Message From The Superintendent - August 2022
Greetings!
We hope everyone is doing well! Here are the updates.
We had thirteen people test positive for COVID in July. Unfortunately, the virus reminds us that it is not going away and the importance of keeping safety in mind. We had two people test positive in June.
We had unfortunate news at the beginning of the month. Bev Puleo, the Executive Assistant with Portage DD, passed away on July 2nd. Bev has been with Portage DD for 34 years and has dedicated countless hours to the people Portage DD serves and the Portage County Community. She is the heart of Portage DD. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go to her family during this time. There will be a celebration of life later. When those plans are available, we will let you know.
We will be welcoming in a new Investigative agent Juanita Greenwood. She will start on August 1st. Kim Sumwalt, who has been filling in part-time after retiring last year, can now go back to retirement. Welcome, Juanita, and a big "thank you" to Kim, a fantastic person!
We have finalized a new contract with the Portage County Educators Association for the Developmentally Disabled Unit A (Early Intervention program, school programs, and account clerks). Thank you to the leadership of this group for the great conversations and for coming to a resolution! This contract will run from September 1st, 2022, to August 31st, 2025.
We continue to partner with Franklin Township to restore Brady Lake Park. The Portage County Special Olympics Softball team, the Portage County Thunder, had their first home softball game on July 28th at 5:30. A big thank you to all that came out to support the team. We again wanted to express our appreciation to Islercaping, Franklin Township Trustees, and the Portage DD staff that made this happen.
Another thanks to Portage Industries, Inc, Providers, Portage DD staff, sponsors, and everyone that contributed to the annual golf benefit at Windmill Lakes Golf course. The money for this event goes to help them raise funds to support the Portage DD levies. We have five-year and ten-year renewal levies on the ballot in November 2023. Thank you, to all who volunteered and participated, in making this event successful.
Portage DD's summer camp concluded on July 29th, with Akron Rotary camp running the program. The camp was seven weeks long, and we are grateful to partner with the Akron Rotary and their team to make this an annual event.
Portage DD continues working on the Strategic Plan for 2023-2025. We are working with the Impact Group to ensure our goals and objectives align with our Portage County Community Stakeholders. Along with assisting with our Strategic Plan, the Impact Group will also audit our communication and ensure we are effectively sharing information about our services, providers, and the extraordinary work in the community. We strive to communicate effectively, and this will ensure we are doing it the right way. We will be sending out a survey for all to participate soon.
We were able to kick off the youth respite program on July 15th after another setback earlier in the month. We are grateful to partner with Buckeye Residential Services to make this happen. Thank you, Buckeye and the SSA department, for making this happen! The families and the kids that this will help will soon see the benefit that this will have, giving the kids some respite as well as the families.
We are putting out a Request For Provider (RFP) to transportation companies willing to transport Portage DD Special Olympic Athletes to games and events. We want to ensure we have something in place if we cannot do so due to limited staff and vehicles. The RFP will run from August 1st to August 31st.
We also wanted to continue to thank the providers, families, Portage DD staff, and community members who help improve the lives of the people we serve. Thank you!
Thank you again for your continued support. We are incredibly grateful for all the families, providers, staff, community, and people we serve! Portage DD will continue to strive to meet and exceed your expectations.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU.
Sincerely,
John Vennetti