Annual ReportFiscal Year 2012

We are pleased to present this FY 2012 Annual Report for Allied Community Services and its subsid-iaries. It has been a year of transition and growth for our organization as we experienced a change in executive leadership with the retirement of Dean Wern and the appointment of Joan Danziger as President and CEO. Change is an important part of an organization’s life cycle and Joan has been charged with building upon Dean’s legacy and leading Allied into its next phase of development. To this end there have been changes to program and organizational design, and plans are under-way for additional updates and rebranding in the coming year.

The enclosed report provides some of the highlights of our operations in FY 2012 and focuses on the impact Allied has within the surrounding communities. Some of our accomplishments this year include providing new community employment and training opportunities for people with intel-lectual disabilities, increasing production within our Allied’s Attic Processing Center and our Differ-ent by Design jewelry business, upgrading the internal and external physical condition of our five community residences, adding new services and resources to our day support program, expanding the health services provided by our nursing staff, increasing the number of rides provided by our transportation department, and expanding the scope of services provided through our financial management subsidiary, Allied Community Resources.

One constant amidst all these changes is that the people we support remain the heart and soul of our organization. Our overriding purpose is to deliver supports that build competency, indepen-dence and self-esteem, expand community presence and connections, create opportunities for employment, volunteerism and friendship, and uphold the respect and dignity of all the people we serve.

We are fortunate to have a staff of dedicated, capable and enthusiastic professionals who take their responsibilities seriously. It is because they bring their best every day that Allied is able to make a meaningful impact on so many lives.

We hope you will take the time to explore this Annual Report and learn more about our organiza-tion. Thank you for supporting the work that we do and the people we serve.

Message from the Chairman of the Board and President and CEO

Frank G. Santy, Chairman Joan Danziger Board of Directors President and CEO

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

AdministrativeServices

CorporateAccounting

Allied CommunityReSouRCeS

Allied Community SeRviCeS, inC.

marketing &Communications

CommunitySupports &enrichment

AlliedRehAbilitAtion

CenteRS

health Services

businessenterprises

ResidentialServices

employmentServices

FinancialServices

humanResources

Facilities

transportationServices

intake &enrollmentServices

ProviderServices

QualityAssurance &Compliance

technology& Program

Support

The Allied Residential Services Department provides support to 43 individuals in three pro-grams: Community Living Arrangements (CLA), Supported Living and In Home Supports. We pres-ently have 23 individuals living in our five Commu-nity Living Arrangements located in Enfield, East Windsor and South Windsor. In our Supported Living Program, we offer supports to five indi-

Residential Services

• Our five CLA’s were relicensed for the maximum time of two years by the De-partment of Developmental Services.

• We welcomed a new housemate in one of our homes and adopted a rescue dog, Bo, in another home.

ships with their peers and throughout their communities.

In FY 2012 all of our homes were updat-ed and redecorated to reflect the personalities and taste of our resi-dents. New furniture was purchased, walls were repainted, flooring was

replaced and art was hung. Additional high-lights of FY 2012 include:

viduals who live on their own. In our In Home Supports Program, we offer assistance to 15 in-dividuals who live with their families.

In FY 2012 we have seen many exciting changes. Laurie Desjardin was promoted from Residential Supervisor to Residential Director. Laurie has done an outstanding job of identi-fying areas of need and providing leadership and training to staff. She sets the tone for 48 dedicated employees who fulfill their roles in a supportive, respectful and compassionate way. Residential staff assist our residents to live as independently as possible and encourage them to develop and sustain positive relation-

• We recognized the 20-year employment anniversaries of Jynette Redd, Joan Noll, Scott Lescault, David Crawford and Tracie Garcia.

• We connected with each other and cele-brated with holiday parties, dinner, Bingo and picnics.

Helen Kennedy, left, and Residential Supervisor Joan Noll discuss recipes for the next day’s menu.

Mission: To provide the support and op-portunities each individual needs in order to lead their most independent, fulfilling and meaningful life.

Front: Joan Noll (21 Yrs) and Jynette Redd (25 Yrs). Back: Scott Lescault (22 Yrs), Tracie Garcia (25 Yrs) and David Crawford (22 Yrs).

We facilitate community involvement for all of our residents and provide many differ-ent options, encouraging new experiences as well as familiar favorites based on individual choice. Our residents enjoy giving back to their communities and they select causes and organizations that are meaningful to them. In FY 2012 our residents donated $270 and 125 lbs. of cat food to Cat Connections in Windsor Locks, collected coffee mugs for our soldiers serving in Afghanistan, filled back packs for the Enfield Back to School Program and made donations to the Enfield Food Shelf. Our resi-dents also contributed to our LIFE Program Car Wash, Community Connections Library Drive, Self-Advocacy Bake Sales and the Ruth Bonney

• We had many successes and medals to show for our participation in the En-field Stars Special Olympics Program.

Dream Fund, a new fund established to enable residents to experience trips, events or other activities that are beyond their budgets.

Residential Supervisor Steve Martineau, left, Deb Peabody, center and Albert D’Alessandro, get ready to add vegetable plants to the Mahoney Road garden.

“He is a good dog and I like him. I like walking him; can’t imagine not having him. He likes to be scratched. I like feed-ing him and I like to pet him. We all love him and I like it when he covers his eyes.” Bob Nesbit

“He is excellent and I love him. I have fun walking him. I have to be careful around Bo and cautious so I don’t scare him. I don’t want him to get sick. I love to have him around. He is the most loving dog and I love to give him milk bones.” Greg Yurek

“It feels good to have a dog. He is the friendliest dog I ever had. I like Bo.” Paul Chabot

“It’s good.” Marc Gregoire

Residents talk about theiR adopted Rescue dog, “bo”

Joe Marcellini and Bob Nesbit relax on the deck with their new housemate, a Labrador retriever named Bo.

Employment ServicesIn FY 2012 Allied made developing community based employment opportunities a top priori-ty. While we continue our solid long-standing

functional assessments that carefully evaluate each individual in order to align their interests and strengths with potential job placements.

Training for our partic-ipants has been devel-oped around the career assessment outcomes. Current training modules include bottle redemp-

tion, grocery, business technology, landscap-ing, food service and processing for our Allied’s Attic Thrift Store.

Mission: To provide individuals with the opportunity to explore career choices in the community through independent, supported and group employment.

relationships with busi-nesses who have em-ployed our participants for many years, we sought to expand the number and variety of employ-ment sites this year to enable more people to experience community employment. We have been marketing our employment services by emphasizing to employers that we have many skilled, dependable and enthusiastic partic-ipants who are eager to make a meaningful contribution to their workforce.

We hired a new Director of Employment Services, Melissa Trzepacz, who brings 15 years of community based employment experience to the organization. Melissa and her staff have

been helping people develop their potential to become as independent and productive as possible in order to maximize their em-ployment options. They provide career and

Mike Shiveley and Patty Gauthier redeem cans and bottles at Joe’s Fine Wine in East Windsor.

To address the growing demand by partici-pants for new job opportunities we also added an Employment Coordinator to the team. Mike Eugenio, who has 18 years of job coaching experience at Allied, brings tremendous exper-tise and enthusiasm to this role. He identifies appropriate job opportunities and markets our employees by highlighting unmet needs that our employees can fill for the employer. In FY 2012 Melissa, Mike and their team have enabled 8 individuals to obtain employment at their jobs of choice in the community, and 26 additional individuals to move into community based enclaves or group supported employ-

Billy Grant, left, and Doug Martin, above, work on the Landscaping Crew.

“The new direction Allied has been taking in Individual Supported Employment is great. (Allied has) been listening to the participants and helping them find jobs that not only meet their expectations and desires but also allow for personal and professional growth. Torre Skjerli, DDS Case Manager

“I like it. I love it. I like being outside and working outside. I like to rake, use machinery and get exercise. I like earning a paycheck.” Kris Rusling Landscaping Crew

ment opportunities of their choice. Our community enclaves include bottle redemption

at Joe’s Fine Wine and Spirits, landscaping for private homeowners, retail support at Allied’s Attic Thrift Store, office support for Allied Community Resources, and janitorial work for Mark Twain Congregate Living, Enfield Housing Authority, State of CT DMV and four National Guard armories. Group supported employ-

Brian at Olive Garden

Ken Dubiel, left, works in the dishroom at Fermi High School and Brian Sutton, right, buses ta-bles at the Olive Garden Restaurant.

ment includes our Different by Design jewelry busi-ness, Allied’s Attic donation processing center, and the 3 Pearson Way janitorial crew.

We believe that people with intellectual disabilities bring enthusiasm, loyalty, diversity, energy and much more to the workplace. Community based employ-ment is a win-win because employers benefit from the contributions made by our participants and our partic-ipants benefit by being acknowledged and valued as contributing members of the working world.

We appreciate the commitment of the businesses that employ Allied participants: Big Y, Friendly’s, Joe’s Fine Wine and Spirits, Mass Mutual, Olive Garden, Shop Rite, Sodexo, Stop & Shop, TGI Friday’s and Wal-Mart.

Community Supports and Enrichment provides support to 67 participants who range in age from 22 to 80. In FY 2012 this program was redesigned and restructured in order to provide more individ-ualized, purposeful and varied services, supports and opportunities. Jodi Ouellette, who has been with Allied for 10 years, was promoted to Director of Community Supports and Enrichment. She

We have implemented a modular program-ming design incorporating six basic domains: functional academics, social/communication

skills, daily living skills, creative and artistic expression, fitness and health and the larg-er world. Participant schedules include at

least three modules per day and align with goals established through the Individual Planning process as well as a skills assessment we use to evaluate interest and proficiency in the various

Community Supports & Enrichment

Mission: To deliver purposeful, individualized and community-oriented supports which empower our participants to lead their most independent, fulfilling and meaningful lives.

and fitness center are located; and Community Connections features a library. Participants take part in activities in all areas, moving with staff in small groups.

As part of the program overhaul we divided rooms into smaller areas and upgraded the phys-ical space with new flooring, fresh paint, new fur-niture, shelving and kitchen equipment to create a more inviting atmosphere for participants and staff. The hall features an art gallery showcasing the work of our participants and most rooms now feature classroom-sized world maps

Tanya Wlaszkiewicz and Joe Wrann play some chords and lead a sing-along in the music room. A variety of musical in-struments is available for participants and staff.

Participant art like this 3-D aquarium, “Under the Sea,” is on display in the hallway at 3 Pear-son Way. A group of Enrichment Team participants and staff mem-bers used rocks, shells, ribbon, sand and paint to create this realis-tic scene.

Bryant Dumas plays piano in the music room adjacent to the Apartment.

oversees a staff of 30 which includes case man-agers, quality support supervisors, lead program staff and direct support staff.

skill areas.We have renamed

all the program areas and each area houses at least one of the special spaces we have created to enhance our services. The Enrich-ment room features an art studio as well as a sensory room; the Apartment hous-es our music room; Fit/Tech is where our computer lab

to enhance modules on current events, cultural customs, travel, geography and ancestry.

We have upgraded the garden behind our building and were fortunate to have the help of volunteers from the Enfield Home Depot who donated their time and provided supplies

regularly participates in yoga, Zumba, computer basics and crafts at the Enfield Senior Center. Par-ticipants have also spent time at Green Acres farm this year assisting with animal care, grooming, trail clearing and egg collection.

Our participants enjoy giving back to the com-munity and this year we collected over 100 lbs. of Participants and staff assisted volunteers from Enfield’s

Home Depot store with construction and installation of four new garden boxes in April. Several local businesses donated products and supplies for the project.

Diana Lemieux takes the new recumbent cross trainer for a spin in the Fitness area. Several pieces of exercise equip-ment and a ping-pong table are available to help promote exercise and cardiovascu-lar fitness.

food which was donated to the Enfield Food Shelf. We also raised $82 for the Fidelco Guide Dog pro-gram through creation and sales of holiday items.

Our staff has done an outstanding job of em-bracing the changes to the way our services are delivered, and we continue to enjoy discovering the many talents, passions and insights that our participants possess.

Maureen Canname-la, left, and Ashley Steele feed a lamb at Green Acres farm in Enfield. Below, Scott Kupec holds one of the kids.

Ray Kardatzke and Jean Cynoski have been pasting card holders and information plates into every book donated to the new Library estab-lished in Commu-nity Connections for participants and staff.

to help us construct four raised beds. We are creating a garden that will provide a multi-sen-sory experience with flowers and tactile plants as well as produce vegetables and herbs to be used in our cooking classes.

We continue to enjoy community based ac-tivities and our Community Connections group

Business EnterprisesThe Business Enterprises department was created in FY 2012 to encompass Allied’s Attic Thrift Store and Processing Center, Different

and 13 participants working at the processing center with staff support. Physical improve-ments were made at the processing center to

make it a more efficient and safe environment for staff and employees. Other changes included streamlining donation processing to get more

product to the store in a shorter time frame, simplifying the pricing structure and increas-ing the scope of specialty items offered. As a result, sales at Allied’s Attic are up 40% over last year.

In addition to creating opportunities for our participants, Allied’s Attic provides a valuable service to the local community. Working with the Enfield Department of Social Services we assist families in emergency situations by do-nating clothing, furniture and household items. We donate children’s toys, books and games to Enfield’s Annual Family Day celebration, and clothes that we cannot sell are donated to Planet Aid.

Different By Design has eight full-time em-ployees working on jewelry design, production, sales and marketing. We have expanded the number of retail sites where our jewelry is sold and maintain a busy schedule of community

Mission: To create and maintain small businesses that benefit the community and provide employment and training opportunities for our participants.

Claire Lazor is one of our tal-ented jewelry designers.

Myriam Haffreingue has been an associate at Al-lied’s Attic Thrift Store since it opened in 2007.

our efforts towards community-based em-ployment, participants and staff transitioned out of our Craftsman Rd. building and were given opportunities to work in one of our small businesses or in community-based jobs. Our participants have responded enthusiastically to this change and many have discovered new skills and talents in the process. Our business

services contract work has now become one component of the Employment Services train-ing program operating at 3 Pearson Way.

The Allied’s Attic operation was restructured to provide increased opportunities for partic-ipants to work at the processing center and at the store. We currently have four individuals working at the store with a full-time job coach,

by Design jewelry and janitorial services. Donna Schebel, a 27-year adminis-trator at Allied, was named Vice President of this de-partment. As we refocused

and business events where participants and staff display and sell the jewelry.

We hope to add at least one new busi-ness enterprise next year to create even more training and employment op-portunities for our participants.

Summary of Revenue and Expenses

E xpEnsEs by CompanyREvEnuE sourCEs

Expenses for Direct Program Services $ 9,605,001 89.5% Administrative Expenses 1,123,292 10.5% TOTAL $10,728,293 100.0%

percentage of Fy 2012 Total Expenses

60%26%

56%40%

4% 5%

AlliedRehabilitationCenters

Department ofDevelopmentalServices

Allied Community Services

AlliedCommunityResources

TransportationServices

Department of SocialServices

Business EnterprisesOther

4%

5%

The Allied Group had a financially solid FY 12. Allied Rehabilitation Centers was able to reduce overhead costs by 4% and redirect these funds into wage adjustments for the direct support staff. These were the first across-the-board increases for our valued direct support staff in several years. Allied Community Resources generated increased revenues which supported additional staff and wage adjustments as well as infrastructure upgrades. Our transportation business grew by 17% while keeping expenses level. Our FY 13 budget continues to emphasize programmatic improve-ments and quality enhancements.

Peg Kenny, CFO

Allied Community Resources

Allied Community Resources provided services to nearly 5,000 individuals whose indepen-dence is enhanced through community-based support services. ACR is a “behind-the-scenes” provider – processing more than 120,000 checks during FY 2012 for these services. ACR also provided program training and enrollment services to more than 1,500 participants and community-based providers.

Under the experienced leadership of Carol Bohnet, Executive Director, ACR continues its work with the State’s systems change program, “Money Follows the Person”, or MFP. The pro-gram is changing how society views and uses long term care. It is no longer assumed that in-dividuals will remain in a nursing facility as they age or become disabled; a new law requires that people are asked, “Do you want to go home?” The MFP participants’ and their families’ gratitude and excitement over going home is the reward for ACR’s fiscal intermediary and collaborative work support-ing individuals’ independence and success.

ACR assisted 274 people over the past year who were transitioning home from nursing facilities after months or years away from their families. Some of the MFP participants had been living in one of several nursing facilities that closed in Connecticut during the past year.

The transition from a nursing facility to the community or home can be overwhelming for the individual and their families. ACR assists the participants and their families during the process of enrollment, hiring workers and the 12 months of transition services.

ACR also won a competitive bid this past year to continue three State Medicaid Waiver pro-grams that have been with ACR for the past 12 years. Participants include individuals with acquired brain injuries who receive support throughout their recov-

ery and depend on ACR to pay their home and community providers (Acquired Brain Injury Medicaid Waiver Program). Individuals partici-pating in several different programs choose to self-direct their services and care by becoming

The daughter of a self-directed partic-ipant who received a wheelchair ramp described her joy in seeing her mother outside admiring her garden after many, many years of not being able to leave her home.

ACR’s 80 employees range from office and program support staff, accountants, applications, payroll and payment pro-cessors to quality assurance and customer service staff, intake liaisons and trainers.

peRsonal caRe assistance: an acR consumeR’s stoRy

Elizabeth (left) and ACR Lead Employer Trainer Michelle Caron.

Elizabeth has faced a mountain of life-threaten-ing medical problems since April 2005. It start-ed with a blood clot in her leg that traveled to her lungs. She was hospitalized for nearly a year. Acquired brain injury due to oxygen deprivation caused problems with her diet and medications. When she came home, she didn’t have the energy or desire to read, watch TV, use a computer or do anything around the house.

“I can’t believe my husband didn’t leave me,” she says. Elizabeth and Robert have been happily together for 22 years. While his support has been a key to her recovery, his full-time job

meant that Elizabeth had to spend many hours alone at home.

That problem was addressed when one of Elizabeth’s physicians provided information to the Department of Social Services, resulting in funding for personal care assistance. Fol-lowing a visit from ACR Lead Employer Trainer Michelle Caron, Elizabeth hired a PCA and has been receiving services since April 24 this year.

Assistance includes reminding her to take medications and to eat and drink daily, meal preparation, driving to medical appointments, mobility inside and outside, grooming/hy-giene, phone communications, errands, etc.

During our visit, Elizabeth hesitantly ven-tured into her backyard flower garden for the first time in years. Michelle and her PCA stayed close and encouraged every step.

“Elizabeth is a strong and intelligent wom-an,” says Michelle. “She proves that anything is possible when you have determination.”

Her husband Robert sums it up best: “Eliza-beth is a beautiful person who wants to help the world. Every day I come home now, she has a glow on her face.”

household employers. They receive individual-ized training in their homes by ACR staff train-ers and continued support for payroll services enabling them to stay in their own homes and apartments (PCA Medicaid Waiver Program, CT Home-care Program for Elders, CT Dept. of De-velopmental Services’ programs and Alabama Personal Choices Program).

ACR staff participated in several initiatives around the state, including committees that facilitate the development of the direct care workforce, skills training, outreach and con-necting workers with employers. Providing direct care services to individuals is a very

rewarding field and lifelong relationships can be established between participants and their service providers. ACR’s fiscal intermediary services help to maintain that relationship for individuals living in their community. One PCA program consumer expressed her gratitude for ACR’s “behind-the-scenes” services:

“I am very grateful to Allied for the service they provide, which makes it possible for me to stay in my home and get the help I can’t do without. Thank you so very much!”

Allied Transportation Services was established in 1997 to meet the growing transportation needs of individuals with disabilities and senior citizens in north central Connecticut. FY 2012, our 15th year of service, was our busiest year ever. Allied’s livery vehicles logged more than 7,500 trips accounting for nearly 226,000 miles.

Allied operates a fleet of four wheelchair-ac-cessible vans, one sedan and two minivans. Transportation Manager Karen Mayette super-vises 10 drivers.

Destinations for our customers include med-ical, dental and dialysis appointments, family events, shopping and entertainment.

Transportation Services

“Since breaking my ankle, I have been unable to drive. Thanks to Allied, I have been able to attend a wedding and retire-ment party, go shopping and keep medical appointments. This is a lifeline to people with disabilities. Thank you for providing these services.” Bobbi M.

“I’ve been with Allied for a long time and I will not ride with any other company. Allied is always on time; I’m never late for medical appointments. Your drivers are wonderful.” Virginia H.

Health Services is responsible for the oversight of safe, effective quality healthcare for all of our participants. Allied has two full time RN’s and a full time medical appointments coordinator. We provide 24 hour on-call nursing services to all of our Community Living Arrangements and work closely with staff to ensure that health and wellness services are meeting the needs of our residents. Kristie Geraghty, RN, BSN, Director of Health Services, oversees ongoing education and train-ing for staff in areas such as wellness, signs and

Mission: Provide compassionate, quality nursing care focusing on the unique health needs of indi-viduals with intellectual disabilities and promote health and safety practices that enhance their quality of life.

Health Servicessymptoms of illness, basic first aid skills, disease processes, medication administration and infec-tion control.

Nursing staff educates participants on proper hygiene, preventa-tive health and the importance of good nutrition and regular exercise. Many of our residents have achieved or are well

on their way to achieving their goal weight ranges thanks to healthy meals, sensible food choices and fun and individualized exercise options.

Allied driver Scott Myers assists Ann Lowe into a wheelchair-accessible van for a medical appointment. Ann’s husband, Ron, accompanied her.

Transition Services

The Self-Advocacy Council at Allied was es-tablished in 2005 to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to serve as leaders and work together as a team with all members of the community. At monthly meetings, self-ad-vocates listen to guest speakers and discuss topics of concern such as employment, person-al safety, living in the community, speaking up, health/nutrition/exercise, legislative awareness and more. Sharing information about work experiences and challenges is popular, because community employment is a goal for the ma-jority of our participants.

Allied’s Self-Advocacy Council is a chapter of People First of CT, a statewide self-advocacy organization that believes that ALL people,

with and without disabilities, should be treated equally and respected for their abilities.

2012 Together We Can officers (l-r): Corey Hall, Pres-ident; Michelle Mashinsky, Vice President; Alyssa Horter, Secretary; and Coleen Ekenbarger, Treasurer.

“Before I joined the Self-Advocacy Coun-cil, I wouldn’t have been able to speak in front of a group of people. Now I have more confidence. I enjoyed talking to the Boy Scouts to tell them what I do for work, where I live and what sports I play.” Martin Cruz

Self-Advocate Martin Cruz, left, was recently invited to speak to a troop of Boy Scouts working on their Disability Awareness Merit Badges. He talk-ed about working on

our janitorial crew, at Allied’s Attic Thrift Store and the donation processing center. He also described his love of sports and his involvement with the Enfield Stars and Special Olympics.

“Together We Can” Self-Advocacy Council

The L.I.F.E. (Learning Independence Fulfilling Experiences) Program provided services to five students during FY 12. Three students were from Suffield, one was from Enfield, and one was from Windsor Locks. The students com-pleted functional academics one day a week, worked at community based training sites three days a week, and visited recreational sites of their choice on “Fun Fridays.” Whenever possible, the sites visited reinforced the curric-ulum of the week. Employment training sites included CVS, Edible Arrangements, the Enfield Child Development Center, the Enfield Food Shelf, Geissler’s Supermarket, Genalco Inc., In-tegrity Martial Arts and Planet Fitness. Students performed a variety of tasks including stocking, food preparation, assembly, portioning, repack-aging, bagging groceries, sanitizing, polishing, and vacuuming.

The students held a car wash to raise money for the commencement dinner which was held in June to honor the two students who gradu-ated from the program.

3 Pearson WayEnfield, CT 06082

(860) 627-9500

SUBSIDIARIES: u Allied Community Resources, Inc.u Allied Rehabilitation Centers, Inc.

NONPROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

HARTFORD, CTPERMIT NO. 2775

Visit our web site at

www.alliedgroup.org

6 Craftsman RoadEast Windsor, CT 06088

(860) 741-3701

THANK YOU!

Allied’s Board of Directors Chairman Atty. Frank G. Santy Mary Arcouette 1st Vice Chairman Richard Tkacz Christine Casey 2nd Vice Chairman James D. Kuhn Joanne G. Kane Treasurer Richard Chrabascz Thomas Kearney Secretary Jeremiah Sullivan Francis J. Martin John F. Toolan

We are very grateful to the many individuals who supported our pro-grams and services this year with memorial and other donations. We would also like to thank the following foundations and corporations for their generous support:

new england bank

the home depot

hallmaRk caRds

keeney Foundation inc.bob’s discount FuRnituRe

the paRkeR hanniFin coRpoRation