Motown Museum

By: Jessica Bahny
NCC Activities Assistant

As many of you have read, I’ve been blogging about our NCC clients’ “backyard adventures”. I’ve been calling it that because we’ve been discovering some amazing treasures right here in “our own backyard” of Metro Detroit and the surrounding areas. Last week, on May 18th, my co-worker Kari, our clients Gaylor F. and David S. and I went on an amazing outing to the Motown Museum. For those of you who have never experienced this amazing bit of Detroit history, you simply MUST go! If you’ve been there, well, you know what I’m talking about. Nestled discreetly in a neighborhood off of Grand River Avenue, we almost missed our turn! We were expecting to have fun, (and we did!) but we learned so much as well. You automatically get a tour given by the museum’s highly knowledgeable staff. The guide dishes out fun facts, trivia, and even gets you snapping your fingers and singing a Motown hit! Did you know that Barry Gordy Jr. wrote his first songs on a Ford assembly line to the clacking of the machines- because he was so bored?! Neither did we. Did you know that the echo on those Supremes songs is due to the fact that the amazing Ms. Ross was recording their vocals in a bathroom? True! (Everyone else did theirs in the loo as well, until someone made a brilliant echo chamber out of the attic!) We were able to see one of Michael Jackson’s famous sequined gloves, and some of Marvin Gaye’s stage outfits. The admission price is very reasonable, and the staff is courteous, friendly, and the atmosphere is just so darn fun! Stay tuned for more of our adventures as we begin our fun-filled summer outings!

Special Tree is on a Roll...an Honor Roll!

Michigan Quality Council Recognizes Special Tree for Outstanding Quality

Special Tree is especially proud of the recent 2009 Leadership Honor Roll recognition from the Michigan Quality Council. The prestigious honor is reserved not only for a company that has made significant progress in improving quality, but for one that the MQC feels is poised to earn their top award – the Quality Leadership Award. CEO Joe Richert attended the awards ceremony on March 22, 2010 where he proudly received a certificate signed by Governor Granholm and also showed off a custom bumper sticker he had made for all Special Tree staff to declare their Honor Roll pride. "Thanks for everyone at Special Tree. This recognition demonstrates that we’re headed in the right direction," he said.

Special Tree began its "Quest for Excellence" in 2007, when it embraced the National Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Congress established the program in 1987 to recognize U.S. organizations for their achievements in quality and performance and to raise awareness about the importance of quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge. "Aligning our practices with the criteria helps us identify strengths and improvement areas, employ best practices, and focus on professional development and exemplary performance," said Chief Quality Officer Lynn Slevin. As part of the process, Special Tree conducts ongoing quality audits as well as an intense yearly review of all of our services and practices.

Special Tree submits applications each year to a Board of Examiners at the Michigan Quality Council and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program in Washington D.C., to solicit feedback on our progress. This rigorous process helps ensure we are doing all we can to provide exemplary customer service and creates a successful rehabilitation environment for clients and staff