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Dear Staff,

Happy New Year to all of the amazing staff here at ACLD. The new year has brought with it some changes, and especially hope, as we begin to rollout the COVID-19 vaccine to our staff and people supported.

Just last week, ACLD nurses began vaccinating staff at our Bethpage campus. This effort is the first step in returning to some normalcy in the next few months. Our hope is that with more and more people being vaccinated, we will begin to take the upper hand on this dreaded virus and return to normal operations across our programs. We encourage you to register to take the vaccine, if you have not done so already, by contacting Anastasia Brillis at Brillisa@acld.org. We must all do our part to not only safeguard our vulnerable residents, but to safeguard each other.

One of the biggest changes to take place last week was the new leadership at ACLD. In December we said goodbye to Bob Goldsmith, our Executive Director for the past six years. The new leadership team under Rob Ciatto, Executive Director, includes Anne Marie Sime and Gerard DiMuro, Assistant Executive Directors, with Chief Financial Officer, Kim Leonard. The team has been working together over the past year, as part of this planned transition.

In this edition of the Limelight, you can read more about Rob Ciatto and the vaccine, as well as activities from the past holiday season, our new Autism program in Deer Park and other employee news and highlights. In addition, we continue to encourage you to submit your own stories and highlights from your programs to be included in this monthly newsletter by clicking here.

As we look forward to the next 12 months, let’s continue to stick together and make 2021 a positive year for all!

Sincerely,

Rob, Gerard, Anne Marie and Kim
 
Robert Ciatto, Executive Director
Gerard DiMuro, Assistant Executive Director
Anne Marie Sime, Assistant Executive Director
Kim Leonard, Chief Financial Officer
New Executive Director
Please join us in congratulating Rob Ciatto, our new ACLD Executive Director. As announced in the last issue of Limelight, Bob Goldsmith retired at the end of last year, after six years with ACLD.

Rob brings more than 25 years of experience supporting people with developmental disabilities to his new position at ACLD. Since joining the agency in 2014 as the Assistant Executive Director, ACLD’s residential program has seen remarkable growth, expanding from 29 homes and soon to be more than 50 homes. Rob was responsible for all of the agency’s program areas including Residential and Day Services, Community Habilitation and Children’s Services as well as the support departments of Maintenance, Information Technology, Purchasing and Human Resources.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rob was instrumental in implementing proactive measures to safeguard the health of the 400 residents who reside in ACLD homes and apartments. He played a critical role in the launch of a new Respite Center in Bethpage, a facility designed to protect and meet the health care needs of residents infected with COVID-19 who did not require hospitalization.

“I have dedicated my entire career to ensuring that people with special needs receive the services and attention they deserve. As Executive Director of ACLD, I will use my experience to build upon the agency’s remarkable foundation and legacy of excellence. Working alongside our exceptional and professional staff, we will begin a new chapter for ACLD and for the people we are dedicated to supporting,” said Robert Ciatto, ACLD Executive Director.

Please join us in wishing him the best in this new role!
COVID-19 Vaccine
Last Wednesday was a historic day for ACLD, as we began vaccinating our essential staff in an effort to help further safeguard against COVID-19.

The vaccines were administered by ACLD’s Nurses, trained by Charles Evans Center nursing staff and Dr. Christine Brown, Chief Medical Officer. Thank you to our nursing team that administered the first vaccines: Matthew Woitovich of the Seaford and Oceanside residences, Julie Rava-Young of the Brighton and Spur Drive residences and Denise Hartman, Assistant Director of Nursing.

The vaccine has also begun to be rolled out to people supported in our community residences as of last Friday. See the video below of some of the staff getting vaccinated last week.
January Employee Spotlight
Congratulations to Tashia Coston, Manager of the Syosset IRA, for celebrating her 15th Anniversary at ACLD!

Tashia actually began her career at ACLD in the late 1990s as a Direct Support Professional at the Oyster Bay residence, and then after leaving for a few years, she returned in 2004 for a second tenure in the agency. Tashia was promoted to Assistant Manager of the Thomaston house in 2008, and then also served in the same role at the Russell Gardens residence a couple years later. Tashia has now been in her position of Manager of the Syosset IRA since 2014.

When presented with her 15-year certificate last month, she credited many leaders in ACLD for helping her reach her level of success today, including beloved staff member Gail White-Rison, whom she describes as a mentor and the person who laid out the path for her to ascend into supervisory roles.

Thank you Tashia for being a part of what makes ACLD so great, and the men and women you have supported over the years are lucky to have had you in their lives!
Holiday Caroling on Zoom
Last month, our Day Habilitation sites spread holiday cheer across the agency by singing carols on a special Zoom session. Thank you to Diane Salome-Diaz, Art Studio Program and Community Coordinator, for setting this up. Click the video below to watch the recording and sing along!
Orientation Art Manual Contest Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our Art Contest to decide the new cover of the ACLD Orientation Manual! Men and women supported in our community residences and day habilitation programs submitted their own designs, and the winning design was chosen last week.

🏆 Winning Design (The Boat): The group of Tina B., Allison R., Stephanie M. and Abby L. from the Levittown Bridges Day Program.

🏅1st Runner Up (People holding hands): Robert K. from the Bethpage Day Program.

🏅2nd Runner Up (The Rainbow): Sean D. from the Bethpage Day Program.

A big thanks go to the Art Studio and the Residential Program for coordinating this contest. Special thanks also goes to our Program Without Walls for collecting all of the voting ballots from the residences and delivering them to the Art Studio to be counted (last photo).
Winning design
1st runner up
2nd runner up
Serving our agency - and now our country!
Paola Pelaez, Teacher Assistant at the Kramer Learning Center, will soon be leaving ACLD as she nears the end of the process of enlisting to the United States Army!

As she begins this new adventure, we would like to thank her for her professionalism, exemplary work ethic and focus on the growth of the children at Kramer.

This work ethic was on display more than ever during the pandemic as she bridged the language barrier between Spanish speaking parents on Zoom, instructed them on how to help their kids learn at home, and for the hours she spent researching, buying and creating educational and entertaining videos and packets for the children in the school.

Special Educator at Kramer, Jennifer Rivera said, "Paola truly understands the needs of the children and does her best to meet their needs with a positive, proactive approach. She never fails to offer a cheerful greeting or a word of support to make a staff person’s day a little brighter. She will be missed and we wish her the best!"
ACLD to debut new BLUE program
ACLD will be opening its newest program, an autism-focused Adult Day program in Deer Park soon!

The program, called BLUE, will provide support and services to 30 adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This program boasts a 5,000 square foot facility that has been built from the ground up to specifically meet the needs of this population. From a specialized sensory room, to a media arts center, to a culinary arts program and exercise room, BLUE will be a state-of-the-art center focused on the needs and strengths of people with autism.

Click the button below to read the full brochure for this exciting new program.
Employee Engagement Day Pictures
Employee Engagement Days are BACK! The Organizational Care Committee encouraged everyone to wear a Holiday Mask or Sweater last month on December 16th, and we were very impressed with everyone's holiday spirit!
Holiday food donation
Shout out to our friends at Progressive Marketing Group, Inc. for donating catered holiday lunches from the restaurant The Rust & Gold in Huntington to our East Islip and Autumn Drive community residences last month.

As you can see, this put a lot of smiles on the faces of the men and women we support! We greatly appreciate their generosity and for spreading holiday cheer to our homes.
Submit YOUR stories for the "Limelight"
Each month we include stories in this newsletter about YOU and all of the amazing staff here at ACLD!

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP to find out about these stories. Please send us anything to include such as:

  • A story about how you or someone else went above and beyond at thier job to help the people we support, or to further our mission in any way.

  • Information or news useful for staff across the agency. Anything important or fun.

  • Proud moments for you or your family (Personal or professional milestones, awards, weddings, educational degrees or works in the community).

Don't be shy about submitting stories - we need new ones every month!
Personal Milestones
  • Abra Walter, of ACLD's Psychology Department just celebrated her eldest son's marriage in a small family only wedding. Her middle son also just recently became engaged!
wedding_cake.jpg
Greek life supporting ACLD
Do you have a child or family member that belongs to Greek life at a Long Island college? Most sororities and fraternities need to do a certain amount of philanthropic work each year as part of their chapter responsibilities - and they can adopt ACLD as a charity partner.

Please let your child or family member know that they can adopt ACLD for the Spring 2021 or Fall 2021 semester. Please have them contact Jan DiGeronimo in the Community Relations and Development at DiGeronimoj@acld.org or at 516-822-0028 x 211 for details on how they can get involved.
Update Your Contact Info
Do we have your updated contact information? ACLD communicates with our staff in times of emergencies via our notification system, and with two more months of winter weather ahead, it's imperative that we are able to communicate to everyone about program closures and updates.

Please let Mary Candela know if you have changed your phone numbers or if you aren't sure that ACLD has your updated contact information at candelam@acld.org
Shout Out Board
Don't forget to give a SHOUT OUT to recognize someone at your location for something special they did for you, your department or a person we support.
Bright Idea Box
The Organizational Care Committee is always looking for new ideas and suggestions from all of YOU to continue to make ACLD one of the best places to work, and for children and adults to receive supports and services.

Please share your ideas and suggestions anytime at brightideabox@acld.org or by using the "Bright Idea Box" at one of the following ACLD locations.
807 Building
837 Building
857 Building
Program Without Walls
Kramer Learning Center
Spiegel Children's Center
Hauppauge Day Program
Levittown Day Program
Glen Cove Day Program
Westbury Day Program
Farmingdale Day Program
Employee Trainings
See the training status of your employees by going to the Center For Learning (CFL) home page on ACLD Today and clicking on the STAFF TRAININGS link (see the blue arrow on the image below).

The newest report there covers employee certification in AMAP, SCIP, CPR-First Aid and AED (New Version highlights when staff are close to or already expired)

NOTE: This report includes extensions made to staff certification expiration dates.

Click on a report to view this information and stay on top of the training and recertification needs of your employees.
Human Resources is conducting virtual interviews
ACLD's Human Resources Department is giving applicants the option of either in-person or virtual interviews. Job offers and New hire Orientation are being offered in person.
Temporary Employee Procedures
Please review the “Temporary Employee Procedures for COVID-19 Period”. There was a revision in the section called “COVID-19, Prevention in the Workplace”.
CLICK HERE for New York’s most current list of travel restricted states.
Welcome ACLD New Hires - December 2020
Berel Timeau - Direct Support Professional - Alice Court
Camryn L. Molin - Teacher Aide - Kramer Learning Center
Demistrus A. Moore - Direct Support Professional - Rainbow 921
Jean R. Jean - Direct Support Professional - Dix Hills
Jeff Mondesir - Direct Support Professional - Straightpath
Manuel DJ Batres - Building Services Supervisor - Bethpage 807
Marie Maud Leroy - Registered Nurse - Bethpage 857
Precious-Onika T. Rattray - Direct Support Professional - Bethpage 857
Sarata Kaba - Direct Support Professional - Nesconset
Shevens D. Pierre - Direct Support Professional - St. James
"the limelight" is an initiative of the
Communications Committee
and is produced by the
Development and Community Relations Department.

Jonathan Dolan, Editor. For questions, comments or suggestions, please email dolanj2@acld.org 

Thank you to all who have submitted information
and photos. Keep them coming!
We welcome your comments and suggestions.