Week of
December 27th, 2021
In case you're wondering what day it is--
according to nationaldaycalendar.com it might be:
With the spike in positive COVID cases, CLI pulled back into isolated groups again last week leading up to the big day. We did some fun crafts-- made fake snow & played some "candy cane games" (not to be confused with reindeer games?)

The bowling leagues are undeterred however.

We'll probably continue to play it safe for a week or two when CLI begins it's regular day programming again January 10th. Let us know if there were any 2020 CLI games/activities that you really liked. Beer-less pong anyone?
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
John's usual--

Hopefully you all are enjoying your holiday break as much as I am. My family is skiing & snowboarding at Crystal Mountain in Northern Michigan this week. This is where my kids first learned to snowboard eleven years ago, so I'm pretty excited to be back there. I'm also hoping to get some pictures of them on the top of Sleeping Bear Dune. I'm still snowboarding vs. skiing as I feel like I'm better able to work with a bad shoulder/arm injury then a foot/knee injury. I am hoping for neither of course. I haven't done it in at least 2 years, so we'll just have to see what happens.

Jen Swicker is running some special activities this week and next. CLI shuts down our regular day programs for part of December and then again for a few weeks in the summer-- BUT, this is because we want to do some special stuff instead. CLI only has 11 full-time staff and 6 part-time staff. That's less than half of what we had pre-COVID. CLI still puts out the annual program calendar-- but it's really akin to the "pirates code"-- a loose guideline than hard & fast. We want to help people connect to real life whenever possible-- which is hard to do when the rigid default time slot is 9 am - 3 pm.

We've started a FAQ of the week section. We know that there are questions, because we get them all the time. Please share yours. I guarantee that someone else has the same one. Ditto with the youtube recommendations. Keep those coming. That's been fun.

Enjoy your week. Keep yourself & those you love safe!
John
Over Christmas break, CLI is finally installing a wheelchair accessible ramp into Kenilee Lanes! We also did a light remodel upstairs in the NHS' Bowling Team's Boy's & Girl's locker rooms.

The plan is to complete the full inside remodel, making the entire first floor & lanes completely accessible, including the kitchen, around April/May of 2022.

Thanks to fundraisers and the generosity of many individuals and organizations-- CLI has raised enough money for the inside work, but we still need another $60,000+ to renovate the exterior facade-- including a new automatic accessible door.

This project is exciting because it benefits many more people than just CLI clients and people with developmental disabilities. There are so many other citizens who benefit from having accessible spaces that allow them to be included. We know senior citizens, military veterans, and many others who were able to attend a family gathering or social function thanks to CLI's other accessible spaces.
FAQ of the week:
Q: How does CLI get money to do everything?

A: It depends on which slice of everything you are talking about. There are basically 4 answers.

  • Answer #1 is that CLI is a Medicaid provider of services to people with DD. The State of Ohio uses Medicaid money, combined with local property tax money to pay providers like CLI on what they call a "fee for service" basis. This means that there are rates set in Ohio's Administrative Code or each specific service, whether that is a ride to work, or a 15 minute unit of staff service. Every CLI client has an Individual Service Plan written/authorized by the County Board of DD that allows CLI to bill Ohio for the services we provide as agreed to in each person's ISP. We only get paid when we deliver a service. If the weather is bad and we cancel or people don't show up as scheduled, CLI is not paid at all.
  • Answer #2 is related. CLI is a non-profit business. Being a non-profit means that we don't have to pay some state & federal taxes-- and we can accept tax-deductible donations. CLI is allowed to earn extra money each year (if we can figure out how to actually do it) as long as that money is spent on our charitable mission. The key thing that most people don't realize about "non-profits" is that they must make more money than they spend or they will go out of business.
  • Answer #3 is that CLI is always looking for new ways to make more money that we can reinvest in our clients, in our staff, and in our communities. Some examples are renting 16 West, Kenilee Lanes bowling income, and expanding our services to other clients who don't have a developmental disability.
  • Answer #4 is that as a non-profit, CLI is allowed to accept tax-deductible donations and foundation grants. We used to only do this to raise money to cover client costs in the community. Now, we also raise money for special projects, like making Kenilee Lanes 100% accessible or CLI's free Friday community lunch program.
Firelands Local LLC
I hope everyone had a great Christmas.
 
Firelands is closed this week to give all of our employees the opportunity to spend some quality time with there families and get some much deserved time off.
 
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our business partners and customers who have worked with us this past year. It has been a crazy year. We look forward to being able to continue to work with you in the coming years.
 
Description of the picture. I get asked all the time “What does it look like when your cardboard baler throws up?” OK, no one has actually asked me that. I am including a picture of what it looks like.
 
I hope everyone enjoys the New Year celebrations in a safe manner. See you all next year.
James Johnson james@firelandslocal.com 419-921-6400
Good Works Cafe
A HUGE thank you to Allison Mcdonald! Allison stopped into the Good Works Cafe this week with her parent, Skip & Patti Wilde to donate everything in this picture + 8 pounds of ground beef!

We appreciate everyone's donations-- and the many of you who supported CLI's Cafe Program by pre-ordering and buying christmas cookies last week. It is people like Alison, her family and all of you that make our community great!
CLI 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
Jeff Davis is the Director of the Ohio Department of DD. Jeff is retiring at the end of 2021. Director Jeff Davis wrapped up his final podcast by interviewing incoming Director Kim Hauck.
Videos of the week-- got one you'd like to share? Send it in!