As the newest Director of Program Services for the St. George area, I was immediately tasked with preparing for and carrying out some significant physical changes to our New Horizons Day Program. We were moving from a large open space to one broken up with our former offices that needed to serve up to 25 clients at a time. I immediately began to assess our current needs and demands and determined that windows would be the answer to “open up” the area, give a more spacious feeling and create more “lines of sight” for staff.

In our original program area we had a long wall that created some major sight issues for staff. It separated the kitchen and lunch room from the large activity room. I had wanted to change that wall from my first day, Submarines make you appreciate “line of sight” and we drafted a plan that would help us tremendously.  By adding windows in several key places throughout our new program areas, we can now view all activity areas and have created a greater security for our clients and oversight capabilities for staff. Our staff can now see activities happening in many different program areas at the same time.

We have gained a new office space for our staff and a newly tiled lunch/conference/ training room. In addition to this we are now able to have a designated computer room with internet and …you guessed right,…windows! We also have a new sensory room, a TOP Cat work crew room, and a much larger designated private hygiene care area.

We have received rave reviews from TURN staff, Support Coordinators, families and friends. The program has a new look and is better equipped to provide an environment in which TURN’s vision and mission can be more fully realized for each wonderful person we that serve in this awesome Southern Utah community.

Michael Trail – Director of Program Services, St. George Area

While conducting tours of the new center, there was overwhelming excitement for the new building and projection media system, complete with a Wii for hours of fun and physical activity. All who attended commented on how inviting, warm, and light the new center is.  Clients, families and visitors were thrilled to have a space dedicated for in-center contract work, development of a seniors program, community outreach, and volunteer opportunities.  We are proud to offer to Davis County these new services in addition to our already high quality programming.

For more information or for a tour, please call Carol Westfahl or Kenna Carter at 801-447-9461, or email them at carolwestfahl@turndreams.org or kennacarter@turndreams.org.

Here is how Cynthia describes her approach to therapy:

“I use a person-centered approach that is tailored to address the skills and challenges of the individual, and we work together to identify the issues and symptoms that cause them distress. With the permission of the individual, I collaborate with those who support the person to assist with building skills outside of our counseling sessions.

I have a background in behavior management and developing behavior supports. When needed, I will work on resources to help the person meet their personal goals and assist with environmental changes that can impact their life in a positive way. Although I use cognitive techniques to change or reframe distressful thought patterns, I also teach skills such as identification of emotions, anger management, relaxation, abuse prevention, problem solving, and education on healthy relationships. I see people aged “teen” through “senior”, in individual, family, or marital counseling settings.

My primary clinical interest is helping people recover from trauma. “

Cynthia Proctor, LPC, can be reached at 801-359-8876, or at cynthiaproctor@turndreams.org.

TURN is entering the age of social media!  In addition to TURN’s webpage and Facebook fan page, we are on Twitter at TURNdreams, and will soon be on other social media sites including Pinterest and Linkedin. We also have a new blog at TURNdreamsblog.org.

Amy Kimball Engar will be heading this new and exciting project.  Amy worked for TURN several years ago, helping Eleanor Houston-Till with recreation and Virginia Butler with payroll.  She was also on TURN’s Development Committee more recently.  She is thrilled about her new post and very happy to be back with TURN.

Amy will be looking for content for the blog as well as announcements, updates, news, etc. for Facebook and Twitter.  If you would like to announce something going on at one of your programs, such as accomplishments, community events etc., please let her know by e-mailing her at amyengar@turndreams.org.  She would love to have your input.  We are hoping to increase awareness of who we are and of the services we provide so that we can build support within our communities. It will also be a great way to communicate things going on within the agency for both employees and the people we serve.

According to the Center for Disease Control, one in every 88 children have autism.  In Utah, the numbers are even higher.  Come join Westminster and University of Utah students as they help raise awareness for this significant disorder. The event will include food, music, prizes, and information about autism spectrum disorders.  The lights in Converse will be lit at 8 p.m. and blue glow sticks will be provided to the first 200 participants.

“Westminster’s event is a grassroots movement initiated by a college student with Aspergers,” explained Shamby Polychronis, Ph.D., assistant professor in Westminster’s School of Education.  “It is exciting to be a part of this global event because it provides opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders and supports Westminster College’s commitment to promote advocacy for diversity and inclusiveness”.

* The event is free and open to the public *

WHAT:          “Light It Up Blue” Autism Awareness Event

WHERE:        Westminster College, Richer Commons, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT

WHEN:          April 2, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

For information about Light It Up Blue initiatives around the world, go to the Autism Speaks website at  http://www.autismspeaks.org/

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=960&sid=19785956&title=utah-shows-highest-rate-of-autism-in-new-study&s_cid=queue-3

The Autism Awareness Ribbon –
The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope—hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and appropriate treatments, people with autism will lead fuller, more complete lives.

“One of the core values of our company is community service, giving us the opportunity to give back to our own communities,” said Mathew Thomas, District Sales Manager of the Utah team.

Amy Cosby, the North Salt Lake area representative said, “At the end of our time with them, we realized that they had served us more than we had served them. We learned the beauty of simple expression and no matter what obstacles we face in our lives, we can communicate in our own way”. Janet Aram, an advertising consultant with the company, also found the service experience to be rewarding. “It meant so much to us to spend some time at TURN’s day program, assisting their clients and helping them express their personalities” .

At the end of the event, members of the Autotrader team were excited about the friends they had made and were brainstorming about future projects. “We were very impressed with TURN Community Services and the way they advocate for their clients. We definitely want to work with them again and on a consistent basis,” Thomas said.

Autotrader.com has over 16 million unique visitors per month, and is the premier third-party internet site for automotive dealers to advertise their vehicles in the United States. The company was founded in the late nineties and continues to lead the industry with its valuable online customer experience and dealer solutions.

Thank you, Autotrader.com, and welcome to our team!

In the evening, the Center was part of Gallery Stroll, a monthly event where community members and patrons of the arts can walk among art galleries and view and purchase artists’ work. Through Gallery Stroll, TURN artists will receive ongoing exposure to the Salt Lake arts community, and Stroll participants can learn about TURN.

The City Center program focuses on the arts, including music, drama, dance, visual arts, poetry, playwriting, film, photography, storytelling, Toastmasters, costume design, and more.  The goal of the TURN City Center for the Arts Program is to empower people with disabilities to express themselves in artistic ways, and to experience and learn art forms in which they have not participated in the past.

For more information, for a tour, or to donate your time or talents, please call Allison Michel or Ali Clark at  801-924-0347, or email them at allisonmichel@turndreams.org or aliclark@turndreams.org.

Join us for an Open House at
TURN COMMUNITY CENTER IN FARMINGTON
Thursday, April 19, 2012, Noon to 3 PM
Old Shepard Commons
1438 N. Highway 89, Suite 100, Farmington, Utah

We have a beautiful new location for our South Davis County day training program.  The TURN Community Center in Farmington is centrally located in Davis County, very close to the Lagoon Amusement Park, Cherry Hill Camping Resort, and new Farmington Park Station business and shopping development.  This location offers many opportunities for increased community involvement, participation, and integration for the people we serve.

The new space itself is light and airy and beautiful.  We have set aside space in the building for our in-center contract work, which we hope to expand, as well as for the seniors program we are building as some of our long-term clients get older.  Not only do we hope to increase the outreach our clients perform in the community, but we also hope to engage the community in our mission by increasing our volunteer opportunities at the center for community members.

The accomplished TURN Jazters,  our Special Olympics Team, looks forward to practicing in and around our new location.  Our team really enjoys training for and competing in track and field, bowling, and golf, and team members are excited to compete in the new sport they’ve started practicing: Bocce ball!

Join us in our Open House celebration of our new space and new adventure!