Providing services, resources, and support for adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities in Central New Jersey since 1989. |
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Welcome to 2021 and the first issue of this year's Enable Express!
Continue reading to learn more about how we've adapted to the challenges presented by COVID-19, new additions to our senior staff, virtual volunteering initiatives, and available job opportunities across our organization.
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On March 18, 2020, the NJ Department of Developmental Disabilities closed all day programs across New Jersey due to the pandemic. For the next 6 months, our residents remained in their group homes participating in activities and connecting with Day Program staff through zoom calls. With these individuals learning to live in this “new normal,” our Program Managers, Team Leads, and DSPs got creative when coming up with ideas to keep them active and engaged inside.
In July 2020, Enable launched virtual day program services using Zoom. Several group homes created “art galleries” to display the creative projects completed by our consumers. Our staff also worked hard to teach consumers about the importance of wearing masks, and to encourage them to stay safe and protect others Enable purchased a custom designed mask for each individual based on their interests.
On September 28th, Enable’s day programs re-opened at 25% capacity with a daily rotating roster of individuals from various group homes. With constant guidance from the state government, we were able to operate all locations in Princeton and Middlesex. However, due to the rampant increase of COVID-19 cases across the state and country, the Department of Developmental Disabilities made the decision to close all day programs for a second time on November 25th.
Although it is unclear what 2021 will have in store for us, one thing is certain: our dedication to providing the best services possible for adults with disabilities will not falter. We have and will continue to abide by all infection control guidelines and health safety regulations mandated by the state of New Jersey for the well-being of not only our consumers but also our staff will continue to be our highest priority.
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Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all we have to be thankful for, and this year was no different from others. Staff across our 23 Group Homes worked to prepare delicious meals for our residents, making sure everyone went to bed with full stomachs and happy faces.
Especially in the year of COVID-19, we could not be more appreciative of our amazing staff who have worked tirelessly to make sure our residents are happy, healthy and safe.
Thank you to all of the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in the field working to provide the highest level of care to those that we support!
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For the past several years, we have cultivated an amazing relationship with Bloomberg Philanthropies, a company dedicated to giving back to their local community. Bloomberg has been and continues to be one of our most active volunteer groups, sending over employees each month to engage with the individuals enrolled in our Roszel Day Program as well as assist with a number of home renovation projects.
During the spring and winter months, Bloomberg also worked to put us in touch with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) in order to coordinate performances in our Day Programs. Unfortunately, we were unable to have NJSO come out for an in-person performance due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, NJSO worked hard to deliver Christmas spirit to our Group Home residents in the form of a Virtual Concert dubbed "Home for the Holidays," a collection of video recordings featuring all of our favorite Christmas tunes.
Thank you Bloomberg and NJSO for all that you do for us!
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Enable’s former CEO, Sharon Copeland, connected us with a fantastic group of volunteers at La Convivencia who coordinated with several other community organizations to create holiday cards for the individuals in our residential program. They were able to find volunteers at Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ, Inc. and other local youth groups in West Windsor to make sure everyone in our residential program received an extra card this holiday season.
Thank you to Sharon, La Convivencia Youth Council, WWP High School North NHS members, Girl Scout Troop 70213, Boys Charity Group, and the West Windsor community!
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Every Christmas, our Princeton headquarters office creates an Angel Giving Tree, a holiday tree decorated with wish lists sent in by the individuals in our Residential Programs. With the help our wonderful staff from all across our organization, we were able to provide gifts for every single individual we serve. We cannot be more appreciative of everyone who chose to participate this year!
We would also like to extend a special thanks to The Catholic Community of St. David the King who were kind enough to raise and donate $500.00 worth of Gift Cards to Target, Walmart, and Applebee's which helped fund a number of our consumer gifts this year. Your kindness and generosity certainly brightened Christmas Day for many individuals in our Residential Program.
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On December 1st, 2020, we partnered with a local restaurant, Brothers Pizza, to hold our first ever Dine & Donate event. That day, anyone who ordered a meal and mentioned our name donated 10% of their order directly to Enable.
Brothers is our go-to pizza place, catering a number of our office parties in years past with delicious Italian cuisine. We are looking forward to a bright future where we can collaborate on similar philanthropic events.
If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in an event such as this, please reach out to volunteer@enablenj.org for more information.
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Volunteer Spotlight: The Hun School |
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We would like to highlight one volunteer group that got creative as we learned to navigate COVID-19 and the challenges it presented. Enable has had a long relationship with The Hun School of Princeton, and for the past several years, The Hun School has hosted an in-person dance for the residents we serve. This is an event that the individuals in our programs and we as an organization look forward to every year.
Despite the restrictions that COVID-19 imposed, the Hun School went above and beyond during the Summer and Fall. The teachers and students came together to coordinate several Virtual Dance Parties for our residents while they were home and during the brief time our Day Programs were open.
Thank you so much for all that you do for us, Hun School!
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11.12.2020 | Virtual Dance Part at Princeton Day Program |
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Allow us to introduce a couple of
additions to the Enable Family!
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Rob Rubin, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
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We are pleased to welcome and introduce Rob Rubin to our leadership team. Rob has 25 years of financial management experience in various non-profit organizations, of which 20 years have been in mid and senior level leadership roles. He comes to Enable most recently from The Arc Mercer where he was Director of Finance overseeing the finance and accounting functions for the agency. |
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Ramona Wilkerson, RN
Director of Nursing
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We are also happy to introduce Ramona Wilkerson. Ramona comes to us with 13 years of Nursing Experience in various organizations including non-profit organizations, hospitals, DDD, behavioral health, addiction treatment, and Corrections. She most recently served as Passaic County Jail's Director of Nursing, overseeing the entire nursing staff and functions of the medical department. |
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Tia Harris
Asst. Residential Director Region 2
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Another fantastic addition to our Residential Program leadership is Tia Harris. Tia has over 6 years of experience working on the organizational operations side of Human Services. Before joining the Enable team, Tia worked her way up through the ranks at Bancroft NeuroHealth as a DSP, Senior Team Lead and Program Manager. |
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Kamil Horton, MA
Asst. Residential Director Region 3
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Finally, it is our great pleasure to introduce Kamil Horton. Kamil comes to us with 7 years of experience in Residential Services in the capacity of Assistant Director in the DDD field. Kamil most recently served as Assistant Director of Adult Services/Quality Assurance for the Arc of Somerset County, overseeing 7 residential programs to ensure safety, quality care and all quality assurance issues were handled in the homes. |
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DSP Spotlight: The Rice Family |
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Our first Direct Support Professional Spotlight for 2021 is the Rice Family! Sheila Rice, her daughter, Leanna, and her grandson, Daquan, are some of our most dedicated DSPs, consistently going above and beyond for the individuals they support in our Residential Program.
Sheila will be celebrating her 4th anniversary with Enable at the end of September. Leanna will be celebrating her 3rd anniversary at the end of March and Daquan will be celebrating his 2nd anniversary in early April.
We asked Sheila what she believes to be the most important thing about being a DSP. To her, Sheila believes, "you need to treat people the way that you would like to be treated, regardless of their level of ability" - and we couldn't agree more!
Thank you, Rice Family, for your continued dedication to the individuals we serve.
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The Rice Family
(Top: Sheila | Middle: Leanna | Bottom: Daquan)
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In order to ensure our residents’ and employees’ safety, we ensure that residential spaces are frequently cleaned and provide additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to our dedicated staff. But due to the increase in world-wide demand, the cost of these supplies has skyrocketed.
If you would like to make a donation toward purchasing PPE supplies in support of our Group Homes, click the button below and make a contribution.
We appreciate your generosity!
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As online shopping becomes increasingly more popular, please consider making any future purchases on Amazon through our Amazon Smile account by clicking the button to the left. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the cost of all eligible items purchased in this way back to our organization.
We are extremely grateful for all of your continued support!
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Revised - December 11th, 2020
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Residential Managers - Monmouth, Somerset, Ocean Counties (Full-Time)
- The Residential Manager works with a person-centered team to develop, implement, and coordinate supports that address the needs and interests of consumers and assist them in safely reaching their personal goals for skill development and community integration. The Residential Manager is responsible for ensuring that the group home operates within the policies and procedures of the agency and meets licensing and accreditation standards.
Team Leads - Mercer, Ocean, Somerset Counties (Full-Time)
- The Team Lead works with a person-centered team to develop, implement, and coordinate supports that address the needs and interests of consumers and assist them in safely reaching their personal goals for skill development and community integration. This position is a direct care role in addition to leadership responsibilities and providing assistance to the manager, particularly when the manager cannot be present. Responsibilities include but are not limited to; ensuring high quality care is provided to residential and day service participants and facilitating community activities, sensory integration, recreation and daily living skills training. The Team Lead models behavior to the other staff so they can work effectively with consumers.
DSPs - Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset Counties (F/T, P/T, Sub)
- It is the role of the Direct Support Professional to develop a relationship with our consumers so they feel safe and supported. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: supervision and guidance during skill building activities, assist with daily living activities, such as preparing meals and personal hygiene, provide transportation to medical appointments, and other scheduled outings in the community, ensure the safety of consumers at all times, log and update resident case notes on a daily basis.
Licensed Practical Nurses - Ocean County (F/T, Sub)
- Under the direction of the DON, the nurse will provide nursing care for consumers and training for staff to address the unique needs of consumers served in Enable’s programs. This position requires a high degree of professionalism that conveys to staff the importance of providing quality services in a caring and supportive manner. Modeling this approach, consultations and training will be done in a manner that empowers direct care staff to conduct their work in a like manner. The nurse will act as a liaison with outside healthcare providers who provide services to Enable consumers and oversee contracts of health-related entities.
Job Coach - Mercer County (Full-time)
- The Job Coach will work within a community-based employment setting to assist in supervising and training individuals with disabilities on how to acquire the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and hard skills needed for successful employment.
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