May 23rd, 2022
You can check out all of CLI's content by visiting CLI's YouTube channel:


Past newsletters with pictures are on our website at: www.CLIsupports.com
Action pics of Meals On Wheels volunteers with
Norwalk's Services for the Aging (SFA)
CLI Volunteers have enjoyed working with the Norwalk Arts Center (NAC).

If you're interested in reading NAC's latest newsletter with some pictures of volunteers, you can find it here:

John's usual--

There are LOTS of stuff going on starting in June. CLI will be offering OOD "Summer Youth" experiences again this year. This program offers high school students the opportunity to explore different job/work types such as retail or custodial or food service or perhaps another sector. CLI is using the bowling alley as one site as it allows people to try all three of those job types in a very customer-service forward way. This will be a fun site for the kids that have picked it-- and it will be a win for area kids because we've used it as an opportunity to offer bowling day camps & clinics (see the flyer below). There seems to be a lot of interest already.

Friday, June 17th will be our first get-together with All Ports Yacht Club at Venetian Marina since 2019! This is always a fun day that starts with a powerboat cruise around Sandusky Bay, then an awesome lunch before they send us on our way with lots of swag. We'll be sending more information home with people a week or so ahead of time. For those of you who normally don't spend your day with CLI because you have a job in the community-- if you want to go with us on the 17th-- we'll probably have some extra spots. Let us know.

June 24th will be our 1st of 4 cornhole tournaments with prizes going to each individual winning team and for the series. The final Saturday event on September 24th will include a chili cook-off & reverse raffle tickets. We'll be selling those raffle tickets all summer for $25 each.

Those are my updates for this week. I don't know if everyone is following COVID-related news these days-- but hospitalizations are climbing back up, and that new "Monkey Pox" thing sounds terrible. Let's all keep practicing the skills we've learned over the last two years to keep ourselves & others well (handwashing, social distance when possible, cleaning surfaces, etc.).

Don't forget that CLI will be closed next Monday (a week from today) for Memorial Day. Have a great week!
John
In case you're wondering what day it is-- according to nationaldaycalendar.com it might be:
FAQ of the week:

Q: Wait-- what's CLI doing in June? What does it mean for my CLI services? (Part 2)

A: Every year in June, CLI does a lot of "Summer Youth" Services for OOD (a state agency actually called "Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities"). Summer Youth programs are designed to help kids and young adults get work experience while they are still in school. Transitioning to the adult world can be very difficult and somewhat shocking for kids and their families. School resources and structures for school age people are very different from what's available for people after they are out of school. CLI has some plans for quarterly fun/educational events planned this fall to better help kids and their families know what to expect, and more importantly to plan.

So in June, CLI offers a significant amount of Summer Youth programs in addition to our regular adult programs. We've been short staffed for almost 2 years now and as we looked at our calendar for 2022, we built a lot of special fun larger group activities that will allow us to reallocate some staffing (Tab, Kristi & Courtney) away from normal IES & small group day programs so that they can do Summer Youth activities. In hindsight, we realize that we should not have put it on our actual program calendar because it's confusing, since CLI is still open in June and nobody's actual hours of service are different.

There might be some slight changes to people's pick-up & drop-off time (usually just a little later when it happens) during the month of June-- especially the week of June 6th. All staff carry phones and we'll try to be proactive about notifying people as delays happen. However, staff are not allowed to use their cell phones while driving with people in the vehicles, so often they have to choose between being a few minutes late without notice or being even later while they make calls from the side of the road. We'll do our best to keep everyone in the loop. We appreciate your patience with us next month.
CLI & Firelands Local have new opportunities for paid vocational training. So, for those of you who have been asking when the workshop will be open-- this is it.

Full-disclosure, it's going to be a mix of paid work at the workshop, or perhaps another community work place AND classes or activites related to long-term goals of community employment.

Interested? Space is limited, so talk to your SSA today.
Firelands Local LLC
I have some extremely exciting news. On Thursday, we were informed that we will be receiving a grant from the Ohio EPA for $100,000 to go towards the purchase of a non-CDL compactor (garbage) truck. This truck will be used to grow our boat wrap business exponentially. You can see the picture of the beauty that is coming. Unfortunately, it will not be arriving until around September.
 
If you are not aware of our boat wrap program, here is a quick recap. Many people wrap there boats in plastic for the winter. Most people/marinas simply throw this plastic away. We are able to collect it, then bale it and sell it to be recycled. When recycled, it becomes guard rail blocks. Typically we will deliver empty gaylord boxes to a marina and then return to pick up the full containers. With the truck, we will simply be able to gather all material at the same time.
 
We will be putting a great “wrap” on our new baby and looking for some sponsorship for it as well. If you are interested in this, please give me a call or email me.
Got Wood?!
Anyone looking for wood for a bonfire
-- or maybe even to heat your house because evidently we're not all the way
done with snow yet?
James & Firelands Local are giving it away. Just find a friend with a truck & show up!
James Johnson james@firelandslocal.com 419-921-6400
Good Works Cafe
CLI's Good Works Cafe offers a free community lunch every Friday afternoon at the Norwalk Reservoir Clubhouse. Thanks to the generous donations (money & food), CLI is able to take care of our neighbors and also get some real life restaurant and customer service job training.

If you'd like to learn more or donate--

please contact Rhonda White by phone at
419-706-5136

-- or by email at Rhonda@CLIsupports.com
Video of the week-- got one you'd like to share? Send it in!
CLI's three-part mission
  • increase the earnings, status & quality of life of people with developmental disabilities
  • increase the earnings, status & quality of life of people who support people with developmental disabilities
  • actively work to improve the communities in which we all live