Parents’ Place Information Fair and Festival

Welcome To Grelling Residential Home Open Forum . . .

. . . where we hope you will be able to visit to ask important questions, offer suggestions, and receive feedback about your adult family member with developmental disabilities

Immediately after church, Grelling Residential Home packed up our eight passenger Suburban with a picnic lunch, four residents, and two staff members (Russ and Ann). We had filled our stomachs at breakfast with extra cranberry bread and orange juice, so we would not be tempted to eat the free donuts at church.

Our two male residents helped me greet the arriving congregation, while our two female residents helped Ann at the hospitality table hand out sermon outlines and fill out name tags. It was already getting hot at 9:45 am, so we were all grateful that our new church is meeting at the La Verne Community Center. The air conditioning was great inside!

Our pastor is Jim Jackson. He and his wife, Julie, started our little church in their home about six months ago. It was a wonderful experience for our residents to be charter members of a house church. After a couple of months we had grown so quickly, the city inspector began leaving notes on the Jackson’s front door suggesting that we find a larger location. Just a couple of months at La Verne Community and we are pushing an attendance of 100 people. Already we need a bigger place to worship (hopefully with air conditioning).

Our residents are an important part of our church community. They receive calls and visits from church friends; they are invited to lunches, birthday parties, and baby showers; and they are loved and appreciated for who they are. Revive Church is a pretty special group of people. If you would like to know more about our church, the web address is www.revivechurch.org.

We were excited to get to Cortez Park in West Covina. Our plans were to eat a picnic lunch, then walk through the Parents’ Place Fair and Festival, and sample all of the free goodies. Lunch was really good. We had the traditional foods like fried chicken, potato salad, water melon, and deviled eggs. Inspite of the near 100 degree temperature, we found a shaded, breezy spot at the top of the hill over looking the fair.

The fair was packed with people. Actually, I was surprised to see so many tables and booths sponsored by resource groups for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.

Our first stop was at the San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center table. Dr. Keith Penman, the president of the regional center, was sitting behind the table. Ann and I spoke briefly with Keith, then introduced our clients to him. Keith hadn’t seen our friend, Paula Jeppson.

A few tables down the side walk, the Covina Development Center was set up. We were looking for our friend, Paula Jeppson, the Executive Director of the Center. She had invited us to share her table. One look, and we knew that there was not going to be room for our brochures. CDC was already sharing the table with another resource group. There were five people behind the table. So, we stored our box under their table and continued our exploring.

After pictures with Spider Man, free snow cones and cotton candy, frisbees, key rings, pens and pencils, filled our bags. We were on our way to the exit, when we came to the Pasadena Nazarene (Paz Naz) Church table. Paz Naz has recently started a church ministry for adults with developmental disabilities. Their special needs minister invited us to their Wednesday night dinner and activities. We’ll have to check it out.

The walk back to the Suburban seemed longer than the walk to the fair. It was even hotter and stickier (snow cones and cotton candy) than before. Kassie, our wonderful staff person, was waiting for us with cold drinks when we got home.

Ann and I did not meet any parents with adult children between the ages 18-29. We had hoped we would be able to speak to parents who may be seeking an appropriate residential home for their family members. Presently, we have two openings in our home. If you know a family who may have concerns about placing their adult son or daughter in a residential home, we hope you will have them call us or email us. We would like to help them with their concerns.

Blogfully yours,

Russ Grelling

Find out more about Grelling Residential Home at our new web site address, www.GrellingResidentialHome.com.

Where do parents with infants, toddlers, and pre-school children with developmental disabililties go for appropriate education and resources in the San Gabriel Valley?

Welcome To Grelling Residential Home Open Forum . . .

. . . where we hope you will be able to visit to ask important questions, offer suggestions, and receive feedback about your adult family member with developmental disabilities.

When my sons, Zack and Nick, reached pre-school age, I was a single father, so I began my search for the best pre-school I could find. I had several criteria for my selection that included: close proximity to my home and work locations; a good reputation in the community; a knowledgeable, experienced, hands-on director; a caring, well-trained staff; strong academic and play content in the curriculum; good nutrition; sanitary, appealing, colorful classrooms and grounds; immediate accessibility for the parent; and reasonably priced.

In graduate school, I had studied Eric Ericson, Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, in several developmental psychology classes. Already, I had taught first grade, and I had worked with children in various professional settings. After weeks of searching and observing, I selected one of the several Montessori schools in my area for my sons. I was very particular, and 23 years later, I still think I made a good choice.

But if your infant, toddler, or pre-schooler is diagnosed with a developmental disability, what are the available resources? Last Sunday, a friend at church told me about a friend of hers whose two-month old baby had been diagnosed as severely disabled. Andrea knew that Ann and I are passionate about our work with adults with developmental disabilities, and she asked if we could help with a referral.

Where do infants, toddlers and preschool children with developmental disabilities go for appropriate education in the San Gabriel Valley?

Recently, my good friend, Paula Jeppson, the Executive Director for COVINA DEVELOPMENT CENTER, asked me to visit her Center. I found her amazing school for infants through kindergartners tucked between the Church of Christ sanctuary and Western Christian High School off Grand Avenue in Covina. Paula, over the last 18 years, has developed the classrooms and grounds into highly creative spaces. Individualized butterfly, flower, as well as fruit and vegetable gardens surround the classroom buildings providing an ever-changing park-like environment for almost 100 children. One-third of the children were developmentally disabled, but they were indistinguishable from the other children in the various programs. If you want to know more, just google Covina Development Center. You will be as impressed as I was. I will write more about Paula and her school in future blogs.

Tomorrow afternoon, Ann and I will take our adults clients on a picnic at the PARENTS’ PLACE Information Fair and Festival in West Covina. Paula Jeppson referred me to PARENTS’ PLACE. This is a family resource and empowerment center. They resource “children and young adults with special needs from birth to 22, their families, and the professionals who work with them.” Again I will be able to write more about Parents’ Place after we visit their Fair tomorrow. Their website address is www.parentsplacefrc.com.

Can you recommend any resources? Please join in our open forum.

Ann and I are hoping to meet parents with adult children between the ages 18-29 who may be seeking an appropriate residential home for their family members. Presently, we have two openings in our home. We understand that the decision is rarely a simple one. We hope they will let us help them with some of their concerns.

Blogfully yours,

Russ Grelling

Find out more about Grelling Residential Home at our new web site address, www.GrellingResidentialHome.com.

Welcome To Our Open Forum . . .

. . . where you can ask questions, find answers, offer suggestions, and receive feedback from Grelling Residential Home, in regard to adults with developmental disabilities.

Our Mission Statement

While providing sensitive, professional care, our mission is to assist our adult residents in their growth toward personal independence; and to equip them to reach their maximum potentials. Our mission is implemented by a highly professional, and specially trained staff of care providers who share our “family-style” values.

Our Philosophy

We are inspired by our residents’ possibilities, imaginations, and dreams. It is our philosophy that our residents’ goals are best accomplished by evidence-based practices and best practices within a caring environment. We will constantly strive to be at the forefront of providing residential care that enables our residents to achieve their highest potentials.

Our Residents

Our residents, 18-59 years of age, live in a four bedroom home, staffed by caring, professional employees. We serve and support adults with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. These disabilities may include mental retardation, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, or similar disabling conditions.

Our Professional Accreditation

Our adult, board-and-care home has been licensed by Community Care Licensing and vendored by the San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center at the 4-C Level to be a 24-hour-a-day, adult residential facility for six ambulatory adults. The licensed ratio of staff to residents is one to three.

We look forward to hearing from you as we share some of our concerns, some of the new resources we have discovered, as well as the exciting events happening in our home and lives. Please join us.

Respectfully,
Russ and Ann Grelling