Ohio Valley Goodwill Hosts HCDDS-Sponsored Strategic Cafe Event!

Ohio Valley Goodwill was very pleased to welcome long-time partner Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) to its corporate headquarters on Monday, September 23rd for a Fall Strategic Café event. The HCDDS-sponsored “Strategic Café” is an opportunity for individuals served by the County Board to provide input on the services that they would like to receive in the future from Hamilton County DD Services. The Goodwill team was welcomed to the event by Brady Sellet from the Leadership Advocacy Network and HCDDS Superintendent Alice Pavey, who provided an overview of the purpose of the Café. More than 25 advocates and staff members took place in the Strategic Café session. As Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services prepares for the kick-off of its 2014 Levy campaign, its community outreach efforts include meetings with individuals served, provider agencies, families and other stakeholders. The purpose of the conversations is to gather as much input as possible as to the needs, wishes and desires of people with developmental disabilities in Hamilton County. Ohio Valley Goodwill is proud to be a regular host location for these events. Facilitated by HCDDS consultant Jo Krippenstapel, participants were asked to express their feelings both verbally and through drawings about the things that are most important in their lives. The data from the series of community cafés held throughout the Fall season will then be used as input for the Board’s development of its Strategic Plan for programs and services over the next five years. Ohio Valley Goodwill will be supporting the Levy campaign efforts for Hamilton County DD Services over the next year and will be helping to share the Board’s story with the larger Greater Cincinnati community through stories, blog posts, fund-raisers and community presentations. “Goodwill is so pleased to have the opportunity to provide the setting for our advocates to speak directly with the Board about the things that are important to them. We look forward to partnering with the Board in support of the 2014 Levy campaign in the months to come,” said Leslie McCurley, Asst. Director of DD Services. For more information about Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, visit their website at www.hamiltondds.org