THE END OF THE YEAR IS JUST THE BEGINNING December 2016

New Look, Same Heart Thank you for all your support as we implement the new brand

The much anticipated brand launch has begun! Our website is sunny and sparkly, email signatures and voicemails are changing, lobbies are being painted, and our TriState Update is now The Sunburst! More than 60 people voted, and with a sweeping 8% lead over competitors, congratulations are due to Chrissy Perkins for coming up with the winning name!

Thank you for your continued patience—we still have a long road ahead of us. Thank you also for your attendance, participation in, and feedback on Introducing the New Brand meetings. Your input has been, and will continue to be, extremely helpful.

Fun Facts:

We had a 69% meeting attendance rate .

66% of people surveyed Like the new Purpose Statement and Local Positioning Statement.

63% of people surveyed Agree that the new brand and its discussions have equipped them to speak to family, friends and stakeholders about the impact of Easterseals.

You’re all stars! Our “We Are Easterseals” video has been viewed nearly 1,600 times across

Facebook and YouTube! It was even included in a personal email from Randy Rutta, President and CEO of Easterseals. Thank you to everyone who shared their voices in this awesome project.

Next Steps

New signage for Gilbert is in progress and other locations will soon follow. (Continued on page 2)

Our “We Are Easterseals” video has been viewed nearly 1,600 times across Facebook and YouTube.

“We Are Easterseals” features many wonderful faces and voices saying what Easterseals means to them.

Branding Renaissance well underway Off to a great start, with more changes to come

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(Continued from Page 1)

Letterhead is in the “2016 New Brand” folder on the common drive.

We have mugs, pens, and t-shirts for promotional items. If you have other needs, contact Kate Elliott with at least one month’s notice for assistance placing new orders.

Five table cloths are now available. There will be one at each location. Look for further communication about the borrowing procedure none of them get lost.

Marketing print materials are being updated as quickly as possible. If you have an upcoming meeting or fair,

reach out to Kate Elliott. Please give a minimum of two weeks notice for Marketing to complete your request. More time is required if you need assistance with professional printing.

Internal Marketing and Communications Committee

We are still seeking representation from all locations and services for the Internal Marketing and Communications Committee (IMCC). Goals include:

Improving internal communications so that we all are better informed of what is happening across the organization, who is being

served, and where we are achieving impact.

Sharing input on key messages developed by Development and Marketing.

Brainstorming new opportunities and audiences for sharing our key messages.

If you are interested in joining the IMCC, make sure to share what dates and times work best for you. Click here to complete the survey.

Be sure to also email Kate Elliott so that you are included in any relevant communications.

Jessi Hagedorn Job Coach OOD Connie Smith-Monahan, Job Coach/Developer OOD

Tephra Fields Director Youth Services Emiley Crawford-Davis Manager Youth Services Butler/Warren County

Joseph Martin Job Developer Youth Services Butler/Warren County Clarence Taylor Job Developer CCMEP

New Hires Welcome to the Easterseals family

Mission Moment Overcoming injured body and spirit

Chris Macklin served in the Army for eight years, but after badly damaging his leg and enduring multiple surgeries, he was discharged from the service. He has spoken candidly of the struggles he faced finding a job. “The hardest part is me getting back into society,” he said, “and trying to figure out and navigate where to go, who to see, who to talk to, I was struggling just to get back to work.” After a homeless woman on the street told him about Easterseals, he took a chance and made the call. He was matched with Job Developer Nita Renfrow in Easterseals’ veteran services. Renfrow connected him with a job at AAA training new employees. He began enthusiastically recruiting other veterans not just to seek support from Easterseals, but to find

employment at AAA. Macklin’s injury continued to plague him, so Renfrow to push him to think about his goals. Identifying his passion for helping others, he began working at Summit Behavioral Health, a great fit for Macklin’s giving spirit. Then, Renfrow began nudging him toward going back to school. Sure enough, this month Macklin is finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University. He recently shared the following exciting social media post: “Once again I'm thanking Easterseals Operation Vets Thrive program. They push me to go back to school and I'm finishing up my Addiction Counseling Bachelors Degree in December 2016, but today I received this email: Dear Chris, Congratulations! It is my pleasure to

inform you that you have been accepted to the Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) online program at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University for Spring 2017.” Congratulations, Chris! And a big thank you to every person who has supported him along his journey. Successes like these are all thanks to the amazing people at Easterseals who tirelessly advocate for the people we serve, believing in them even when they struggle to believe in themselves. Thank you for all that you do.

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Amazon Smile has you covered with an endless amount of ideas. Find the perfect gift and support Easterseals all at the same time! Log in to Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase will support Easterseals.

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/31-0873433

Worried about not finding the right gift this holiday season?

Healthy Habits—Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes) A holiday treat

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1 lb. box powdered sugar 1 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter 1/2 c. melted butter 3. Rice Krispies 13. oz. sweet chocolate bar

Directions:

Put peanut butter and powdered sugar into bowl. Add Rice Krispies and combine. Cool for 45 minutes in refrigerator. (This makes mixture easier to work with.) Coat hands with butter and form mixture into “small” balls. Return to refrigerator to re-cool.

Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Once balls are cooled, insert a toothpick as a “handle” and dip 1/2 of peanut butter ball into chocolate. Place onto waxed paper and allow to cool.

Callie Amann OES Gilbert 21 years Christopher Ballentine Production Gilbert 9 years Mark Brislin OOD Programs Gilbert 15 years Sophie Charlton Clermont County WIA 2 years Nathan Cook Production Gilbert 1 year Russell Earhart YMCA 5 years Crystal Franklin Production Gilbert 1 year

Holly Harris OOD Programs Gilbert 10 years Jason Harris Clermont County WIA 1 year Steve Harris Production Gilbert 1 year Donna Keith Transportation– Symmes 6 years Valtina Lovette OES Gilbert 17 years Chris Miday Deconstruction 13 years Reba Moore OES Symmes 1 year

Paul Schneider YMCA 7 years Michael Stewart Transportation– Symmes 7 years Peter Stitsinger OOD Programs Rossplain 5 years India Wilks Production Gilbert 1 year Karl G. Williams Veterans Services 1 year

Anniversaries

Happy December Birthdays! Al Kahng Production Gilbert 12/2 Deborah Brown Adult Day Services 12/3 Colby Coleman Therapeutic Social Rec 12/7 Sophie Charlton Clermont County WIA 12/9 David Daniels Retail 12/10 Sonal Shackelford WorkLink/Community Link 12/12 Le’Nikka Howell Social Rec 12/13

Debbie Smith Administration Gilbert 12/13 Troy Woodlan Production Symmes 12/14 Garrick Berkhalter YouthBuild 12/16 Kyle Haynes Production Gilbert 12/16 Cassandra Pegues WorkLink/Community Link 12/18 Chris Pence Deconstruction 12/19 Jennifer Sparks Project Search 12/19

Anita Smith OES Symmes 12/20 David Jones Retail 12/23 David Warshawsky Production Gilbert 12/23 Avis Mims OES Symmes 12/24 Nicole Boreing OES Rossplain 12/30

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Before you go shopping for ingredients to make the perfect gingerbread man, visit https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards/ to have Kroger support Easterseals!

Kroger Community Rewards® makes supporting Easterseals Serving Greater Cincinnati easy. Register your Kroger Plus Card for Community Rewards, choose Easter Seals Tristate (website enrollment is not rebranded) as your favorite

charity, and every time you shop at Kroger with your Plus Card, a portion of your bill goes to Easterseals. Last quarter we earned more than $300 with only 28 households registered—imagine how much could be raised if all 300 employees registered!

Staff Spotlight Introducing: Stephanie Wilson

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A fun fact about Stephanie is that she has been with Easterseals for the last nine years working at the employment center at Symmes Rd.

Overall, Stephanie has worked in this field for more than 25 years and says she could never see herself working in another field.

When asked what her most memorable moment has been, she responded, “It makes me happy to see our folks achieve their goals in life!! I enjoy seeing them be successful.”

Stephanie currently lives in Trenton, and if she had the chance to travel anywhere she would visit her “bucket list” locations: Hawaii and Germany. She chose Hawaii for a relaxed vacation because it looks beautiful, and Germany because of her own German descent— she would love to see where her grandmother grew up while also visiting all of her other family.

Stephanie has been married for 21 years and has three kids named Kaleb, Christian, and Macy.

Something that might surprise you about Stephanie is that she herself

is a guardian over two individuals with disabilities. She is extremely grateful for them and says, “I love them like they are my family and thank God for them!!”

During her spare time, Stephanie enjoys going to church, and watching her daughter play volleyball and basketball. She loves watching football, especially her Green Bay Packers. According to Stephanie, “I bleed green and gold. I even like them when they lose. LOL.”

As for baseball, she is a huge Reds fan and stated, “I totally miss Todd Frazier!”

Finally, her favorite restaurants include Olive Garden and Cheesecake Factory.

Our four awardees' incredible stories show the resilience and perseverance of individuals in our community. None of this could have been done without your help! They have succeeded because of the support you have provided them with in their program! We are truly grateful to the staff for their dedication in making this event so special. We are Easterseals!

Thank you! Your support in 2016 raised more than $85,000 for Easterseals' vital programs that break down barriers and build a more diverse and inclusive community.

A Successful Brighter Futures Celebration!

Compliance Corner Holiday Giving, Christmas Coronaries, and Hanukah Attacks! Happy Holidays!

As we approach the holidays I want to take a minute to remind staff of an important line in our agency Code of Ethics that pertains to accepting gifts from individuals we serve and their families. It says, “We will not accept gratuities or personal gifts of significant value (presents or money) from persons served or their family members.”

I know that it’s an awesome feeling to be recognized by our program participants and their families for the hard work that we do, but we need to be careful about what we accept, and this issue arises around the holidays more than any other time. Basically, the big question is what is significant value? Small tokens of appreciation such as homemade cookies, a holiday dishtowel, a small candle, or a $5 Graeter’s certificate are all perfectly acceptable gifts for you to accept.

In the past we have had family members give staff gift cards in $40 - $100 denominations, and they have had to decline them. While I know that it’s nice to receive the bigger gifts, accepting them is often at odds with agency contracts or other agreements. If you receive a gift that you aren’t certain about, please see your supervisor or call the compliance hotline to discuss whether it meets our guideline or not. If a gift needs to be declined, we can also help you to determine the best way to do so without upsetting the family member.

Also, since I wear the dual hat of being the CPR/First Aid instructor in addition to Compliance, I want to take a minute to talk about heart health over the holidays. Did you know that the number of cardiac deaths is higher on December 25th, 26th, and January 1st (in that order) than any other time of the year? While scientists still haven’t determined the exact reason for this, there are some common sense steps

you can take to help keep your heart healthy over the holiday season.

Pile on layers. Avoid exposure to extreme cold.

Take a load off. Steer clear of heart stressors, including too much physical exertion (especially snow shoveling), anger, and emotional stress.

Make good choices. Avoid excess salt and alcohol. Too much drinking -- for example, binge drinking -- can lead to atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm in which disorganized electrical signals cause the heart’s two upper chambers to contract irregularly. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart failure.

Get a shot. Consider getting a flu vaccination. Infection and fever put extra stress on the heart

Breathe. Go indoors during air pollution alerts but try to avoid breathing smoke from wood-burning fireplaces. If you’re visiting another home during the holidays, sit as far away as you can from a burning fireplace. Ultra-fine particles in the air can be bad for the heart.

Get help. If you feel chest pain or other symptoms, call 911 for emergency help. The stakes are high. So give yourself and your family a gift this season. Don’t postpone treatment because you don’t want to spoil the holiday merrymaking.

Please take care of yourself this holiday season!!!(Statistics and ideas from WebMD.com)

Be prepared during the holidays and sign up for CPR. Schedule on page 8.

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Easterseals

COMPLIANCE HOTLINE

513-347-1587

Robin Totsch,

Compliance Officer

2017 CPR/First Aid and CPI Training Schedule CPR is a life-saving technique that helps maintain some blood flow to the brain and heart, and can help "buy time" until paramedics arrive with more advanced care.

CPR/First Aid Certification Classes CPI (Crisis Prevention) Certification Classes

Date

January 18th

February 15th

March 7th

April 4th

May 2nd

June 6th

July 11th

August 8th

September 6th

October 3rd

November 7th

December 5th

Date Time Location

January 11th 1-4 PM Rossplain February 8th 1-4 PM Rossplain March 1 & 2 3:30 - 5PM Harrison March 8th 1-4 PM Rossplain

April 5th 1-4 PM Gilbert May 10th 1-4PM Rossplain June 7th 1-4pm Rossplain July 12th 1-4 PM Rossplain August 9th 1-4pm Rossplain August 23rd 9-Noon Symmes August 29th & 30th 3:30 -5PM Symmes September 13th 9-Noon Rossplain October 11th 1-4 PM Rossplain

November 8th 1-4 PM Rossplain

December 6th 1-4 PM Rossplain All CPR classes begin at 8:30 AM in the Rossplain Training Room