News
Lifespire, Inc. Moves to New Offices January, 2012
November 28, 2011 - New York, N.Y.2011 proved to be a difficult year for many organizations there was a large decrease in funding, and a sharp increase in demand for services. However, organizations such as Lifespire, Inc. found themselves thinking outside-of-the- box for ways to redefine, rebrand, and continue to meet the demand of their constituents without downsizing.
Starting the New Year in a new building, Lifespire, will be moving from their current location at the Empire State Building, to the 9th floor of 1 Whitehall Street. While many nonprofit organizations are finding themselves closing their doors or merging to keep their programs alive, Lifespire, an organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities reach their aspirations, sought to cut costs and maintain their programs without decreasing staff.The renovated 21,500 square foot location will provide the organizations entire administrative staff with new offices and new savings.
The current economic climate has organizations thinking more strategically the long-term impact of the move is that well not incur higher costsultimately generating savings that will help keep our programs alive, said Mark van Voorst, CEO and President of Lifespire, Inc. Where many organizations are increasing reliance on volunteers and cutting back on their staff, were able to maintain our staff who work to ensure we continue to provide high quality services.
Partnering with Rudin Management Company, Inc., known for their experience and philanthropic nature, Lifespire expects to move to their new location within the next 90 days. For more information about Lifespire, their locations or those they serve, log onto www.lifespire.org.
Accelerating the treatment and care of those in need and potentially save hundreds of lives.
GTX Corp recently partnered with LifeSpire to release the latest version of the Code Amber Alertag which will help accelerate the treatment and care of those in need and potentially save hundreds of lives.
Lifespire featured on NY1
Melissa Rabinovich Executive Editor of NY 1 was honored at the Lifespire Golf Outing.Click Here
See the interview on NY1.com where CEO Mark van Voorst and Board Members Larry Hirsch and Robert Krakow discuss the release of the new Lifespire Book.
Danish Royals Visit Riis Neighborhood Settlement & Lifespire
The Crown Princess and her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, visited Lifespire, Inc. to mark a new technology partnership between the agency and Denmark's Team Online.
Denmark's Team Online and New York's Lifespire, Inc. are partnering to optimize technology to help provide greater efficiencies and improved care to individuals with developmental disabilities. The royal couple inaugurated the partnership between Team Online and Lifespire, Inc., on Monday October 24 with a visit to Lifespire's Manhattan North Comprehensive Support Center located at 159 East 125th Street in New York City.
Lifespire Celebrates 60 Years of Advocacy & Services
November 8, 2011 - Lifespire, an organization focused on helping individuals with developmental disabilities become contributing members of their family and community will be celebrating 60 years of advocacy and services as part of Lifespire's Employee Recognition Luncheon. Over the past 60 years Lifespire has grown to be one of the largest service providers for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, serving more than 4,500 individuals. Mark van Voorst, Lifespire's President and CEO noted; "what better way to mark 60 years of service than to celebrate the occasion with the people that make it possible, our staff." The luncheon will be held at Antun's located 96-43 Springfield Boulevard - Queens Village, New York at 12:00 PM.
Lifespire, formerly known as Association for CRMD has grown from humble beginnings around the kitchen table of Ida Rappaport. Ida, a Bronx mother of a child with a developmental disability refused to accept the fact that government did not provide any sufficient educational services to children with mental retardation. Driven by sheer determination, she galvanized support from other parents, and began a campaign of advocacy which resulted with the Board of Ed creating CRMD classes for children who had been denied an education. Community based services for people with developmental disabilities were unheard of in 1951. It is for that reason that the populations of institutions such as Willowbrook grew to many thousands of individuals confined to a life of being warehoused.
In many ways, the history of Lifespire has paralleled the development of the service delivery system in the State of New York. Today, Lifespire provides exceptional services designed to extend the dignity of employment to, and improve the quality of life, of the developmentally disadvantaged. Through an extensive array of programs, spanning the gamut from vocational and therapeutic assessment and case management, day habilitation, residential, clinic services, to job placement and supported employment, Lifespire currently provides services to many thousands of New Yorkers annually throughout the five boroughs and the greater metropolitan area.
"Reaching this milestone really allows us to reflect on who we are and where we have come from. Lifespire began in 1951 with an inspired group of parents of mentally retarded children in need of services for their children," said van Voorst. "Over the years, we've truly come full circle. The organization started with children, then focused on adults, and now we're refocusing on children. In 2007, we had the opportunity to acquire a preschool in the Bronx that serves primarily children with disabilities. It's been a remarkable journey."
For more information about Lifespire, its programs and those it serves, log onto www.lifespire.org.
Lifespire Steps in as One of the First Organization's to Assist Victims of Shock Therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
November 8, 2011-New York, NY-For forty years in Canton, Massachusetts, the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) has been providing services to individuals with severe developmental disabilities. Today, JRC stands at the focal point of media attention for practices that the United Nations has deemed "torture, " and the future for the dozens of individuals that live there is unknown. Working with OPWDD and New York State, Lifespire, Inc. is one of the first organizations to visit the school and begin planning for the future of these individuals in need of a safe and healthy home.
With inviting artwork on the walls and the most recent technology at your fingertips, The second paragraph JRC has stood as a well known Residential School for forty years. Servicing individuals with special needs from the age of three throughout adulthood, JRC has been both a school and a home for the developmentally disabled, however, beyond the highly trained and smiling staff lies a darker story-since the organization's inception, JRC has been utilizing a form of aversive treatment-shock therapy.
Electronic shocks are administered by remote-controlled packs attached to the individuals back called a Graduate Electronic Decelerator (GED). The individual will wear the GED device for the majority of their sleeping and walking hours, including when they shower. Staff will carry the GED transmitters in a plastic box and administer the shocks if the individual exhibits maladaptive behavior. Although the shock lasts approximately two seconds, the psychological impact after the shock is long-lasting. All individuals wearing the GED device have signed a court order with JRC, however, recently, the Center administered shocks to two students who did not consent to the treatment.
Today, JRC stands at the forefront of media attention-after the United Nations stepped and asked the Obama Administration to launch an investigation and put an end to what they deemed "torture," the future for some students and developmentally disabled individuals remains unknown. For years, New York State has been funding the relocation of NYS residents to attend the School, now, they are faced with the task of bringing over 30 adults back to New York. Organizations such as Lifespire have stepped up to the challenge and are looking to provide a safe and healthy environment for these children and adults.
"Our concern is that we can only take in people who have been weaned off the GED device," said President and CEO of Lifespire, Mark van Voorst. "These individuals learn to behave because of the pain, so when you remove the pain, they revert back to abusive behavior and we must begin the learning cycle again."
Lifespire was one of the first organizations to visit the Center and experience first-hand the culture and lifestyle of the consumers living there. Working with OPWDD and New York State, the organization is hoping to take adults over the age of 21 and provide full-service housing.
"Another challenge is the parents-many of these individuals have severe mental disabilities, and are often abusive to both themselves and others," said van Voorst. "For many, they view the GED treatment as effective in saving their lives, and allowing them to be calm and productive within their environment."
Whereas the long-term impacts of the controversial GED device are unknown, it is a fact that some students bear burn marks, have suffered from severe personal injuries, hospitalization, and even death. Committed to the principle that all individuals with a developmental disability are able to become contributing members of their family and community, Lifespire is one of the leading organizations working to help create a safe and caring environment for these individuals, and work with our government to create a secure future for anyone with a developmental disability.
For more information about Lifespire, please visit www.lifespire.org.
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It is Lifespire's aim to provide these individuals with the assistance and support necessary so that they can attain the skills needed to maintain themselves in their community in the most integrated and independent manner possible. For more information about Lifespire and those they serve, log onto www.lifespire.org.
The Code Amber AlerTag - How Lifespire is Working to Revolutionize Emergency Care
November 8, 2011, New York, N.Y.-Lifespire, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping developmentally disabled individuals reach their life's aspirations, is working to release a new version of the Code Amber AlerTag which will help accelerate the treatment and care of those in need, and potentially save hundreds of lives.
Similar to a card you would receive from a local supermarket, the tag features a Quick Response code (QR), however instead of granting the individual access to savings, the QR code grants access to vital medical history. When the QR code is scanned by a Smartphone or any electronic device with a scanning capability, the link will open to the individual's very general medical history-including name, address, and emergency point of contact. The first responder will be able to connect with the emergency contact, and be given the PIN. If the PIN is provided, the physician or first responder will have access to a wealth of information such as a detailed medical history, current and past medications, family contact information, their healthcare proxy, and their service provider. "It's a powerful and potentially life-saving tool for an individual to carry," said Mark van Voorst, Chief Executive Officer of Lifespire. "If a person is unable to speak, is unconscious, or is simply confused and lost, the first responder will have almost instant access to critical information which could make a difference in saving someone's life."
As the healthcare and pharmaceutical worlds shift to electronic health records and better IT systems, this new tag will replace hours of phone calls, the sending of documents and anxiety in the wait for information access.
Lifespire is one of the first organizations on the east coast to release this new technology, Lifespire is looking to release the new Code Amber AlertTag in the fall of 2011. For more information about the Tag or Lifespire and those they serve, please log onto www.lifespire.org.
The Code Amber Alertag is a convenient way to provide information about medical conditions, life threatening allergies, or blood type. Health insurance information and other medical history details can also be readily accessible. Code Amber Alertag is a wholly owned subsidiary of GTX Corp (OTCBB: GTXO), a leader in two-way GPS Tracking / Personal Location Services, committed to pioneering, creating, and delivering GPS Applications that keep you connected to whom and what matters most.
Lifespire, Inc. Partners with Denmark's Team Online to Improve Service Efficiencies and Care for the Developmentally Disabled
November 8, 2011, New York, N.Y.-Denmark's Team Online and New York's Lifespire, Inc. are partnering to optimize technology to help provide greater efficiencies and improved care to individuals with developmental disabilities. The TRH the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark will inaugurate the partnership between Team Online and Lifespire, Inc., on October 24th, at 9:00 AM at Lifespire's Manhattan North Comprehensive Support Center located at 159 East 125th Street in New York City.
Lifespire, Inc. is a nonprofit organization who for the last 60 years has been dedicated to helping developmentally disabled individuals by providing a full range of services. As part of Lifespire's Partnership, the organization will test Team Online's Bosted system and recommend changes designed to help launch the Danish system in New York State and the US overall. The Bosted system is a user friendly IT solution that can improve and support the daily routines of care providers and their organizations. The system is designed to streamline documentation and impact measurements of services and is the result of over ten years of user-driven innovation.
Since Lifespire is one of the largest service providers in New York with a proven track record of developing IT solutions, the testing and deployment of this new technology will help improve efficiencies within the orgnaization, and make available more time for staff to spend with the individuals they serve. The inauguration of the Bosted system at Lifespire Inc. is part of the Creative and Healthy for Life export promotion launched by the Consulate General of Denmark in New York. The export promotion is a key component of the Connected Health Symposium in Boston, where the leading Danish health and social care IT solutions will be presented to more than 1,200 health technology leaders world-wide.
Continuously looking to expand and improve the way services are provided to the developmentally disabled, Lifespire's commitment to excellence continues to resonate throughout the communities they serve and beyond. To read more about the Bosted System or Lifespire, Inc., log onto www.lifespire.org.
New Yorker Of The Week: Bowling League Founder Spares Time For Greater Cause
After noticing a void in the community for activities for people with special needs, the latest "New Yorker of the Week" decided to start one of his own, which is still going strong 40 years later. NY1's Bree Driscoll filed the following report.
As he has almost every Sunday for the past 41 years Larry Hirsh can be seen making his way around Jib Lanes in Flushing checking in with the bowlers to hear their scores.
One bowler that has an extra special place in his heart is his daughter Phyllis. She is the reason Hirsh started the Sunday morning bowling league.
"My daughter was living at home and she was playing with little young children and they knew she was mentally challenged. As they grew up they left her. And she would go to the next group of people. And I said no this is not going to work. I have to get her with her peers," recalls Hirsh.
Hirsh later brought her bowling with some of his friends and their children with special needs. Pretty soon word got out about Hirsh and his group and more and more people started showing up.
Since 1969 the program has grown from 20 bowlers to more than 140.
'I taught these little peanuts to bowl who couldn't even put their fingers in the ball. Now they are bowling 100, 120," says Hirsh.
Hirsh is also a board member to Lifespire, a non-profit organization that provides assistance and advocates for people with special needs, and runs the bowling program.
"But this is his life's blood. This is what invigorates him. This is what gets him up in the morning. 'I gotta get there for the kids.' This man went through major surgery last year on his stomach and two weeks later he is back here," says Lifespire COO Tom Lydon.
The program caters to all disabilities and skill levels.
"We always get along with him very well because he taught us everything," says one participant.
"He is the best bowling coach in the whole wide world and we miss him and we love him. The best!" says another.
"Not only are they excited when they get here but they are excited when they leave here because they are looking forward to next Sunday," says Sunday Bowling Director Julian Palmo.
The bowlers aren't the only ones who benefit from the program.
"When I see somebody make a strike and they run from one end to the alley to the other and give me a hug yelling out they got a strike I feel like I got one too. I give them a high five and we are both in heaven," says Hirsh.
So, for striking out on his own to start a bowling league for individuals with special needs, Larry Hirsh is the latest "New Yorker of the Week."
Lifespire Groundbreak
On Wednesday September 13th 2011 Lifespire held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its new eight person Intermediate Care Facility that is being constructed at 315 James Street in the Town of Connelly NY. The new facility is designed to provide both a residential opportunity as well as "in home" day programming for eight individuals who are presently being served in an OPWDD Developmental Center. All eight individuals are elderly and have serious medical concerns. The facility is intended to become operational in early Spring 2012.
Individuals identified in the picture from left to right:
Virginia Gresko, Lifespire
Ted Musialkiewcz, General Contractor
Tracy Farrar, Taconic DDSO
Peter Palmer, Taconic DDSO
Paul Oddo, Exec VP Lifespire
Mark van Voorst, CEO Lifespire
Tom Lydon, COO Lifespire
Scott Dutton, Architect
Mark van Voorst CEO of Lifespire receives prestigious award
June 8, 2011 - On June 3rd, 2011, Mark Van Voorst, Executive Director of Lifespire, was given the prestigious Leadership Award for his efforts and commitment to the developmentally disabled. The award was given by DIHR (Dignity, Independence and Human Rights), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for individuals and families with developmental disabilities.
"The Leadership Award in Social Services was awarded to Van Voorst not only for his fiscal expertise or administrative skills, but for the humanism that he brings to the role and to the population in which he serves," said Anita Schwartz, Executive Director of DIHR.
The Award is granted to individuals who are passionately committed to social issues and are willing to support the ideals and principles of the community. "Not only does Mark epitomize a humanist, but he has excellent staff relations, an open door policy, and works diligently to train his staff to recognize each of his constituents as an individual and to ensure their needs are met. Between his experience and his history in the social service realm, he was the perfect fit for this Award."
"I am flattered, humbled, and honored to receive this award," said Van Voorst. "I look forward to continuing to advocate for and help to improve the quality of life for the developmentally disabled, while living up to the mission of Lifespire."
Lifespire is committed to the principle that all individuals with a developmental disability are able to become contributing members of their family and community. It is Lifespire's aim to provide these individuals with the assistance and support necessary so that they can attain the skills needed to maintain themselves in their community in the most integrated and independent manner possible.
