2014 Balloon Launch

Abilities First took part in the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Hot Air Balloon Festival this past weekend. Sponsored by Key Bank, our Administrative Site was one of launch sites scheduled for the evening of July 4^th. However, rain and wind made it impossible to fly that evening or the next day. Fortunately, Sunday morning the 6^th was beautiful and about 20 balloons launched by the river at about 6:00 am. Here is the collage of photos. 

Radio Rotary

Serena Marrero (Director of Development) and I did a radio interview with Jonah Triebwasser of Radio Rotary, which first aired on January 24th. If you would like to listen to it, please follow the link below! Enjoy...

http://www.radiorotary.org/cms/

The Sensory Adventure

Take a look at this article in "Hudson Valley Good Stuff" about Sensory Adventure. The sensory gym at our preschool program in Wappingers Falls is one of a kind! It is designed for gross motor activity and sensory stimulation. It is also available for private rental. I rented this space for my daughter's first birthday party and it was a sensation for the little ones.

http://www.hudsonvalleygoodstuff.com/the-sensory-adventure-wappingers-state-of-the-art-gym-making-a-difference-for-children-with-special-needs/

Legislative Forum

Yesterday, I attended a legislative forum in Albany where we heard from officials about the proposed state budget and plans for system reform. Our state government continues to negotiate with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on current payment rate structures. This is expected to be complete sometime this spring. Then the focus will return to the creation of a managed care system, expected to be in effect in October of this year. Providers like Abilities First continue to stay tuned.

In Dutchess County, there will be an open forum for anyone interested in hearing about changes to our system and asking questions. This will be held at 230 North Rd., in Poughkeepsie on March 11 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the Executive Director's Blog for Abilities First! I will be using this blog to do the following:

- Share information about our organization
- Tell stories about our successes and achievements
- Inform people about changes in the industry (e.g., managed care)

Recently, I started conversations with parents, family members of people receiving our services, and other people who have a stake in our organization. I view this blog as one way of continuing those conversations.

I hope you will join me in the experience of writing and reading about Abilities First!