Gingerbread, trees and trains, oh my!

By: Jessica Bahny, Activities Assistant 

The annual Festival of Trees at the Dearborn Community Center is truly a feast for the eyes!  Each year, it seems that the holiday season starts earlier and earlier.  When client Bradly and I found ourselves in the mood for some holiday cheer, we headed out to the Festival of Trees.  The festival benefits Children’s Hospital, which makes it wonderful from the start. 

Families, corporate groups and organizations decorate and donate trees for the display.  There are too many trees to count, each different in their own way.  It’s hard to choose a favorite, but both Bradly and I were partial to the Dr. Seuss tree.  It was too cool with pink, green, and purple lights.  Stuffed characters from all of Dr. Seuss’ most famous books sat in the branches.  Before you ask, of course the Grinch was there!  There were wreaths decorated as well. 

There was also an amazing display of handmade gingerbread houses.  We kind of giggled, because our houses we build every year at NCC don’t turn out that well.  Bradly enjoyed looking at the trains, and people watching.  There was an arts and crafts table, where we were able to make an ornament together to commemorate our special outing.  I say this so much, but I really do love my job- especially the outings.  This time of year always brings so many wonderful chances to bond with my clients and make great memories.  We’ll be going next to the Wayne County  festival of lights, so stay tuned for more holiday happenings in the wild world of this activities assistant!

Thankful for a Good Harvest

This year when the clients from Moravian West sit down for their Thanksgiving dinner they’ll be thankful in a new way.  The vegetables that accompany the turkey will taste fresher, and the pumpkin pie will be a little more sweet.  That’s just one of the many beautiful things that has come from a harvest season following a summer of gardening in their backyard. 

This summer the residents rolled up their sleeves and got down to gardening when a new garden box was built behind their house. Clients Violet L. and Darin H. had previously been master gardeners and were excited to exercise their green thumbs.  It didn’t take long before the soil filled box was full of sprouts that soon turned into a plentiful garden of tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, green peppers and pumpkins. The clients were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor when they picked the vegetables and turned them into delicious treats like fried zucchini, zucchini bread and crisp, fresh vegetables.  

At 85 years old and in a wheelchair, Violet will tell you that gardening is ‘more interesting’ now than it may have been in the past, but she still loves everything about it and was grateful to return to one of her favorite pastimes. She’ll tell you she has a great appreciation for her Thanksgiving dinner and the vegetables that are on the table because she knows the time involved to grow them. Violet and the other clients at Moravian West are excited for the arrival of next spring and a new gardening season, but for now their thankful for a good harvest.

We Did It Again!

Special Tree is thrilled to once again be named a Top Workplace in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press. To make the list, employees fill out an independent survey conducted by the Detroit Free Press on factors that contribute to a great work environment – Direction, Execution, Career, Conditions, Managers and Pay & Benefits.  Thanks to our staff’s  honest feedback and positive written comments, our high survey score put Special Tree on the Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row.  Special Tree also made an impressive showing in several categories.   According to Lynn Slevin, Chief Quality Officer who handles the Top Workplace nomination and survey process, out of the 77 companies in the mid-sized category, Special Tree ranked 7th overall, only two places below Google (5th),  2nd in the “Career” category, and 4th in the “Direction” category.   “The creativity and talents of our staff help our clients shine and make Special Tree a truly exceptional place to work,” said Lynn.  Read more about Top Workplaces results by clicking on the links below from the Freep’s Sunday, November 13th edition.

2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces Winners
2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces National Standards
2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces: Worker’s Feedback
Best Workplaces Put Priority on Satisfaction of Their Employees