Annie Mitchell— 2024 Goldman Award Winner!

What is the Goldman Award?

The Goldman Award is the highest honor conferred by NHR. It is presented to a person within NHR in memory of Israel Goldman. Mr. Goldman was a loving husband, stalwart yet gentle advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a man loved for his active and personal interest in others, a person who taught everyone around him that a successful life is defined more by who you are than what you have done, and a participant in New Horizon’s services.

The Goldman Award honors an individual in the NHR family who has exhibited extraordinarily unselfish, principled and mission-driven behavior. Some examples are: demonstrating heroic intervention in difficult circumstances, protecting life, advancing human rights in a notable way, achieving accomplishments in the field that enhance services and supports, trail blazing worthwhile innovative services and lifestyles, and providing substantial and exceptional positive influence on the lives of others.

Annie's nomination for the Goldman Award reads as follows :

We are nominating Annmarie “Annie” Mitchell for the 2024 Goldman award to honor the memory of Israel Goldman. The mission of NHR is to enable people with developmental disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives within their local communities by establishing a home, belonging, self-determination, learning, productivity and individual respect. Annie personifies that mission every day.

Annie has worked at NHR since 2007 and currently is the Residential Coordinator at Canal Path IRA. When you walk into Canal Path, the environment is so welcoming. It is the home of 11 individuals of various ages and various diagnoses, and various supervision levels. Even though it can appear chaotic at times, the stress is not evident. There is a calmness by staff supporting the individuals and it is a home where people can be themselves without worry. This reflects Annie’s leadership. She greets everyone with a smile, engages with those we support and their support staff, with her sense of humor always present, no matter what the day has been like. Annie can be found on any given day working side by side with staff. She leads in a residence, where every individual is seen and heard. The folks who live at Canal Path are happy. We use terms like person centered thinking and community engagement, yet Annie puts them into practice with the folks who live there. They are not just talking points. When talking with Annie about individuals and activities, instead of talking about why she can’t do it, she will talk about how to make it happen, giving people every opportunity to enjoy activities that they want to do, not what they have to do.

Annie works to show those she supports respect, daily. She uses her leadership and advocacy to support all people to help build positive relationships all around. Whether it be the individuals she serves, the staff she supports, people in the community, or administrative staff, Annie is always encouraging positive relationships between all. Annie has a way of truly making people feel heard and genuinely wants to do things for the right reasons.

Beyond Canal Path, Annie has also helped in other residences, when the need arose. She was right there when asked to be, at both Mt. View and Jansen – to support those residents and staff through times of transition, or just when some extra support was needed, and does so with grace and a smile on her face. Annie defines the term team player and leads through example. The care, love, and desire to help is clear the very first time you meet Annie Mitchell. Don’t take our word for it, ask the people who work and live at Canal Path, Mountainview, Jansen and you will hear what we hear and more. No one is more deserving of this honor.

Tykiesha Thatcher & Carmen La Serna Most Recent FLS Graduates!

In 2017, NHR partnered with several other agencies like ours to form the Mid-Hudson Training Collaborative. The purpose of this newly formed collaborative was to advance the work and professional development of our frontline supervisors (“FLS”) who, perhaps, have the most challenging positions in our respective agencies. Once formed, we worked with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (“NADSP”) to license an evidence-based curriculum geared toward enabling FLS to better support and supervise Direct Support Professionals. The NADSP provided initial training and then supported us as we began the process of training our frontline supervisors. The present member agencies of the collaborative are: Abilities First, Cardinal Hayes Home for Children, Devereux, NHR and the ARC Greater Hudson Valley. Using a collaborative approach—and sharing resources—has allowed the program to be succeed and has offered learners a much richer learning experience as it encompasses learners from five agencies.

On December 11th, NHR Residence Coordinators Tykiesha Thatcher and Carmen La Serna— became NHR’s most recent graduates of this program. Please congratulate them when you see them!! NHR is committed to ensuring that each our of frontline supervisors in our residential and day habilitation programs participates in the this professional development program. We hope to begin including Administrative Counselors in addition to Coordinators in this exciting program in the coming year.

Marie Sleight 2024 Winner of Regis Obijiski Scholarship

On 12/19, Direct Support Professional, Marie Sleight (Thornwood IRA) was awarded the 2024 Regis Obijiski Growing the Profession Scholarship. This scholarship was established to honor the legacy of NHR’s former Executive Director who has devoted his career to advancing the profession of Direct Support. Instilled in NHR’s organizational “DNA” is a commitment to learning as one of our Unifying Principles. The scholarship was funded by a generous donation from the late Mary Moody and is awarded annually.

Marie has been a valued member of the Team here at NHR for nearly 24 years (about half of the time there has been an NHR!). She currently works at our Thornwood IRA in Poughkeepsie as a DSP where she helps ensure that six ladies who call Thornwood home are living their best lives. Marie is pursuing her education to become a Registered Nurse.

In her winning essay for this scholarship, Marie stated that “My goal is to further my education and understanding about people with disabilities and learn more about the complex and unique needs of the individuals I support….The educational program will help me develop the skills to be able to help the people I support with informed decision making about their own personal health and empower them with education and resources so they’re able to make informed choices about their own healthcare; therefore, promoting increased independence in their own lives. I will also be able to develop knowledge about healthy lifestyle choices. In a complex setting where the needs of people vary greatly, this knowledge is invaluable to be able to support everyone to the best of my ability and encour-age healthy decisions around meal preparation and the importance of exercise in maintaining optimal health.”

Congratulations on being our latest scholarship winner Marie – well deserved! Best of luck with your studies!