Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that Friday, June 18th would officially mark the end of Ohio's public health state of emergency that was declared in March of 2020. This is a date we should all celebrate with great enthusiasm and optimism. Whereas most of us are getting back to normal and shedding the masks we are still proceeding with caution, especially as it pertains to our group homes. I will remain hopeful that the individuals and staff in our homes will be able to soon get back to normal as well, as cases continue to dwindle and vaccines are widely available to everyone over the age of 12. Now that we are in a post pandemic phase we are dealing with new challenges, including supply shortages affecting everyone and staffing needs that are far exceeding the ability to find good employees. If you know of anyone that wants to work for Newhope, please send them our way (current employees can take advantage of our referral bonus program). We are full steam ahead on our Raintree renovation project. We have engaged the services of the Seckel Group Architects to help us design some much needed up-dates to this home. The home was built in the late 70s and really has not seen any major up-dates since. The primary objectives with this project are to increase the living space for the men and women that live in the home, make it a homier living environment, and a more inviting work setting for the staff that work there. Information has been gathered from Individuals, family members, and staff to come up with a design that will meet everyone’s needs. As soon as the designs are finalized they will go out to bid with a projected start timeframe of Spring 2022. This year is a big strategic planning year for the agency. We traditionally develop a three year plan where we conduct significant planning sessions to develop our goals for the next three years, while making modest changes that might be necessary for the second and third year of the plan. We are now gathering input from individuals, families, staff, providers, and community members on where we should set our priorities for the next three years. If you have input and have not yet had the opportunity to participate in one of our scheduled planning sessions, please contact Greg Grambush at 419-774-4228 or at ggrambush@rnewhope.org. I am looking forward to gathering again with friends and family members this summer and of course, being able to seeing you in person as we celebrate the end of the pandemic. | 