2011 NYSADSP
Mary Frawley Memorial Grants
Each year the Association offers an opportunity for member agencies to apply for grant monies that will support creative endeavors which will enhance program opportunities for participants. This grant was developed in 1995 in memory of Mary Frawley, who was an active Board member. As of this year, the Association has provided over 100 grants over the last 16 years totaling around $88,000. This year the Association had 31 applications. This is the largest number of applications to date. The committee did a great job of screening the applications and awarded seven agencies a total of $5,000. These awards were presented at the June statewide meeting in Saratoga Springs.
Below are excerpts from their application explaining how they will use this grant money:
1. Schenectady ARC – presented with $800 to develop a Consumer Fire Safety Video
Funding from the Mary Frawley Memorial Grant will be used to produce a 10 minute fire safety training DVD for consumers attending our four-day habilitation programs located throughout Schenectady County. It will serve as an essential supplement to our newly created 200 page day services consumer fire safety training curriculum (described in question six below), providing a multi-sensory interpretation of key fire safety practices for consumers faced with varying levels of intellectual functioning, communication skills and learning styles. It will be closed-captioned to accommodate consumers with a hearing impairment. Furthermore, those with limited attention span, or information processing issues, will be able to view it at their own pace with the support of agency direct support professionals and involved clinicians. This video companion, will be introduced by, and developed in collaboration with, two fire departments located in close proximity to our Rotterdam and Princetown based day programs will visually depict the sights and sounds associated with several key fire safety topics including:
- Different types of fire – “good” fire (gray smoke) versus “bad” fire (black smoke
- How fires can start
- Smoke detectors and building fire alarms
- How and when to contact 9-1-1 and summon emergency assistance
- Types of emergency vehicles
- Identifying a firefighter and their personal protective equipment
- Demonstration of “stop, drop and roll” and “crawl low and go” techniques
- Fire plans and building evacuation methods
The video will be developed by a Capital Region based production company in partnership with Schenectady ARC and local fire departments who have graciously offered to serve as an integral part of the video. We anticipate that upon grant approval production will be completed by the fall of 2011 and ready for use by all Schenectady ARC day facilities immediately thereafter.
2. Heritage Christian Services – presented with $1,000 grant for the enhancement of the Ellison Park Wetland Project
Facilitating relationships between the day program participants and individuals from the community is one of the pillars of our program at Ellison Wetlands Park. When we successfully create roles for individuals with disabilities to serve as mentors or teachers, it builds their confidence level, resulting in more positive outcomes. To achieve our goal of bringing more schoolchildren and community members to the center, we must build up the center as a unique learning destination, with displays that highlight area wildlife and printed educational materials that align with state learning standards, including maps of the wetlands area. These items will increase learning opportunities for program participants, expand their outreach and help educate the community as well.
3. Pathways Inc. – presented with $515 to develop a program for consumer use of “Geocaching”
We began letterboxing in the summer and found that the program participants have taken a great interest in this activity because they learn about their community in a fun way and share their information with other adults who participate in these same activities. They were excited to design and purchase their own stamp and notebook. Because these locations can be very easy or very involved, it has allowed differing groups to participate. In Corning many groups have located “boxes” in the library, at local stores and community parks. This has oriented them to their community and to local store owners. Participants have worked on reading, writing, math, street and community safety, sharing and turn taking, and working as a group. Now that this group has located and used many of the maps within walking distance to the program, they now want to expand this activity.
Geocaching is a high-tech scavenger hunt completed by using GPS devices. The idea is to find hidden containers outdoors and then share experiences online. Upgrading to Geocaching from letterboxing would assist our consumers with developing technology related skills, team work, communication and following instructions.
4. Westchester ARC – presented with $290 for a garden loom for a project titled “Weaving a Life Garden Loom”
Plans for a specially designed garden loom would be purchased as an outdoor feature of our current Fiber Arts Program. We will purchase the components of the loom and assemble them as a group project with the help of day program staff and additional Westchester ARC support staff if needed. The loom is a vertical cedar wood loom, which would be permanently planted in the garden of our Mt. Kisco Day Hab Center. It would enable consumers to enjoy the experience of weaving a tapestry outdoors, using all natural materials found in the garden. Key features: Consumers would not just be weaving; they would be creating an outdoor sculpture that would change with the seasons. This is not a sedentary activity. Consumers would be actively involved in assembling the loom, gathering materials outdoors for the loom and standing to weave. Once woven, the tapestry would attract wildlife that is looking for food or items for building nests. After the loom is purchased and installed the cost of weaving materials is minimal since most would be found in nature or are recycled yarns and materials. Results expected: weaving on the loom would provide a relaxing sensory outdoor experience that also promotes awareness of nature. It will promote fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It will increase attention by creating a visual tactile connection. It will enhance spirituality by promoting our harmony with nature. It will provide a work of art that symbolizes our sensitivity to our surroundings. It will provide unlimited teaching opportunities about nature, horticulture and the environment. This project should be awarded to our program because it compliments and expands are current arts program. Our consumers have demonstrated that they enjoy working with unusual sensory materials and it will enable them to do that outdoors. It will help our consumers to demonstrate that nothing is useless if you find the right use for it.
5. Block Institute – presented with $875 to develop a Music Therapy Program
The Mary Frawley grant will allow the Adult Day Services Program at Block Institute to expand the existing music therapy program by offering musical opportunities to underprivileged children who reside within the local Coney Island and Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn. The Block Institute’s Music Therapy Program, in collaboration with the Center Against Domestic Violence, would support displaced families, particularly women and children, by providing children with this unique recreational opportunity. This program will be offered weekly and is geared towards increasing their emotional and physical health as well as promoting socialization in an integrated group setting. This project will help to teach our participants the importance of giving back to the community through partnership and collaboration.
6. Nassau AHRC – presented with $1000 for “Going Green Using a Sewing Machine”
Nassau AHRC has been awarded the Mary Frawley Grant for the past two years. In 2009 we created gardens and gave the proceeds to food pantries, soup kitchens and the homebound seniors we food shop for. In 2010 we expanded our idea and created home flower and vegetable gardens for our homebound seniors that had enjoyed the fresh vegetables given to them the year prior. This year we are continuing to advocate for our homebound senior citizens by addressing a fear that many of our seniors face – their weekly budget and general finances. We have learned from researching our previous grants that the “cost” of things is always on our senior’s minds. In the near future we will all be charged for the use of plastic grocery bags. Because most of our seniors live on a weekly budget, even increasing their food bill a few dollars could be detrimental. Research shows “as a society we use nearly one million plastic bags a minute. Besides using 12 million barrels of oil in the US to make those bags, it’s estimated nearly 100,000 marine animals die each year when they mistake plastic bags for food” (copyright 2007 depgreenconversation.org).
The grant would be used to purchase a sewing machine and make reusable cloth food shopping bags for our senior citizens who are homebound. Not only would this be a cost savings for the senior, it would be environmentally friendly and promote the “spirit of going green”. Along with keeping our senior’s food bills down by making eco-friendly reusable canvas bags, we can also keep their heating bills down by making draft dodgers to put by their doors to keep the heat in.
7. CP Association of NYS – presented with $519.98 for a work training program titled “Yes We Can”
The on-site training aspect has advanced to the level of competency whereby the current participants have the capabilities to work off-site with support. CP of NYS is committed to providing a laptop computer, which will allow interface with document management in a variety of business applications, including document prep and scanning. There are currently three off-site hubs interested in partnering and providing the opportunity to develop this project. The addition of two portable scanners will allow multi-size usage in promoting the opportunity for people to work and fully participate in their communities.
Each of the above agencies will be presenting these creative ideas at the upcoming NYSADSP Symposium to be held November 2-4, 2011 in Saratoga Springs. Look for these workshops to learn more about how you can develop these same projects in your program.
