With last week’s retirement of Senior Program Specialist Shelly Laity and Office Manager Tammy Gibson, we have a few positions to fill.
Thankfully, we are already moving on with some homegrown talent and are pleased to announce three promotions at the ODC.
First up, is the promotion of Jeremy Miller from Program Specialist to Senior Program Specialist, filling the vacancy left by Shelly. Jeremy has been with the ODC since 2015, when he was initially hired as one of our Mobile Work Crew Supervisors. In that role he would accompany our CPS and Small Group Employment groups out into the community for various work opportunities.
In 2017 he was promoted to the role of Program Specialist. As Senior Program Specialist his tasks will include the development and implementation of Individualized Service Plans; coordination of services for new and existing participants; facilitating the admissions process for new applicants and supervision and training of employees, as well as overseeing and supporting the progress of each participant’s long range vocational plans. He is originally from the Philly area, and obtained his B.S. in Psychology from Mansfield University, with a focus in Human Resources.
His passions in life include anything to do with Notre Dame football, as well as just about everything related to Philadelphia sports. He also loves camping and fishing.
With Jeremy moving up, another promotion sees Courtney McClair joining the management team as a Program Specialist. Courtney came to the ODC about a year ago while still a student at Millersville University. She was initially a part-time Community Participation Supports supervisor, but upon graduation in September she was elevated to full-time.
With Jeremy moving up to replace Shelly, Courtney is now being promoted to replace Jeremy as our newest Program Specialist. She will be taking on a full caseload of Participants and will the development and implementation of program services for them.
Courtney is a native Lancastrian (from Columbia) and has a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Millersville University, with a concentration in Applied Disability Studies and a minor in Social Justice. Her passions including cheerleading (as a coach) and Philly Sports.
Finally, with a vacancy in the Office Manager position, Katrina Rucker has been promoted to fill that role. Katrina came to the ODC as Adminstrative Assistant in our front office in January of 2020, just before the pandemic shut us down for awhile.
In her new role as Office Manager, Kat will be making sure that everything runs smoothly in the background, keeping track of all things financial and all money going in and out.
Originally from Jersey Shore, PA, Kat now lives in York with her husband. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Art with a focus on Graphic Design from Shippensburg University. Kat is passionate about gaming, particularly colony simulator games.
We have some bittersweet news this week, as we say “Goodbye” (for now) to two of our longest tenured employees. While we are sorry to see them go, we are grateful for all they have meant to the ODC, and are extremely happy that they get to enjoy some time to do the things they really want to do without having to get up early for work or attend meetings.
This week marks the retirement of Senior Program Specialist Shelly Laity and Office Manager Tammy Gibson, and we are definitely going to miss them and all they bring to the ODC.
Shelly began at the ODC back in 2001, and spent a few years working as a direct support professional/floor supervisor. In that capacity she worked closely with our Program Participants on their daily work, helping them to learn a variety of vocational skills. After about five years she was promoted to Program Specialist where her responsibilities included the development and implementation of Individualized Service Plans; coordination of services for new and existing participants; facilitating the admissions process for new applicants and supervision and training of employees, as well as overseeing and supporting the progress of each participant’s long range vocational plans. In 2011 she took on the role of Senior Program Specialist, a position she has held for 14 years.
Executive Director Gregg Richards has this to say about Shelly:
“Shelly is gifted. She has THE gift that you need to have to be successful when it comes to working with people. It’s almost like she carries a part of a person with her once she meets them. Over the years, I have witnessed literally hundreds of people wait at her office door during their breaks at the ODC just to make sure that they got to talk to her for a little bit. She can remember all of those people. I know that they all remember her too. I will miss Shelly very much too, but she is my neighbor… So I KNOW WHERE SHE LIVES!! 😊”
In her retirement, Shelly says will be a fulltime dog and cat mom, and hopes to spend more time pursuing her artistic endeavors, like drawing and painting. She also hopes to spend more time gardening.
Shelly shares one of the memories she has from her time at the ODC:
There are so many memories from 24 years at the ODC and thankfully most of them are good.
I’ve learned so much from each of the individuals with whom I’ve been privileged to work
One of the most inspiring ones was Charlie. He showed everyone around him that no matter what life has thrown at you, you can keep an optimistic outlook and find delight in almost anything.
He was in his late 60’s when I started working here in 2001. From my perspective now he was really quite young…
Most of the time he was unable to control his limbs due to Cerebral Palsy, yet he never stopped trying.
His hands were distorted from arthritis, yet he was determined to try every job that we had.
He was confined to a wheelchair, yet he was always on the move.
He was deaf, yet somehow he always knew what was going on and if someone was in need of support.
He couldn’t speak yet he always made himself heard and understood.
He had no teeth yet had the most wonderful smile.
He spent many years in an institution well known for breaking the spirits of its patients, yet he was always full of joy.
If, with all of these hurdles, he could face each day with a positive outlook, acceptance of everyone and a willingness to try and make a difference then so can I.
Charlie passed away 12 or 13 years ago but continues to motivate and inspire and I think he would be proud of that legacy.
Tammy, meanwhile, started at the ODC as an administrative assistant back in 2009, and before her first year was out, had been promoted to Office Manager. Tammy is the heart of the ODC, keeping everything running smoothly. She has been in charge of all the money that goes in and out and keeping track of everything.
In her retirement Tammy plans to spend some more time playing Golf, browsing antique stores, and doing some landscaping and other improvements at her home.
Gregg has this to say about Tammy:
“Tammy has been my right hand for the 15 years we have worked together. She and I worked together closely on many important projects over the years and there was not one time where she was unable to get me what I was asking for. She is incredibly professional and organized. I am so happy for her and look forward to seeing how retirement treats her, but I will miss her terribly.”
Tammy relates this story from her early years at the ODC:
I got a phone call at 2 a.m. It was Gregg. He said the building had been broken into and the police were there and were dusting for fingerprints. The windows were broken in the cafeteria door. He said that we needed a handyman to fix things, and could I find one in the middle of the night to board them up. I said I would try. I got on Angie’s List and found a handyman in the neighborhood and I called him and his wife answered, I said “this is a strange request in the middle of the night but we got broken into and need help.”
He came in right away and took care of it.
While I was on the phone with Gregg, I asked if the vehicles still there? And he had to look and said they were. I asked if anything was missing? He told me they beat the heck out of the safe. [This safe is HUGE and practically impenetrable] The safe handle was broken and they ruined the drum so we had to get a locksmith in to fix it.
Months later, a police officer came in and told us he might have info on the break-in. That’s when they revealed that MY fingerprints were the ones that were all over the safe.
I responded, “Well, I work here and my job means getting into the safe every day…”
Tammy and Shelly, you both will be missed greatly.
Thank you, so much, for all that you have done for the ODC. You are both a big part of what makes us who we are today. Your work has impacted the lives of countless Program Participants over the years, and we are incredibly blessed and honored to have had you in our lives. Not just as coworkers, but as friends and family. Thank you!
Stay tuned for an update next week about some of the other changes here at the ODC…
Not long ago we were having some work done at the ODC that involved jackhammering out a portion of a floor in a small storage room. While the work was being done, the workers broke thru to a large empty room below the floor: a room we didn’t know existed.
As it turns out, we had just stumbled on to what was the remnant of the ODC basement! The first part of our building on Martha Avenue was erected in 1956, when we were known as the Child Development Center. Two additions were later constructed in 1965 and 1984. But the basement seems to only be under the original part of the building, and we have no record as to when it was sealed off.
The big surprise was what we found when exploring the basement. Nothing too creepy or scary, but interesting nonetheless.
When we first went in, there was an old staircase that took us down to the basement and to a long, cinderblock hallway.
Off to the right we found a room filled with old files and paperwork, which will hopefully be of great interest as we research more about the history of the ODC.
Across the hall, to the left, we found what must have been some sort of pantry or root cellar, filled with old jars, some canned peaches (that didn’t look so great after all these years), and some other canned goods.
In a large can labeled “Forever Hamloaf” we found a fully intact meatloaf that was apparently made by longtime ODC cook, Evelyn Boas. Mrs. Boas worked at the ODC for years providing midday meals for our Program Participants. Several of our long-time Participants remember her. We’d heard so much about the food that Mrs. Boas prepared that we decided to add a little water for moisture, pop it in the microwave, and heat it up. It actually tasted pretty good after all these years! Like fine wine, it aged pretty well. Maybe a little chewy though…
Off of the root cellar was a door to what was an old bomb shelter, but we were unable to open the door due to some collapsing of the structure. But taped to the door was this picture, showing what was supposed to be on the other side.
But the most amazing thing about the basement was a door at the end of the hall with a sign on the door that said “Staff Lounge.” We never knew there ever was any sort of staff lounge, but it was so amazingly preserved, that we’ve decided to reopen it and find a way for our staff to use it again while they are on their breaks.
So come on over and join us sometime in the lounge. It might be our new favorite place to hangout and have meetings! And if you’d like, we might even share some of the canned fruit with you, but the hamloaf is already gone!
We had such a great time at last year’s inaugural event, that we are now planning this year’s golf tournament. This time around we are at a new, and closer to home, golf course, the wonderful Crossgates Golf Club in Millersville. We’ve got lots of opportunities for you to win some cash, as well as some great prizes.
See the information below and you can now register to play (either as an individual or a foursome) and even take advantage of one or more of the many sponsorship opportunities we have for you or your business. If you have any questions, email us at KenM@odcenter.org with any questions you might have.
A message from ODC Executive Director Gregg Robert Richards:
“Robert L. Richards was my Dad. He passed away on November 17th, 2023 due to Pancreatic Cancer. He was one of the hardest working men I have ever known. He loved his job. He loved his family and friends. He was happy.
When I was young, he told me, “I don’t care what you end up doing for a living. Just make sure it makes you happy.”
I was actually worried about what would happen after he decided to stop working. Once he retired… Golf, which had always been another love of his, made him just as happy as his work did. He’d often play 3-4 times a week. He would say, “There is no such thing as a bad day on the golf course.”
The Annual Robert L. Richards Memorial Golf Tournament to Benefit the ODC was created to raise funds that will help Adults with Developmental Disabilities to continue to find jobs that they love.
It will also help us remember and celebrate one of the greatest people I have ever known.”
The Occupational Development Center has been a part of the Lancaster County Community Foundation‘s Extraordinary Give event every year since its inception. The highest amount we have raised during this annual one-day online giving event is $14,450 back in 2021.
This year we are pleased to announce that we already expect to shatter that amount, thanks to a generous anonymous donation being given in honor of the Mearig Family. This donor is donating a matching fund of $20,000 to encourage others to give to the ODC. That means that if we match that amount on Friday November 22 at this year’s #ExtraGive, we will have raised well more than double than our previous best total!
Please join us on Friday, 11/22 and consider a donation to make this match a reality, as we seek to raise a total of $40,000!
We love that the Mearig family is being recognized in this way, as they were longtime members of the ODC family.
Herbert “Bud” Mearig, and his wife Doris, became involved with us back in the early 1950’s when we, as the Child Development Center, were just getting started. They only had one child, Herbert “Herbie” Mearig, Jr., who was born with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a result, he was one of the many children who came to the CDC for schooling. In 1958, when we became more focused on providing occupational training, Herbie stayed on, and was here at the ODC for more than 50 years.
While Herbie was one of our participants, his parents were regularly involved in our day to day operations. From the 1950s, all the way into the 1980s, Bud served on our board, and for a time was board president. His wife, Doris Klopp Mearig, also served on the ODC board as secretary and was active in our Parents Group and the ODC Auxiliary for many years.
Both Bud and Doris were born and raised right here in Lancaster and attended Upper Leacock High School together. Bud served in the U.S. Navy in WWII, and owned an office equipment and business machines company, and was also a business consultant.
With Herbie working here at the ODC, Bud and Doris continued to be involved, and were very generous with both their time and money.
Herbie passed away at the age of 63 in 2009, shortly after his retirement from the ODC. Doris passed away in 2011 at the age of 93, while Bud passed in 2016 at the age of 99.
We are so grateful for the Mearigs and how they made the ODC a central part of their lives for more than half a century. And we are grateful for their friends who have decided to honor them in this way.
Please consider a donation to the ODC as part of the Extraordinary Give on Friday, November 22, 2024.
In 2024 we have been celebrating our 75th anniversary!! Back in 1949 when Olivia Stoner and Marian Headrick founded what was then called the “Help-Self School,” (later the Child Development Center) they never could have imagined that their vision would have lasted so long and come so far. We’ve celebrated this year with Founders’ Day, a banquet, and the 1st Annual Robert L. Richards Memorial Golf Tournament. We continue the job of providing our Program Participants with vocational training and employment services, with even more of them going out into the community regularly. In fact, we have up to 3 crews going out to various work and volunteer sites every day, thanks to the vehicles YOU helped us purchase through your generous donations.
Through the ODC, our Participants continue to learn valuable vocational, life, and social skills. They are not just learning how to do specific tasks, but also how to be good employees and coworkers, as well as how to be more independent in all that they do:
Kristen is actively seeking employment in the community while still working at the ODC. Additionally, she has indicated a desire to better understand finances, so we are working with her to learn the value of different coins and bills and how to make change. This is a skill that not only would help her in certain jobs but is a great life skill for all of us.
Ben just started working at the ODC this year and is already fitting in well. He has wanted to come here for some time because he already knew many of our Participants and had heard all the good things they have to say about working here. He has a desire to earn a paycheck in hopes of gaining more independence in his life.
Ryan is all about the good life. For the self-proclaimed “Party King,” working hard means making more money for vacations and eventually getting his own apartment. He talks about taking a Disney cruise someday, and we know he’ll find a way to make it happen!
Brandon loves working at the ODC, and in the past year has increased his hours, while regularly agreeing to learn new and challenging tasks. He loves the work and the good feeling that comes from a job well done, not to mention the paycheck! Brandon says he is saving his money up for video games and computer equipment.
We exist to make a difference in the lives of Kristen, Ben, Ryan, Brandon, and other individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They all want what you and I take for granted: financial stability, independence, the ability to make their own choices in life, and the ability to not only provide for their own basic needs, but also purchase those extra things that make life more enjoyable. For our Program Participants, these things sometimes seem out of reach.
To do this, we need to have the proper infrastructure in place to do our own jobs well. From keeping track of the work and progress or our Program Participants, and scheduling Community Participation Supports outings, to filing required reports, and interacting with companies and individuals that might want to work with us, our computer network and online presence are at the center of all that we do.
It has been about 6 years since our last tech upgrade, and we want to make sure that our network and the computers we use are fully up to date. The easier (and faster) it is for our supervisors to take care of their record keeping, the more time they will have to spend working directly with our Program Participants, helping them reach their goals and learn new things.
Additionally, it has now been more than 7 years since we rebranded with a new logo and launched what was then our new website, thanks to the talented folks at The Curio Collective. With the rapid pace of technology, websites generally need to be redesigned every 5 years. We are well past that, and while we love what we have, it is time for a new web presence that takes better advantage of new technology and gives us a much-needed refresh on our look. Our website is our main source of communication with our Participants and their families, our donors, and both prospective Participants and business partners.
This year’s appeal goal is $30,000
You can help us meet this goal by sending in your tax-deductible contribution made out to the ODC (640 Martha Ave., Lancaster, PA 17601), or by donating online at your convenience.
On behalf of our Program Participants, their families, our staff, and the ODC Board of Directors, we thank you for your continued support of our mission.
