children with disabilities

Ceramic Christmas Trees Made by People with Disabilities Now Available Online

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RHA Howell announces annual fundraiser.  

December 14, 2011 (Greensboro, NC) — RHA Howell has announced that the popular lighted ceramic Christmas trees made by people with disabilities are available again this year for purchase online.

Available in green or white, the ceramic Christmas trees stand about 12 inches tall and feature tiny lights on the branches that are illuminated by a bulb inside the tree.

People with disabilities who are served by RHA Howell’s Greensboro day and community programs made all of the trees. Proceeds from sales will benefit RHA’s developing arts immersion program.

“Our Christmas trees have been a popular fundraiser for many years,” said special events coordinator Debbie Valentine. “They’re a lovely holiday decoration and our clients love making them.”

The ceramic trees are $25 each plus shipping and handling ($15 via UPS ground). Or they can be picked up at RHA Howell Greensboro, 1508 Gatewood Ave., Greensboro, NC, 27405. Orders should be placed online at www.rhahowell.org by clicking on the Christmas trees icon.

For more information contact Kandy John at 336-273-6105, email: kjohn@rhanet.org; or Roger Jones at 252-521-1131, email: rojones@rhanet.org.

The Greensboro day and community programs are part of RHA Howell’s statewide service to children and adults with disabilities and their families. For more information visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, please go to www.rhahowell.org.

Bridges CAP/C Program and Hilltop Home Collaborate with “Money Follows The Person” To Make A Child’s Dream Come True

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November 29, 2011 (Raleigh NC) — A child living with complex medical needs will be moving from her

L-R: Maria and her twin sister Nicole.

current residential placement back to her family’s home due to the collaborative efforts of RHA Howell’s Bridges Community Alternative Program for Children (CAP-C), Hilltop Home (a private, nonprofit residential center), and the North Carolina “Money Follows the Person” project.

Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a state demonstration project that assists people who live in inpatient facilities to move into their own communities with supports. The project’s intent is to allow North Carolinians to have greater choice about where they receive their long-term supports.

This marks the first time that MFP has assisted in transitioning a child with complex medical needs back to her home through CAP-C. Much of the credit goes to Holly Lemieux, Executive Director of Hilltop Home, for recognizing that this particular child was ready to return home, and for getting CAP-C to assist in helping the family re-unite.

“This 18-month partnership with Hilltop Home and RHA Howell CAP/C has been a true labor of love,” Lemieux said. “After nine years, this family is realizing their dream of having Maria at home where she belongs. Many thanks to Lena Robertson, RHA Howell CAP/C case manager, for her advocacy in making this happen.”

The RHA Bridges staff has been working closely for months with Trish Farnham, Project Director, and Christy Blevins, Assistant Director for the MFP project, to make this family’s dream a reality.

“Our CAP-C professional team has been working diligently to identify the needs this child will have upon her discharge to ensure a seamless and successful transition back to home,” said John Gibbons, Director of Bridges CAP-C Case Management. “Our case managers also helped to organize home and vehicle modifications to make the environment ready for the child’s return home.”

The modifications included widening doorways, installing a ceiling lift to move Maria safely about the home, building an entry ramp, and modifying the family van to accommodate her wheelchair.

“It has been quite an undertaking for our case managers,” said Gibbons, “but one that has also been rewarding for all of us.”

MFP provided funding of $23,000 to help make this dream a reality. The funds were approved in advance to ensure that the needed modifications could be in working order prior to Maria’s discharge from Hilltop Home and before the effective date for her CAP-C services to begin.

For more information on North Carolina’s Money Follows The Person program: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/MFP.htm.

About RHA Bridges:

RHA Bridges, a program within RHA Howell, Inc., serves as a “bridge” between families, needed services, the Department of Social Services, the Division of Medical Assistance, physicians, and therapists. CAP-C Bridges helps to coordinate the work of home health professionals who provide care for children with medically complex needs through age 21. For more information on the Bridges CAP-C Case Management program, visit www.rhabridges.com or call 919-803-2960.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for nearly 40 years. Integrity, high standards for quality and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

Cary Writer Plans Humor Book to Raise Funds for The Miracle League of the Triangle

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Cris Cohen will donate proceeds to the Triangle baseball league.

Writer/blogger Cris Cohen of Cary.


March 2, 2011 (CARY, NC) – For six years, California native Cris Cohen entertained his readers with his wry and often hilarious takes on any number of everyday subjects, primarily through newspaper columns. His columns were published in various newspapers in California before he and his family (wife Michelle and son Max) moved to Cary, NC, in 2008, where he began writing his equally funny blog Nothing in Particular: An incomplete waste of time.

Now Cohen is planning something for those columns, and a few new ones, that will do more than just make his readers laugh. He’s putting together a collection in a book that he’ll use to raise funds for the Miracle League of the Triangle, a baseball league for children with special needs.

After it’s published in September, proceeds from Staying Crazy To Keep From Going Insane by Cris Cohen will help kids with special needs and their families in the Triangle area continue to experience joy and community through American’s favorite pastime — baseball.

One of those kids is Cohen’s own son, Max.

“Max’s various physical and mental challenges prohibit him from participating in a lot of fun, regular kid stuff,” Cohen said. “The Miracle League is one of the few places where all of those barriers and limitations are magically wiped away. Max gets to play baseball with his buddies. It’s pretty amazing.”

Local businessmen Robin Rose and Tony Withers began the Miracle League of the Triangle in 2004. They opened their first official season in 2006 with 100 young baseball players. Today, the League has 200 players, or 18 teams, and more than 500 volunteers.

“We’ve gotten a lot from the League,” Cohen said. “It’s a place where Max gets to have some independence, to leave Mom and Dad in the stands and head out to the field. And we have made a lot of great friends, people who understand the challenges of being the parents of a special needs child and can offer advice, support, etc. After receiving all of that, Michele and I wanted to give something back.”

Cohen’s book will also feature original illustrations by Raleigh artist Darla Yancho, including cover art of a goldfish in a bowl wearing a shark fin.

“Darla is one of the few people I know who could create a picture that is worth not just a thousand words but a thousand odd, slightly off-center words,” Cohen said. “The cover she created is fun, funny, and makes you do a double-take. I can only hope my writing lives up to her illustration.”

To help offset the cost of publishing Staying Crazy to Keep From Going Insane, Cohen is offering sponsorship opportunities to anyone who would like to get involved. Sponsorship packages start as low as $35.

“So anyone interested in sponsoring the book and in return getting some promotion for his or her business, website, or hobby that mixes the arts of dancing and taxidermy, should email me at writercris@live.com or visit the Sponsorship page,” he said.

Cohen recently launched a website for the future book at www.stayingcrazy.com and a Facebook page.

For more information on the Miracle League of the Triangle, visit www.miracleleagueofthetriangle.com.

To read Cohen’s ongoing blog “Nothing In Particular,” go to http://criscohen.typepad.com.

About Cris Cohen:

Cris Cohen is the author of the Nothing In Particular blog. Although he was born in Buffalo, NY, Cris grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, eventually graduating from the University of Southern California. After a stint in rock radio in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Cris started writing his humor column for a collection of California newspapers. He eventually gravitated toward the tech world and Silicon Valley, working for companies such as Netscape and Cisco Systems. Cris, Michele, and Max moved to North Carolina in 2008. His blog is available at http://criscohen.typepad.com.

Metro Magazine Signs On As Major Sponsor For “Blue Tie Casino Night”

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February 23, 2010 (NEW BERN, NC) – RHA Howell, Inc. is pleased to announce that Raleigh Metro Magazine, the city-regional monthly magazine with coverage from the Triangle region to the coast of North Carolina, has become the first Platinum Sponsor for Blue Tie Casino Night, a major fundraising event to be held in New Bern, NC, on April 17th. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit children and adults with disabilities.

The Platinum Sponsorship level is worth $5000. The magazine’s in-kind donation is a full-page, color advertisement for the event in its March edition.

Metro’s editor and publisher Bernie Reeves is well-known for supporting a variety of charitable efforts through the magazine and its website, including Heroes of Hope, an organization that raises public awareness and funds for brain tumor research.

“We are always grateful for support from our sponsors, but especially this year in a difficult economy and because of devastating cuts in our funding,” said Debbie Valentine, RHA Howell’s marketing and special events planner. “The extreme generosity of Metro Magazine is an example of how we can all work together to open the world to people with disabilities.”

RHA Howell, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs and their families for more than 35 years, is presenting Blue Tie Casino Night as a fundraiser benefiting children and adults at its Tar River, Greenville Group Homes, and River Bend Centers.

The event will take place in the main ballroom of the Hilton River Front Hotel in New Bern and include music, fine food, signature drinks and a host of non-cash-prize casino-style games, such as Poker, Blackjack, and Roulette.

The night will also feature a silent and live auction. The live auction will give party-goers a chance to bid on five major entertainment packages ranging from a Fighter Pilot for a Day experience to a Girlfriends Shopping Getaway in New York City.

Tickets to the Blue Tie Casino Night are $50 each with tables of 10 available for $400. Seating is limited. To purchase advance tickets, go to www.rhahowell.org/BlueTie.aspx or call RHA event coordinator Debbie Valentine at 919-803-2690. Preferred attire is “dressy cocktail” with an emphasis on blue rather than black tie.

The RHA Howell Tar River Center in Greenville is a pediatric unit supporting 30 medically fragile infants and children with disabilities. The Greenville Group Homes provide quality care for children and teenagers with developmental delays and special needs. The RHA Howell River Bend Center in New Bern is home to 125 children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Proceeds from the Blue Tie Casino Night will directly benefit each person served by these programs.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

For more information on Raleigh Metro Magazine, go to www.metronc.com.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, visit us at  www.rhahowell.org. or join us on our Face book page.

RHA Howell Launches New “Bridges” Website

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February 11, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – RHA Howell, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs and their families for more than 35 years, has launched a new website dedicated solely to its “Bridges” Community Alternative Program for Children (CAP/C) division: www.rhabridges.com.

CAP/C provides home and community based services to medically fragile children in North Carolina under age 18. These children are at risk for long-term hospital care or nursing home care because of their medical needs. CAP/C provides in-home programs that keep families together by allowing the children to stay at home and still receive the services they need.

RHA Howell Bridges is dedicated to creating a better quality of life for these children and their families by serving as a coordinator – or “bridge” — for the family to those services, from the Department of Social Services to physicians, therapists, and pediatric nurses. This allows the family to concentrate on their child rather the process of providing services for him or her.

The new website, designed by Nelson Bruner of eHosted.com, reflects the upbeat, positive personality of the Bridges mission. It’s bright, colorful and simple to use. “Kid-friendly” was the term guiding Bruner’s decisions.

“Most of my work is very corporate,” Bruner said. “So it was challenging – and fun —  to stretch the envelope, so to speak, to create something with a more whimsical, child-friendly ambience.”

The new website features various menus, clearly presented, that take users from the more serious aspects of CAP/C services – such as case management, therapy services, medical supplies, and even career opportunities in the industry – to a “Kids Art Gallery” and “Share Your Stories” page where parents and other care-givers can post items themselves.

The site intersperses color photographs of children and care-givers with simple, child-like illustrations. Bright, bold type plays up phrases such as “When your world is turned upside down, we are here to help” and “Do what you do best. Love your child.”

Links also take visitors to the main RHA Howell, Inc. website and to a news blog featuring all of RHA Howell’s news and events, including those specifically related to the Bridges division.

To see the new website and to learn more about RHA Howell Bridges, go to www.rhabridges.com.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:
RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

RHA Howell President Joins ANCOR Board of Directors

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December 17, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Sam K. Hedrick, president of RHA Howell, Inc., in Raleigh, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), a nonprofit trade association representing more than 800 private providers of services and supports for Americans with disabilities.

Sam K. Hedrick, president, RHA Howell, Inc.

Hedrick has served as president of RHA Howell, a network of residential and community-based services for people with disabilities across North Carolina, since 2007. Prior to this position, she served as chief operating office and associate counsel from 2003-2007.

A licensed attorney, Hedrick has also served as RHA Howell’s business and legal consultant. As a registered nurse, she has worked at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill. She is also the mother of a child with disabilities.

As a member of the ANCOR board, Sam Hedrick will be directly involved in the organization’s efforts in the area of public policy, federal legislative and regulatory initiatives, judicial results, state-level initiatives, and in the culling of leading practices that have positioned ANCOR as a national presence for private providers of services for Americans with disabilities.

“Congress and federal agencies turn to ANCOR as the authority in our profession,” according to the ANCOR web site. “ANCOR has always been and will continue to be [a private provider’s] eyes, ears, and voice in Washington, DC.”

For more information on ANCOR, visit www.ancor.org.

For more information on RHA Howell, Inc., visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

About ANCOR:

The American Network of Community Options and Resources, founded in the 1970s, represents almost 700 agencies and associates that, with the agencies served by state organizations that are members of ANCOR, together support more than 160,000 people with disabilities nationwide. For more information, go to www.ancor.org.

NC Children With Disabilities Create Unique Holiday Cards

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December 4, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – Tiny fingers and toes helped to create a unique collection of holiday cards that not only raises much-needed funds for people with disabilities, but that also demonstrates how the smallest gesture can say “Happy Holidays” more poignantly than any Hallmark collection.

With the help of the staff at the RHA Howell Tar River Center, a not-for-profit pediatric center for children with disabilities in Greenville, NC, the children traced their hands; made prints with their hands, fingers and toes; or drew simple pictures, all of which became artwork for 10 original holiday cards that are on sale now for $10 per package.

“In addition to having a really fun time, it was also a wonderful sensory experience for the children and also something that they could share with their parents”, said Jill Best, Infant and Toddler Specialist at Tar River.

Each card features a note on the back explaining how the artwork was created, such as “This card was created by Kiki’s fingerprints, Age 2.” The messages range from “Happy Holidays” and “Have a Very Merry Christmas” to “Peace, Joy, Love.”

The RHA Howell Tar River Center opened in 1992 after the State of North Carolina asked Irene Howell, the organization’s founder, to create a warm and homelike environment for children while providing the necessary medical and rehabilitative services needed for them to develop to their fullest potential. The Tar River Center is an Intermediate Care Facility of the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR).

The Tar River Center provides state-of-the-art services to children who depend on continued medical and technological support and is run cooperatively with the Brody School of Medicine.  “RHA Howell Tar River has made a significant difference in the lives of hundreds of North Carolina’s children” said Sam Hedrick, President of RHA Howell.

To order RHA Howell’s 2009 holiday cards and everyday cards, contact Debbie Valentine, RHA Howell’s communications director, at dvalentine@rhanet.org or call her at 919-803-2360. All proceeds will benefit children with disabilities.

For more information on RHA Howell, visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.