As a retired IBM executive with over 40 years of experience in advanced internet design and management, Dr. Louis Thomason’s professional expertise was channeled for new and inspirational usage, enhancing assistive technology for people with significant intellectual disabilities and designing an intranet platform to facilitate internal staff knowledge sharing.

This past year, Dr. Thomason has volunteered his services at a Richmond Community Services group residence in Ossining, NY.  He was instrumental in introducing and implementing a digital art program which allows the user to “paint” a picture on a screen as the system follows the movement of their wheelchair. In addition, he designed customized mounting systems to be used with communication devices that have enabled the people served to express themselves in new ways. Louis Thomason’s dedication and commitment to Richmond’s mission has positively impacted the organization by improving the quality of life of each Richmond resident which he has the opportunity to work with.

Dr. Thomason also volunteered extensively with the organization’s workforce development staff to design and develop an intranet platform. He was instrumental in the initial systems analysis, including identifying Richmond’s specific needs and intent of the internal network, including the ability to offer online trainings, enhance agency communication and streamline internal processes. Richmond’s intranet is scheduled to go live within the next few months.   

“Skilled volunteers such as Lou provide high quality professional services that non-profits would normally not be able to afford” said Edward Spauster, Ph.D., President/CEO of Richmond Community Services.

In addition to his university teaching experience at institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Thomason’s experience includes the architecture, design, and management of internet, networking, distributed systems and advanced technology software at IBM. Louis Thomason is an active member of the IBM Academy of Technology, comprised of 1,000 of IBM’s technical leaders, recognized for their outstanding technical accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the business. He is recently retired and lives in Chappaqua with his family.

Joseph Pugni Jr. has been actively involved with Richmond Community Services for over six years. He began serving on the Richmond Community Services Foundation Board in 2009 and was elected Chairman of the Foundation Board in February of 2010.

Mr. Pugni will continue as Chairman of the Richmond Community Services Foundation Board in addition to taking on his new role. Joe’s dedication and commitment to Richmond Community Services’ mission has enabled the organization to raise the funds necessary to improve the quality of programs and services that are provided to children and adults with significant intellectual and physical disabilities.

“Richmond is fortunate to have such an accomplished and dedicated group of volunteers working on behalf of the people with significant developmental disabilities that we serve,” said David Brenner, Chairman of the Richmond Community Services Board of Directors. “Joe represents the very best in terms of board experience and his strong commitment to our mission has made a real difference in the lives of the Richmond residents and day program participants”.                               

Mr. Pugni is the owner of Grayrock Memorial and Florist (soon to be renamed Joseph Richard Floral and Event Décor), located in Valhalla, NY. He lives with his family in Northern Westchester. For the past six years he has served as the co-chair of Richmond’s annual Wine Tasting and Auction Event, scheduled for Saturday, November 3^rd.

The Playscape offers the people who live at Goldman a beautiful outdoor area that is both fun and wheelchair accessible. Swing sets and a glider can be used by residents and their visiting family.  Planting boxes are raised to allow residents to cultivate plants and enjoy the rewards of their work. A covered picnic area completes the space.

“In dedicating the new Playscape,” said Edward Spauster, PhD, President & CEO, “we are incredibly grateful to all those who so generously gave of their time and resources to make this a beautiful environment that will contribute toward the residents living their lives to the fullest extent possible.”

Through the creativity and resourcefulness of Liz Donaldson, manager of Goldman House, a benefit concert by Jon Moses and The Saw Mill River Band raised the initial funds. Slater Jett Meyers Foundation contributed $17,000 to purchase adaptive equipment; Richard Pugni and Sons donated their materials and services to construct the outdoor recreation area; and Tom Williamson Landscaping donated the labor, flowers and herbs for the raised beds, and a tree, shrubs and flowers surrounding the Playscape.

The Goldman Playscape is Richmond’s newest innovation to help maximize the abilities of the people it supports.

Stu Goldman, with M. Hidary & Co. Inc., a resident of Old Westbury, New York, and John Cory, owner of Tenny Journal Specialists and a resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey led a committee of volunteers, parents and staff members who worked diligently to organize the event.

Kicking off the evening, Edward Spauster, Ph.D, President and CEO welcomed guests and thanked them for helping Richmond continue to provide the high level of support and services to individuals in its programs.

Estelle Miles of Mount Vernon, whose son Adam lives in one of Richmond’s wheelchair accessible homes, shared how Adam’s life and hers have been enriched in so many ways by Richmond Community Services. One day, for example, she hurriedly sprinted out of work in order to get the shopping done in time to get back home before Adam’s caregiver had to leave. This was shortly after he moved to a Richmond residence. “I suddenly realized that I no longer had to rush home in a panic. I actually paused and felt such a breath of relief knowing that he was safe and that I could slow down for the first time ever,” she said. She also mentioned how remarkable it is for Adam to be able to speak, using the voice technology provided by Richmond. From the audience Adam shouted out, “I love you, Mom.”

In the midst of an exciting auction of fabulous trips, sporting events and other prizes, professional auctioneer Stephen H. Schofield, with Kingston Auction Company, paused for Fund the Future, which raised funds for a living space with assisted technology and adaptive equipment to help people who cannot walk or speak to gain greater independence. Pam Dingee of Yonkers, who with husband Eddie and son Jimmy was a guest at the dinner, spoke eloquently about how Richmond’s innovative use of assistive technology can change the life of a person with disabilities, transforming it from limitation to independence. Communication aides, for example, can literally give voice to the thoughts of individuals who cannot speak.

Mrs. Dingee recounted how her son Jimmy, who cannot talk to express himself, came home from school one day and as always, she asked him how school was. “He told me to leave him alone; he wanted to watch TV,” she exclaimed. “While most parents would think nothing of it, I immediately burst into tears. Not because of what he said, but because it was the first time I had ever heard him talk.”

Funfest, Richmond Community Services’ annual festival on June 17th, now in its 28th year, looked like any other. Festival goers from all over Westchester lined up for barbeque, ice cream and snow cones. They played lawn bowling, dressed up and posed for glamour photos, participated in competitive races, darted under a giant parachute, made spin art, had their portrait sketched, and listened to live entertainment.

The difference was that among the near 500 in attendance, 140 of them were children and adults with developmental disabilities and complex medical needs who are supported in Richmond’s residences and programs. Through collaboration between staff and volunteers from the community, they were able to participate in the fun. Organizers even created a way for individuals without family in attendance to still have someone to share the day with. Many of the 115 volunteers were Buddies for the Day, sharing the priceless gift of companionship with an individual.

There were over 20 activities, underwritten by donors who had the opportunity to sponsor the event by taking an ad in the journal.

“It was remarkable that everyone could participate in all the activities, no matter what their level of ability,” said Angelisse Marcano, the mother of a resident. “I was very pleased that there were so many fun things to do with my son Guillermo like the sketching, massage, and glamour shots, among others. It truly was a celebration of our differing abilities.”

“LaToya is an invaluable member of the Richmond family,” said Edward Spauster, Ph.D., President and CEO of Richmond Community Services. “Dedicated to those she supports, she consistently demonstrates that with creativity, a person-centered attitude and hard work, ‘impossible’ things can happen,” he added.

Hopkins supervisors staff in a home where six adults with significant multiple disabilities reside and receive support from supervisors, a round-the-clock RN and direct support professionals. In decades past, many of them would have spent their lives confined to a building or campus and many would have not reached adulthood due to their fragile medical conditions. Even with full time support, it is not uncommon for an individual who lives there to require hospitalization to fight the viruses and infections their respiratory systems are so vulnerable to.

The severity of disability never stops Hopkins from finding ways for the individuals she supports to participate in the community. Through her work and the work of the direct professionals she supervises, all members of the household participate in day programs five days a week; attend community events regularly; throw great parties in their home; and even go on vacations.

Said Spauster, “LaToya is the supervisor who arrives at work early with her suitcase in hand ready to spend the night if the impending snowstorm will prevent other staff from getting to work the next day. She is the person building relationships throughout Westchester. Thanks to her passion, dedication and creativity, medically fragile individuals with developmental disabilities can experience as much as their health will allow. She is the advocate, the bridge builder, the educator. LaToya does it all.”

 
  A culture of caring 

  Kelly Liyakasa | May 20, 2011 |

Joy Ovadek’s name is befitting of her life and  labor.

With a career that spans 30 years at international health and beauty aids company Combe Inc. in White Plains, it’s the volunteer time she’s logged – and the lives she’s touched – that have helped color her corporate trajectory.

“It sounds cliché, but I honestly always felt like I needed to give back because we have so much and I just wanted to pay it forward,” said Combe’s director of administration.

In 2009, Ovadek was named Volunteer of the Year by Richmond Community Services, a Mount Kisco-based nonprofit organization servicing people with developmental disabilities. She has just been named to the board of directors of the Richmond Community Services Foundation.

Ovadek’s personal culture reflects that of her company’s.

“Every year, we’d go to a Y-camp in Greenwich to have a family event Mr. (Ivan) Combe would set up,” Ovadek said. “They then sold the property, so Mr. Combe actually bought property up in Putnam Valley so the camp could relocate and now it’s Camp Combe. Every year, we go up there and do some improvements as a company.”

Ovadek also leads the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative at her 150-person, Westchester Avenue office and has gotten colleagues involved in jeans days and bake sales.

Her foray into Richmond’s work with developmentally disabled people came when she heard of a volunteer opportunity to teach nurses aides from Sri Lanka and India to use computers.

“I taught them how to use the Internet, email and we’d go online to newspapers from their home communities to give them a sense of comfort and familiarity,” she said. “These were women that were so scared to use a computer because they thought they’d cause damage. I told them, ‘That will only happen if you throw it out the window.’”
Ovadek got even further involved in the organization when she took a developmentally disabled student studying for his GED under her wing.

“He has so many difficulties in life, yet he has so many goals and desires, it’s incredible.”
One of Ovadek’s first tasks at hand following her board appointment is serving as a co-chairperson of the organization’s annual FunFest for Richmond residents at 919 North Broadway in Yonkers.

Each year, there is a wine-tasting and silent auction, as well as a golf outing in the fall.
“We try to pull as many people in as we can from the community in different aspects of events,” she said. “I’m hoping to find my niche and utilize my contacts to open doors that weren’t opened before.”

As a strong supporter of Richmond, TD Bank is committed to make this day fun and meaningful for the people supported by Richmond Community Services as well as the volunteers who make Funfest possible. TD Bank volunteers will be on hand to make the day is a huge success.

Richmond is also delighted to announce that Williams & Connolly LLP, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, is the $5,000 sponsor of Festival Attractions in recognition of Peter and Debbie Kahn, our Funfest Honorees. Peter is a partner with the firm.

Richmond supporters are invited to help make Funfest a day to remember. They can take an ad in the Journal, donate, or volunteer by clicking here to give.

To learn about Flagship Sponsorship opportunities for your company, please contact foundation@richmondcommserv.org or call Lindsay Mitcher at 914.471.4161.

The June 5th event is open to the participation of donors and volunteers. Donors have an opportunity to support Funfest by taking an ad in the journal, which this year is dedicated to Peter and Debbie Kahn, for their generosity and longtime support of events such as Funfest, which has enriched the lives of all the individuals in our programs. “Through Debbie’s friendship with Susan and Stuart Goldman, whose daughter Paley has been supported by Richmond for over thirty years, the Kahns have gained a profound appreciation for the quality of care Richmond provides,” notes Paula Barbag, Director of Marketing and Development for Richmond Community Services Foundation.

Donors can also become sponsors of Funfest at different levels, which are outlined at www.richmondcommserv.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Funfest-Contribution-and-Sponsorship-Form-2011-final.pdf.

Once again volunteers can make a meaningful difference by becoming a “Buddy for the Day” and giving the priceless gift of companionship to one individual. More than 100 of the people we support will not have a family member on hand to participate, but through the generosity of our volunteers, these residents can still share the day with a special person. Volunteers can also help with games, activities, concessions, prizes and more.

This year there is an easy and fun way for people who support Richmond Community Services to donate and help raise money. www.Firstgiving.com/Richmond is a website that allows volunteers to create their own webpage through which their friends and family can make donations directly to Richmond.

For more information please contact Lindsay Mitcher at 914.471.4161 or lmitcher@richmondcommserv.org.

Mount Kisco, N.Y., April 4, 2011 – The Richmond Community Services Foundation Board has become much “richer” with the addition of Joy Ovadek as a board member. Ovadek will expand her service to Richmond Community Services from volunteering to increasing funds available to support the broader scope of Richmond’s services and programs. “Being on the Board allows me to accomplish goals for the organization beyond that which a single individual can achieve on a volunteer basis,” says Ovadek.

“We are delighted to benefit from Ms. Ovadek’s experience supporting our programs for individuals with developmental disabilities as well as her fundraising expertise,” says Joseph Pugni, Jr., President of the Richmond Community Services Foundation Board.“I’ve been volunteering at Richmond Community Services for the past five years. I keep coming back because of the people. Everyone involved in the organization is very loving of all the clients. You really feel the warmth when you go into any location. Everyone is treated with so much care and respect, it really draws you in. It makes you want to become part of the Richmond family.”

Ovadek, who was recognized in 2009 as Richmond Volunteer of the Year, maintains that she gets more “joy” out of the time spent volunteering at Richmond than the effort she puts in. “It’s very rewarding to see nurse’s aides, many for whom English is not a first language independently and confidently navigating their computers and using them in their daily activities with Richmond’s clients after having taught them computer skills.”

Ovadek is the Director of Administration at Combe, Inc., an international health and beauty aids company, headquartered in White Plains, where she has enjoyed a career of more than 30 years. In addition to her time with Richmond Community Services, Ovadek volunteers at the Grace Church Community Center Soup Kitchen, Operation Prom and is a member of Combe’s Emergency Response Team. She continues to raise money for breast cancer awareness, the Westchester Food Bank, the New Rochelle Animal Shelter, and United Way.