Lynsy Meier, Bryan Program Director
On September 1st, D&S added the Bryan area by way of purchasing another provider’s program. D&S welcomed the individuals, families, and staff into the family. As our area forms, we have had grown stronger every month. We started out learning as much as we could about each other. What better time of year to do this than the holiday season? We started out strong with DSP appreciation in October, enjoyed a great Halloween party put on by our day hab staff in October, moved into November feeling thankful, and ended the holiday season with two fun Christmas parties: a “come and go” at the office for individuals, staff, and families plus an invitation to join the fun of the huge Brenham area Christmas dinner and dance with Santa.
As we move into the New Year, we continue to put one foot in front of the other and get stronger every day. We have been welcomed into the Bryan/College Station area and we are excited to report steady growth every month. Already, we have enrolled 5 foster care, 2 supported home living, and 2 Texas home living individuals. This gives our area a total of 62 lives to have a positive impact on. We currently have 4 group homes and everyone else that we serve live in family home environments. We strive to continue growing by providing exceptional services.
One of the best things about our area are the job opportunities. Not only do we partner with Texas A&M’s P.A.T.H.S. program to provide volunteer and job opportunities to individuals with special needs, Texas A&M also competitively employs many of our folks in their Duncan Dining Hall through Junction 505. We also have individuals employed at the local Goodwill and Recycling Center. You may be wondering what those who don’t work do all day… Well, we are happy to report that our day hab program has a wide array of activities ranging from cooking class to local volunteering opportunities such as Meals On Wheels. During times that everyone is hanging out at the day hab building, there are lots of games going on and arts & crafts being made. During Thanksgiving, everyone at day hab assisted with creating a ceiling high “thankful” tree that touched our hearts. For Christmas, everyone made seasonal art that we displayed in the office for all to see. We also entered this art into the D&S Christmas card contest and one of our ladies won! Maria Llanas’ Christmas art and photo were printed onto Christmas cards for every D&S area to enjoy. This excitement has carried through our area and energized us all to challenge ourselves with where we can shine next… Hopefully at our first annual HCS survey coming up in the next few month.
What can you expect next? We are currently purchasing group homes to replace the leased homes that acquired and we are hoping to add at least one new home during 2016. Also, we are searching steadily for the right space to move our day hab program to stretch out a bit and encourage more folks to join in the fun. Stay tuned…
