A MONTH OF DISCOVERY JANUARY 2024

TCFD: A Month of Discovery

Friends,

We’ve hit the ground running in the New Year and we’re more eager than ever to share the incredible work that has already taken place in 2024 thanks to our community of staff, family, friends, and supporters.

In the last few weeks alone, our team attended training sessions, made an appearance on Radio Catskill, kicked off plans for this year’s mainstage production, and so much more. Read more about the exciting happenings and updates below.

Our 2023 Year-End Campaign is the Most Successful in TCFD’s History

A huge thank you for your incredible support of our 2023 year-end campaign. The total amount raised surpassed our goals, and was the highest to date in Center for Discovery history! We are so grateful for your unwavering generosity, advocacy, and passion of our work.

TCFD Attends the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training at Cornell University

Keith Rico, LBA, BCBA, LMHC, Assistant Chief of Program Development at TCFD, was invited to the Brofenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University to attend a training on Youth Mental Health First Aid alongside a diverse group of researchers, practitioners, educators, and administrators. After the training, the workgroup discussed ways to use and adapt the curriculum to support a more diverse group of youth and adults across cultures, disabilities, and settings.

Youth Mental Health First Aid began in Australia and has spread across the globe to encourage educators, camp counselors, and peers that are frequently in contact with young people to recognize early signs of mental health challenges and connect people to resources in their local and extended communities. Keith is excited to work alongside and his team are currently working to bring the best practices of The Center’s HealthE6® Model to a number of school districts to help create flexible and supportive environments for those with complex needs and their families.
Thank you to Dr. Joshua Felver, a Psychologist specializing in Mindfulness work with youth, for the invitation to attend this incredible training.

Dr. Hamlin’s First Radio Appearance as President & CEO

Thank you to our friends over at Radio Catskill (WJFF) for having Dr. Terry Hamlin on live to talk about The Center. In her first radio appearance since taking on the role as TCFD’s President & CEO, Dr. Hamlin discussed top priorities on her agenda, including expanding our services as far as Westchester and Rockland counties, community engagement, and how it is our incredible staff that makes everything possible. Listen in here.

Carrus Café Re-Opens as The Farmacy for TCFD Staff

We were thrilled to recently celebrate the re-opening of our café as the Farmacy – where Food is Medicine®! Each weekday, our staff can visit the Farmacy at lunchtime for a delicious and educational experience that highlights the importance of nutritious food and how it supports our brains and bodies. The Farmacy features touch-screen devices with daily menus, an interactive food prescription (we call it an fx) based on how an individual is feeling that day and what foods might benefit them. Not to be forgotten of course is the social experience of gathering with your colleagues while eating a healthy meal, right from our Thanksgiving Farm®.

“We’re really teaching staff about the food that’s grown here at The Center, why it’s important to have food without additives and processed ingredients, and really educating everyone about food’s many medicinal properties. Nutritious food really does matter when you’re trying to support your brain and body, so we’re really excited about the fun, educational experience we’ve created for staff,” Dr. Hamlin said. So thrilled to bring yet another incredible benefit to our staff.

Save the Date – TCFD’s Evening of Discovery Gala on May 7th
This May 7th, we will be hosting our Evening of Discovery Gala – The Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, with proceeds benefiting some of our most transformative programs including: organic farming and nutrition, the Animal Assisted Intervention and Education program, the Integrated Arts program, and more. Monies raised from the event also help to support the 1,700 staff members at The Center with benefits such as daycare and summer camp for their children, ride share transportation, and scholarships. For more information on this year’s event, please visit here.

The Wizard of Oz is Coming to the Big Barn Stage!

Our Discovery Dramatic Arts Program recently announced that its full scale, mainstage production taking place this spring will be…The Wizard of Oz! If you’ve been a family member or friend of The Center for a while, you might remember that we first performed this show back in 2006 in the gym on the South Campus. Now, the program is thrilled to return to its roots – this time on the Big Barn stage. Stay tuned for more!

There’s no place like The Center for Discovery.

Making Waves with Friends

There is nothing like a trip to the Kartrite Resort for warm temps and good times, especially during the winter season. A special shout-out to our Recreation and Physical Therapy teams, along with our residential staff for accompanying some of our residents along for some good ‘ol splashin’ fun. What a memorable experience for all.

Story in AARP on TCFD’s Housing Model Wins an Award

The Center for Discovery’s advice for creating a calm living atmosphere was featured in a four-part series in AARP Livable Communities, written by Amy Lennard Goehner, which recently won a national award. The advice featured intentional designs like muted colors, winding pathways, lower noise levels, and more. Congratulations to the author of this series, who won a gold medal from the Anthem Awards. We’re thrilled it was featured and hope this will help spread the word about the magic that happens here at TCFD even more. In case you missed it, read it here.

Songs of Discovery for Music Therapy is a 2023 Favorite!

Congratulations to all involved in the making of Songs of Discovery for Music Therapy! The publication was released in the summer of 2023, and was just announced as a ‘2023 Favorite’ by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

For more information on the book or to purchase, click here.

Retirement Wishes for Richard Humleker

After a beautiful and fulfilling 40-year career with The Center for Discovery, Richard Humleker – whom so many of you know and love – moved on to his next adventure…retirement!
Richard’s kind, caring, and committed nature helped foster the legacy of inclusion, empathy, and acceptance for those in The Center’s case. The mark that he has left on The Center is not just evident in the many projects he helped establish, but in the relationships he built with our staff and families alike during his time here. We thank Richard for his tireless dedication to The Center throughout the decades, and wish him good health, rest, and relaxation in his retirement.

Thank you, Richard – for everything!