For Jasmaine, Jessica, Pamela, Robert, Samuel, Tabatha, and Terry, this year was a special

one, full of firsts. They celebrated trick or treating on Halloween for the first time ever. They

also celebrated hosting their own Super Bowl party. They interacted with their neighbors for

the very first time. Just one year ago, these individuals moved from a facility-based setting

into two accessible community medical homes. On May 23, they hosted an open house to

celebrate the one year anniversary of living in their own homes with a guest list that included

family members, funders, and staff who spent a wonderful afternoon touring the new state-

of-the-art home, and enjoying mu-

sic and refreshments. Many thanks

to the following supporters who

made the construction of these two

homes possible: FHL Bank Pitts-

burgh Affordable Housing Program

grant, PHARE (Pennsylvania Hous-

ing Affordability and Rehabilitation

Enhancement Fund), Montgomery

County HOME program grant, Citi-

zens Bank, BB&T, and the Connelly

Foundation.

Anna just celebrated her second birthday, complete with a “Daniel

the Tiger” theme. She is bubbly, loves to count, cheer on her

favorite hockey team, the Philadelphia Flyers, and her eyes are a

bright, crystal blue that will make any heart melt. Before she was

born, Anna’s parents, Angela and Michael, were told that she may

face some challenges. The new parents waited patiently for Anna’s

arrival, and they believed that they could make anything work when

it came to their new baby girl. At just two months old, Anna began

receiving physical therapy from KenCrest.

Four different KenCrest early intervention specialists, including

speech and occupational therapists,

worked with Anna before her first

birthday. Her therapists were part of a

team assembled to help Anna develop and help her parents learn

how to support her as she grew. Anna has made great progress in

the last few months. She grows even more with each new lesson,

pushes herself with all of her strength, and has gone above and

beyond expectations. Anna’s story of success is a tribute to what

the teamwork of excellent professionals and a caring family can

accomplish.

KenCrest! See what we’ve been up to . . .

Keeping up with SERVICES | LOCATIONS | SUPPORT | NEWS & EVENTS

AmAzing AnnA

August 2018

1

The 2nd Annual KenCrest Masters will

take place on Monday, October 22 at Blue

Bell Country Club and Normandy Farm.

Guests can choose to participate in any

one of three activities: wood crafting, sushi

making, or 18 holes of golf. The day will

conclude with a cocktail hour, dinner, live

and silent auctions, and more. Stay tuned

for more details!

SAVE THE DATE!

Save the Date for

KenCrest Masters

Choose from:

Sushi Making~

Wood Crafting~

Golfing

Monday, October 22, 2018

Blue Bell Country Club

and

Normandy Farm

A PlACE To CAll HomE

KenCrest held a celebration of staff on Thursday,

May 10 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in King of

Prussia, PA. The annual event, which was themed after

the Oscars and called the Kennys, provided over 325

employees the opportunity to dress to impress and

a forum to recognize and celebrate exceptional staff

contributions and longevity.

The William Nolan Advocacy Award to recognize

advocacy for the community, clients and their

families was received by Mary Doughty, the Program

Coordinator of our Northeast Philadelphia Early

Childhood Center.

The Siebott/Hibbard Award, given in memory of

Marilyn Siebott and Rod Hibbard, two beloved past

leaders who championed staff support, achievement

and career development, was awarded to Kelly Sesay,

Quality Manager.

The Sister Grace Jones Award is the highest award,

created in memory of Sister Grace Jones, the longest

tenured Executive Director who did not take “No” for

an answer when it came to dedication and service.

The recipient this year

was Melanie Brennan,

Director of KenCrest’s

Early Learning programs.

“I was humbled to receive

the Sister Grace Jones

Award. I’ve been thinking

a lot about the mission of

KenCrest and how it has

intersected and influenced

my own life course.

I’ve been surrounded

by people with a deep

commitment to the values that represent Sister. Grace and KenCrest - strength-based views

of the people we serve and positive approaches which have influenced me both at work and

at home,” said Melanie, who has been working at KenCrest for over 30 years.

Other big winners of the evening were our recipients of the PRIDE (Positive Approaches at

Work, Reaching Higher, Inclusion, Discovery, and Excellence in Leadership) Awards: Debbie

Bauer of Montgomery County Supported Employment, Senquetta Ancrum-Patterson of

our North Philadelphia Early Learning Center, Mary Peifer-Kulp of Home and Community

Services, Mike Luce of Connecticut Community Living, and Stanley Carr of our Training

Department.

The agency also presented 19 awards for longevity to staff who have been working at

KenCrest 30, 35, and 40 years. It was truly a night to remember!

CElEbrATing our SPECiAl STAff ADVoCACy in ACTion

mAKE A WiSH for KEnCrEST

bEATing THE HEAT AT THE WEST CEnTEr

Thursday, May 3, KenCrest’s North

Philadelphia Early Learning Center

hosted U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) for

a roundtable with local families and child

care professionals. Families shared their

stories while Casey delivered an update

on his advocacy for working families,

including his legislation aimed at making

child care and early learning opportunities

more affordable for all Pennsylvanians.

KenCrest was honored to be a part of this

great initiative and host Senator Casey.

On June 5, KenCrest celebrated our 113th

birthday. Nothing is more fulfilling than

seeing a wish come true, and that is what

drives us at KenCrest. Over the past year, your

support has made countless wishes come true

for our community! As we continue to grow,

we rely on your support to explore innovative

possibilities and turn wishes into reality. You

are a vital part of empowering the dreams of

the KenCrest family. Make a wish with us; it’s

only together that we have accomplished so

much. Please share your favorite KenCrest

wish with us by emailing fund.development@

kencrest.org.

In April 2018, Fund for Quality provided a grant of $100,000 to KenCrest for a new HVAC

system at our West Philadelphia Early Learning Center. The new system will provide a

comfortable indoor climate year-round for more than 200 children. Many thanks to Fund

for Quality, who also granted $220,000 in 2015 for an expansion of the West Center!

PNC Bank recently donated 20

Radio Flyer trikes and 7 Radio Flyer

Wagons to Early Learning Centers

in Philadelphia. Children could not

wait to take their new wheels for

a spin! Thank you to PNC for your

continued generosity and support of

our Early Learning Centers.

A grADuATion To rEmEmbEr

3

On June 7, KenCrest honored its first Project

SEARCH graduating class from a partnership with

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Collegeville, PA. The

graduation ceremony recognized the program

participants for their achievement in completing

the nine-month program. All eight student

interns successfully completed the rotational

requirements of the curriculum and will go on to

utilize their newly developed business expertise in

other permanent placements in the community.

The students placements ranged from working

in IT, catering, facilities, and operations. The

program has been in place for more than four years

at GSK’s global headquarters in London. Collegeville is GSK’s first US site to participate. Alison Smale, Director of Employment

for KenCrest stated: “We are very proud of each and every one of our graduates. It was a wonderful experience to support

our students through this Project SEARCH program with a host business representing the pharmaceutical industry. We are

looking forward to increasing our involvement with all types of larger businesses through this program in other communities in

Montgomery and Bucks County in the very near future.”

“The passion these students brought to our team was contagious and their talent truly contributed to our success. The goal of the

program was to help the students, but they helped us just as much,” said Caroline Perry, GSK Director of Clinical Development,

Infectious Disease and Program Coordinator. “They reminded us why it is so important to be an inclusive company, a reminder

that will stay with us beyond their nine-month assignment.” KenCrest also honored seven Project SEARCH graduates of our

longstanding program at Phoenixville Hospital on June 5.

Thomas Jefferson was known for hosting dinner parties with people he found intriguing. Usually attendees were unacquainted with one

another and Jefferson set out a list of conversational questions on a specific topic. By the end of the dinner party, the guests had all gained

insight and knowledge on a variety of issues. In this spirit, Marian Baldini, President and CEO, hosted the first KenCrest Jeffersonian Dinner

at Normandy Farm on May 15. Eight guests enjoyed a thought-provoking evening that included questions about the future of the disability

service industry, what it means to be part of a community, and the role of philanthropy.

KenCrest hopes to continue this initiative and host more dinners with thought leaders and community members in the coming

year. Through these dinners, it is our hope to get to know the communities where we serve, and to continue providing

innovative programs.

nEW WHEElS THAnKS To PnC

KEnCrEST HoSTS firST JEffErSoniAn DinnEr

Thank You!!

On May 23, KenCrest announced the appointment of Sean J.

Bosken of Fairfield, CT to the Board of Directors for KenCrest

Centers, representing the state of Connecticut. Mr. Bosken

is the Vice President of Service Excellence for Nestlé Waters

North America and has been involved in the human services

field for several years. “We are honored to have Sean as part

of our Board, representing the interests of the individuals and

their families in the state of Connecticut. This appointment

represents a milestone for KenCrest as the first time we have

had Board representation from Connecticut,” stated Marian Baldini, President and CEO.Copyright © 2018 KENCREST. All Rights Reserved.

960A Harvest Drive, Suite 100Blue Bell, PA 19422 | 610.825.9360

kencrest.org

Since 1905 KenCrest,

through positive approaches,

innovation and compassion,

has ensured that individuals in

disadvantaged communities as

well as those with intellectual

disabilities and autism

get a great beginning and

continue to live well in their

communities, have control

of their lives and receive the

respect of others.

Sign up for KenCrest’s E-news

by texting KENCREST to 42828,

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Join the KenCrest Team

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therapists, etc.

kencrest.jobs.net

SHADoWS To SuCCESS

WElComE SEAn!

Deciding on a career path after high school is never easy, and the decision is even more

difficult for people with disabilities. This school year, KenCrest orchestrated three different

job shadow programs to help in this process. The first took place at Pfizer in Collegeville on

Wednesday, April 25, when students from Norristown High School worked with Pfizer job

mentors to learn about skills needed in the workplace. Then, on May 17, KenCrest held two

job shadow events. The first was at Gabe’s store in Pottstown with students from Boyertown

Area High School and Pottsgrove High School. Gabe’s is a retail environment leader in

supporting the employment of people with disabilities and currently employs four staff

who are supported by KenCrest. The second was at IKEA in South Philadelphia, hosting

nine students from John Bartram High School who learned about interior design, logistics,

food management, and customer service. These job shadow days were made possible by

KeyBank, Child Development Foundation, and Ross Stores.