staff

Getting to know…Rimland’s Amy Werner

Amy Werner is familiar to the Rimland community as the organization’s former administrative assistant, who subsequently became administrative coordinator and then operations director. She was recently interviewed by the digital media platform VoyageChicago as part of their “Chicago’s Most Inspiring Stories” project. VoyageChicago reached out to Amy through social media after seeing some of Rimland’s posts. She was really excited to be offered this opportunity to talk about Rimland, not just as an organization, but as a group of people working hard to serve others. Follow the link to learn more about Amy and her journey from new college graduate to valued Rimland team member.

A Promising Partnership

Rimland is pleased to announce a new partnership with the organization Connections for the Homeless. Connections for the Homeless is an Evanston-based non-profit that supports individuals and families that are homeless or are threatened with homelessness. The goal of our partnership is to connect individuals seeking employment with opportunities at Rimland. We see this as a way to strengthen the community in a mutually beneficial way, since Rimland provides opportunities for employment and full job training. Connections for the Homeless assists more than 800 individuals and families each year through the efforts of over 5,000 staff, supporters, and volunteers. To find out more about Connections for the Homeless, visit: http://www.connect2home.org/

Happy Anniversary to the Employee Health & Wellness Program

This February marks the two-year anniversary of the Employee Health and Wellness program. As an employee benefit, Rimland covers the cost of an LA Fitness gym membership. At LA Fitness locations throughout Chicagoland, Rimland employees have access to the gym, weights, yoga, spinning classes, basketball courts, pools, saunas, and more. Staff who use their memberships consistently for 3 months earn a Fitbit Flex, a fashionable wristband that tracks fitness activities, including steps, distance, calories burned, etc. The program has been very motivational for staff to go the gym consistently, to work out, and to work hard. Our LA Fitness contacts, Andrew and Karen, have been very supportive and welcoming to Rimland. Congratulations to all our participants.

Staff Spotlight: Movin’ On Up!

Tammie McClendon, a valued Rimland employee for over 13 years, has been promoted from Peer Review Team Member to Associate Executive Director of Client Services. During her tenure at Rimland, Tammie has also excelled as a Direct Support Professional and has played a key role in enhancing and maintaining physically and emotionally comfortable environments for all of the individuals supported by Rimland, among many other valuable contributions. As Associate Executive Director of Client Services, Tammie has increased supervision of, and responsibility for, both the Residential and Developmental Training programs, with an emphasis on the residents’ environment and diet. Tammie assumed her new position on March 9, 2015.

We are also pleased to announce that Ronald Sandridge was promoted to Developmental Training Program Coordinator. Prior to taking on the new role, Ronald worked with Rimland for a year as a Direct Support Professional in our Residential Program. He is a recent graduate of Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University with a degree in psychology and criminal justice. As Developmental Training Program Coordinator, Ronald supervises Rimland’s Developmental Training Program, with an emphasis on programming and safety. Ronald assumed his new role on February 9, 2015.