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A Letter of Appreciation

A Letter of Appreciation

A nice surprise popped into the TVS email last week, a letter of appreciation from Allison Snyder. Allison is an Inclusion Education Major at Western Carolina University (WCU) who graduated from Rosman High School in 2019.

The letter is a nice reminder that our mission is visible in the community and how important our work is. Thank you to all TVS employees working to support our mission, and thank you to Allison for your kind words.

Click here to read the Letter of Appreciation.

TVS employees donate 1700 hygiene items to SAFE

TVS employees donate 1700 hygiene items to SAFE

In the second donation of the 2021 ‘Give Back, Get Back’ event, Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS) employees collected over 1,700 hygiene items to donate to SAFE of Transylvania County.

“We are really touched by this donation,” said Director of Human Resources at SAFE, Patience Camp. “It is the smallest things that mean so much when you have very little or nothing. The people we help appreciate these items and it means a lot to know that people care, even though they cannot voice it.”

SAFE is a community leader in eliminating domestic and sexual abuse through support, prevention and outreach. The SAFE team knows that ending domestic and sexual abuse builds stronger families, economies and communities.

Items donated included hundreds of tooth brushes, deodorant, hair brushes, soap, body lotion, feminine products and more.

“This donation will allow us to use funds for other things needed such as food in our food pantries and operational items,” said Camp. “It is just amazing and we truly appreciate this.”

Currently, this hygiene donation event has collected the most items ever in a TVS donation.

“It makes me super proud to work at TVS and watch employees give so generously,” said TVS Administrative Assistant Kayde Hopkins. “I am ecstatic with the donation and have enjoyed giving back to SAFE the way they give back to the community.”

The annual ‘Give Back, Get Back’ donation event also donated 1,300 food items to Life Changers Outreach of Pisgah Forest in early October and is currently collecting items to package 75 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Halloween Scares at TVS

Halloween Scares at TVS

The spooky season was celebrated with festive outfits, hygiene care, and a spooky bake off at TVS this year.

TVS employees and program participants dressed up for the holiday for a chance to win two zero-gravity chairs or a double gravity chair. All individuals who dressed up were displayed on the break room TV for employees to vote on their favorite costume!

Congratulations to Sara Gibbs for winning the Halloween contest! Her scary clown costume spooked the most employee votes.

To complete the holiday, there was also a scary bake-off on Sunday, October 31st for TVS “C” shift employees.

“The Halloween bake-off was an easy idea. We had already been cooking for each other once a week prior to the holiday,” said “C” shift Supervisor Mitchell Rapp. “It brought the staff together and set a good tone for the rest of the day.”

On the menu were multiple items: edible intestines (Sara Gibbs & Devin Stepp), cut-off hand meatloaf (Esther & Charlie Parker), cut-off fingers and toes (Mary Larkin & Eric McGahee), baby fingers (Angie Ludy), candy corn (Will Coleman), stuffed hearts (Esther & Charlie Parker), and candy (Mandy Mathews).

Contestants were judged on taste and overall appearance. The judges were Production Supervisor Brian Wilson and his wife Lee Wilson, along with Supply Chain Manager Justin Frady.

“It was fun seeing the creative and demented ideas,” said Judge Brian Wilson. “I could tell that everyone was enjoying themselves which really made the experience that much more fun.”

But the overall winners were first place – “Edible Intestines” by Sara Gibbs and Devin Stepp, second place – “Cut-off Hand Meatloaf” by Esther and Charlie Parker, and third place – “Cut-off Fingers and Toes” by Mary Larkin and Eric MaGahee.

The top three winners earned a gift card to Hotels.com, Waffle House and Taco Bell.

Along with the holiday cheer, TVS employees were also gifted Halloween goody bags filled with floss, tooth paste and a tooth brush from the TVS Wellness Committee. October was National Dental Hygiene Month and with the trick-or-treating it was a healthy reminder for TVS employees to keep up with dental hygiene, in between pieces of candy!

Carla Hill celebrates 15 years at TVS

Carla Hill celebrates 15 years at TVS

“When I first contacted Carla Hill 15 years ago, I wanted her recommendation on who to hire for a new position being created at TVS. I didn’t dream that I could hire her, so the next best thing was her top recommendation,” said former TVS CEO Nancy Stricker. “I thought I had won the lottery when she called me back expressing interest in the job.”

It was a transition period at TVS in 2006. The new job position as Program Manager was created to help transition from state funding to Medicaid funding to support services.

“There were new rules and regulations, and I knew Carla would (and did) lead us through that time in our growth,” said Nancy. She laughed saying, “No matter what changes came, I knew Carla could read it, understand it and explain it to me, thus keeping me from going to jail.”

After 15 years, Carla continues growing and expanding the programs at TVS as the Program Director. When first hired, Carla was in charge of the Life Skills program, the INTERACT program (previously known as ADVP) with individuals working under the 14C contract, and Employment Services. All of these were significantly smaller and have evolved into the programs we have today.

Since being hired, TVS programs have expanded to include two residential facilities in 2010 and branched out into local high schools with the Pre-Employment Transitions Services (Pre-ETS) program in 2019.

Employment Services has developed to support 50 individuals at any given time. One individual has been receiving support of 15 years and another has been successfully employed for 20 years after receiving services from Employment Specialists.

“Carla’s communication and willingness to adjust to VR requirements has helped build a fantastic working relationship,” said Lenora Mathis, Regional CRP Specialist at the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. “She is a great partner to work with and we are lucky to have such a strong leader who knows how to get things done.”

Lenora has been working with Carla over the last 15 years. She said, “As Carla learned about services, she was patient, diligent and always made sure everything she and her staff did for clients was very high quality. Her effectiveness in her job is obvious in the performance of TVS’ VR contract.”

As TVS programs have grown, so has Carla. “I am introverted but I feel like I’ve had to force myself outside of that to be more comfortable,” she said. “I am not good with on-the-spot responses but I have learned that taking my time is important because I need to consider everyone that would be impacted; including individuals served and staff.”

Reflecting on her favorite memories, Carla talks about breaking down the stigma associated with 14C and the growth of the Employment Services within the community. 

“What has been extremely meaningful to me, has been reinventing what we now call INTERACT,” said Carla. “It is all about thinking about the individuals you support, and making sure they are part of the plan.”

Prior to working at TVS, Carla worked in the field of mental health for her entire career. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Master Degree in Social Work and moved around to California and Indiana before relocating back to North Carolina with her two children. 

Carla has a love of theatre, and when she is not working you might find her performing or watching a theatrical performance. She also enjoys walking, hiking and working out at the local CrossFit.

“Carla is a beast at CrossFit and is always motivated to push herself and others at the gym and in her personal life,” said Employment Specialist Megan Pilley. “Carla is always there to support me, whether it is at the gym or in my personal and work life.”

Looking ahead, Carla plans to continue attending webinars to stay up-to-date with rules and regulations and to continue serving more people. She says, “The rest of my career here, I will continue being a ‘servant leader’ and will continue to encourage and help DSP’s and Employment Specialists grow and develop new skills. I want to be a support resource for anyone that needs it.”

 

TVS kicks off annual “Give Back, Get Back” donation events by donating 1300 food items

TVS kicks off annual “Give Back, Get Back” donation events by donating 1300 food items

TVS is happy to announce the success of the first donation event of the 2nd annual “Give Back, Get Back” drive. The donation event collected 1300 food items to be donated to Life Changers Outreach of Pisgah Forest!

“We had set a personal goal of beating last years donation amount of 800 items,” said TVS Benefits and Recruitment Specialist Catherine Tinsley. “It was amazing to see us blow that goal out of the water.”

Donations included boxes of cereal, macaroni and cheese, soups, pastas, canned veggies, and more. This year, TVS donated 5 cases of Mountain Maid Devil’s Food Cake and 5 cases Mountain Maid Pancake Mix to support the drive.

TVS began the “Give Back, Get Back” donation drives in 2020 as a way to help other organizations in the community, and beyond with Operation Christmas Child, during the pandemic. Due to COVID-19 these organizations were facing a decline in donations as many people were struggling themselves with learning how to survive during the pandemic.

TVS employees earn raffle tickets for donating items to the donation events. The tickets will be used in December to win a number of prizes.

“We enjoy seeing our employees rally together to donate goods. It is amazing to see what we can do as a company when we work together,” said Tinsley. “Even more so, we really enjoy giving away big-ticket items to everyone that helped us pull it all off.”

Last year, the “Give Back, Get Back” raffle included items such as Chromebooks, TV’s, air fryers, and more. While this year’s prizes have not been announced, they will be reflective of last years.

As the donation drives continue, employees are now collecting hygiene related items to be donated to S.A.F.E.’s Attic. As well as, collecting toys for Operation Christmas Child in November.

 

TVS joins broad effort to observe NDEAM

TVS joins broad effort to observe NDEAM

Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS) today announced its participation in National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October. The purpose of NDEAM is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year’s theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion”

The history of National Disability Employment Awareness Month traces back to 1945 when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

“Our national recovery from the pandemic cannot be completed without the inclusion of all Americans, in particular people with disabilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “Their contributions have historically been vital to our nation’s success, and are more important today than ever. We must build an economy that fully includes the talent and drive of those with disabilities.”

Reflecting this year’s theme, throughout the month, TVS will be engaging in a variety of activities to educate its employees and community on disability employment issues and its commitment to an inclusive work culture. These efforts include social media posts and informational articles located on the website.

“TVS is proud to be a part of this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month,” said Beth Rich, VP Business Development and Marketing. “We want to spread the important message that we value all perspectives, including those of individuals with disabilities.”

Employers and employees in all industries can learn more about how to participate in National Disability Employment Awareness Month and ways they can promote its messages — during October and throughout the year — by visiting www.dol.gov/NDEAM.