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DSNWK’s Hoxie Center Receives Grant from Sheridan County Community Foundation

3/30/21

A $3,227.00 Dane G. Hansen Community Grant, a fund of Sheridan County Community Foundation, will support Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas in improving outdoor living space by adding patio furniture at Hoxie Developmental Center, 733 9th Street. This new furniture will provide another opportunity for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to enjoy being outside and add beautification to the corner lot building.

“The patio will be a desirable, beautiful outdoor spot for individuals to use”, states Jerry Michaud, DSNWK President. “It can be to eat lunch outside, soak in the sun, do an outdoor activity, or simply retreat outside to a peaceful space and fresh air.”

The long-lasting wrought iron patio furniture will be used on an existing concrete patio slab on the west side of the building. Useful outdoor spaces, in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, add both value and options.

The DSNWK Hoxie Developmental Center has gone through major renovations to maximize its learning and leisure space to be better suited for the people it serves and supports. DSNWK would like to express our gratitude to the Hoxie community and the Sheridan County Community Foundation for all their support.

DSNWK is a 501c3 nonprofit serving 18 counties in northwest Kansas with a mission to advocate for persons with disabilities and those who care about them by planning and supporting a life of dignity, interdependence, and personal satisfaction in the community.

PDC Receives Grant from Second Century Fund

3/15/21

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas is pleased to announce a grant award of $2000.00 from the Second Century Fund for the refurbishing of its sign located at Prairie Developmental Center (PDC) in Atwood. DSNWK recently rebranded and plans to update the sign at this location that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

DSNWK’s previous logo and branding has been in existence since 1976 when DSNWK went through a name change to reflect the 18 county service territory. The launch of the new branding was announced in September 2020 to better reflect “what” DSNWK does more so than the geography of “where” services are provided.

Developmental Services will be updating the existing sign with a new faceplate containing the fresh look of the new branding. The sign currently has fluorescent lighting and will be upgraded to a more energy efficient LED lighting, and the structure of the sign will be repainted to give it a fresh appearance and complement the new logo.

DSNWK would like to thank the Second Century Fund for its continued support and generosity of PDC.

DSNWK is a 501c3 nonprofit serving 18 counties in northwest Kansas with a mission to advocate for persons with disabilities and those who care about them by planning and supporting a life of dignity, interdependence, and personal satisfaction in the community.

DSNWK benefits from the support of the United Way of Ellis County and the CARE Council

3/2/21

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas is proud to announce that The United Way of Ellis County has allocated $25,600 for the Job Placement Follow-along program for 2021. Follow-along services are provided to all individuals who complete DSNWK's Job Placement Program for support to maintain employment and for additional training in the future. DSNWK’s Job Placement Follow-along program can intervene before the individual loses his or her employment and reduces the dollars spent on job procurement, training new employees, and unemployment or disability payments.

ACCESS Public Transportation was informed by the CARE Council of Ellis County that they have recommended an allocation to the Hays City Commission for an award of $77,732.50 for transportation services from the City of Hays Social Service Funds for the 2022 budget. ACCESS provides general public transportation services to the people of Hays and Ellis County.

DSNWK would like to thank the United Way of Ellis County for their continuous support of people with developmental disabilities and to the Care Council for recommending an allocation to the City of Hays for ACCESS general public transportation.

DSNWK’s Pioneer Developmental Center receives grant from RCED & CVB

2/18/21

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas is a proud recipient of a $500 matching grant through the 2021 Russell County Economic Development Storefront/Signage Grant Program benefiting Pioneer Developmental Center in Russell.

DSNWK will utilize the grant to update and refurbish its sign at 15 North Maple, Russell. DSNWK has recently undergone a rebranding effort which includes a new logo and color scheme. This new sign will reflect the new brand and support DSNWK in its effort to be more visible in the community.

DSNWK will be updating the existing sign with two new faceplates containing the fresh look of

the new branding. The sign currently has fluorescent lighting and will be upgraded to LED

lighting, and the structure of the sign will be repainted to give it a fresh appearance.

DSNWK is a 501c3 nonprofit serving 18 counties in northwest Kansas with a mission to advocate for persons with disabilities and those who care about them by planning and supporting a life of dignity, interdependence, and personal satisfaction in the community.

Pat Goscha

2/15/21

Hard work … Dedication … Friendship. These have been the key ingredients to Pat Goscha’s success. Pat, who is served by Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas at Prairie Developmental Center, has taken those ingredients and created a long history of successful employment in the Atwood community.

Pat dedicated his time to working at Williams Brothers grocery store for more than 35 years and now continues to work at the Atwood Corner gas station. As much as being able to work has impacted Pat, it seems as though he has impacted the community even more. Stephanie Pelkey, Pat’s Residential Coordinator expressed, “Everyone knows and loves Pat! He is just another one of the guys!”

COVID-19 obviously put a damper on many things and Pat was out of work for several months due to the virus. It would have been easy for Pat to retire and continue to not work, but once it was deemed safe for Pat to work again, he started at the Atwood Corner gas station. Pat loves working and prefers to spend his time in the community making a difference. He feels a sense of pride in what he does and continues to work hard. Pat has lived his life with purpose.

For DSNWK, living with purpose means providing vital support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families so they can live a life with dignity, with purpose and with meaning Live with Purpose includes instructions, support and guidance with self-care, skill building, communication, mobility, and employment.

DSNWK excited about new downtown location

1/28/2021

Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas is proud to announce that for the first time, they will officially be in downtown Hays at 1107 Main Street. DSNWK plans to utilize the new space for its EC Custom Creations as well as other ways that display the talent of individuals served by DSNWK.

“This space will be used for learning, collaborating, and developing talent and sharing the creations of those efforts with the community in a way that we've not been able to before” states Sara Biggs, DSNWK Director of Programs and Services.

DSNWK plans to open the doors in October 2021.

Collaborative Arts Project going strong during COVID19

12/30/2020

Normal activities seem impossible during the coronavirus as we must maintain our distance and wear masks, but the Collaborative Arts Project has continued to be a great program with good participation; even as it has moved online. Amy Schmierbach, a Professor of Art and Design at Fort Hays State University has taken on the task of sharing her love for art with others through a digital lens. The Collaborative Arts Project continues to provide art workshops for the individuals served at DSNWK, but it looks a little different. Amy says about the new virtual atmosphere, “My students and I have been hosting drawing workshops over zoom on Tuesdays for one hour. It is going well. Much different than when we were working at Employment Connections, but we have some good things developing. We have participation from many who have not worked with us before and it seems that most are really focused on their drawings during the entire hour. Our drawing content is different, more focused on subject matter that the clients have suggested and lots of holiday themed. They are doing some really great work. We wish we were in person, but it is nice to connect to everyone and we are all drawing. We see this as a win during this crazy time.” Amy plans to continue these zoom workshops throughout the Spring 2021 semester and is working on new ideas that will make the virtual environment feel as personable and inviting as possible.