People First – July 2024 Vol 11
Welcome to Volume 11 of PEOPLE FIRST, COMHAR’s Agency Newsletter!
If you are interested in receiving the newsletter electronically, please email a request to info@comhar.org.
COMHAR Newsletter – March 2024
Welcome to Volume 10 of PEOPLE FIRST, COMHAR’s Agency Newsletter!
If you are interested in receiving the newsletter electronically, please email a request to info@comhar.org.
Linda’s Recovery Journey
Hi. My name is Linda and I am here to tell you that I don’t know where I would be today without COMHAR! The doctors were fantastic and made me feel comfortable and helped me build my self-esteem. After graduating from the Partial Hospitalization program, I began receiving outpatient services and joined the Open Door Clubhouse. Dr. Angelo was fantastic and became my anchor. The entire outpatient “psych crew” made me feel comfortable and continued to help me build my self-esteem which put me on a mission to be stable. At the Clubhouse, they helped me with my writing skills. I gained confidence from that and now post poetry on Facebook and music videos on TikTok.
I was so excited when I was given the opportunity to be the cook at a Partial Hospitalization site. I loved cooking for the residents and staff! Observing and interacting with the residents made it very interesting. Unfortunately, I tore a tendon that required surgery and was unable to continue working.
I live alone with a wonderful support system from my family and am self-sufficient. I start my day with a pep talk in front of a mirror and then take my medication. But my life was not like that before COMHAR. I became addicted to pot at the age of 14 and missed almost an entire year of school in 9th grade. After 10 inpatient hospitalizations, they finally determined I had bi-polar disorder and indicated that I had been using pot to self-medicate. Now that I finally had a diagnosis that could be treated with the right medications, I was able to really begin my recovery journey.
I no longer define myself as my diagnosis. I am a perfectionist who enjoys expressing my moods by channeling through different music. Singing and playing the guitar give me great pleasure. I am grateful and thankful for all the people who have supported me on my journey. My 22 years of service from COMHAR coupled with my love of God keep me stable.
The best advice I can offer others on their recovery journeys is “work with, learn from, and trust your therapist and ask about what medications would help you most.”
Intellectual Disabilities Month
COMHAR Celebrates Intellectual Disabilities Month
Each March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), and our partners work together to create a social media campaign that highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.
“A World of Opportunities” – we’re celebrating people and working together to remove obstacles. Our goal is to build a community that’s committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed. Join us in making a world where all kinds of people have the chance to thrive.
COMHAR supports individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) to reach their fullest potential and live happy, productive lives. We provide customized programming that helps individuals maximize the skills they need to thrive at home or in their communities. COMHAR’s Vanderwoude Center is the epicenter of our ID Supports. In addition to housing our administrative offices, the Vanderwoude Center is the hub for the Community Participation Supports and Supported Employment programs. This wonderful space offers individuals a safe environment where they can continue to grow.
COMHAR offers Community Living Arrangements with Direct Support Professionals (DSP) who support residents with activities of daily living in community-based residences. These homes typically support between one and three residents, and offer various levels of staffing supports. Additionally, our teams help residents to maintain medical care for both chronic and acute conditions. DSPs will promote community experiences for the residents as we support individuals to reach their fullest potential.
The individuals served in this program must have a primary diagnosis of intellectual/developmental disabilities or autism. Many are dual diagnosed with ID and mental health issues. We serve a substantial number of wheelchair users in this program and others with complicated medical conditions.
For more information about COMHAR’s services for people living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,
African American Arts – A Platform for Social Justice
COMHAR Celebrates Black History Month
AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE ARTS—Art as a Platform for Social Justice is the theme for Black History Month 2024. Carter G. Woodson, a historian, founded Black History month in 1926 to promote the history, culture and achievements of African Americans and other people of color. “Those who have no record of what their forebearers have accomplished lose the inspiration from the teaching of biography and history”, said Mr. Woodson.
According to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.
Please join us in recognizing the people of color in the COMHAR Family and the Community for the contributions they make every day.