New Year, New Endeavors
Empower has been working on several important endeavors toward the goal of helping people to live the lives they choose. Expanded programming as well as new supports enable people to have greater community access and more choice.
3 Day Hab Lanes
Empower has created three levels of day programming to offer people more choice according to their interests and needs.
Staff at the Joseph O. Mineo Day Center are certified to administer medications and support those who use G-Tubes. Programming is more site-based with fewer community outings.
For those who like to socialize and to be out in the community, the Meadowbrook Day-Hab-Without-Walls program is a great choice. Participants begin and end each day at the Meadowbrook Plaza site and spend the rest of their day out in the community, doing things they enjoy such as volunteering.
There is a third, middle option or lane for those who like a mixture of outings and site-based activities. Our Porter Rd. Day Program offers this mixture of activities as well being an integrated site with participants both with and without disabilities.
Click here learn more.
Another Person with DD is a Member of Leadership Niagara’s Class of 2020
Building on the success of last year’s partnership with Leadership Niagara (LN) in which Anthony Salvo became the first person with an intellectual or developmental disability to be part of an LN class, a person supported by Empower once again will be a member of LN’s class of 2020. Robin Warren was nominated for this opportunity based on her enthusiasm shown both during Empower’s successful accreditation effort and while working at Empties for Empower. Robin met her 40 other classmates during LN’s opening retreat held in January, and looks forward to a year filled with new friendships, expanded knowledge about Niagara services and industries, and development of her leadership skills with help from mentor Noelle McCoy.
Empower Grab ‘N Go Cart
Thanks to a grant from the Verizon Media Community Benefit Fund for Niagara County, Empower is able to help Anthony Salvo take steps towards realizing his dream of opening a coffee shop and employing others like him who have a disability.
Grant funds will be used to buy a mobile coffee cart and supplies which will become another Community Prevocational Program in which workers like Anthony will learn marketable job skills while serving the public coffee and other snacks.
Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls USA General Manager John Doran who serves on Empower’s Advisory Council liked the idea so much that he offered to have the cart start off at the Fashion Outlets Mall with the goal of it moving to a more permanent location once it is up and running.
Newly named the Empower Grab ‘N Go Cart, this is the most integrated, visible program of its type, affording maximum interaction opportunities for people with and without disabilities. We can’t wait to see all of the awesome learning and connections that happen thanks to the Empower Grab ‘N Go Cart.
As the only remaining independent disability service provider in Niagara County, Empower gets to know each person supported and works hard to help them live the lives they choose. We are proud of this fact and look forward to years of playing a part in realizing dreams!
Save the Date
Please add the following Empower events to your 2020 calendar:
March 27-28
Snowflake Basket Auction
Volare Lodge
June 15
Matthew J. Murphy, Jr. Memorial Drive fore Empower Golf Tournament
Niagara Frontier Country Club
October 23
Living the Value Awards Luncheon
Four Points by Sheraton