Jerry Adams to serve on "Paths to Entrepreneurship" panel April 3



Vanderbilt University junior Allen Huang views two of Jerry Adams' pieces in the Provocateurs, Entrepreneurs show at Kennedy Center.

Progress Inc.'s Jerry Adams will be one of the panelists at the Nashville Area Employment Consortium's "Paths to Entrepreneurship: A Panel Discussion for Artists and Others with Big Dreams from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 3 at Vanderbilt's Kennedy Center.

Jerry will be a featured artist on the panel, which will focus on the resources to support self-employment for artists with disabilities. Jerry, who lives in Cheatham County, is renown across Middle Tennessee for his watercolor paintings and other artwork that has been featured in galleries for more than 25 years. He has mastered selling and showing his work for several years.

 The NAEC event will be held in Room 241 of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. To register for the meeting, visit Vanderbilt's website. A pre-ordered lunch will be provided by Bagel Works and Perks for cash pick up that day.

To view Jerry's work, visit the Kennedy Center during business hours.

Seven of Jerry's pieces are currently being featured in the Kennedy Center's Provocateurs, Entrepreneurs exhibit until late May. Below are more photos of his work. A group of Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education students stopped by the Kennedy Center to review some of his art.

YouTube VIDEO: Charles & Bill on the set of Fox17 commercial

In Friday's Pressing Forward with Progress blogpost, we told you about Progress Inc. companion Charles and client Bill Lipscomb being featured in an upcoming commercial about the service and care at Creative Dentistry, where Bill has been a client for several years. Here's some footage from the commercial shoot at Creative Dentistry. The commercial producer asked Charles some questions. Some of his answers will be featured in a commercial that will run on Fox17. Check out the video!

Progress Inc. staff/client featured in Fox17 Commercial



Progress Inc. companion Charles and Progress Inc. client Bill prepare for the commercial shoot at Creative Dentistry.

Longtime Progress client Bill Lipscomb's bubbly and warm personality has given him a chance to get his "close up" in a local television commercial.

Dr. Andre Rouse, Bill's dentist of 20 years, recently contacted Progress Inc. companion Charles, Bill's companion of three years, about them both being featured in a commercial for her dental office Creative Dentistry.

Dr. Rouse was looking for her most personable clients with disabilities to be featured in a Fox 17 commercial. The commercials will run for several months, and will begin airing on the channel in a few weeks.

 As a part of the commercial, Charles gave a testimonial about why he and Bill like receiving dental care at Dr. Rouse's office. Charles said he was nervous about being on camera, but Bill seemed very comfortable in the spotlight.

Jewel Majors, dental hygienist at Creative Dentistry, said Bill was one of the first patients that came to mind for the commercial.

"Bill has been our client for a long time," she said. "He is lovable and adorable. He's always laughing. We love to see him every time he comes in the office."

Check back at Pressing Forward With Progress for updates about when the commercial will air.

 

 





No State Budget Cuts for Progress Inc.; New recipients Can Enroll in 2012-2013

DIDD's Commissioner Jim Henry announced great news for Progress Inc. and all statewide provider agencies that serve adults with intellectual disabilities earlier this month. Gov. Bill Haslam's recommended budget for the 2012-2013 will have NO budget cuts for the waiver program that makes it possible for Progress Inc. to serve more than 100 adults with intellectual disabilities everyday.

The budget also makes room for a growth of more than 100 new recipients in the state Home and Community Based waiver services program.

That announcement means that 105 out of the more than 6,000 people with intellectual disabilities that have been on the waiting list will have the chance to receive support at home, participate in daily activities and perhaps get a job through a provider agency like Progress Inc.

Commissioner Henry also announced a new employment initiative that would push agencies like Progress Inc. to have at least 20 percent employment rate for its clients by this fall. Progress is considered the standard agency to follow since we are already above 20 percent employment due to our employer partnerships that were the focus of a recent NewsChannel 5 story. (Click the link to view that video)

Progress Inc. client Bea working diligently at the Marriott Hotel- Courtesy of NewsChannel5.

Though this is a great announcement, Progress and other agencies still need much support from donors and advocates across the state.

Remember to continue to follow Pressing Forward With Progress for news and updates on the senior citizen and disability community.

Here's a roundup of Commissioner Henry's announcements:

§  DIDD Budget: Governor’s Recommended Fiscal Year 2012-2013 budget for DIDD is $206.5 million and includes the following:

*$4.5 million in recurring funds to continue the Family Support Program

*$6.7 million for projected growth of 105 people in Home and Community Based waiver services

Reductions to the Department’s base budget are $2.6 million. No reductions to waiver services or to provider reimbursements are included.

§ Employment Initiative:  Obtaining employment rates of at least 20% by Fall 2012.

PHOTOS: NewsChannel 5 covers story on Progress Inc.

NewsChannel 5 will feature a story on Friday evening's newscast about the importance of keeping people with disabilities employed. The Department of Labor released unemployment numbers this morning that showed unemployment for people with disabilities was 12.9 percent compared to 8.7 percent for the general population in January.

The numbers are still relatively high, but Progress is glad to have employers like the Marriott to support our clients and keep them employed. Bea Miller, who has been with our agency since 1993, will be the focus of tonight's story. She has worked for the Marriott in the laundry department for several years. She is a great example of how people with intellectual disabilities can be reliable, hardworking employees.

Below are a few photos from the video shoot at the Marriott this morning. The news story is expected to air during the 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. newscast on Channel 5, so don't miss it.

Bea at the Airport Marriott. She will be on a NewsChannel 5 newscast about how Progress and Marriott help keep people with disabilities employed.



Joe works with Bea at the Marriott along with about three other Progress clients in a work enclave.




Susan Hutchison, Progress Inc. Associate Director of Day Services, being interviewed by NewsChannel 5 reporter Janet Kim at the Marriott.




Zach, an employee at the Marriott, shared his experience working with our clients in the laundry department.



Spotlight on Seniors: Tennessee's Top 3 Scams Against the Elderly



Still photo from Channel 4 news report



WSMV reported Wednesday that a Nashville widow was scammed by a man claiming to be a home repairman. The video of the story shows how the distraught woman, who was not identified, fell into the trap of the scammer. The victim was hard of hearing and lived alone. Metro Police say scams of this sort with the elderly are quite common this time of year.  Living alone is tough for some older residents, so having the help of a trained caregiver can be a way to avoid such incidents. To prevent other elderly residents from experiencing scams, Progress Inc. has compiled a list of the top three scams affecting seniors and some other important information that can help prevent a scam from happening to you.

Telemarketing: Fraudulent telemarketers often prey on trusting seniors by using heartstring pleas, aggressiveness, and undue pressure to get them to purchase high-priced items they do not want or need. In some cases, the telemarketers lure consumers to reveal valuable, private information such as bank account, credit card, and Social Security numbers, which they later use to commit identity theft. Being prepared in advance with caller-ID and registering with state and local Do Not Call registries can help eliminate and/or curtail deceptive callers.

Charitable Solicitations: Many seniors have the financial resources to be generous supporters of charitable organizations. Unscrupulous individuals target seniors for “charitable contributions” both over the phone and door-to-door. Always ask for identification, and tell them to return after you have called the charity to confirm what they have told you. Never provide personal information or a contribution until you are certain about the legitimacy of the solicitor and the organization. Check with the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming of the Secretary of State’s office where Tennessee charities are required to register.

Investment schemes: Some seniors have a lifetime of savings at their disposal. Scammers may go door-to door with fraudulent or risky investment “opportunities.” Others seniors may be approached by “new” friends and neighbors who claim to have already hit it big in an attractive investment scheme. Families with seniors choosing to stay at home may want to agree to have a trusted family member involved in any significant financial matters. If you have been a victim of one of these schemes, file a complaint with the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs.

More Information on Senior Care and Preventing Scams:

For more information about trusted senior caregivers, http://www.progress-inc.org/services.html .For local Do Not Call information call 1-877-TRA-7030 and for national information call

1-800-382-1222.

 Visit http://www.state.tn.us/sos/charity/index.htm to research charities before making a

donation.

 Victims of investment and other scams can file a complaint with the Division of

Consumer Affairs at www.tennessee.gov/consumer or call toll-free in Tennessee 1-800-342-8385.

Source: Tennessee Attorney General's Office and Progress Inc.

Update: Progress Inc. client's work on display at Vanderbilt



Subterraneum Divide Part 1, which is currently featured in the Creative Expressions gallery at Vanderbilt.

Several Progress Inc. supporters on Facebook shared their excitement about Jerry Adams' pieces being featured in TWO shows at Vanderbilt University's Kennedy Center. So, I decided to share photos of two more masterpieces by Progress Inc.'s favorite artist.

Jerry and his DSP Harold Hodges dropped by the 12 new pieces that will be featured in the gallery "Provocateurs Entrepreneurs" at Vanderbilt on Thursday.

Vanderbilt will feature Jerry's work along with Bernadette Resha and Matthew Drumright, who also have developmental disabilities. The three artists have been successful at selling their work, which is the basis of the art show's theme. According to a Vanderbilt release, Jerry's work "provokes fresh insights" and allows the public "to see ability beyond disability."



Jerry's artwork that will be one of 12 featured in next month's show.

 A self-portrait of Jerry and greeting cards that feature his work will be a part of Provacateurs Entrepreneurs, which opens Feb.1 and will run until May.

Check back here at Pressing Forward With Progress for more updates about Jerry's work and other interesting updates on Progress Inc.