New Star gets $15K grant to expand online services
Like many top bosses, Dan Strick has seen his share of frustrating days in recentmonths.
ThepresidentandCEOof the south suburban and northwest Indiana-based service organization New Star has been with the agency for 15 years and this is one of his toughest stretches thanks to the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But no matter how bad things can get with budget issues, personnel decisions and other unpleasant situations that arise, all he has to do is talk to one of the hundreds of disabled adults and children in his organization and Stick’s mood improves greatly.
“It’s enjoyable to sit down and talk,” Strick said. “They give me a whole different perspective. They let me know what’s important in life. It sounds simple, but it really makes a difference to see people smiling and enjoying life.”
Strick and his staff have a reason to smile after receiving a $15,000 grant from Comcast to enhance programming and technology resources for remote and virtual activities. The agency’s day service sites in Chicago Heights and Crete were closed on March 21 and recently opened with limited capacity.
South Holland’s Denice Rhodes’ 32-year-old son, David Albert, has autism. He has been going to New Star for 10 years. But she said that it’s been hard on him not being able to go to the center towork.
“That was the one thing he looked forward to,” Rhodes said. “He would get up, get dressed, get in the van and go to the center and spend time with his friends. Hewould have be really sick for him to ever miss a day.”
NewStar officials say that is a commonlament, and the next best thing is to try to keep communication and activities going via TV screens, computers and cellphones.
Kelly Berardelli, vice president of day programming for New Star, said the Comcast grant will come in handy expanding some of the virtual material that is out there and addingmore.
She said some of the programsin place or coming soon include appointment skill development, job interviewing, health and fitness, wellness and nutrition, yoga, meditation, sign language and a cooking class.
On the fun side, there are Friday dance parties, a ukulele class and a Chicago Bears club, where members can watch a game virtually together and trade recipes for appetizers to eat before and during a game.
More important, Berardelli said, is the ability for people in the New Star community to just see each other — even if it is on a screen.
“Some of this is pure socialization,” she said. “It’s a chance to see some folks they haven’t seen in months. For a lot of people that we support, their social life is when they come here to work. They haven’t seen their friends in six months. For a lot of us, that’s tough to imagine.
“We’re trying to provide an opportunity for that connection. They get super excited when they see someone they haven’t seen in a while.”
The newfound money will allow New Star to upgrade internet capabilities, purchase specialized applications and software, expand on-site classroom conferencing technology, including setting upwebcams, microphones, and speakers, as well as purchasing laptops, iPads, and Kindle Fires
Strick said because of the pandemic, many of the people who use his organization’s services have felt isolated.
“We want to connect the people we support with technology,” he said. “This will allowthem to participate in a variety of things virtually. We can connect them with family members who may not be local or thosewhoare local that they cannot visit anymore because of restrictions.”
He added that members can create their own video content to showto others.
“It can be a learning tool,” Strick said. “Maybe someone is doing their own laundry and want to put out a video on how to do it. It’s allowing some of our folks with disabilities to become teachers to their peers.”
New Star has been around since 1950 and serves more than 650 individuals from age ranged 5 to 95 and includes those with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autismandother disabilities.
And for some, New Star has been a godsend.
“I don’t know what I would do without them,” Rhodes said.