When COVID-19 first struck, Aktion Club members quickly started getting together via Zoom calls to keep in touch with each other and to stay healthy and safe. The more they met, the more ideas they had of fun activities they could do via Zoom- thus Painting Party was born! Each week a small group of folks get together to paint, act silly and have a wonderful time!
If you’ve ever been to the cafeteria at MVNU, you’ve probably ran into Brad. Brad has been working there for many many years and loves the opportunities he is given! He works hard in the dish room ensuring all the dishes, pots, pans and utensils are clean for the kitchen staff to cook with and the guests to eat off of. He enjoys the fast pace of the lunch rush and loves making jokes with his coworkers.
Cierra is a dedicated employee at Pioneer College Catering located in Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s dining hall. She enjoys her position in the dish room and appreciates knowing what her job duties are and the support she gets from her coworkers and supervisors.
Pioneer College Catering has been a wonderful employer for people with developmental disabilities in our community— thank you for all you do!
Erik has been working for Park National Bank for almost a year— and he has been enjoying this wonderful opportunity! He does a wonderful job sorting through the mail, delivering the mail to the different departments, organizing bank deposit sheets, putting postage on outgoing mail and more. He enjoys that he is able to work at his own pace and he is able to meet new people. Erik has become a valuable asset to Park National Bank.
Thank you, Park National Bank for this partnership!
Steven is a wonderful employee at Pioneer College Catering located in MVNU’s dining hall. He is responsible for refilling all of the clean plates, silverware and putting anything else away to keep the dining hall clean and ready for all of the faculty and students as they come through getting their meals. Steven loves the consistency of his job and appreciates knowing what his responsibilities are so he can complete his job in a timely manner and do it correctly.
Anna is an independent provider who has been working with Devine in her home and helping her connect to the community.
Will and Peter keep busy by participating in many different activities! A few years ago, they found out about the Adaptive Sports Connection in Powell, OH which provides adaptive technology to help empower anyone with physical and cognitive challenges through sports and therapeutic outdoor recreation! The mission of the Adaptive Sports Connection is to help people with challenges stay healthy and happy by focusing on their ABILITIES.
While at Children’s Hospital for one of Will’s appointments, they have met many other families who help encourage and provide resources to each other. One of the resources that Will and Peter learned about was the Adaptive Sports Connection program. Will and Peter try to regularly go to the kayaking, water skiing and downhill skiing programs. Will’s favorite is the skiing--- he loves speed! Each time Will goes, the instructors and volunteers try new ways of adapting the equipment to make Will’s experience as enjoyable as possible.
Once the custom pieces of adaptive equipment are added to the kayak, Peter and the instructors load Will into his tailored kayak, get different pieces of foam to strategically add around his body to ensure he is able to sit upright and get his paddles ready! Once it’s his turn to load into the water, a float with wheels is loaded under his kayak and he is wheeled down to the water’s edge. His kayak has a set of outrigger floats on the back to help prevent him from tipping it over.
Each time Will goes out kayaking, he has his father Peter, as well as a volunteer (Christina) and the instructor (David). As a group they work diligently to learn how Will kayaks and what can help him have a better experience. Each time he goes out, he builds his stamina and is able to kayak longer than the last time! Once he gets tired, he can either paddle himself back in or his volunteer can tether their kayak to his and paddle him back in.
If you are interested in participating in one of the great programs offered by the Adaptive Sports Connection, please go onto their website to learn how to get involved! https://adaptivesportsconnection.org/
On April 25, 2019 the Knox County Chamber of Commerce held the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Harmony Playground, the new fully inclusive playground in Mount Vernon. Harmony Playground has been a wonderful collaborative project with the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Crossfit 1808, the Knox County Health Department Creating Healthy Communities and many other wonderful team members that brought together this amazing playground for all families in Knox County and beyond.
Carol Grubaugh, with the Chamber of Commerce led the ceremony and we heard wonderful remarks from Katie Fiorilli, Crossfit 1808 & Caroline’s Classic; Tami Ruhl, Knox County Health Department Creating Healthy Communities; Steve Oster, Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities; and Mayor Dick Mavis, City of Mount Vernon. Thank you to Jamie and Levi Sanders for cutting the ribbon!
Thank you to everyone who helped make this project a reality, and thank you to everyone who came out to the ribbon cutting ceremony!
Generous donors who made this project a reality are:
Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities
The Ariel Foundation
Diversified Products & Services
Richard & Arline Landers Foundation
Crossfit 1808 Caroline’s Classic
United Way of Knox County
Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon
The Energy Cooperative Operation Round Up Foundation, Inc.
The Ramser Family
Licking/Knox Goodwill Industries, Inc.
Knox County Health Department Creating Healthy Communities
Women United
First-Knox National Bank, Division of Park National Bank
Elks Care, Elks Share - Mount Vernon Elks #140
Celestine Watkins
Siemens Energy Systems, Inc.
Mount Vernon Rotary Foundation
City of Mount Vernon
Knox County Foundation
Foundation Parks Conservancy
Concepts in Community Living, Inc.
Margo de Camp
Steve Oster
Kim & Pam Rose
Ian & Charlotte Watson
Creative Foundations, Inc.
Gordy & Fran Yance
Delta Kappa Gamma of Knox County
Knox Community Hospital
Chip & Katie Wilson
Marc & Jen Odenweller
Geotechnical Consultants, Inc.
The Marlow Family
Deb Romas & Associates
Dr. Robert & Patricia Ronk
Riverside Recovery Services - Where Recovery Brings Hope
Amy Albery
Elena N. Brechler
Craig Black - Tricia Moore - Andrew & Anna Breen
Team “Neverquit” - AFC
Adam Daniels - Ben Durbin - Natalee Johnson - Trista Butler
Brock M. Evans
Lara K. Farmer
Built By Unity
Hanna Ford
Matthew Gibson
The Hickman Family
John & Kristin Hofferberth
Matthew Kelling
Always Forward CrossFit
Tara Lamb
Alex Lambert
Melissa Leonard
Ron & Natalie Lucas & Family
Dan & Rebekah Mullins
Emily Nussbaum
Alicia Olson
Evan Palmer
Kathy Patton
Chad & Tami Ruhl
Holden Richards
The Ruffner Family
In Memory of Dorothy “Dottie” Marchal
Megan West
Neal Bell - Justin Satin - Loriann Fuhrer - Kris Whiting
Nichole Williams
“N8” Woodford
Dick & Peggy Mavis
Flappers Bar & Grille - Norm & Erron Porter - Steve Oster
Benjamin Peter Ollis
Lucy Peterson
Barbara Jordan
Anonymous
Easterseals Central & Southeast Ohio
ViaQuest, Inc.
Gantt Homes Inc. & The HIVE
Teresa Bemiller
Joe & Miranda Conkle
Nick & Katie Fiorilli
Rhonda & Chuck Gherman
Steve & Kathy Greenich
Mike & Karen Hagans
Jaclynn Mahle
Joe & Sally Nelson
Donald & Nancy Omahan
Friends of Kelly Shoemaker
In Memory of Ashton Cordray
Moms of Mount Vernon Giving Back
![Special Olympics State Skills Tournament [basketball]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a14344e64b05fdd8a136c29/1553536912838-JSSXETOANNISUUBFNJ5M/Knox+special+olympics-50.jpg)
Athletes from Knox County traveled to Hilliard Darby High School on March 23rd to compete with other athletes from across the state of Ohio in the Special Olympics Basketball Skills Competition! All of our athletes won ribbons and medals and had a great time competing!
We love getting to watch creativity and imagination take over as people come together to build amazing creations at Lego Club. On 3/14 we had a great turn out and had some pretty stellar pieces made! The theme was “Sandwiches, Burgers, Subs & More!” (a theme that was submitted by a kiddo!! Great thinking!) and the pieces that were created were extraordinary!
If you have a great idea for a theme, feel free to email it to Brody Boggs (bboggs@knoxdd.com) and he’ll try to add it to the calendar!
