• GROW • BLOOM • THRIVE

Day of caring 2014

A New LeafA New Leaf A New Leaf ’s

mission is to

provide

individuals

with

developmental

disabilit ies

with l ife sk il ls,

marketable

job training

through

horticultural

therapy,

community-based

vocational

placement,

and residential

services to

increase their

independence

and individual

choices.

The 2014 Tulsa Area United Way Campaign kicked

off on September 5 with their annual Day of

Caring. On this year’s Day of Caring more than 5,500 volunteers from 150 companies in the Tulsa MSA spent the day working on 400 projects for Tulsa Area United Way agencies. According to numbers from the Tulsa Area United Way, these projects had a $750,000 impact on the Tulsa community. A New Leaf was humbled to have three of our projects chosen by three different companies

involved in the Tulsa Area United Way campaign. We want to say a BIG thank you to the employees of AVB Bank, Luxa Enterprises, and Magelllan Midstream Partners, LP for all of their hard work on our Day of Caring projects. It was a very hot day, but these volunteers took

charge and completed the projects with smiles on their faces. The employees of AVB Bank did yard work at one of our client’s homes. Luxa Enterprises volunteered their time cleaning and organizing one of the rooms at Beta House and painted a kitchen and bathroom that needed some TLC. Magellan Midstream Partners, LP worked at our vocational

site and retail site removing old gravel and tearing down old sheds. With the help of these compassionate and wonderful volunteers, A New Leaf was able to accomplish several projects in one day. “As a nonprofit, our first concern is providing services to our clients,” said Jordan Didier, Development and Community Relations Coordinator at A New Leaf. “Often times, projects are put on the back burner, but Day of Caring allows us to complete things we need to do that our staff may not have time to complete.”

Tulsa United Way

It is hard to believe another year has flown by! This

year has brought about much change for A New Leaf,

but I could not be more excited about the path our

organization is taking. As you many know, in April

of this year, we completed a $480,000 renovation of

our vocational facility located at 2306 S. First Place.

Staff and clients resided patiently for 6 months in

mobile trailers on our property while the renovation took place. When

we moved back in in April, everyone was thrilled – needless to say! The

clients were so excited about our renovated space, and all I heard about

was how excited they were for their new lockers! I want to thank the

clients, staff, parents, and funders for their support of this project. The

building is incredible and has enabled us to serve more individuals with

developmental disabilities living in the Tulsa area.

Another change that I would like to report on is the acquisition of

Homelife Association. It has been a year since Homelife became part

Mary OgleCEO of A New Leaf , and I have to say, it has been extremely successful. We

continue to receive positive feedback from clients, parents, and state

caseworkers that this has been a monumental move for A New Leaf and

individuals with developmental disabilities working and living indepen-

dently in our community. Through this acquisition, A New Leaf increased

the operating budget by three times. In addition, we now employ 126

staff members and serve 206 clients through vocational and residential

services in our community.

As always, on behalf of the clients, staff, and Board of Directors, thank

you for your unwavering support of this organization. It is because of

the compassion of our community that we are able to create a higher

standard of living for individuals with developmental disabilities living in

the Tulsa MSA. Have a blessed holiday season!

Sincerely,

Mary C. OgleChief Executive Officer

A New Leaf residential client, Kelsey O’Halloran, recognized for her hard work

2 i A New LeAf wiNter 2014

As a child, Kelsey O’Halloran was diagnosed with Williams

syndrome, a rare developmental disorder causing developmental

disabilities and learning disabilities. However, this diagnosis has

not stopped this feisty woman from achieving all of her goals. In 2013,

Kelsey saw one of her peers awarded the

Employee of the Year award, and thought to

herself, “Hey! I could do that!” That is exactly

what she did. Kelsey received a top honor,

Employee of the Year, from Goodwill

Industries back in April. Kelsey began

working at Goodwill Industries at their

donation center located at 38th and

Harvard in July 2012. Since then, she has been taking her work very

seriously. Helping customers, making new friends, and contributing

to her community are a few of Kelsey’s favorite parts of her job. If you

know Kelsey, this job is right up her alley. She is a people person, and

will tell you her favorite thing is making new friends. Kelsey has lived

with A New Leaf’s Homelife Division for close to 30 years, and she is just

as committed to living independently as she is to working

independently. Kelsey is a role model for her peers and her

community as a whole. Every day, she shows us all that de-

spite any challenge you are facing you can always have a posi-

tive attitude and leave this world a little better than you found

it. We are so proud of you, Kelsey O! Keep up the GOOD work!

Hey Everyone! Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Katy Lew and I love people! I became employed at A New Leaf about 6 months ago when I retired from St. Francis

where I was employed for 36 years. In addition to receiving vocational services from A New Leaf,

I also receive residential services from A New Leaf. I have received residential services for over 30 years through Homelife Association and became a part of the A

New Leaf family when Homelife became part of A New Leaf.

Throughout my life, I have been very involved in my community. I like going to movies and shopping. I also love to read novels. Cooking and jigsaw puzzles are also a few of my favorite things. I am very involved in Special Olympics bowling and swimming. I am also involved with CHAMPS, a program that trains dogs for individuals with disabilities. I go to Pathways two days a week to do swimming there also. Most importantly, I love my family. I am so grateful to have my mother, Mary, Ross, and my siblings, Greg, John, and Mary Frances, and all of my nieces and nephews! My current job at A New Leaf is the part-time receptionist. I answer phones, complete administrative duties, and greet people. I like working at A New Leaf because it is a very fun place to work. My favorite part of working at A New Leaf is the people and seeing all of the beautiful plants. My favorite plants are pansies, mums, and English ivy.

9 Sharing Our Story 8Our son, Timothy, was born with Cerebral Palsy and delays in cognitive thinking. Tim was enrolled in Special Education since the first grade. After a sugges-tion from his teacher, he became a client at A New Leaf during his senior year of high school. Beyond what we have taught Tim at home, A New Leaf has taught him that he is important to the world around him and he

can make an impact on others even though he has a disability. A New Leaf is a caring, safe place for individuals like Tim where they can go to learn life skills, have a feeling of accomplishment, work in the community, and show business owners that individuals with disabilities are just as capable or even more capable than some of their employees. Without A New Leaf, Tim and the other clients at A New Leaf would not have the opportunities available to them, Going to job sites, making a difference in other peoples’ lives, being a contribut-ing citizen in their town, this is what Tim and the other client at A New Leaf are working for every day. Honestly, if Tim were not a client at A New Leaf, I do not know what he would be doing today. He might have a job, but I can tell you that he would not have a staff of dedicated people telling him, “YES you CAN do that!” and raising the bar beyond what some would expect of an individual with disabilities. As a parent, the moment you hear “It’s a boy!” You dream of all of the sports he will play, teaching him to drive, where he will go to college,

and starting his own family. Then the moment you hear, “Your son has Cerebral Palsy”, your dreams change. Will he be able to take care of himself? Will he ride a bike? Will he graduate from high school? (By the way, he did – with straight A’s.) What will happen to him when I am gone? I can tell you the dreams may have changed, but I could not be more proud of the young man that Tim has become. He is caring and compassionate. He pushes himself to be better – always striving for goals others might think are impossible. Tim may have started out as a kid with special needs, but he has become a young man who has spoken with A New Leaf at the Oklahoma State Capitol on behalf of individuals with disabilities. Tim helped to launch and continues to work with the Autism Works! program. He speaks at business functions to explain the mission and goals of A New Leaf and to make businesses aware of the value of individuals with disabilities. Yes, Tim is special – not because of disabilities – but because of his abilities and these abilities will grow and strengthen as A New Leaf grows.

Debora O’Neal, mother of client, Tim O’Neal

Honestly, if Tim were not a client at A New Leaf, I do not know what he would be do ing today.

• Meet A New Leaf Client •

H OLLE

3 i A New LeAf wiNter 2014

Employment Training Specialist TestimonialGates Dosser, A New Leaf Employment Training Specialist

Walking in each morning to a room full of smiles, what could be better? The heart of our clients inspires me each day. I enjoy working closely with each one, getting to know them and their personalities. Steven is a bright spot in my day, every day. His simple joy and greetings with jumps and hugs is the best way to start my morning. His ever happiness is contagious and makes every job coach smile. Since working with him I have never seen a day when Steven was upset, always excited to work and to lend a helping hand. In difficult situations, we should all think, “what would Steven do?” Sisters, Cheyenne and Jessica challenge me and make me a better job coach and person. It has been one of the most challenging and rewarding job experiences I’ve had to help each one grow and learn how to be a better person on their own and together as sisters. A New Leaf offers great opportunities to learn for both job coaches and clients. I feel it is a blessing to work with these clients each day.

Autism Works!Klynton is a 17-year-old boy with Autism Spectrum Disorder. When the program began, Klynton’s mom described to staff members at A New Leaf how when Klynton was three, she received his diagnosis and his doctor told her that he would never be independent, would live with her his entire life, and rely on her for his every need. Needless to say, since every case of autism is different that did not turn out to be the case. Klynton grew up and he could function and complete tasks on his own, but he has severe socialization issues. He needed a significant amount of instruction when it came to appropriate social behaviors. On Klynton’s first day in the Autism Works program, he sat quietly in the corner of the room avoiding all of his peers looking down at his hands. He did not look up their entire hour nor did he speak. Klynton has since been in the program for one school year. Klynton now volunteers to

Students at Memorial High School enjoy learning social skills during Autism Works! class time.

lead classroom activities. He serves as an example for the other indi-viduals in the program with ASD. Most importantly, in January, Klynton expressed to his mother his desire to get an after-school job to make money. Through the social and job skills training Klynton received through the Autism Works program, Klynton was able to obtain a job a few days a week at a local pizza place, and he earns above MINIMUM WAGE. Klynton’s mother has expressed to A New Leaf that she does not believe Klynton would be where he is today without the program. Klynton is truly a success story of the Autism Works program; however, this is not just happening for Klynton. These changes are happening in nearly all of the participants. Their lives are improved drastically through participating in this program.

Bryan Sanderlin, ChairmanOSECO

Troy Moss, Vice ChairmanMidFirst Bank

Dennis Sagely, SecretarySagely Law

Danna Wall, CPA, TreasurerLohrey and Associates, PLLC

Dr. Bob BakerBaker Eye Clinc

Dave ClevelandCommunication Graphics

Doug HughesMathey Dearman, Inc.

Dan MorganNewton, O’Connor, Turner & Ketchum

www.anewleaf.orgDebbie RossBank of Oklahoma

Kristine SexterWorkwise Consultants

Andre SiegenthalerHilti, Retired

Bill SolomonVacuworx

Sonja WilsonStan Johnson Company

Doug WrightStrategic Solutions Group, Inc.

F o u n d e r s stan and Irene BurnsteIn

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

A New Leaf, Inc.PO Box 35903Tulsa, OK 74153

4 i A New LeAf wiNter 2014

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDTULSA OK

PERMIT NO 1001