As we deal with the COVID-19 crisis, Carey Services is committed to ensuring the safety of the individuals we serve, and the dedicated direct support professionals who are supporting them. We also dedicated to supporting the community and the many people in the community who support our work.
You can read a letter that Jim Allbaugh, the agency’s president and chief executive officer, released today. You will find the letter here.
With the health and safety of the individuals we serve – and the staff who support them – as our foremost priority, Carey Services has made the decision to suspend facility-based programming until April 17.
The individuals we serve will continue to receive the support needed to remain as safe and independent as possible in this unprecedented time in the communities we serve. Staff members will continue to provide support in residential settings and will empower the individuals served to heed the many recommendations that they remain at home and avoid all but truly essential travel.
This programming suspension covers all day-service programming in Marion – including the production facility and Creative Hearts Art Studio – and day-service programming in Wabash and Logansport. The Early Head Start program was already scheduled for its annual spring break starting Monday, but it, too, will remain closed after the week-long break until April 17.
All operations at Carey Services’ entire Marion campus will be suspended during this time, with that April 17 date subject to change based on community conditions.
“On behalf of the Carey Services board of directors, Carey Services has always placed the health and safety of the individuals we support as a major priority, along with our employees,” said Board Chairperson Kevin Planck. “We believe the best decisions are being made for all parties involved during this health crisis and for the long-term stability of the organization. We look toward the future with hope and wonder and wish comfort on you, our employees and their families, and our wonderful families that we support.”
There is a tidal wave of information available from many sources on the Coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease the virus causes. Much of that information can be technical and hard to understand.
The Arc of the United States, a national advocacy group for people with disabilities of which Carey Services is the local chapter for Grant and Blackford counties, is distributing a simple information packet to help people understand the virus, and it has some specific focus areas for people with disabilities. The packet is available in English and Spanish.
For the English version, click here.
For the Spanish version, click here.
There is no higher agency priority than the health and safety of the individuals we serve, and employees who work, at Carey Services as we continue to navigate through the current pandemic with COVID-19. The extraordinary care being taken with this situation by our direct support professionals, Early Head Start home visitors and teachers, and all of the passionate people at Carey Services is unmatched.
The Carey Services board of directors, leadership team, and safety committee members continue to pay close attention to what is happening with COVID-19 in Indiana, and more specifically, closer to home in Grant, Blackford, Cass, Wabash, and other counties where we provide services. Carey Services continues to monitor updates from the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), the Grant County Health Department, and other local health departments in counties where we provide care. A team of emergency management experts at Carey Services is meeting daily to assure the safety of those we serve and those we employ. Employees, family members, individuals served, and key stakeholders are being routinely kept informed of actions being taken to help assure health and safety at Carey Services.
Thus far, Carey Services has aggressively and proactively taken preventative steps regarding visitation and travel. We have identified safe healthy practices, and we have implemented symptom management and evaluation for all who are involved in our services. We are diligently aware of those we serve who are in the “high-risk” categories according to CDC, and extra care is being taken for those individuals. Support is being offered to employees in this unprecedented situation, and our team is taking very serious the need to be diligent during these times.
Questions or comments about the response Carey Services is taking to COVID-19 can be directed to Jim Allbaugh, president/CEO at jallbaugh@careyservices.com or 765.668.8961 (ext. 102).
Get out your fedoras and spats or your flapper dresses and headbands and join us on March 7 as The ’20s Roar Again at Carey Services’ annual A Night at Carey dinner.
As part of National Disability Awareness Month, Carey Services conducts this dinner to present The Carey Awards, which celebrate the accomplishments of the individuals we serve, the staff members who support those individuals and community members and/or organizations who show dedication to the vision of seeing all people as equally valued. We’ll have ’20s-themed decorations and lots of opportunities for fun and celebration as we gather for the evening at Roseburg Event Center.
Tickets will be $75 a person, and we have opportunities for you to buy a table for you and your friends or to be an event sponsor. Click here for additional event information, and information on how to buy your tickets online.
Carey Services recently received a grant award from AWS Foundation for a Life Success Coach initiative. We are seeking consulting help to create and implement the programming for the initiative.
Please see the Request for Proposal to learn more about the opportunity. You can find a PDF version of the document here.
Carey Services has released the agency’s 2018-2019 annual report, which covers the organization’s fiscal year from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.
The report highlights the agency’s 65th anniversary, with letters from Jim Allbaugh, president and chief executive officer, and Michele Smith, the board chairperson for the fiscal year. The report officially concludes the agency’s observance of the anniversary.
You can download the report by clicking here.
The Carey Services Board of Directors recently approved the 2020 board of directors and board officers.
Kevin Planck was elected chairperson after having served as vice chairperson. Steve Smithley, who previously served two terms as chairperson, was elected immediate past chairperson. Other officers elected were: John Jones, vice chairperson; Doug Bryant, treasurer, and Jim Wallace, secretary.
The board officers also make up the board’s executive committee.
“I appreciate the willingness of each of our board members to serve the agency and the individuals we serve by participating in such an important role to guide our work and provide important input on our future direction,” said Jim Allbaugh, Carey Services’ president and chief executive officer. “I know each board member is committed to our mission, and collectively they share our vision of a world were all people are empowered and equally valued in the community.”
Complete list of 2020 Board of Directors includes:
In addition to the agency’s governing board of directors, the agency seeks community involvement through the board-level Fund Development Committee, which is chaired by Smithley in his role as immediate past chairperson. That committee consists of agency leadership and community members Brittany Howey, Kayla Johnson, John Velasquez and Eric Walts.
The agency’s Early Head Start program seeks community input through its policy council that guides program activities; the council includes program staff, community representation and early childhood education professionals. The chairperson this program year is Amanda Willis; vice chairperson is Nicole Pratley, and secretary is Kristina Drake.
It’s NAP time … No, we’re not talking about needing a rest from all the holiday festivities (although that’s not a bad idea), we’re talking about Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits.
As you ponder your year-end financial status and donations, NAP credits mean 50 percent of your donation to Carey Services will be a state tax credit — not a deduction — and you also can count the donation toward federal tax deductions, if you itemize.
For more information about NAP credits and year-end donations, call Greg Maynard, director of fund development, at (765) 668-8961, ext. 124, or email him at gmaynard@careyservices.com.
Carey Services’ leadership and several individuals the agency served joined with AWS Foundation to officially announce a $188,000 programming award.
The funds awarded will be used to create a curriculum focused on increasing the tools direct support professionals are provided when supporting Carey Services’ individuals with varying needs. The Life Success Coach initiative strives to get the highest level of outcomes for individuals by increasing the continuity of care through retention of experienced direct support professionals. DSPs are individuals trained to support those with disabilities. Increased DSP retention is a goal not only for Carey Services, but also other providers nationwide.
“We believe that, in properly executing this grant, we will see results at our organization in the form of even more positive outcomes for those we serve and decreased turnover of direct care employees,” said Jim Allbaugh, Carey Services’ president and chief executive officer. “We are extremely grateful to AWS Foundation for seeing the possibilities in our grant proposal and for deciding to support us with the funding to create this initiative.”
The grant award will fund research and curriculum development along with the hiring of a person to oversee the program. Patti Hays, CEO of AWS Foundation, said AWSF was intrigued by the creative approach Carey Services is proposing to address this issue. “Our hopes are that this pilot program will produce positive outcomes that can lead to program replication across the state.”
Carey Services staff members are planning to conduct a larger public event in the coming weeks to discuss the grant opportunity in more detail.
“We know we’re not alone in having people we serve – and those doing the serving – deal with challenging issues,” Allbaugh said. “We’re thankful AWS Foundation embraced our vision for a different way of looking at the challenge and is providing their support to work on a way to support others.”