Blaxton’s Blog Stan Blaxton — Executive Director

Well, it is safe to say that we made it through 2016!! It has been a great ride this last

quarter, but nobody told me how busy it would be. September began with bowling

and preparations for a visit from the General. Bowling is always eagerly anticipated

by all participants, and all enjoy the involvement and the competition. The visit from

the General was very successful and introduced Happy Hour to a large number of

influential people. We expect this to be very beneficial to us in the future. We began

the process to start a service organization on our campus and Happy Hour Civitan

Club was formed and chartered. I am very proud that our individuals will now have

the opportunity to help others. That is a great feeling! October brought us Fall

Festival and Halloween. This was my first Fall Festival and that is quite an experience.

The snacks and treats were good but the music and dancing were awesome! A good

time was had by all. Everybody dressed up for Halloween and “trick or treated” all

over campus. The smiles, at times, overcame the scary costumes. Also, October

brought us the Georgia National Fair. We have been attending for years but had not

had the opportunity to attend the circus due to timing. We decided to try and make

this happen and through the efforts of Rose Neal-Moore, Deanne Nethaway in

transportation, and the cooperation of all the staff here at Happy Hour, we made it

happen. Thanks to all those that were involved because I have had many positive

comments about the circus.

November saw us complete Workshop V and begin to handle our recycling there.

This is working very efficiently and we are much closer to securing our provider

number so that our individuals can be included to work in this facility. By utilizing

this extra space, it will provide us more room and opportunities in our other

buildings. Hopefully, safety and efficiency will be by-products of this move.

December at Happy Hour is a short month but crammed with lots of activity. First,

our “float committee” did a great job and we won 1st place in the civic division! We

finished several training courses that were mandatory, thanks Rose. Then we got

ready for Santa. It takes a lot of preparation to make this happen, but it is worth the

effort. Several staff and individuals assisted with the Luminaries at Magnolia Park

again this year, we are so thankful to have this opportunity. Thank you to all who

participated. All enjoyed the visit from Santa and received a present. Smiles and

laughter were everywhere. The blessing of Christmas is alive and well here at Happy

Happy Hour Happenings Happy Hour Service Center

Houston County Association for Exceptional Citizens, Inc.

Falcon Park, Inc. & Falcon Park III, Inc.

January 2017 - Issue 1

Inside This Issue: Human Resources............ 2

Retirement Program....... 2

Self-Advocacy ……........... 2

AD Report…..…............. 3

Robins Review .............. 3

Exceptional Mail & More … 3

Ryals Wing........................ 4

Recreation News ……..... 4

Workshop Words …….. 5

Social Service Dept.......... 6

Recycled Treasures......... 6

Trans. & Maintenance .... 6

Community Employment.. 7

Falcon Park..................... 7

Accounting Counts.... ..... 7

Dates to Remember…...... 8

Congratulations and a great big thank you to the 2016

Christmas Float committee for their Best in Show in the Civic

category!!! This group of dedicated staff not only served our

individuals, but they also made time to help construct a magical

Christmas float. Thank you, thank you... Liz Thompson, Deanne

Nethaway,

We’ve had more great people join our Happy Hour Team;

help us welcome:

Semorn Odige – Direct Care Aide

Tracey Johnson – Direct Care Aide

Jeff Revell – Truck Driver

Nikia Hayes – Direct Care Aide

Chris Jackson – Exceptional Mail & More

Ciera Ross – Direct Care Aide

Eulanda Hamilton – Direct Care Aide

If you haven’t had a chance to visit our newly designed website,

we encourage you to do so. More improvements are in the works

for the near future. www.happyhourservicecenter.org

Our new logo has been a hit and is being used throughout the

Center. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt with this new

Page 2 Happy Hour Happenings

Human Resources Department Lori Chaney — Human Resources Director

Self-Advocacy

Wrap It Up … as we wrap up our 2016 year

we would like to thank everyone who

volunteered, donated, supported or just

dropped by to say hello throughout the year.

Interaction with others is an important

component of our Senior Program and they

love to talk to others every day.

Some of the activities that we engaged in

were spooky, fun filled, thankful, jolly and full

of song. Halloween is a fun time to dress up

and be spooky. While around the

Thanksgiving holidays we learned about our

history and being thankful for food and

special people. Recently in December we

have had the most fun practicing our

Christmas carols daily, decorating everything

that could be decorated including ourselves

and getting ready for Santa’s visit. By the

way they were so ready!!! It’s been lots of

fun.

Now we look forward to the new 2017 year.

We are hoping to join in community activities

as they come into season. We would love to

have any potential individuals for our

program come and spend the day with us to

check us out.

Requirements for the Donnie Jones Senior

Program are; they must be over the age of

52, want to stop working, need to be mobile

(we are an active

group) and must

be a good fit

for the program/

group.

The Self-Advocacy Committee would like to extend a Happy New

Year to all the individuals served at Happy Hour and their families

and our dedicated staff.

Our committee members ended the year serving our

community by collecting and donating non-perishable food items

to First United Methodist Church for the food bank they operate.

This project entailed decorating boxes and placing the boxes in

each workshop and the Stafford Building. On December 9th the

Self-Advocacy Committee visited the food bank to deliver the non

-perishable food items, and we were graciously given a tour by

the food bank manager, Mr. Hunt. The food bank provides many

families in our community with food, and the Self-Advocacy

Committee was proud to have a small part in helping others. Our

committee also collected new and gently worn coats that will be

donated to those in need at the first of the year.

The Self-Advocacy Committee would like to thank all that

donated food and coats to make our effort a success, and we

salute your generosity and kindness.

Retirement Program

Happy Hour Happenings Page 3

Robins

The festive season has arrived and we in

Robins Recycling are excited about spending

time with family and friends. It’s been a long, hot

and dry summer and we are all ready for a little

cool weather with some rest and relaxation

sprinkled in throughout the holidays.

Our base contract is funded through 31 Dec 16

and we are anxiously waiting for congress to

approve an extension so we can continue to

provide recycling services to Robins AFB. Since

our contract changes have now removed plastic

recycling we are still adjusting to our new work

schedules and procedures.

Happy Holidays to all from the Robins Recycling

Exceptional Mail & More Darryl Kitchens—Program Manager

EM&M survived a hectic and busy quarter. From

mailing off Absentee Ballots to shipping Christmas

packages to love ones, EM&M wants to thank our

customers for using us as their shipping center of

choice.

In 2017, customers will see an increase in shipping

prices and stamps. DHL and FEDEX effective on

January 2nd and USPS effective on January 22nd. We

will continue to offer personal mailboxes at a great

rate; the cheapest in Middle Georgia. Please come

visit us for pricing and availability.

Services such as notary, shipping and packaging,

money orders and reproduction of documents will

continue to be offered. Don’t forget!!!! We give a

10% discount for employees, military members

(active duty, retired, dependents and contractors),

senior citizens (62 and older) and board members.

Please have your ID available to receive the

discount.

Also for 2017, We have applied to become a FEDEX

Holding Center. This will allow Non-Mailbox

Customers, the opportunity to receive packages

when they are away from home.

Well, my six months probation period has passed. If

you had hoped I wouldn't make, sorry!

As we discussed at our last In-Service day in December,

I really want us to focus on how we treat each other as

staff. There is really no place for bickering. We should all

be very proud of what we do and how well we do it. I take

great pride in what you accomplish on a daily basis.

If you have been by my office lately and taken a look at

my project wall, you have seen that a great deal has been

completed. We are nearing completion on Recycled

Treasures and it is something we can all take pride in.

Workshop V down on Green Street is fully functional and

production has increased significantly. Workshop II has

been moved over to Workshop III. Cedric and the Totes

have moved to Workshop II. Jackie is now entrenched in

Workshop I. Now, all we have to do is remember, who is

where?

In the Ryals wing/Schoolhouse, Transportation, as the old

poem goes "we have settled in for a long winter's nap,

Not. Deanne and her crew have been busy. We have

established a new contract with XPRESS Lube on Watson

for getting our vehicles serviced and the oil changed. In

addition, providing the capability for each of you, driving

our vehicles, on a regular basis, to take them by to get

them washed and vacuumed.

We have recently completed Fire/Safety Inspection for all

our residential buildings and all have passed. Thanks to

everyone involved in making sure we stay on top. Safety is

absolutely critical! Our cafeteria's again have excelled,

receiving a 100% rating. Thank Ms. Ann and Ms. Ramona

for not taking things for granted.

Senior Program: We, as a staff, decided to rethink utilizing

Booker Street for our Senior program and collectively

agreed, it would be better for everyone, to keep them here

on the main campus. We are currently processing

applications for supplemental

waivers for our seniors for establishing

a wellness program for them but with

The AD Report

Mike Brashear — Associate Director of JR Dean — Contract

Page 4 Happy Hour Happenings

Ryals Wing Wallace Pitts—Ryals Wing Supervisor

Recreation News

Rose R. Neal-Moore—Recreation Technician

Recreation News 2017

December 2, 2016 - Our Christmas Dance was a big success;

the D.J. played some of our favorite songs as well as some

oldies but goodies. Ms. Ann was back catering some of her

special dishes that we all enjoy very much, Thanks Ms. Ann!!

February 10, 2017 – Our Valentine Dance, will be hosted by the

Association this year the Mother`s Group will be taking a

break, Mrs. Ramon will be catering the dance this year so we

are looking forward to a great dance.

Special Olympics News

Volleyball practice will be starting up soon for the year March

2017. Practice will be on Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. we

don`t have a date but the month for Local Games will April

2017.

Bowling will be ending on March 28, 2017. We will have a

bowling party and an award ceremony for the person Served.

Special Olympics News – we have new Athlete Registration

Forms and Athlete Medical Forms. These form must be

completed by a licensed Medical Doctor, Physician`s Assistant,

Registered Nurse Practitioner or Doctor of Osteopathic

Medicine can complete and sign the medical form. These

forms must be updated and completed so that your Athlete

can be in compliance with Special Olympics to participate in

Bowling or any other Special Olympic sports that your center

offers.

We also have a new Participant Release Form

All Participants Must agree to the following:

1. Able to participate

2. Photo Release

3. Overnight Stay

4. SOGA Housing Policy

5. Emergency Care

6. Medical refusal form

7. Health Programs

8. Concussions

9. Athletes Health diagnose

forms

10. Medication list

11. Medical Physical information

Through-out the past couple of months we

have been working with the individuals in

preparing for so many events and activities here

on the Ryals Wing (Day Program). The

individuals have shown extensive participation in

their goals. The instructor/aides work with them

in achieving various assigned projects. The

month of October individuals work on

numerous projects concerning fall festivities.

Individuals danced and interacted with their

peers, friends, and staff. Some consumers had

worn their costumes for occasion. There were so

many refreshments that were served. Popcorn

machine, boiled peanuts, nachos with cheese,

cotton candy, etc. Ryals Wing was decorated for

Halloween and the individuals were very excited

as they participated in the activities.

We then began to prepare for the month of

November. We asked every one of the

individuals did they want to say; what they’re

thankful for? They were thrilled with that!

November brought on a host of training in

which the staff prepared to accommodate, such

as; First Aid/CPR, body mechanics, etc. We were

served a delightful delicious Thanksgiving

dinner by Ms. Ann. Our individuals enjoyed and

were very grateful as usual. The individuals

worked on their activities preparing for Santa

Claus arrival…..

The month of December is one we all get so

excited about. We began preparing for the “Big

Guy” in the red and white suit. Santa Claus is

coming to town and we must have everything

ready for him as elves. We stayed so busy

decorating, checking

bulbs, putting up trees,

lights and wreaths while

the individuals drew and

decorated the trees in their

room. Everyone enjoyed their

annual Christmas

dance, and Christmas

dinner too! Happy New

Year!!!!!

Happy Hour Happenings Page 5

Workshop Cedric Singleton—Workshop I Supervisor

I pray this article finds all of our readers still in the most

joyous, festive and Ho-Ho-Holiday spirit without all the holiday

season hangover. Please allow us to take you on a magical

journey through the past couple of months. As the

temperature started to drop so did the leaves from the trees

which told our individuals that the Fall Festival and Trick-or-

Treating were not far ahead. They participated in several

events (i.e. cake walk, ring toss, and visiting other departments

collecting candy from staff dressed up as ghosts, ghouls and

goblins) giving them the opportunity to increase their social

skills with others. The individuals had the opportunity to sit

down to a very special lunch and share what they were

THANKFUL for. As December rolled in with gingerbread and

candy all over the workshop as our CANDYLAND came to life,

all the individuals had sugarplums dancing in their heads and

SANTA arrived to see smiling faces all around. I wish all the

parents could have seen that moment because it was

“PRICELESS”.

Please join us in congratulating Cindy H. for earning the

Superstar Award for 3rd qtr. and Michael T. for 4th qtr. These

Cont. on Page 7 — Workshop II

Emory Askew—Workshop II Supervisor

The staff in workshop II welcomes the Holiday season. We had

a ton of fun activities held by the center and everyone enjoyed

themselves. With the Thanksgiving and Christmas Lunch, The

Christmas float and Santa and gift exchange and The Christmas

Dance and as well as the Luminaries. Emory would also like to

thank everyone Staff and Individuals who came out and helped

with the Luminaries.

We appreciate Kohls Company for allowing us to continue to

be apart of the hangers and the contract. In the last few months

we have continued to work on the hangers and our productivity.

We have sent several shipments to China in the past couple of

months. Our person’s served in this workshop II are doing a very

good job. As a group we continue to grow and serve our

person’s served.

Another thanks goes out to Northside High, Warner Robins

High and Houston County High School students who came to

the workshop three days a week to work on the hanger contract.

We also welcome back Jimmy Swope to the workshop. Congrats

to Enniesha Harris for earning Individual of the quarter. We also

Jackie Barnett—Workshop III Supervisor

Another year has come and gone,

UNBELIEVABLE! Our individuals, staff and VR’s

have been working hard each day to get

Workshop III ready for the move. We have

completed the cardboard and plastic. We are still

working on the newspaper and the mixed paper

is almost done. The glass is almost ready for the

last shipment and still baling hangers for the

Kohl’s contract. It has been hectic at times but

with our strong teamwork we’re getting it done.

The individuals were excited to see Santa

Clause and open their gifts at the Annual

Christmas Party. Workshop III wants to say Merry

Christmas and Happy New Year to each and

every one of you, be safe and enjoy the time off.

Jeffery Strong —WS V Supervisor

The staff in workshop V are

very excited about being part

of our big startup . We are

staying very busy with baling

cardboard, having processed

350 bales and shipped 244

bales since October 17, 2016. We have been

receiving positive feedback from the truck drivers

of the company that we ship to. They just love

the easy access of getting in and loaded very

quickly. Our individuals are very happy and

excited about working in our new workshop very

soon! A special thanks to:

Mr. Mike Brashear, Rose Neal-Moore,

Rita Shelley, Emory Askew, Lori Chaney, Kevin

Taylor, Mr. Stan Blaxton, Deanne Nethaway, Jr.

Dean, Roshunda Smith, Liz Thompson, and Jeff

Ridley for supplying us the tools to be

successful. Also, a big THANK YOU to Lachelle

Bryant for continuing to help us improve on the

documentation. The Voc. Rehab. individuals have

Page 6 Happy Hour Happenings

The Social Workers are sad to announce that one of

our Social Workers, Lester Ward has moved on to a new

position and opportunity with Support Coordination.

Lester proudly served the individuals here at Happy

Hour Service Center for six years in many capacities of

our great organization with gracious professionalism.

He served as a: Direct Care Aide with Residential

Services, Job Coach with Community Employment, and

Social Worker in the Social Services Department.

Fortunately, Lester will still be involved with Happy

Hour Service Center in his new position by serving

Social Services Carla Plant, Debra Spears & Andrew

These last few months have been hectic for the staff

and individuals of Recycled Treasures. Not only did we

handle holiday shoppers, we worked around major

demolition and remodeling. We are so excited about

the future renovations of our building and about

opening up road front. At this point, all of the painting

is complete and we are now waiting on the installation

of the heating and air conditioning system. The

expansion will give us the opportunity to display more

items for sale and to collect more donations.

Krista Melton will soon kick off our website/yard sale

sales. She will have an operational email address to

answer questions and help interested buyers. Please

continue to refer donations which support our store

and organization. We are available to arrange for

pickups if needed. Just give us a call at (478) 602-5101

or (478)919-3439.

Please like our Facebook page to stay

current on the deals and promotions we have! https://

www.facebook.com/RecycledTreasuresYardsale/?fref=ts

Have a warm and cozy winter and we

Recycled

Transportation &

PLEASE CALL 478-929-6603 FOR

TRANSPORTATION CHANGES!

Happy Hour follows the Houston County School

District schedule for weather related closures. Tune

in to 13WMAZ or WNNG AM 1350 if bad weather is

coming our way and you are wondering about

possible closures.

For individuals that are transported by Happy Hour

please call 929-6603 for ALL changes to your

schedule. (Not coming into center, not needing ride

home, etc.) We would like to be as efficient as

possible and not make unnecessary trips. Your

phone calls are always welcome!

“A Day Without Laughter Is A Day Wasted” - Charlie

Chaplin

Happy New Year To All!! 2016 is gone, with lots of

change started, and continuing. In the transportation

area our new approach in leasing three vans from

Enterprise to serve individuals on our daily routes is

going well (this to shift the maintenance costs off of us

to the leasing company.) Our older vans & buses are

costing a lot to keep serviceable and running, but we do

want to safely serve as many individuals as is reasonably

possible with the fleet we have. An additional demand

on transportation is the increasing need for more

vehicles that can transport wheelchairs, both for day

services and in the residential program.

We want to thank drivers in all our programs for safe

driving—continue to be “watching out for the other

guy” We had only two minor incidents in ‘16 where we

were at fault, and they both fell into a state statistic

(“70% of accidents involve hitting a fixed object or rear

ending someone”) - We had two low speed

entanglements with fixed objects! All other incidents

were also minor, but the fault of other drivers. Whether

driving for Happy Hour or personal—watch out for the

other guy and buckle up!

As the summer wore on (or is it still with us—high 70’s

for Christmas!?), we were able to catch up with air

conditioning maintenance. Then it was a spate of

plumbing problems. Our maintenance guys are kept

busy with responding to calls small and large for quick

fixes, while also working on projects. Kevin caught up a

list of items identified in a HUD inspection at group

homes. Dan and Jeff were involved with helping

prepare the float for the Christmas parade (the winning

float, I might add!)

Happy Hour Happenings Page 7

Kelvin Taylor —

Community Employment Manager

Community Employment hopes that everyone

enjoyed their New Year! We are still offering the

special on carpet cleaning for two rooms and a

hall for $99.00 (different rate for staff)!!

Our janitorial contracts are going well and we

are glad that we are able to give the Happy Hour

individuals more work opportunities in the

community and getting them out of the

workshops into a different work environment. We

are seeing an increase in servicing businesses for

floor services. Latrice, Arthur and the individuals

are doing a great job on our custodial contracts!

The Vocational Rehabilitation program is going

well. Flora, Lucius, Tonya, Kristen, Ann, and

Angela are working diligently in finding

opportunities for our Voc Rehab individuals. If

you have a need for VR help in the workshops

please call Kelvin.

Community Employment is working hard every

day to open new opportunities for our individuals

served. Please continue to keep your eyes and

Community

Falcon Park

What a busy few months we’ve had at Falcon Park!

There were so many activities to enjoy from the Fall

Festival to Santa visiting the facility with presents! The

residential program also attended a mass outing at the

movies for Cinema for a Cause. The individuals enjoyed

putting up Christmas trees and shopping for gifts for

their loved ones.

Please help us welcome new hires Mari Brown, Angela

Wipel, Semorn Odige, Tracey Johnson, Nikia Hayes, Ciera

Ross, and Eulanda Hamilton! They have hit the ground

running and really did their part to make the season

bright for our program!

Accounting Counts Deletta Hall —Accounting Manager

Happy New Year! Can you believe another year has

come and gone? We had a busy, busy, busy fourth

quarter with the National Fair week, Fall Festival,

Thanksgiving, Christmas Parade float, Illuminaries,

Christmas Dance and Santa Christmas Party. Whew!

As we move into the new year our goal in accounting

is to begin utilizing our new accounting software

system, so please be patient with your requests and

ours. We currently plan to have the W2 forms out by

January 31, 2017, earlier IF possible.

Thank you to all who have helped our accounting

department during our transition, I especially want to

thank my staff Rhonda, Rita, Helen and Wilson for your

effort and dedication to your job and our organization.

Congratulations to Employees of the Quarter-

Roshunda Smith/WS, Rose Neal Moore/Administrative,

Social Workers Debra Spears, Carla Plant,

Andrew Dennis/Group and Alexis

Patterson/Residential. Congratulations to

Kristen Lattimer for Employee of the Year.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended

and to everyone who made it all possible.

celebrated together the birth of Jesus Christ.

There was such a positive vibe in the building as

we celebrated together the birth of Jesus Christ.

We look forward to the quiet days of winter and a

fun-filled spring! Until then, take care and God

bless!

~Rhonda Pittman

HAPPY HOUR Houston County Association for Exceptional Citizens, Inc.

202 N. Davis Dr. PMB 164

Warner Robins, GA 31093

For more information about

Happy Hour please call Stan Blaxton

@ 478-929-6614

Employee Dates to

To:

Staff/Consumers/Parents/

Guardians/Service Providers/

Business Partners

January

Board Meeting—19th 2:00

(Tentative) st

Fellowship Breakfast—20th 7:00-

9:00

February Valentine Dance –10th 6:00-

8:00

Board Meeting—16th 2:00

(Tentative) st

March

We’re on the Web!

www.happyhourservicecenter.org Houston County Association for

Exceptional Citizens, Inc., working as Happy Hour, has been in operation since 1956, and is one of the oldest organizations in the Middle Georgia area serving d e v e l o p m e n t a l l y d i s a b l e d individuals. Over these years, there have been many expansions from the original seven consumers to the present one hundred seventy (170).

Happy Hour is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). We are also a United Way Agency and a non-profit agency under IRS rule 501 (C) (3).

Superstars of 4th Quarter

Sarah B. — Retirement

Program

Fred D. —Ryals Wing

Michael T. —WSI

Enneisha H. —WS II

Charles B.—WS III

Joe P.—WS

IV

Employees of the Year

2016 Kristen Lattimer

Employees of 4th

Quarter Rose Neal-Moore—

Administrative

Alexis Patterson—Residential

Roshunda Smith—WS

Happy Hour Team

Award

Participant