Reel TV

Outpatient client Carroll P. thought his fishing days were over after he sustained a spinal cord injury in 2008, but all that changed with some help from the "Fishing Doc." The Fishing Doc is a cool new adaptive fishing pole that Carroll recently tried out at a charity fishing tournament put on by bass pro Kevin Vandam and the Detroit Lions. Michigan Out of Doors TV, which airs on WTVS-TV, was at the event and filmed Carroll using the fishing pole which he maneuvered through the joy stick on his power chair. The event brought out some of the world’s greatest bass pros to fish alongside Lions players and sponsors at Kensington Metropark on June 12^th.

Carroll was invited to the event by sponsor Harbor Light Health, a local home healthcare company that also provides adaptive sporting gear like the Fishing Doc to help people with disabilities enjoy the great outdoors. The Fishing Doc was such a hit with Carroll that the company is providing some for clients to try out at the fishing ponds on the NeuroCare Campus. You can watch the Michigan Out of Doors episode which aired July 19^th by visiting www.michiganoutofdoorstv.com

Carroll tries out the "Fishing Doc" at the Kevin Vandam/Detroit Lions Charity Fishing Tournament

Back row (left to right): Mike Ball, Vice President of Harbor Light Health, Lions Head Football Coach Jim Schwartz and Matt Gelso, Presidet of Harbor Light Health;  Front row (right):  Special Tree client Carroll P. 

Special Tree Recreational Therapist Kristin Claerhout accompanied Carroll on his big fishing outing with the Detroit Lions and Kevin Vandam 

iMac Pros

Check out the cool artwork that students at the Livonia Student Center created on their new Apple iMac desktop computer for the 2012 Discover! Summer t-shirt and activity schedule cover. Even cooler, is that the students raised a big chunk of the money themselves to purchase the iMac. Their interest in getting the computer started when Livonia Job Coach and Team Leader Chris Waterman brought his personal MacBook to help student Daniel B. develop and produce the Livonia student newsletter, The Roots, which is now published every two weeks. With encouragement from Children’s Services Director Peggy Allen Boch and Livonia Manager Christine Morabito, the students began their quest to raise funds to buy the computer. “We thought it would be a great learning experience for our young adult clients to work towards getting the computer,” said Peggy.

In November, Chris and Daniel wrote a formal proposal to Peggy and CEO Joe Richert for approval to purchase the new computer using funds from the Livonia Ready to Shine carwash program and matching funds from Special Tree. Chris added a touch of humor to the whole process by vowing not to shave until the iMac was officially purchased! Several inches of facial hair later, Chris took ecstatic students to the store to buy the iMac in March. The students have been using it ever since to create the Discover! Summer slide show, the Discover! Summer t-shirts, The Roots, and a variety of other projects.

Wheely Good Job Recreational Therapists!

The Recreational Therapists from Oakland County ran a bicycle safety clinic using adaptive hand bikes for special education students at a local high school on Friday, June 1st.  The participation was great and all of the students were entered into a raffle to win a helmet. 

Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather, we were restricted to the gymnasium, but that was quickly forgotten by the many smiles and “this is sweet” comments from students, most of who had never been on a bike!  Some of the high school staff and family members of the students were able to talk with the Recreational Therapists about adaptive sports and recreational activities and enjoyed collecting some of the resources from our display table.  Go Team! 

Congrats, Grads!

It’s been a busy season of graduation celebrations for staff and clients at Special Tree's residential homes!  The Royal Oak staff held a graduation Open House for Cody M. who earned is diploma from Royal Oak High School on May 31^st.    

At Williams, staff celebrated client Stephanie H. graduation from Oakland Community College on May 12th with her associate’s degree in General Studies with a concentration in pre-pharmacy, as well as client Webb D’s graduation from Truman High School on June 7th. 

Congratulations to these hard-working graduates and a big shout out to the staff and therapists who provided the encouragement and expertise to help them accomplish their goals!  Go team!

Cody M. proudly displays his diploma at his commencement ceremony at Royal Oak High School

A Winning Day for Dennis

Client Dennis L. and RST Haleem Goode enjoyed a Tiger’s game at Comerica Park on April 22nd compliments of Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. Attorneys at Law in Southfield. Dennis's Tiger tickets were part of a contest give-away that the firm sponsored for persons with TBI and SCI. To enter the contest, individuals with a TBI or SCI had to be nominated by a caregiver or someone involved in their rehabilitation. When Troy Recreational Therapist Shannon Zalobsky heard about the contest she immediately nominated Dennis. “He’s a BIG Tiger’s fan, but it’s not always possible for him to catch a game each season,” she said. “He was so thrilled to win and had an amazing time at the game!”

Relax...

By: Rebecca Cowell and Joyce Krause

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to relax”  Mark Black

And what better way to relax than to gaze at a beautiful scene. Jamal Bell, a student at Special Tree's  Livonia Student Center and budding artist, along with the organizational help of Christopher Waterman painted a lovely scene on one of the ceiling tiles in the new relaxing massage therapy room at the NeuroCare Center North. Imagine this: entering the dimly lit womb like room, with a comfortable place to set your body as you recline on the plush massage table you are drawn to gazing up at the tropical oasis encouraging you to take a deep breathe for maybe the first time of the day. Your mind is invited to wander with soothing music and therapeutic touch as you escape into the tropical paradise of sun, sand and soothing waters. Ahhhhhh, great work Jamal!

Jamal and Chris brighten up the Livonia Student Center with artwork for the Discover! Summer Program

Jamal's tile from the view of the massage table at the NeuroCare Center

A Job Well Done

Midland Administrative Assistant Kim Campbell needed an extra box Kleenex on her desk when she came into work on May 24^th.  That was her last official day of being a job mentor to Jordon, a 23-year-old student from Midland Public School’s Post-secondary Transition Program for students with special needs. 

Since September, Kim has worked closely with Jordan two mornings a week at Special Tree on developing skills to help her transition to a paying job in the community.  Jordan impressed Kim right away by how quickly she got her work routine down, which includes light clerical work like filing, faxing, and Xeroxing, “Jordan took her responsibilities at Special Tree very seriously and did an amazing job,” said Kim.  

More importantly, Kim saw tremendous growth in Jordan’s self-confidence as she learned to work independently and communicate with staff and clients more easily.  “Kim helped me a lot,” said Jordan.  Kim was especially thrilled when Jordan recently shared the good news that she was hired for a part-time position in a daycare.  “I’m so happy for her. It makes me feel like I did my job as a role model,” said Kim.  Jordan is the second student Kim has mentored from the program and she’s looking forward to working with a new student in the fall.  “It’s a good feeling to help these kids grow.”   

Kim and Jordon take a break from working on Jordon's last day