The Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Superintendent Saul Bauer hosted a brief ceremony outdoors at their monthly meeting to dedicate the ground and trees in front of the administration building to honor past and present board members.
“We appreciate all board members, and in a special way we recognize those who served for three or more terms. Their commitment helped to form a strong foundation for the growth and success of our agency,” the superintendent said.
“Board members are recognized as having contributed significantly to our advocacy and inclusion efforts.”
The six individuals honored at the dedication for serving three terms or more were: Mike Sandlin, Denyse Bayliss, Angelia Parsons, Bernard Tuttle, Jennifer Thornburgh and Bonnie Versele.
Each of these individuals has a plaque with their name and dates served in front of a tree by the administrative building. A large plaque with the resolution read during the dedication will remain in front of the building.
“Being on the LCBDD Board is a voluntary position and we owe a great debt to all those board members who donated their valuable time,” Bauer said.
Members also expressed appreciation to the Logan County Community for the generous support during the 34th annual chicken barbecue Oct. 6. More than 3,000 dinners were sold.
“We are so grateful to the community, our volunteers and sponsors who helped make this event a tremendous success,” officials said.
The evening began with a board training on Crisis Prevention and Intervention presented by RTC Program Manager Christy McGill.
CPI training provides de-escalation techniques and behavior management strategies to create a culture of safety. It provides staff with the skills to safely recognize and respond to everyday crisis situations.
McGill states this method teaches staff to: remain calm, isolate the individual, watch your body language, keep it simple and use reflective questioning.
During employee training, techniques such as verbal de-escalation and non-violent crisis intervention are taught. The guiding philosophy behind CPI is “Care, Welfare, Safety and Security for Everyone.”
Members also welcomed a new employee Michael Goetz, with a start date of Sept. 6.
Goetz is a SSA and has a great passion for working with individuals with disabilities.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, celebrating the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities and inclusive places of employment.
LCBDD has featured ads and stories throughout the month, including with Rob Richard and his staff at Vicario’s Pizza.
Richard hired Joe VanVoorhis and Quentin Miller several months ago. He said this has been one of the best decisions he has made.
“These two individuals are awesome employees who show others the pride and value of a hard day’s work.”
To view a video of Miller and VanVoorhis at work, check out facebook.com/logancbdd.
For more information about employing people with disabilities, contact LCBDD at (937) 592-0015 or RTC at (937) 592-0534.
Board meetings are conducted the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at 1851 W. State Route 47, Bellefontaine. The next meeting is Thursday, Nov. 3.