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In This Issue:
From the CEO The month of love
Development Corner Transparency builds trust
Good News that is Good to Know Enrollment matters
News and Announcements Stories in the media and announcements
Upcoming Events Spring Thing is coming soon
Fundraising Factoid Help bring out the creativity of Wranglers
Live You can call her Detective Keely
Learn What are new Wranglers learning?
Work New Danville’s father and daughter team
Grow Growing with the Wranglers
Wrangler’s Tale “I was just being myself”
Guest Voices Watching the numbers
Live, Learn, Work, Grow Super Bowl Sunday was super!
Important Links For more info and details
From the CEO
Eva Aguirre
“Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” – Confucius
It seems that in the month of February everywhere we look we are reminded of St. Valentine’s Day. We see flowers, hearts, chocolates and love everywhere we go. It seems pretty amazing that 1754 years after the death of St. Valentine, a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century, we continue to celebrate “love” in the month of February.
Love takes many forms; spiritual love, emotional love, gratitude, and kindness are but a few. Here at New Danville, Confucius truly said it best: “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” For many of us, this field of work chose us; we didn’t choose it. By twists and turns, we are where we are meant to be, and therein lies the love for what we do. We are so honored to have employees that truly love what they do and why they do it – a true love of uplifting the lives of our Wranglers. This is especially true for our Direct Support Professionals (DSP) – the heart of New Danville.
Gratitude is another aspect of love that fills our heart. They say that gratitude can “change ordinary opportunities into blessings,” and this is so true for us. There are not enough words in Webster’s dictionary to express the sense of gratitude that we feel for the families that support us and the donors who have helped us turn those ordinary moments into blessings. Without all of you we would not have been able to accomplish so much in 2022!
In that spirit of gratitude, we are especially proud of Glen and Diana Egley, this year’s honorees for the Governor’s Volunteer Award in the Volunteer Family of the Year category. We thank them for their on-going support and “always at the ready” to step in. In actuality, we are blessed with many families just like the Egleys, always ready at a moment’s notice to go above and beyond their parent role. We thank you!
Here’s to that Cupid’s arrow for injecting all of us with love for what we do and those we serve.
Trust Born in Transparency: Annual Report
Development Director
It is important that nonprofits be transparent about their operations. Good data are valuable to donors, clients, staff members and the community. For example, in New Danville’s annual report for 2022, you’ll discover that there were 51,450 fist bumps shared. That says a lot of about the positive, affirming, celebratory culture of support at New Danville. But seriously…
Of course, there are other important details shared in the report, such as “Dollars and Sense,” operational statistics, a glimpse into the future with our Vision 2025, recognition of our donors, and a few words from our President and CEO, Eva Aguirre.
We are proud to be recognized by the Better Business Bureau and Guidestar for our transparency. A supportive culture and a transparent operation combine to create trust.
The annual report for 2022 is online now (About section on our website).
Donors make our success possible. Thank you.
If you have any questions about ways to support New Danville, please feel free to contact me at 936-253-5757 or Dion.McInnis@NewDanville.org.
Good News that’s Good to Know
Do you want the good news or the “bad” news first? The good news is that enrollment at New Danville is growing by leaps and bounds. At the end of 2022, enrollment was up 20% over the end of 2021, and there is no end in sight. There continues to be a high demand for tours for potential clients, a trend that is expected to continue because several organizations similar to New Danville are closing due to the new guidelines implemented by the state. The bad news is that we have waiting lists for our regular program and for the Wrangler 2 program, but we are chipping away to get more clients in.
The other good news is that we have in mind a new classroom building as part of Vision 2025. How soon can we get it built? That is up to donors. Please let us know if you can help. Contact Dion McInnis for more information about naming opportunities: 936-253-5757.
News and Announcements
The month of Valentines is heart month, too. Fittingly, in February we celebrated the donations from Diane and Jerry Bailey, and the 5 O’Clock Phlock Parrot Head nonprofit that enabled us to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Joining the Baileys for the presentation were Kris and Michael McBride (right). Kris is president of the local group. Click for more information about the group.
A recent contribution from American Furniture Warehouse has helped us organize and beautify the conference room in the Administration Building. Thank you, AFW!
News of Spring Thing, New Danville’s premier fundraising event, is popping up all over! We hope to see you there on April 28!
Upcoming Events
Spring Thing
April 28, 2023
The Woodlands Conference Center
Mark your calendar!
Keynote Speaker: Rory Feek: farmer and filmmaker, author and artist, world-class storyteller raising his 8-year old special needs daughter. Look him up on YouTube!
Honorees: The Lynne and Steve Charbonneau Family of Charbonneau Industries for their great generosity and dedication to New Danville.
Fundraising Factoid
Art classes are always in high demand, and for good reasons. Wranglers get to try new ways of creating art that is beautiful, quirky, fun and unique, and conveys how they think and feel. Much of their artwork is on display at New Danville, with many pieces for sale (Wranglers get all the funds from the sale of their works). Art classes also consume a lot of materials. Please consider making a contribution to the art supply fund. Every contribution helps. You can donate here. Thank you!
LIVE – “You Can Call Me Detective Keely”
Keely has been part of New Danville since 2016 when she joined the day program. Two years later, she moved into Meadowbrook, New Danville’s independent living residential community. “Freedom” and “independence” are words she uses regularly when describing living on site.
“I have the freedom to go where I want, do what I want. I like walking around the property. I love the animals. It is so pretty here,” she said. She is happy with the new horse, Maisy, too. “She likes to be petted. She wants to be loved.” Her favorite class involves the horses. She is a big fan of the Family Feud class, too, because she learns a lot of “cool things” with the game format.
When not in class, she has a long list of things that keep her busy. “I love to cook, especially salmon,” she said. Sometimes she cooks for her roommates. “I like eating healthy,” she emphasized.
Reading is high on her list of hobbies, too. “I like mysteries,” she said, smiling at the idea of being called Detective Keely.
“Sometimes I get lonely, but I just go and visit with some of my neighbors when I do,” she said, describing life in the neighborhood, just like a neighborhood anywhere else.
LEARN – New Wranglers Learning New Things
Enrollment is booming at New Danville, bringing a lot of new faces to the day program (to be called Individualized Socialization and Skills – ISS – beginning in March, per state guidelines). They are new to New Danville, and what happens here is new to them. Corwin is one of the newcomers.
He is learning about gardening and enjoys it. “I planted some things and did some weeding, too.” While he doesn’t yet have a favorite plant to grow, he has a favorite to include with his meals. “Broccoli is my favorite to eat. Cooked or raw. My mom cannot eat broccoli though. She is allergic.”
It won’t be long before he has the details of gardening down pat. He proudly lists a variety of things that he knows how to do –the consummate student – including cooking and baking. He makes his own ketchup and describes the process and every ingredient involved. His smile reveals his pride. His recipe currently includes canned tomatoes, but, with his love of gardening, perhaps he will make ketchup with fresh tomatoes this year.
Corwin enjoys baking, too, and is happy to cite his favorite recipes. It is a good idea to have a paper and pen with you then talking to him. His attention to details serves him well and joy with which he shares what he knows is sure to inspire his new friends at New Danville.
Another thing popping up with all the new faces: smiles. Everyone is having fun as they live, learn, work and grow.
WORK – Father and Daughter, Covering Indoors and out
“I guess that I followed Papa to New Danville. I wasn’t looking for a job at the time, but he was working here and seemed to enjoy it a lot, so I checked it out. All the smiling faces and nice people got me hooked,” according to Lili Flores. Her dad is Adrian. She works in the day program in a variety of roles, and he has a variety of tasks to keep the grounds in shape, the road smoothed as possible, and many other assignments.
Adrian started at New Danville five years ago after a conversation with New Danville’s Director of Operations, Randy Smyth. Randy noticed Adrian’s handiwork in lawn maintenance in Willis and they struck up a conversation. As luck would have it, New Danville needed someone to tackle maintenance of its 42-acre campus and Adrian could work it into his schedule. That was five years ago. Lili got the New Danville bug three years later.
Both agree that no two days at work are alike. There is always something new to deal with, adapting to the day’s work with the challenges and changes of the day. They both love the lack of routineness.
When asked what is best about being able to work together, Lili said she likes to be able to keep an eye on him (he had a health scare a year ago) and observe what he does. “He took to all the types of equipment New Danville has. He mastered the zero turn equipment almost immediately. That was impressive.” Adrian paused at the question. He turned his head a bit, choked back his first words and his eyes welled up. Nothing more needed to be said. Lili and her dad have a good thing going at New Danville.
GROW – New Staff Members and Wrangler 2s Grow Together
Lisa Guzman and Liz Frame (standing, left and center, respectively) recently started at New Danville as Direct Support Professionals. The day of the photo was Lisa’s first day with the Wrangler 2s, New Danville’s clients who need additional attention because of their various challenges. It doesn’t take long to feel growth, though.
The clients quickly began to grow in their relationships with Lisa and Liz. Such relationships allow for growth and development by all involved.
Lisa already has growth ideas in mind, all of which are to improve opportunities for the Wrangler 2s to live, learn, work and grow in their own ways. “I’m anxious to give the ideas a try,” she said.
Liz noticed that she is becoming more outgoing with the new role “that is similar but different than what I was doing before as a caregiver.” She said the class environment and the regular interactions are helping her to grow in many ways.
Live, learn, work and grow – New Danville’s tag line – applies to everyone who is part of the New Danville family.
Wrangler’s Tale: “I Was just Being Myself.”
Kevin has been part of New Danville for about a decade. “I had no idea what to expect on the first day, but I remember a lot. I remember the two cabins, the barn and the animals. I have a good memory,” he said before rattling off a myriad of recollections about New Danville and his life, and details about his family.
Proud of living alone and being able to drive, he enjoys his independence, which helps build his confidence. Kevin explained that people would pick on him about his size when he was younger. “I said, ‘Enough of that!’ I worked hard and lost 80 pounds,” he said proudly.
While he keeps people on their toes with his interesting sense of humor, he also is quick to encourage and affirm others. When asked about his frequent kind words for others, he said quietly, “I’m just being myself. I wish more people understood that.” He expressed his pleasure that “most everyone” responds kindly to his supportive comments.
Not someone to place himself in a box, or allow others to do so, he follows his own drummer in various ways. Sometimes literally. “I like a lot of types of music,” he said. “If I don’t like a song that I am listening to, I will try something completely different.”
Confident in what he knows and in his various skills, he said that he reminds his mother, “If I am in the car with you, you don’t need your GPS.”
He knows where he is going in various ways, dropping kind words, support, and encouragement to others along the way.
Guest Voices – Watching All the Numbers
Lisa Prochaska serves as New Danville’s Finance Manager. According to President and CEO Eva Aguirre, “Lisa’s talent and commitment mean a lot to me and other members of the team, as well as the board. As you can imagine, having a handle on all financial matters is critical to smooth operations of a nonprofit. We need to know where we stand and we need to be able to report to donors and the world with great clarity. Lisa makes that happen for us. She was a lifesaver when she came on board to join the team.”
I became affiliated with New Danville in 2018 – prior to this time I did not have any experience with adults with physical and mental disabilities. This experience changed my life and enriched it in a way which cannot be expressed in words. The culture is one which encourages socialization, life skill enrichment, compassion and love. I have worked here, had my children volunteer here, and will continue to give financially whenever I can because I believe in this place and its mission. Some of my fondest memories while working here were talking to, laughing with and enjoying the time spent with these special individuals – in the lunchroom, hallway, and even in the chicken and goat yard. New Danville will always have a special place in my heart.
SPEAKING OF NUMBERS...THERE ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN DONATE TO SUPPORT NEW DANVILLE Nonprofits depend on volunteers who share their time and talents. New Danville is no different. Here are some of the areas in which we utilize volunteers. Can you help? Jazzy Junque: Upscale home décor resale store located in the Outlets of Conroe shopping center Projects: Typically, one-day commitments to help with various projects typical of a rural campus Programs: Helping with instruction or other needs associated with the various programs/classes that we offer Special events: Our major fundraising events are Spring Thing and Play a Round for the Wranglers golf tournament To make it easier to indicate your interest, simply complete this form.
Live, Learn, Work, Grow: Wisdom From Under the Windmill, a Presentation on Life lessons Learned from Wranglers Lesson One: You don’t have to be perfect Wranglers find joy in accomplishments, as we all should. They don’t expect perfection, because that is impossible to achieve. They don’t expect it in themselves and they don’t expect it in each other, as it should be. They support, encourage and affirm each other as they try, and then try harder as they live, learn, work and grow. There is a lot of wisdom under the windmill at New Danville; we look forward to sharing it with you.
Can you guess these lessons from Wisdom under the Windmill?
Live, Learn, Work, and Grow – Life and Times at New Danville
Go Eagles! Go Chiefs! Go Wranglers!
Meadowbrook residents enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday, thanks to the volunteers of the Legally Authorized Representative Association (LARA). Thank you!
Important Links
Wranglers’ Ballad: The original music video that shares what happens at New Danville and the heart with which all is done.
Make a donation: You are what makes all these stories possible.
Volunteer: Bring your talents to the service of Wranglers.
Request a tour: Learn about New Danville by seeing.
Jazzy Junque resale store: A great place to shop that benefits New Danville Inventory changes almost every day.
Vision 2025 and the campaign to fund it is called Growing…for Living: A Collaborative Campaign to Grow Life Experiences for Adults with IDD are our future. Find a virtual flyover and the campaign storybook by clicking the link. The year 2025 is our 20th anniversary.
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.