Today at Living Resources

When was the last time you got to hold a baby farm animal? If you ask participants of our Saratoga Day Community Opportunity Program, they would tell you “this week!” The team took advantage of Indian Ladder’s Baby Animal Days to have an up close and personal experience with chicks, bunnies, lambs, goat kids, pigs, and more. Farm staff was there to facilitate the experience, handing the animals to the participants for petting and photo opportunities. While the whole trip was as exciting as it was informative, they particularly enjoyed feeding the chickens and holding baby goats! They even hopped [...]

Whether it was a celebration of spring, birthdays, both, or something else entirely, no one really knew, and it honestly didn’t matter. If there’s one thing that the staff and participants of Living Resources’ Acquired Brain Injury Program (ABI) have learned, it’s that life is short and you never really need a reason to have fun. All program participants have suffered brain injuries at some point in their life due to accidents and/ or medical emergencies. They came to Living Resources ABI program to establish meaningful post-injury roles and relationships, overcoming their obstacles with the support of fellow survivors. While we [...]

Last week, Living Resources' Day Community Opportunity Programs (DCOP) in Schenectady and Albany enjoyed a beautiful day and participated in an egg hunt. Each group had their selected color of eggs to locate and two special golden eggs were hidden to add to the excitement and win extra points. All of the participants and staff engaged and enjoyed it! Schenectady DCOP's Staff and admin team members came together, using their own funds to create baskets for each participant. Sergio Camacho, Assistant Director for the Art Program, donated colored pencils to add to the baskets. The baskets included colored pencils, notebooks, healthy [...]

Members of one of our residences in Glenville took a journey to the center of New York to find themselves in pre-historic times. They traveled to Jurassic Quest at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse where they had an up close and personal experience with realistic life-size dinosaurs. The individuals were thrilled to experience the mammoth animatronic creatures, watching them walk and hearing their fierce roar. They took in a Baby Dino show where they got to dote over three adorable, “just hatched” creatures- Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T-Rex, and Trixie the Triceratops. Before they voyaged back [...]

The residents in one of our houses had a hopping good time visiting with a certain springtime rabbit this weekend. The Easter Bunny spent quality time with each individual, giving everyone a personalized basket of gifts to enjoy, including sensory toys, lotion, nail polish, a watch, and socks. The bunny didn’t hop off after that, though. She stayed with the group for about five hours coloring and decorating Easter eggs and helping with chores. When they needed to do errands in the community, guess who tagged along? Everyone loved the excitement of escorting the Easter Bunny into [...]

Participants of our Saratoga County Day Community Opportunities Program (DCOP) have been enjoying their community and beyond! They went to the Berkshire Museum where they explored an interactive exhibition showcasing regional innovators and innovations, checked out dioramas of model plants and animals in their native habitats,  said hello to Berkshire Museum's resident mummy, Pahat, and visited the many species of fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians in the aquarium and reptile room. It was so fun, they couldn’t leave without purchasing something from the gift shop to remember the excursion! At St. Edwards in Clifton Park, they [...]

Happy Easter from Living Resources! Two of our residences in Delmar joined forces for an Easter Extravaganza! They celebrated with music and games while enjoying each other’s company. Later, an Easter feast was shared by all. The house nurse, Rachel Palmer, joined in a few rousing rounds of Easter Bingo, and special guests, Dr. and Mrs. Fruiterman popped by to enjoy the festivities while visiting with their son Noah. We are privileged that Dr. Fruiterman lends his knowledge base and leadership to Living Resources as a member of our board. To learn more about our many [...]

Congratulations to Lasha Wright, winner of Capital Regional Pharmacy Services’ Capital Region RX Caregiver of the Year Award! Lasha was one of seven caregivers honored at a recent luncheon that celebrated the hardworking and dedicated Direct Support Professionals and their crucial role in providing care and support to individuals with disabilities. OPWDD Commissioner Kerri Neifeld presented the awards and shared her gratitude to the honorees, making this event even more special. Lasha began her career at Living Resources as a Direct Support Professional in July of 2021, and since then, she has made quite an impact on the lives [...]

Míle buíochas (many thanks) to Leonardo Martinez and our four leafed friends at the Plaza Diner in Hudson, NY for turning the Columbia Greene Day Community Opportunity Program (DCOP)’s shamrock charcuterie into a feast fit for a leprechaun. Amanda Doty, the Assistant Manager of Living Resources’ Columbia County Day Community Opportunity Program said, “When asked if they would be willing to donate to our participants, they agreed without hesitation. They not only made sure we had enough to feed everyone, they gave extra portions and worked around our schedule to ensure that it would be ready for us when we [...]

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, we are honored to introduce you to Dee, who attends Living Resources Day Community Opportunities Program (DCOP). Dee is 25 years old and her hobbies include swimming and coloring, and she enjoys eating popcorn while watching movies. She calls herself “a special needs kid,” not only due to her Down syndrome, but she also shared that when she was three years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia and required a bone marrow transplant. Dee’s optimism is palpable. As she said, “I survived it and I feel good about it. My [...]