One rainy day recently, the adult developmental training class welcomed visitors with not two legs but four – the Greyhounds as Pets Program brought two friendly greyhounds who are retired from racing, in to meet with class members. The dogs named Sammy and Burt visited with each student and graciously accepted all the hugs and kisses that were offered. Some students were not so quick to warm up to the animals, but they were very calm and gentle, and in no time at all the students were waiting to have their pictures taken with the friendly, furry visitors. Many of our class participants have never owned a pet and we wanted to be able introduce them to dogs and provide an opportunity for them to touch, pet and hug a large and gentle dog. The greyhounds filled that requirement with love to spare and provided a gentle and calm introduction to dogs as pets. We thank Shirley Kane of Greyhounds as Pets for bringing her pets to Cerebral Palsy for a ‘meet and greet’. On their next visit we will introduce grooming and exercising to the menu of what is required when you take on the responsibility of owning a dog.

Stephnie Ferguson - To assist with document preparation, filing, answering phones and the myriad of administrative tasks that occur in the office, we welcome Stephnie Ferguson to our staff. Stephnie comes to us from the Jewish Community Alliance where she was a receptionist and office assistant. Stephnie is a graduate of Englewood High School. If you come by the office, make sure you stick your head in and say “HI” to our new employee.

Sandra Howard - The Supported Employment Program puts disabled individuals to work, and we want to spread the word that hiring the disabled can bring an employer benefits. Sandra Howard, has joined our staff to raise awareness of the services the Supported Employment Program provides both for businesses and individuals. Sandra is visiting businesses throughout the community to make them aware of the advantages of hiring employees who are disabled or have special needs. Sandra comes to CPNEF with years of experience at Vocational Rehab, the Red Cross, Continental Insurance Company, and with private rehabilitation providers. She holds a M.S. degree in rehabilitation counseling. If your business would benefit from employing a disabled individual who will become a loyal employee, give Sandra a call. She’ll be happy to hear from you! Thank you to the Able Trust for providing grant funding for this position.

Novis Naylor has taken over the position of Director of Therapy Source, our therapy service program component. Novis has lots of experience having previously been employed by UCP of Suffolk in Long Island, New York, where she was a specialist in the child development area. Novis is happy to assist with any questions you have regarding the therapy services your child is receiving through Cerebral Palsy in conjunction with the Early Steps program. We welcome Novis to Cerebral Palsy.