Thankfulness and Giving

Thanksgiving is one of our country’s most beloved holidays. Spending precious time with family and friends and sharing a delicious meal is something we all enjoy. Last week, the warmth of the holiday could be felt throughout all the Richcroft residences, with supported individuals and staff working together to create wonderful meals of turkey with all the trimmings! 

 

Thanksgiving is something we look forward to all year long, but food insecurity is an all too real issue that is faced by many of Baltimore’s residents. This year, Richcroft’s admin team took part in the adopt-a-family program through the Baltimore Hunger Project — a nonprofit with the mission of eliminating weekend childhood hunger in Baltimore. In the end, Richcroft’s staff collected enough food to provide 15 families with a Thanksgiving dinner this year, and on November 9th, Malik, Victor, Tim and their staff Debroah delivered the bags of food to the Baltimore Hunger Project. Being part of a community means showing up wherever help is needed, and our incredible staff at Richcroft have shown us time and time again that they’re willing to go the extra mile for those who really need it.

 

Our Board Visits Residents

Living by our mission to always serve those we support, our board has worked to make sure they incorporated a personal touch to their philanthropy. On the Monday after Thanksgiving, one of our newest board members, Dr. Michael Jablonover, visited one of our residences in Baltimore County, to meet our supported individuals and see Richcroft’s mission in action. He was joined by CEO Kevin Drumheller and Director of Residential Services Chike Ogbonna. According to Kevin, ”we are very grateful to have engaged and committed board members who want to learn more and be a part of the day to day work of Richcroft.”

 

Holiday Wreath-Making 

Three groups from the new CDS Program came together the week before Thanksgiving for a festive holiday wreath-making workshop! Participants created beautiful wreaths made with real live greenery to be displayed on their doors this holiday season! Each one was special and unique. We would like to thank our friends at the Ellene Brit Christiansen Memorial Fund for funding this and other special arts and craft projects throughout the year. 

 

Holiday Board Game 

Secret Santa is a fun new board game designed to bring the whole family together around the table this Christmas, but what you may not know is this game was created by the very talented Cria Artem, a supported individual of Richcroft. 

 

When asked where they got the idea for the game, Cria answered, “It all started with my mother. With the kids growing up, beginning lives of their own, she wanted to cherish what little time she had before everyone moved on. She looked for a Christmas board game everywhere, but none could be found. None existed. At least nothing that offered a fun family experience, suitable for children as well as adults. I had the idea of creating a game for her and worked night and day creating the prototype for the game. I surprised her with the prototype that Thanksgiving and after play-testing the game Secret Santa for two years, I sought out a manufacturer that could publish Secret Santa. In 2020, Secret Santa was mass-produced for the first time.”

 

Secret Santa makes a great gift for the board game lover in your life, or just about anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit! You can learn more about Secret Santa by visiting Cria’s website: https://www.creativastarts.com/secret-santa-board-game-second-edition

Local orders can be picked up at Richcroft’s main office in Hunt Valley. Coordinate by contacting Lisa Knauff at LisaK@Richcroft.org.

 

Launching on February 14, 2023: Hello, It’s Me!

We couldn’t think of a better day than Valentines Day to officially launch the Hello, It’s Me app. After years of hard work, dedication, and quite a bit of research, we’re close to launching what will undoubtedly be a gamechanger for individuals with I/DD! Making friends, building relationships, and sharing feelings all within a safe, trustworthy, and secure online space is something the I/DD community has needed long before the pandemic and even more so now. We at Richcroft are so pleased to be part of the team spearheading this initiative. Please check out the app’s website Hello, It’s Me and be among the first to try this revolutionary new tool that is a learning app and a social media platform all wrapped into one! Be on the lookout for fun, virtual events leading up to the official launch.

 

2022 exceeded a lot of expectations and set the stage for some incredible events, programs, and innovations. As always, a huge thanks to all of you who support our cause and have been steadfastly following our progress — we at Richcroft owe a great deal of our success to you. 

 

Happy holidays and cheers to the new year! May it bring joy, happiness, and health to you and your loved ones.