During the week of September 12 – 18, New Danville will celebrate the National Direct Support Professional Week. This is a great opportunity to highlight our dedicated and innovative direct support staff. Our Direct Support Professionals make up about 45% of New Danville’s workforce and are the backbone of our services. Their expertise and compassion play a critical role in the lives of the men and women we support. These front line professionals are the heart of our organization. The assistance and interactions they provide help people living with intellectual disabilities to engage fully within their community and experience meaningful and productive lives.
We are very proud and grateful for the contributions of all of our DSPs for making a tremendous difference in the lives of the people we serve. Our DSPs inspire us each day with their passion, patience, and creativity. Please join us in showing your appreciation for these dedicated professionals colleagues working on the front lines, not only this week, but each and every day.
We thank our Direct Support Professionals for their dedication and commitment to New Danville’s mission in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live their best life.
I’d also like to take a moment to note that September is Spina Bifida Awareness month, as well as September 4th is Word Cerebral Palsy Day. Both of these conditions may cause considerable limitations or cognitive impairment and are shared by some of the adults at New Danville. Yet another reason to highlight the caring and dedicated professionals that strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Charbonneau Industries, Inc. (Ci) has been very supportive of New Danville, beginning with participating in the Tea on the Lawn event. Their generosity continues; their hope is to help New Danville synergize changes that have a positive ripple effect and to inspire others to help in creative ways.
Lynne Charbonneau, Chief Executive Officer, was inspired when attending Tea on the Lawn (now known as Spring Thing). She and her husband, Steve, Chief Financial Officer, knew there was an opportunity to help. Lynne said, “I was so pleased that Steve suggested we do something to help. Our goal was to contribute in a way that made a difference and had long-term effects.” So, the Charbonneau’s went to work, and along the way, put Wranglers to work as well.
Charbonneau family members and Ci team members have made possible a pallet-production program, Pallets to Partners, that hires Wranglers to construct pallets. Charbonneau Industries supplied all the essentials, wood, tools, a forklift, and more. Early successes with this program inspired another bold step: the construction of a building to be used for increased pallet production. (The dedication for the new building will be in November. See the “Upcoming Events” section of the newsletter.) Ci’s support continues, with a recent donation of computer equipment, office furniture, a golf cart, and more.
Luke Charbonneau, Corporate Executive, says often, “We love to help. Happy to!” And the help keeps coming. With the various forms of support and assistance, more change has come to New Danville. A vision has come together for a Job Readiness and Support Program, inspired by the success and potential of the pallet program.
Generosity definitely runs in the family. Julie Charbonneau, Corporate Executive, said “Doing charitable acts was a big part of our childhood and I am so grateful that we are able to continue these acts into adulthood. Seeing how excited and passionate the Wranglers at New Danville were to show their contributions to the Pallet to Partners program brings huge smiles to our faces. We cannot wait to see the future growth of the residents at New Danville as we continue to support and help create new life skills endeavors.”
Charbonneau Industries’ generosity and support are making things happen, one of which is positive, empowering change for our Wranglers and New Danville; their team and family inspire and encourage the New Danville team and family with their support. Thank you, Charbonneau Industries!
We are pleased to introduce Live, Learn, Work and Grow: Wisdom from Under the Windmill, an inspiring, motivational, immediately usable presentation by Dion McInnis, development director. Bring this to your organization, association, business or group; everyone’s life can be better with the 15 nuggets of wisdom for living discovered at New Danville. Contact Dion at Dion.McInnis@NewDanville.org to book the presentation for your event.
New Danville is a 501( c ) 3 nonprofit rural community in Willis, TX for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. New Danville provides our clients an opportunity to live enriched and purposeful lives; we proudly call them Wranglers.
After eight years with another program for adults with IDD, Audra came to New Danville in 2017. Barbara, her mother, said she could see the effects immediately. How those changes came about is a Wrangler’s Tale.
“We loved it here,” Barbara said, speaking of their first impressions of seeing New Danville. “It is quiet, peaceful and everyone is so caring and positive,” she added, reflecting her observations after years of experience here.
Audra is a Wrangler II. “She looks forward to each day at New Danville,” Barbara said, “and I get to hear all about the many things she did during the day when she gets home.”
“Audra had some behavior issues at her previous program,” Barbara said, “but not here (New Danville). I remember telling the staff when we first started coming here that if there were ever any behavior issues, call me. I have yet to receive the first call. I think it is because everyone at New Danville is positive. They provide undivided attention to the Wranglers and Wrangler IIs. As a parent, I can tell who really loves the clients, and it was clear when I first met the people here, and it has proven true ever since, that the team at New Danville loves all the clients.”
I learned a lot about working with people with IDD in high school. Not where I attended, but where I worked. It was while working with special needs students at College Park High School that I learned about New Danville. I started here full-time in 2009, though I worked part-time here for a bit before.
James Scott
I was not unfamiliar with special needs – I have a nephew who is an adult with IDD – but knowing about it is not the same as working with it. The Wranglers have taught me so much about myself and life. My nephew knows that I work here and I think he likes that.
After a career stint in the pharma industry, I took a job at the high school where I served as a job coach, helping students and employers in ways that provided meaningful jobs to the students. The work was so rewarding, but, all of it has been and is.
People ask me to name which of the many roles that I have had at New Danville is my favorite. I can’t do that. I love it all, but I do have a special appreciation for the team that was the lawn crew many years ago. A team of Wranglers took care of cutting and edging around here. Can you believe that? They took such great pride in the work. Eventually, there was too much to be done for a devoted crew to handle.
It is rewarding to see Wrangler’s bloom. They are the most honest, open, fair-minded, unprejudiced, candid people. They see others for who they are. I appreciate that Wranglers trust me as a sounding board when they encounter people or situations that stresses them or seem confusing. It works because we are all family at New Danville. Families aren’t perfect, but they’re special…and we’re family here.
According to the manufacturers of Cricut cutting machines, “Our dream has been to help people lead creative lives by providing tools to make their do-it-yourself projects beautiful, fun, and easy. When we built our first cutting machine, we saw the potential for a simple yet powerful tool to completely transform the way people think about crafting, designing, and making.” Offer that dream to Wranglers, and you end up with a class that is fast-becoming one of the favorites offered in the day program.
That dream comes true at New Danville thanks to the addition of a Cricut machine to complement art and computer classes. Wranglers develop designs they like, which are then cut out by the machine from many material options. The final products can be applied to items such as notebooks or drink coolers, or serve as standalone art.
“We provide the materials for class projects, like the drink coolers or bags, but if they want to do something other than that, they need to bring in their own product. We encourage the Wranglers to explore options,” said Direct Support Professional Melissa. She added that many students take computer skills class so they can use the Cricut machine to create art.
With such a variety of items that can be cut from various materials, it would seem like picking a favorite would be a challenge. Not so for some Wranglers. Drink coolers! No, bags. No, art for a shirt. There are many favorites because there are so many things they can make.
The manufacturer declares that do-it-yourself projects offer “a creative outlet, a therapeutic tool for self-expression, and a way to give and connect to others.” As important as those outcomes are in a general sense, they are more important to the Wranglers. With the holiday season coming up, there may be a lot of Cricut-made art shared by Wranglers with families and friends.
You can’t grow a garden without seeds and you can’t harvest without someone to tend the plants. The same goes for projects, like the aquaponics garden at New Danville. What Mike Bodman and his family planted as a project has been maintained by Wranglers under the guidance of Direct Support Professional, James Scott, and the efforts of Wranglers and many volunteers.
Mike’s middle son is a Wrangler, and in his involvement with New Danville, he saw that a great greenhouse was being greatly underutilized. A sequence of actions moved from concept to construction of a hydroponics garden and aquaponics operation.
“The Wranglers love it,” James said. “And I do, too. I’ve learned a lot from Mike and his volunteers, and sometimes I get advice from my uncle who is a great gardener. Some Wranglers get bored quickly, but others love to get dirty and work hard. Personally, I love being able to grow something that becomes food for others to eat. My grandfather was a farmer too; this is in my blood.”
Mike said that there are plans for doubling the fish tank volume and quadrupling the planting area. “When we reach this scale we hope to be reliably producing enough fresh produce to sell to local businesses and employ a few Wranglers to operate the system on a daily basis. Already the system is supplying herb plants for sale at Jazzy Junque. The great part is that the Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association Aquaponics team and other Master Gardeners have come to visit New Danville and like what they see. As COVID restrictions ease more MG’s want to get involved as volunteers at New Danville. They have some interesting ideas for Wranglers to become involved in.”
New Danville may not be pushing the Green Giant out of the valley anytime soon, but over time it will become better known for its tasty produce.
When a neighbor needs help, you do what you can, whether it is helping with a project, moving something heavy, or whatever is needed. When the neighbor is a state, the response is the same: Do what you can. The New Danville family recently stepped up for its neighbors to the East, providing work in service.
Neighbors in Louisiana need help and the New Danville family recently had a project that involves moving something heavy: New Danville helped to collect non-perishable food, bottled water, cleaning supplies, diapers, hand wipes/sanitizers, pet food, toiletries, feminine hygiene products, and other items needed by those who suffered from the effects of Hurricane Ida. Donations were collected at Jazzy Junque, New Danville’s upscale home décor resale shop in the south end of Outlets at Conroe. Donated Items were taken to The Woodlands Methodist Church to be delivered to those in need.
It takes friends to help neighbors in challenging endeavors. The Spring location of Two Men and a Truck has again collaborated with New Danville. Steve Ziara said of his moving company, “We’ve enjoyed our nearly 15 years of collaborating with New Danville. They do so much for the community and we are happy to do what we can with this latest effort by New Danville to help others.”
Odette D’Agostino, a New Danville Board Member and Co-Founder of Jazzy Junque, hails from Louisiana and was quick to act, rallying volunteers to gather and share donations.
Steve said, “Most of our jobs start and/or end in Montgomery County. We are very familiar with the area whether it is for our own clients or for the items we pick up from people who are donating to Jazzy Junque. It does not surprise me at all that the people of this area would step up so quickly to help our Louisiana neighbors.”
Living on site and working at New Danville has helped both Anthony’s and Morgan’s careers, but in ways different than first expected. The decision to move to New Danville sounds like something from an HGTV show.
Anthony was attending nursing school and working with a Wrangler when, in 2017, a coincidence of conditions brought him to New Danville as a staff member. New Danville’s leadership wanted to find someone who would be available to the Wranglers in the evenings and weekends, and could provide some basic medical assistance when needed. While attending a Parent Night meeting on behalf of his client, Anthony learned of the plan and, of the just-vacated home.
He called his then-girlfriend, Morgan, and told her of a housing opportunity. “It’s a bit different of a situation,” he said.
“We were looking for a place to live,” Morgan said. “As soon as he brought me out here, I fell in love with it. It was unconventional but nearly perfect. After we walked through the house, I asked, “Can we do something with those cabinets? That color has to go. Can we paint them?’ They agreed and here we are,” she said with a smile.
Anthony graduated from nursing school in 2019 and now works in an ICU unit, and Morgan recently graduated with a psychology major and human services minor. Morgan provides assistance to a few Wrangler residents.
Both observed that working at New Danville has helped their career experiences by teaching them better communications skills and patience.
The humble windmill is part of New Danville’s identity. It appears in our logo and the windmill that is on-site serves as the location for our Founders Circle donor recognition. It is the character of the windmill that inspired us to name our new planned giving donor recognition The Windmill Society.
Windmills are persistent, faithful to their work, and responsive, no matter which way the wind blows. The windmill will be the icon for our new planned giving recognition society. Anyone who chooses to include New Danville in their estate plans, or as part of another planned giving tool, and notifies us of their intent, will be recognized as a member of The Windmill Society.
This is an important step for New Danville, and we couldn’t have done it without the loyal support of so many donors over the years. We now look upon a new future with a bold vision that includes program expansion, capital improvements and more. This is the perfect time to more visibly seek and recognize planned giving donors. Planned giving offers a myriad of options to creatively support the causes you believe in while benefitting your heirs.
More details will be explained in upcoming promotional materials and on our web site. We will have an annual event recognizing all our donors with presentations and acknowledgements for the various levels and types of donors. Members of The Windmill Society will receive a special gift that represents the importance, steadfastness and visionary aspect of their contribution.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information about New Danville as a beneficiary of your planned giving goals. Dion McInnis: Dion.McInnis@NewDanville.org; 936-253-5757.
We are pleased to introduce Live, Learn, Work and Grow: Wisdom from Under the Windmill, an inspiring, motivational, immediately usable presentation by Dion McInnis, development director. Bring this to your organization, association, business or group; everyone’s life can be better with the 15 nuggets of wisdom for living discovered at New Danville. Contact Dion at Dion.McInnis@NewDanville.org to book the presentation for your event.
New Danville is a 501( c ) 3 nonprofit rural community in Willis, TX for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. New Danville provides our clients an opportunity to live enriched and purposeful lives; we proudly call them Wranglers.
“They are my heart,” says direct support professional Debbie Rigsby. It shows. Debbie works with our Wrangler IIs and it is pretty clear she is theirs, too.
Wrangler IIs have more challenges than the Wranglers and need special attention and assistance. Some are nonverbal. “Our goal is always to help our clients develop as many skills and as much independence as possible. Some days are better than others, of course, but every day is a good day in its own way.”
The Wrangler IIs have had exciting opportunities lately, thanks to the generosity of New Danville friends. The weather wreaked havoc with scheduling plans for the new Catch and Release class where Wranglers get to fish (link to past article). For most of the summer, only Wrangler IIs had the opportunity to participate. While attention spans may be short, the joy is not on these expeditions. With staff members taking care of baiting hooks and removing the “trophy” bluegill of the day, the Wrangler IIs were able to enjoy the outdoors, serenity, and simple pleasures of catching fish.
“Anything we can provide that gives them a sense of independence, normalcy, and socialization is good. Every small step is a big win,” Debbie said.
When it comes to dancing — there is a lot of music enjoyment and dancing at New Danville — the Wrangler IIs enjoy the movement and socialization. Next to the assembly room that also serves as the lunchroom, dance hall, and movie theater, is a more quiet space for the Wrangler IIs to enjoy being part of the crowd but distanced from the noise and commotion.
Achievement matters. Every class and program strives to offer opportunities for achievement and accomplishment. Thanks to a recent contribution (link to story), the Wrangler IIs are using iPads with apps designed specifically for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With them, they are enjoying the successes of coloring, playing games, communicating ideas with icons, and much more.
“My mentor told me years ago,” said CEO Eva Aguirre, “that all joy is equal. The joy the Wrangler IIs show with every success reminds me of his words from many years ago. They epitomize his wisdom.”
Friendships and physical activities are a big part of our growth. Earlier this month, our friends at Bridgewood Farms helped us meet both of these needs.
The Friendship Day included sending 25 Wranglers and staff for a fun-filled morning of volleyball. Not sure who won, but the folks at Bridgewood Farms get extra points for their hospitality. After working up an appetite on the volleyball court, everyone was treated to a wonderful lunch. Looking forward to hosting our new friends at New Danville later this fall.
