lawson - are members of the Rockland Tigers basketball team. They all have amazing basketball skills and displayed great sportsmanship in their game. Kimm Webb and Nicole Robicheau attended their game to cheer them on! Go Tigers!
Kevin Farrell, Case Manager Kimm Webb, Derek Hoffman, Andrew Lawson and Case Manager Nicole Robicheau (left to right)
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Vote for Jessie!
Voting ends Friday, March 11
CLICK BELOW!!
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Two Boston University seniors - Andrew Barrett and Colin Bell - have produced a documentary to celebrate longtime Friendship Home volunteer Jessie MacDonald's incredible successes as an athlete. They submitted their film to NESN's "Next Producer" competition and earned a spot in the Top 12. "Jessie" will air this Friday, March 11th on NESN at 4:00 p.m. To view and vote for the film, please click on the icon above. Voting is unlimited and you can vote every day.
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Next meeting: TONIGHT!
Wednesday, March 8th, 6:00 p.m.
The Family Advisory Council would like to survey families for feedback on a variety of topics. If you would like to submit a question, please Email Ruth Chinetti (chinru@aol.com) with your suggestion. All meetings will continue to be held on Wednesday evenings and will be held monthly instead of quarterly.
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Employee Spotlight
Karen Drosos
Direct support professional
BTW, Social Recreational Program
Karen Drosos was introduced to Friendship Home as an aide to one of our volunteers diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As time went on, Karen became more inspired by Friendship Home's mission and started to volunteer for different programs on her own time. When her assistance was no longer needed as an aide, we were fortunate to have a job opening in the Bridges to Work program. Since she joined the Friendship Home staff, Karen has made such a positive impact on the organization. She teaches classes, plans and facilitates community outings and spends time every Friday afternoon accompanying a small group of young ladies for their weekly "Girls Day Out." She also assists in the social recreational program. Keep up the good work, Karen!
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BTW Employee of the Month
Sandy Schiappa
BTW member
Tedeschi Food Shops
Sandy has worked at 7-Eleven, formerly Tedeschi Food Shops, for more than two years. She is completely independent at her job site. Store managers and other staff say they enjoy working alongside Sandy and express how hard she works. While at 7-Eleven, Sandy preforms numerous tasks such as cleaning, stocking, dusting shelves and price tagging items for the shelves. We are very proud of Sandy and look forward to watching her develop more and more skills in the working field. ​
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Volunteer Spotlight
Chrissy Bythrow
Independent Yoga Instructor
Chrissy was introduced to Friendship Home when she attended our first Super Funky Friendship Fest. She was inspired by our mission and offered to share her passion for yoga with our members. Chrissy volunteers here twice a month and she looks forward to teaching our members.
"Every time I volunteer at Friendship Home, it puts a smile on my face. It gives me such joy to hear the members say how much they love my class," she says.
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Shannon MacKinnon
Direct support professional
Shannon is our newest employee in the Bridges to Work program. Before joining Friendship Home, Shannon worked at the Duxbury Student Union with students in grades 3 to 8. She is a graduate of Lesley College, where she majored in psychology and minored in social work. Shannon plans to obtain a master's degree in social work or special education. She loves all outdoor activities.
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President and CEO Brian House, Brian Halowack, JR Foley and Terri Levesque, executive assistant at MER
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Employment Partner: Moran Environmental Recovery
BTW Members: JR Foley
and Brian Halowack
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MER is an outstanding Employment Partner in Randolph that employs two of our Bridges to Work members. We plan to highlight their work in our upcoming newsletter, which will be mailed in the spring. We salute President and CEO Brian House and his assistant Terri Levesque for their dedicated efforts to enrich the lives of JR and Brian with meaningful employment.
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Fanueil HallTrip
Our Wednesday Outing group is always exploring the community. This month a group ventured into Boston and visited the historical Quincy Market, where they dined and did some sightseeing.
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February Fit Friends
The winner of our healthy lifestyle program in February was Kayla Pigeon. Kayla earned a Target gift card for tallying the most points for physical activity. Congratulations, Kayla!
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From Our Cafe Kitchen
Minestrone Soup
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This delicious recipe is perfect to feed a big group or make ahead and pack for your lunch.
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Social recreational programs
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Oscar Night
Our members had a fantastic time at our last Theme Party, which celebrated the Academy Awards. We had 53 members attend who walked the red carpet and came dressed to impress. DJ Dave provided wonderful music for dancing.
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PJ and Pizza Night
A small group of women had such a fun time at our PJ and Pizza Night! We made individual homemade pizzas with our favorite toppings and we visited with a rescue dog Louis V. Our group had so much fun snuggling up with Louis V and watching a movie.
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Rock Climbing
We went rock climbing and Zip-lining on Sunday, February 26th at Challenge Rocks in Hingham. It so much fun to climb to new heights and zip through the air!
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BU Men’s Basketball Game
We have developed a new relationship with the BU basketball program. We were invited to attend a men's basketball game and the women's team will volunteer at our Quincy Club to teach a basic sign language class. Our group was seated right behind the bench and the game broadcaster announced over the loud speaker that we were in attendance. The Terriers won the game!
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Bridgewater State University
A group visited the Bridgewater State Observatory after eating dinner at Good Days in Bridgewater. Everyone enjoyed an evening under the stars complete with telescopes. Fortunately, it was a clear night and we could see Jupiter and Mars!
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Upcoming Date
March 25th: Irish night - Wear your green attire and celebrate the luck of the Irish. Everyone is Irish that day!
Please remember to sign up no later than the Monday prior to a Theme Party so we can plan accordingly.
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Important Club Information
Please click
here
for our reminders for families, including pick-up and drop-off.
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Sign-Ups for 2nd-Quarter Outings
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Second-quarter sign ups will be available for online registration on Thursday, March 9th. An Email will also be sent with a sign-up form. If you have not signed up for on-line registration, please contact Teri Abisaad at tabisaad@friendshiphome.net. Families are encouraged to review the list quickly because outings sell out fast.
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Registration information
Camp YMCA/Friendship information will be released in mid/late April. Gina Froio will update families as the date gets closer. This year's camp will be held August 27
to 31.
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Friendship Home | 781-659-8202 | friendshiphome.net
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