Maryland News

What a day! Steve Geppi and Brooks Robinson served as Co-Chairs for the June 12, 2006 "SWING WITH THE LEGENDS" Golf Tournament! There was a great turnout for all the festivities, and to rub shoulders with some of Baltimore's and Baseball's greats.

Did you miss it? On Monday, June 12, 2006, Spectrum Support, Inc. and Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association co-hosted "SWING WITH THE LEGENDS", a celebrity golf tournament and silent/live auction. The event was held at beautiful Turf Valley Resort, in Ellicott City, Maryland and featured 26 former baseball stars, including Brooks Robinson of course, B.J. Surhoff, Paul Blair, Pedro Guerrero, Fred Valentine, and more!. We also held a sponsors' reception the evening before, presenting an early opportunity to preview the auctions, meet the stars and talk to them one-to-one, not to mention take photos and get autographs. Proceeds benefit the programs and support services provided to people with developmental and psychiatric disabilities by Spectrum Support, Inc., and the MLBPAA. Watch your mail for details about next year!

If you are interested in sponsorship or volunteer opportunities for the 2007 event, want to place a foursome, or simply want to know more about Spectrum Support, contact Lee Conlon of Spectrum Support on 410-795-6543, or email Lee at lconlon@spectrum-support.org .

SWING WITH THE LEGENDS

CHARITY GOLF SERIES

Special thanks to our primary sponsors, Lockheed Martin, Greenberg Gibbons, Donahoo Ford, The Daily Record, Comcast, Frost Miller Group, & EU Services. Sponsors include Louis J. Grasmick Lumber Co., WCBM, The Hartford & The Hartford Leaders Group, Maryland Real Estate Group, Wachovia Financial,  Homebuilders Mortgage Co., BB&T, Maryland Agency Financial Group, & many more!

The following were Print Media, Television Media, and Radio Media Sponsors for Spectrum Support's 2nd Annual "Swing With The Legends" Golf tournament, held June 12, 2006 at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland. Thank you for making our event a great success!

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June Spicer named 2006 Support Staff of the Year by the Maryland Association of Community Services for People with Disabilities.

In the Spectrum Support Cumberland, Maryland program, a person we began supporting in our residential program in December 2004 routinely exhibited aggressive and destructive behavior. In June 2005 we purchased a house and this individual was one of the ladies who moved into it. Almost immediately, as a result of living in "her" home, she became a different person; taking pride in her yard and maintaining her house.

Recently, she tripped and fell, breaking two front teeth. It was thought they might need to be pulled, and upon arriving at the dentist we learned they indeed had to be extracted. June Spicer, the house manager, sat with her through the procedure without incident. Until just a year ago, she would have redecorated the dentist's office in no time flat! Debra Langseth, executive Director of Spectrum Support, said, "I also can't say enough about how June Spicer has embraced the Spectrum Support philosophy. It is obvious she has spent a lot of time with the individual, gaining her trust. June was able to demonstrate her skill and patience, to say nothing of gaining the dentist's trust to perform such an invasive procedure."  Bravo to June and her supported individual!

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Donahoo Ford comes through for Spectrum Support!

Scott Donahoo, the owner of Donahoo Ford in Baltimore, was asked by Spectrum Support, Inc. to provide reasonably priced, low mileage 12 passenger vans for use in transporting people to and from the various programs Spectrum Support provides for people with developmental and psychiatric disabilities. Donahoo Ford quickly located two low mileage vans that had just come off lease, and provided them to Spectrum Support at a very favorable price. But their efforts didn’t stop there - Scott’s staff arranged to have each new vehicle equipped with a step that automatically comes out when the doors are opened to allow for ease of entry and exit. They are in the process of mounting grips just inside the doors to make it even easier (and safer) to use the vans. Scott Donahoo is shown in the photo with Darlene Williams exiting one of the specially equipped vans. Debra Langseth, executive director of Spectrum Support said, “Donahoo Ford is all about service and has made it easy for us to manage our fleet of vehicles. Previously we had struggled to keep track of each vehicle’s maintenance, and now each of our vehicles is on a scheduled program. Since safety is a prime concern, we are thrilled to have this issue resolved, thanks to Scott Donahoo and his proactive staff.”

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Mr. Mills’ Road to Success

Michael Mills began his personalized vocational training at Spectrum Support in May, 2001. Since that time he has worked with the staff at spectrum Support to improve his potential for employability in the community. He has attended job search training sessions to learn how to seek employment and to effectively manage job interviews. In job retention sessions he learned what it takes to stay employed once he is hired.  

Additionally, by working on contract piecework brought into the vocational program, Mr. Mills began to develop an enhanced work ethic. His ability to stay focused on assigned tasks and his aptitude for following explicit directions of supervisors improved markedly. With this paid work experience Mr. Mills was able to enjoy the fulfillment of a job well done and, even better, the reward of a regular paycheck.

As Michael’s skills and abilities improved, his confidence also grew. It was not always easy for Mr. Mills to overcome his employment barriers, and he has struggled to appropriately cope with his feelings and frustrations at times. In spite of that, in early January 2005, he started to express a strong desire to work in the community. With the diligent assistance of his Support Specialist Malik Bey, Mr. Mills secured a job interview with the proprietor of Lee’s Billiards, located inside Seoul Plaza next to Security Mall. On January 25th he was hired as a daytime custodian. He works three days a week, accompanied by his Support Specialist.

When asked how he feels about his job Michael responded enthusiastically, “I feel great about it. I’m really open to it. I like making money, being happy, and making new friends”.

Mr. Mills, smiling, also stated emphatically that his favorite day to work is Friday. The reason for this is obvious; like so many of us, Friday is the day he collects his well earned pay.

Through his own perseverance and the thoughtful counseling and assistance he received form Spectrum Support staff, Mr. Mill’s employment future now looks very bright. We asked Michael what he sees himself doing in five years and his immediate response was, “I will be working and hanging out with my buddy Malik!”

Gainful employment and good friends; these aren’t too much for anyone to hope for! As Michael’s aspirations, needs and desires change and grow, Spectrum Support will be there to consistently assist him in reaching his goals, and to help him stay on a continuous path to success.

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Maryland Office FAQ

Who does the agency support in Maryland?

• We support people with developmental disabilities who may also have a mental illness (dual diagnosis)
• Some of the individuals we support have a developmental disability and/or mental illness, and they have been involved with the court system
• Individuals referred to us often are already well known within the developmental disabilities and mental health systems
• We support individuals who live in the community in apartments or homes operated by residential agencies
• We support families who would like extra supports for their family member who lives at home with them
• We support people with developmental disabilities who are currently living in state psychiatric hospitals
• We support people without regard to race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation or physical disability

What does Spectrum Support, Inc. do?

• Employment Supports
• Residential – CSLA, IFC, ALU
• Individual Support Services
• Family Support Services
• Transportation
• Transition Services at the hospitals
• Transitioning youth from public schools into the community

What are the Principles in Providing These Services?

• Staff use a non-confrontational and supportive stance when supporting people by:
Affording the person a chance to maintain her/his dignity and self-respect regardless of her/his behavior
Assisting the individual in learning from the challenges and experiences he/she may encounter
• Staff attempts to anticipate potential problems before they arise and take proactive intervention measures to known issues, thereby defusing the situation before it requires reactive measures
• Staff avoid power struggles so that when a person has a verbal or physical encounter she/he will not be, or be perceived as being, “punished” by a staff person. Instead,rather than dictate or enforce rules we acknowledge the situation and impart that staff’s role is to help the person come to a place whereby his/her safety and the safety of others is maintained while allowing the person to arrive at an acceptable solution

Where do Maryland Referrals come from?

• Resource Coordination and the Developmental Disabilities Administration
• Individuals or families who desire our services make their request known to Resource Coordination.

Maryland Locations
Administrative Office
1643 Liberty Road
Suite 205
Eldersburg, Maryland 21784
Ph: 410-795-6543
Fax: 410-795-6544

info@spectrum-support.org

Serving Baltimore and the counties of Baltimore, Howard, and Anne Arundel -
2605 Rolling Road
Suite 408
Baltimore, Maryland 21244
Ph: 410-281-7822
Fax: 410-281-7879

Serving the counties of Carroll, Frederick and Washington -
9436 Earley Drive
Suite 1
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
Ph: 301-791-1242
Fax: 301-791-4841

Serving Allegany and Garrett counties -
14716 McMullen Highway
Cresaptown, Maryland 21502
Ph: 301-729-9715
Fax: 301-729-9716