By Chris Chica, Residential Services Coordinator

Each month, we will recognize two DSPs of the Month as well as a Program Manager of the Month. We are thankful for all the ways they bring the best of themselves to those they support and their colleagues. Please join us in celebrating them:

January DSPs of the Month: Kristine Dennison & Ikechukwu (Sam) Ofulue 

Kristine

Kristine Dennison [Arcade] – Since joining the staff team at our Arcade home, Kristine has made an immeasurable impact on the lives of the men here within her role as a Lead DSP! Kristine makes sure that the men at Arcade are going out in their community with regularity, as well as involving the guys in daily tasks at the home such as cleaning, general household chores, and cooking meals – in support of these endeavors, Kristine created a chore chart for the men to follow, as well as facilitating the guys getting to plan a fun activity of choice regularly. Additionally, Kristine stepped-up in several different ways when Arcade was in-between Program Managers – including being involved with guardian/family communication, having input on the goals of the men at the home, and just ensuring that all of the necessary things were being completed! Kristine puts a priority on person-centeredness, she gets things done and makes plenty of room for fun in the process, and as a result, she is one of our DSPs of the month for January – congratulations, Kristine!

Sam

Ikechukwu (Sam) Ofulue [Jordan] – Sam is someone that exudes many of the qualities that make a terrific DSP, and he plays an integral role on the staff team at our Jordan home! Sam treats the men who live Jordan like family, and this is evident in so many different ways – whether it is making sure that the men look their absolute best, finding things for the guys to do that they would highly enjoy (and going above-and-beyond to make these activities/outings happen), or just advocating for them frequently – Sam’s treatment of the men at Jordan is nothing short of stellar. In addition to the above, Sam has made an extraordinary effort to prepare very nutritional food for the men here, and he has gotten the guys to try a variety of foods that they otherwise may not have eaten! Along with Sam’s amazing support of the men at Jordan, he keeps the home quite clean, his communication and the updates that he provides are informative for his fellow staff at Jordian, and he consistently exhibits good judgement, which all leads to Sam being a well-deserving choice as one of the DSPs of the month for January – congratulations, Sam!

January Program Manager of the Month: Jason Sauer

Jason

Hammer & NER is fortunate to have many Program Managers leading our programs with a high level of steadiness and consistency, and one Program Manager that particularly stands-out in this way is Jason Sauer (Program Manager at Lake Place)! In the words of his supervisor, Program Director Jay Butler, Jason exhibits a “quiet leadership” where he is regularly “offering support and solving problems,” as well as regularly being “ahead of the curve” within his role. Jay also notes that Jason is widely known as a “technology leader” among our Program Managers, and Jason’s expertise in the technology space has been a great benefit to the work that he does, along with the assistance that he provides to his fellow Hammer & NER employees in this area. The people we support at Lake Place, the staff team there, and many others within our organization have benefitted from Jason and his unique skillset, and that has made him a worthy recipient of ‘PM of the Month’ – congratulations, Jason!