Marlon moved to Meadowbrook, New Danville’s residential community, in 2018. While living on his own brings him a great sense of independence and satisfaction, he says that working at his job does, too. Sure, a paycheck is nice – “I bought my own iPhone 12” – but there is more to what the job provides him.
“I work hard; I like to take care of people; I follow directions very carefully,” Marlon said, listing three aspects of his work performance, which happen to be three things he likes most about work. He aspires to have a good day every day, but things don’t always work out as planned. When that happens, he likes to ride his bike around New Danville grounds to change his thoughts and attitude. “I ride the circle and it helps,” he said.
Thanks to his job, he has a DVD movie collection; he enjoys listening to music, too, in his time away from work. He works at a nearby Whataburger and has been there since 2019.
Marlon said he strives to improve himself every day. “No matter how your day is going, never give up,” he said, offering encouragement and wisdom to others.
“I feel good. I am happy,” Marlon said, and a good job plays a key role for him.
Trisha Woods started as a Direct Support Professional at New Danville in 2018. Trisha’s cousin has special needs, so she felt sure she would enjoy working in the field of special needs, though she had not considered it until she saw the job posting. She was hired to teach sewing class although she didn’t know how to sew. That told her everything about the culture at New Danville and she knew she wanted to be part of it. “I belong here,” she said.
She taught herself to sew by watching online videos and listening to the lessons and tips offered by Wranglers. “The atmosphere here is welcoming,” she said as she revealed the many ways that people at New Danville empower others. Staff members, volunteers, Wranglers…everyone is happy to help others grow in their knowledge and skills, which is a good thing since there were many other things to learn as she continued to grow in her job.
The COVID situation led to layoffs. She was anxious to get back. When the call came for her to return, it came with an additional role, too: production lead. Another challenge, another opportunity to grow. In that role she oversees the various products that Wranglers make for sale, such as the products sold at New Danville’s online store. “I am still learning about the business side of our production work, but I have great teachers.” Her successes as production lead positioned her for an additional role: woodshop lead.
“I have big shoes to fill (Sherry Franklin retired in 2021), but, again, everyone is helpful and positive. I heard the story about the ‘ooops box’ and that describes the culture here. There would sometimes be mistakes made when Wranglers made pens that we sold. Sherry would tell them to put the pen in the ‘ooops box’ and forget about it. Mistakes happen. Move on. I love that and that attitude runs through the New Danville culture. Everyone grows!”
Jeff joined New Danville about two months ago. It didn’t take him long to become part of the family. “I’m really glad to be part of y’all,” he said with a smile. “I already made a million friends,” he added proudly.
He attends the day program twice a week and enjoys painting in woodshop and bowling – “I’m a good bowler, but you already know that. I told you before.” He enjoys the animals, too, but most of all he enjoys hanging out with his friends. Even in the heat of summer, he likes going outside, as well.
He has two sisters, one of whom found out about New Danville. “I’m the youngest of the family so I get more than they do,” he said. His sense of humor permeates all of his conversations.
Jeff doesn’t follow sports much, but his favorite football team was the Houston Oilers. Love ya, Blue!
Ever present are his Camaro cap and a genuine smile. His dad owned a Camaro; though he no longer owns the car, Jeff enjoys wearing the cap.
He admits to a good sense of humor and enjoys helping people find a reason to smile or laugh. He succeeds because of a characteristic he wishes everyone knew about him: “I’m a nice person and kind,” he said, “but you already knew that.” Pretty much everyone that meets him knows it, too.
Hanna Thacker is the event coordinator for Time to Spare in Conroe. Though she has only been in that role for four months, the relationship between the lanes and New Danville extends about four years.
I can speak for everyone here: The days that the Wranglers come to bowl bring a special joy. We all look forward to New Danville’s bowling days.
I was told about New Danville when I started the job. I soon knew the days they came; I knew the price arrangements; I knew that the Wranglers were special needs adults. It wasn’t until I looked around on the New Danville website that I began to understand how much is done there. I was blown away by everything the people at New Danville are doing. I realize there is still a lot for me to learn.
One of the things you can’t help but learn when watching them bowl is joy. They are so excited with whatever they accomplish. I am a bowler. I’ve noticed how I sometimes get too caught up in the competition of the sport instead of the joy of being able to play. The Wranglers remind me of that. I usually find an excuse to go to the area they are bowling in so I can pick up on their happiness and energy.
The team here feels the same way. A lot of the staff members know the Wranglers by name and know what their favorite drinks are. They like it when the Wranglers arrive.
Words can’t express how it feels to watch the Wranglers play, having so much fun and such pride in their accomplishments for the day. I watched the bowling scene in the music video of New Danville’s original song, Wranglers’ Ballad, and couldn’t help but smile. It captures the Wrangler joy very well. Time to Spare is proud to be part of that happiness.
As much as I try to be cool, calm and collected about it, I am beyond excited for having been awarded the 2022 Barbara Jordan Media Award in the Newsletter category for my work creating and producing New Danville’s Wrangler Gazette. The back of the medallion award states, “For excellence in the communication of the reality of people with disabilities.” I’m proud of the recognition, but mostly I am humbled and honored to have been able to learn so much about all the people who comprise the New Danville family as each issue was produced. More information about the award, the official award event video, and an invitation to the virtual after-party to which the public is invited can be found here.
Our clients (Wranglers), parents, providers, team members, volunteers, board members and donors share with the heart that they bring to their respective roles, and I learn from them every day. As I mentioned at the award event when it comes to sharing the many great stories, “That is the point, isn’t it?”…to share, to learn, to appreciate and to understand through the stories of those with special needs and those who love them.
In those marvelous stories is another ingredient: inspiration. As we hear and share the hopes, dreams, needs and concerns of our Wranglers, we are inspired to do more. What if we had more homes for residents looking for independent living? What if we were able to add assisted living? What if we could build a new classroom building, a community/recreational center, and more, to serve more adults with special needs? We can. How soon? That is the question and the purpose behind a new initiative that you will hear more about very soon. We call it Growing…for Living.
If you would like to learn more advance information about the initiative, please feel free to contact me at 936-253-5757 or Dion.McInnis@NewDanville.org.
Thank you for the many ways you make it possible for Wranglers to live, learn, work and grow.
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.
And so it is at New Danville. Although we are not planting a garden, although we really do have a great vegetable garden, our garden consists of the beautiful people we serve. Much like the flowers and trees we see blossoming, each of our adults is a unique, one of a kind, and ready to bloom.
These past five months, New Danville has seen a rapid growth in the number of clients we serve. Like flowers popping up everywhere, so is our enrollment in the day program. Since March, we have added eleven new participants to the program, and a few more are due to come in June-July. This is one of the fastest growth rates I have seen in my five years here. At the core of this growth is the quality of the program we have.
Summertime is an active and joyous time at New Danville. Not only does it bring new clients through our summer program, opened to students 16 years old and up throughout the Montgomery County area, but it also brings new and fun activities. Coming up in June is “Water Day,” a fun-filled day with water slides, dunking booth, and many other activities. We will also have an outdoor fun day with games and treats, among many other activities.
The Summer Program for older students in high school will run through July 29th from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. This is a wonderful way for students nearing their transition to get an idea of what a day program is all about. Although we welcome all, slots are limited. If you are interested in the program or know someone that might benefit from it, please visit our website and contact us to set up a visit.
As reflected in the quote above, our program is our garden. We believe in our program, in the adults that we serve, and in the promise of tomorrow.
Wrangler Fun: The Wranglers have a lot of fun to look forward to, including a field trip to Buc-ees and a water day at New Danville. Keep an eye open for photos to appear in future newsletters.
2nd Annual Play a Round for the Wranglers golf tournament is coming on November 7, 2022 at Woodlands Country Club. Mark your calendar! Information about registration and sponsorships will be distributed soon.
Fundraising Factoid The outstanding news is that New Danville’s enrollment is up and climbing. A great value, New Danville provides affordable programs that empower Wranglers to live, learn, work and grow. Program fees do not cover the actual cost to provide the variety of classes and activities available to Wranglers. Please help us cover the difference with your online gift at https://newdanville.networkforgood.com/
If you attended our Spring Thing last month you likely met Dave Clements, a volunteer since the beginning of ND. Dave is a professional photographer and also manages his own non-profit that helps children with a rare disorder called Rett syndrome. If you want to learn more, visit dwcphotography.com and www.Raisingahand.com.
All indications are that the 2022 Spring Thing was our most successful such event. That achievement would not be possible without the support of our generous sponsors and supporters.
Wranglers’ Ballad Debuts New Danville’s new original song, Wranglers’ Ballad, was debuted at the Spring Thing fundraising event. You can watch the music video here.
Houston Texans honor 2021 Community Quarterback Award Honoree with Reception
“I came here with nothing,” Michael said, “and now I have everything I ever wanted…a roof, food and a wife.” Life’s circumstances have challenged him to the point that his arrival to New Danville four years ago felt like the last chance to get things right. Having lost everything to Hurricane Harvey, the time for a fresh start from scratch was in order.
“Once I got to New Danville, things began to get better,” Michael said.
Michael enjoys the quiet rural environment. He, his wife and their dog are making the most of the opportunity at New Danville. They enjoy the chance to settle down. He grew up in a military family, so there was a lot of moving as he grew up, and more moving as an adult.
He attributes the New Danville environment to helping him focus on the things that matter to continue his development. Attending church services and bible study complement his other interests. “I’ve learned a lot from a lot of people over the years,” he said, “and now I’m trying to use that.”
Michael has had to be resilient. He attributes resilience to a perspective that he has gained because of his experiences, which is “just take one day at a time.”
“I’m not getting older,” Michael said, “I’m getting better. One day at a time.”
The Wranglers’ favorite thing about the newest class offering for day program attendees? The smell!
They call the class Blushing Beauty, but it could be called Lotions and Potions. Wranglers get to make their own beauty products with the scent that each is looking for. “They come up with some interesting combinations,” according to Direct Support Professional Melissa Varney. “I admit, the production area where class is held sure smells nice after each class.”
To personalize their output even more, class participants get to design their own labels for the bottles that hold their special lotions.
“The Wranglers do it all,” Melissa said. “They do the research for various recipes, test the various recipes to see which ones they like and then decide what to make. Frankly, some of the things they have made are better than what can be found in stores,” she added with a proud smile.
Wranglers learn kitchen skills – measuring, blending, mixing and pouring – while creating their products. “Like everything at New Danville,” Melissa said, “we try to use every class as a way for Wranglers to learn skills they can use in life and not just in class. We continue to move their boundaries and then empower them to reach that limit; then we move the boundaries again. We don’t think about limits; we think of possibilities.”
Wranglers enjoy the creative and practical lessons learned in class, but they enjoy using their products even more!
“I am a hard-working man,” Ivan said. “Maybe because I am a Viking. My ancestors came from Norway.” As he talked about work, he said, “New Danville changed my life. Work changed my life.”
Work is not just about earning money, though Ivan admits a paycheck is pretty motivating. Work is about helping people, including yourself, he explained.
Ivan has worked at a variety of companies ranging from production, fast food, senior care and landscaping, among others. Working hard does not mean just working at a paying job, according to Ivan. He cites classes, particularly scrapbooking and woodshop, as places to work hard and to grow.
“I learned to be positive from my parents and from work,” Ivan explained. His job coach while he attended high school in Conroe taught him many things, too, he said. “She taught us to have a good attitude. Be on time. Be responsible and have good hygiene. The hardest part is showing up on time. I miss her and the school.” He graduated in 2004.
“I like to be busy,” Ivan emphasized as he described the various jobs he has held, the classes at New Danville that he loves and how he helps his family with lawn maintenance. “I am never bored at New Danville. I don’t like to be bored.”
Ivan hopes to someday be a resident in Meadowbrook, New Danville’s residential community. In the meantime, he enjoys all aspects of the rural environment and attending day program activities. Ivan says he learns by doing more so than just listening. “In work I learned a lot. I learned to help other people. I learned to help people with special needs.”
For the first time in New Danville’s history, there is now a waiting list for enrollment in the Wrangler 2 program that is for clients with more challenging needs. At the current pace of growth for the day program, a waiting list may be necessary well before the end of 2022 as growth in headcount and client-days continues. There has been a waiting list for Meadowbrook, New Danville’s residential community, for years. To Bryan Gill, program manager, all that is good news.
“There is so much positivity,” Bryan said, “on the team, with our guests and visitors. It is great to see, and we see it in our numbers. Enrollment is up 20% in the first four months of the year.”
Bryan shared the story of a family who moved from Pearland (70 miles away) to get their loved one closer to New Danville so he could easily attend the day program often. Another new client decided on her first day that she wanted to change from three to four days per week of day program attendance. Another client from Huntsville (25 miles north of New Danville) now wants to attend five days a week and was disappointed that the day program is not held on Saturday and Sunday, too.
Growth shows in many areas. For example, New Danville has added Huntsville to its transportation route. New clients are joining, former clients are coming back, current clients are adding more days: “It is a fun time,” Bryan said.
“We used to have two tours (for prospective clients) per month,” Bryan said, “and now we are doing from six to ten per month. The good word is spreading.”
For more information about New Danville programs and services or to request a tour, contact Bryan Gill, program manager, at 936-534-9111 or Bryan.Gill@NewDanville.org.
