March FREE Blast

Click HERE for Full Size Poster!

Legislative Advocacy in Action
Many members of the FREE Network travelled to Albany to rally for #bFair2DirectCare.  Olga El Sehamy of Adelante even got to snap a photo with the Governor after he declared his new budget plan!  Thank you Governor Cuomo for allotting $55 million for DSPs in your 2018 budget.  Value of Interdependence

Fancy FREE / PWW St. Patrick’s Day
Fancy FREE invited their friends from Community-Based Integrated Day Habilitation to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Value of Interdependence

PWW Recycling Program
Individuals in our Community-Based Integrated Day Habilitation Program do their part to take care of the Earth as they collect and recycle plastic at all of FREE’s main locations.  Value of Stewardship

Speakers Bureau
Our very own Speakers Bureau gave a presentation to the Stony Brook Masters Degree Cohort all about Bullying.  Value of Quality

TBI Advocacy Day
TBI Team Members, TBI Survivors, and family members attended TBI Advocacy Day in Albany!  Value of Interdependence

Farmingdale College Field Trip
On March 2^nd, the Advantage Afterschool Program provided Wyandanch HS students with a field trip to Farmingdale State College where they received a tour of the college, learned about what the college offers i.e. majors, activities, and support services and participated in a Q & A from Wyandanch HS graduates who are Farmingdale State College Alumni.  Value of Quality

TRI Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day
TRI had a blast wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day!  How did you celebrate this year?

Vote for Pronto!
We are thrilled to announce the Imagine Fan Favorite Award voting campaign is live! This voting platform is on the Imagine Awards’ Facebook page and gives every Facebook user a chance to vote daily for their favorite Imagine Awards finalist. The finalist that receives the most votes by April 20th will be honored during the Imagine Awards on May 2nd and will receive a $2,500 check. This $2,500 is in addition to the other awards given during the night.
Everyone PLEASE vote for our Valued Partner, Pronto of Long Island!
We could not be more proud of them for coming this far, now let’s help them win it all!
Click Here to Log into Facebook and Vote for Pronto!!!  Value of Innovation

Dinner Dance
Over 550 people attended this year’s Dinner Dance!
The Dinner Dance is a wonderful example of our Vision Statement “Together…creating the right solution for any need”
The beauty of all those who attend is certainly obvious in the many wonderful outfits but it is outshone by the beauty that radiates in the smiles and the twinkle of joy in the eye.  This is what synergistic human connection looks and feels like!!!
Let’s be sure to nurture the inspiring positive energy to keep it alive in each day!!! All FREE Values in Action!

FREE’s New Website
Take some time to visit www.familyres.org and check out FREE’s new and improved website!  We are excited to be able to provide you with a more dynamic user experience so you will always be up-to-date on all of the amazing things our agency does each day! Values of Innovation, Quality, Responsiveness

NY START
It is with great pride and excitement that we announce that FREE has been awarded NYSTART!!!
The New York Systemic Therapeutic Assessment, Respite and Treatment (NY START) Program is a new initiative to address the need for available community-based crisis prevention and intervention services to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and co-occurring behavioral health needs.  NYSTART uses a person-centered, positive, evidence-informed approach to help individuals, families, caregivers, agencies, and other providers.  NYSTART offers training, consultation and technical assistance on the use of positive behavioral supports services, and other therapeutic tools.  The program builds on existing resources by providing clinical assessments (including psychiatric, behavioral and medical), consultation, education and training, crisis response and therapeutic recreation. NYSTART services are available to individuals age 6 or over who have intellectual and developmental disabilities who present with behavioral and mental health concerns. FREE will lead this effort for Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Value of Innovation

#moments4smiles
Why do you SMILE???
‪#moments4smiles‪ is a movement to bring global awareness to the fact that all humans are very much alike! A SMILE is universal!
Join the movement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – @moments4smiles
Values of Innovation and Interdependence

The Drum Corps in the Media
AMAZING!!! The FREE Players Drum Corps made Global News!!! The Associated Press (AP) visited our rehearsal last week. Their incredible story & video about us has reached millions of people across TV stations, newspapers, radio stations and other media outlets worldwide! Please visit www.gofundme.com/freedrumcorps to help make our members dreams come true. We still have such a long way to go until we reach our goal. HELP US MAKE HISTORY in 2018 as the 1st Differently Abled “Corps Style” Marching Band to ever perform at the Drum Corps International World Championships, SoundSport & DrumLine Battle!  Value of Innovation

March is Our Month
March is Disabilities Awareness Month!  Take time this month to celebrate the lives and contributions of individuals with developmental disabilities!

DSE Reunion Celebration
Some of our longest standing employees, as well as some past Valued Team Members, all came together to celebrate their time here at FREE at Day Services East!  They had a great time reminiscing about all of the happy memories they shared since the building was built in 1988.  Value of Quality

Happy Birthday Fancy FREE
Fancy FREE had a great time celebrating the 8^th Birthday of their program!  Value of Quality
 
NYAPRS Rally
Advocacy is IMPORTANT!  We are so proud of our individuals who attended the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (NYAPRS) Rally!  Value of Interdependence

Taste of the Town
TRI’s Kitchen to Table program was designed to offer the senior citizens in the Town of North Hempstead, who call TRI for Project Independence services, the opportunity to purchase a hot meal and have it delivered to their home at the price of $2.75 per meal.  To date we have provided over 70 meals.  Value of Stewardship

ACL Legislative Day
We are so proud to announce that of all of the advocates present at Association for Community Living (ACL) Legislative Day, we were one of the few agencies that included the individuals being served!  Our individuals repeatedly said how empowered they felt and how much they were looking forward to participating again.
Way to go!!!  Value of Interdependence

Career Day
Gerard Cairns, VP and Regina Savarese, AVP of the Education and Youth Services division, participated in Career Day at John Bowne High School in Flushing Queens, in which they gave 3 presentations to classes of students regarding working in the field of Human Services, providing an overview of a career in Social Work, Education, and the scope of services and positions at FREE.  Values of Interdependence and Quality

Human Resources Wear Green Contest
Congratulations to Valued Team Member, Melanie Tyrie for winning the Human Resources Wear Green Contest!  Be sure to keep an eye out for more contests in the future!