Journal of Emergency Dispatch ArticleDISPATCH IN COMPASSION
Let's Party.
Dispatcher organizes holiday
bash for 46 very unique individuals
Best Buddies Officer Coo Ttuege/ and four -yea -old Brody celebrate the spirit of Christmas.
END Vicki Leonard never hears the word
"no" when it comes to putting on the Ritz.
, Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. After
all, she does have children and for the past
35 years, she's been a dispatcher for the
Dubuque (Iowa) County 911 Center.
So, let's clarify.
No one ever says no when it comes to the
annual 9 -1 -1 Christmas Celebration at the
Hills & Dales Residential Center.
"This takes everybody," said Leonard,
who has organized the event for the past 11
years. "If you could do me one favor, don't
make it look like I do this alone. I don't."
The Hills & Dales Residential Center in
Dubuque is home to 46 people between the
ages of 4 years to 40 years who have disabili-
ties and /or significant medical needs. The
center the residents know as their home,
however, is not your stereotypical image of an
impersonal and rigid institution, said Leon-
ard, a former swimming teacher for children
with special needs.
Roommates share meals family -style
within their home's dining area, the two to
three people sharing bedrooms in each home
have decorations fitting their tastes, and com-
munity events shape new interest while help-
ing to broaden social networks. Personalized
therapy contributes to maximizing an indi-
vidual's abilities.
The Hills & Dales organization, founded
in 1973, offers both community -based and
residential programs that are in every sense
modern. The community -based programs
encourage vocational training and indepen-
dent living skills. The residential program
provides 24 -hour medical care, life skills
training, and multiple therapies to the
children and adults living in apartments
resembling any other apartment complex in
Dubuque with the exception of modifica-
tions to enhance accessibility.
The center has all the trappings of a real
home, Leonard said.
"And I can't say enough good about the
staff," she added. "They're wonderful."
The one exception —at least for many —
is the comfort of brothers and sisters and
moms and dads and grandparents. Many
residents lack families living close enough
to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and devel-
opmental milestones like mastering the first
few steps without hands -on assistance.
And that's why everyone loves the party
Leonard has shepherded from a rather low -
key buy gifts and drop them off affair to a
major event featuring a parade of light and
sirens on fire trucks, squad cars, and ambu-
lances and a visit from the jolly man in red.
"We're all part of an extended EMS fam-
ily," Leonard said. "This is an emotional event
involving the entire community."
Hills & Dales Executive Director Mari-
lyn Althoff has watched the celebration
grow from its beginning. She started in sup-
port services for Hills & Dales 20 years ago,
accepting her current post six years ago in a
succession of increasingly responsible posi-
tions from programs to administration.
"The celebration is something everyone
looks forward to," she said. "It brings more
meaning to the holidays. Each person walks
away with a better understanding that every-
one has the same needs in life, no matter the
ability or disability."
Rest assured Santa's not handing out
bricks of coal. Toys, coats, boots, hats, games,
and picture books are delivered in packages
bearing the receiver's name (wish lists cour-
tesy of staff) and that's after the parade of
agency vehicles from a parking lot close to the
center. The party held in a large space at the
center is kept to under an hour, and then out
comes the cookies and hot chocolate.
An ambassador chosen each year receives
a 9 -1 -1 embossed sweatshirt, along with
added attention at party time. For the 2011
ambassador, Leonard hedges her guess on
four - year -old Brody, the newest and youngest
member of the EMS extended family.
But that's next year and in the meantime,
Leonard will recruit volunteers to assist in
raising Christmas funds through the annual
Thanksgiving dinner and other events, such
as Dubuque's annual chili cook -off. The two
events in 2010 raised nearly $9,000 in dona-
tions divided between the Biver Brothers
fund established for the residents' use and
an account earmarked for purchasing a fully
accessible paratransit van.
The various public service agencies
involved and the Dubuque community at-
large donate gifts, food for the fundraisers,
and help doing everything from phone trees
and cooking to wrapping packages and deco-
rating. Even Dubuque County 9 -1 -1 Center
Manager Mark Murphy might once again
jump into the fray. Last year, he cooked the
pork loin donated for the Thanksgiving fun-
draiser and for next year, who knows?
"It's a great program," said Murphy, who
spent 10 years dispatching and 12 years with
the Dubuque Fire Department before tak-
ing the top post in communications. "Vicki
has helped make this a celebration everyone
looks forward to." •
THE JOURNAL I January/February 2011 33
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