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The Association News

1.13.10

SHARON GRANT ESTEEMED SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at The Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, Holyoke by the Human Service Forum.

Barbara Pilarcik, Executive Director of The Association For Community Living, presented this award to Sharon Gran sharing the words about Sharon.

Twenty-one years ago a vivacious young woman came to work at The Association For Community Living. She had the lilting accent of her native Jamaica, strong family ties and had been educated as a nurse. She also had a strong propensity for hard work, superb organizational abilities and deep commitment to the people served by The Association For Community Living.

We were smart enough to see these capabilities and promoted her from Direct Support Professional to Supervisor, probably one of the toughest jobs in any residential agency. Although she did not practice nursing in this country, or for us, her nursing skills were invaluable to us as she was able to understand the complex medical needs of the individuals living there. She knew every person intimately and knew when they weren’t quite right, often knowing before the physician did that something was wrong. We supported several people through the end stages of their lives, and when hospice was called in, it was Sharon who managed all the myriad details but never, ever forgot that the dying experience is the ultimate journey a person makes, and not a medical event. She would work, or volunteer, at any hour of the day or night if that was what was needed. She took the time to sit with families, to listen to their concerns and to never judge. Families knew they could rely on Sharon to always keep the individual at the center of the process and not just perform exemplary personal care.

Sharon has very high standards and worked with her staff to make sure that they also performed them to her standards. She enjoyed training new staff and watching them grow and develop. She supported staff as they were challenged to provide for people during medical crisis but did not loose sight of the importance of maintaining high standards, even if it might lead to a difficult decision. She placed the people we serve at the center of all her decisions.

It was important to her that the people who lived at Glenvale lived a full rich life despite their medical challenges. She assisted one individual to become a volunteer and helped him raise several hundred dollars to build an access ramp for a local church. I was impressed by this fund raising feat and even more so when I attended the dedication ceremony with Sharon and the individual. They arrived, Sharon driving the wheelchair van, assisted him from the van, helped him get into the church-on the new ramp-and then promptly changed her shoes into attractive two inch pumps! I should not have been surprised, as he looked wonderful but Sharon’s statement went further than that. This was a social event and everyone needed to be properly respectful of the achievements that had just occurred. Her personal appearance spoke volumes about how she felt about his efforts on behalf of this faith community.

Recognizing Sharon’s leadership talents, she is now a Program Coordinator at The Association For Community Living, and supervises two homes in our Intensive Residential Services division. She took on this greater responsibility with the same dedication she has shown to each of her previous jobs, a talent for making each and every day count; not for the grand gesture but for the small act done with thoroughness and great heart.

Family is very important to Sharon. I had the pleasure of meeting her mother, a strong and vivacious woman just like Sharon. And we are very fortunate that her daughter, Petae-Gaye who works at the Children’s’ Study Home and is pursuing her Master’s degree at the University of Connecticut, is able to be here today to join us in honoring her mother.

Sharon is humble and never draws attention to herself, so I am sure this is difficult for her, but please join me in recognizing Sharon Grant, for her years of esteemed service to the human service field and the people we are privileged to serve.

Congratulations, Sharon!

Click on the article title below to download the press release:

1.13.10

Final Update Campaign 2009

Building Relationships … now more than ever

AMOUNT RAISED

$ 377,027

Thank you on behalf of the children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and other developmental disabilities, and their families, whom we are privileged to serve.