June was a unique month at CRSI. We're awarding 10 Attitude of Gratitude winners who went above and beyond to help cover hours during COVID-related staffing issues. Below is a quote from Program Specialist Michael Smith who nominated the 10 winners: 
​
“All the staff included in June’s Attitude of Gratitude embody the best traits CRSI values in direct support caregivers. Their diligent execution of our Agency’s core values and mission statement are a constant inspiration to their peers, supervisors, and those they serve. I am pleased to recognize these dedicated staff members for continuing to prioritize the well-being of our individuals when an individual at their work location contracted COVID-19.”

​By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design

How the Bill Butler Champaign Open Started
In 1982, Bill Butler combined his love of golf and his passion to help people to create the Bill Butler Champaign Open. Bill had realized that there was a gap in funding for people with disabilities, causing many to go without basic needs. The BBCO raises funds to assist these individuals, many of which live right here in our community.
 
The golf tournament is usually held annually in August, but this year the event had to be cancelled. The amazing people with BBCO and at Champaign Residential Services, Inc.(CRSI) don’t want that to stop you from supporting this mission that is still very much needed, maybe even more during these times. There are so many unknowns right now, but not knowing if you will have your basic needs met should never be one of them.
 
For 2020, the organization has decided to have a Day of Giving on August 19th in place of the annual BBCO. The goal has not changed, and the focus is to raise funds to ensure the needs of those they serve are met. One hundred percent of the donated funds go to people being served by CRSI and make a huge difference in our community. Every single dollar raised will make a positive impact on someone’s life!

How to Donate
CRSI has set up an easy-to-use form on their website where you can make a donation. You can visit their site to donate today! You can also send a check made payable to BBCO to the address below.
 
CRSI
Attn: Terri Thompson
P.O. Box 29
Urbana, Ohio 43078 
 
Every dollar counts. Please help spread the word about the Day of Giving on August 19th and make this year a memorable one for the Bill Butler Champaign Open and everyone supported by the funds raised for CRSI.

Hello everyone,
I would like to take a moment to thank you for the extra effort being put forth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health, safety, and well being of you and our individuals are of the utmost concern to us.
 
Because the pandemic is ever-changing, our policies must be updated and changed to reflect current laws, regulations, and guidance. CRSI has been working in conjunction with State and local experts to develop the following list of precautions that are required across all CRSI locations. This message is to serve as a reminder of what we should already be doing as well as to clarify some questions we have been receiving.

• Facial Coverings –
  • We already require all employees to wear masks or other face coverings while at work.
  • A new order from Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) was enacted this week makes it mandatory for the entire state. You can view the ODH order in its entirety here.
  • The only exception to this rule is if you can isolate yourself in a room separate from other coworkers and the individuals we serve.
  • This means that some sort of covering must be worn when transporting individuals, working with individuals, and while in common areas of our homes and offices.
• Social Distancing –
  • We already require that in-person meetings be replaced with virtual options. If you need assistance with hosting a virtual meeting, please reach out to our Tech Support Team and they can provide you with your options.
  • We should not be congregating in shared spaces such as break rooms, smoking areas, or other’s offices.
• Travel Quarantine –
  • Following an outbreak at an Ohio long-term care facility in which more than two dozen residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19, Governor DeWine continued to encourage Ohioans to self-quarantine for 14-days after traveling to high-risk areas. The updated list of the high-risk states can be found here.
  • At CRSI, we are taking this a step further and requiring any staff who travel to a high-risk area to self-quarantine for 14-days. This also applies if someone in your household travels to a high-risk area and you are unable to isolate from them.
  • If you will be traveling out of state, you are required to report the location and date(s) to your supervisor. They will communicate this to the CRSI Human Resources department. The details of your self-quarantine will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
• Cleaning and Sanitization –
  • We already require that all high-touch surfaces be cleaned and sanitized multiple times a day.
  • Do not let up on this. We need to continue the practice to help keep the virus out of our settings.

 
Thank you again for your continued efforts. 

Scott DeLong, President/CEO

​DAYTON, Ohio - Rosemary Saunders worried as she grew older about her adult son Ed with Down syndrome. Who would look out for him when she was no longer around?  Then COVID-19 came and turned the world upside down. 

The coronavirus has been capricious in the way it divides families. It took Ed's life on April 3 but spared Rosemary and her sister Margaret.  Eight weeks later, on May 28 the two sisters traveled from their homes in Pleasant Hill to donate COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) side-by-side at the Dayton Community Blood Center.

Since early April, CBC has been collecting the antibody-rich plasma from COVID-19 survivors to help patients critically ill with the virus at local hospitals and outside the region.
 
"We do what we can do," said Rosemary as she turned to Margaret, "to make a good situation out of a bad situation."
Rosemary's son Ed Kauffman was 50 years old and diabetic, "but a pretty healthy and a happy boy," she said. He loved bowling, playing in the Riverside Bell Choir, and serving on the Champaign Residential Services, Inc. board.
 
"Ed and I talked about how one of us is going to probably have to live without the other," she said. "I tried to prepare him, so he'd know how to live without me. All that talking to him, now I had to learn to live without him. It's part of life. We lose people."
 
It was in late March that Ed began to show symptoms. "He had a great team and was doing pretty good for the first five days," said Rosemary. "It was up and down, and we knew it was out there, and we wanted to be careful.
 
"It took a bad turn. By the time we got him to the ER they had to sedate him and put him on the ventilator right away." He was transferred from Upper Valley Medical Center to Miami Valley Hospital, then placed in isolation.
 
"I never got to see him," said Rosemary. "The nurses tried to help me talk to him, comfort him, to hear my voice, but that was the most that we could do."

Rosemary knew she was exposed to COVID-19, but her symptoms were mild. "I self-isolated for two weeks and didn't have a test until April 17." A day and a half later she learned she was positive.
 
Meanwhile, Rosemary's sister Margaret Brown was working at SpringMeade Healthcare Center, a nursing care facility in Tipp City. "We knew what we were getting into," she said. "I had a fever, dizziness, body aches. I stayed home and got tested on March 26."
 
She got the results on April 5, two days after her nephew's death. "I was positive. I was in isolation for two weeks."
 
She learned that fear of COVID-19 outlives the infection. "People don't want to be around you," she said.
 
She read about participating in the CCP program on the CBC website. She printed out the doctor's form and called her sister.  Soon they were scheduling their plasma donations at CBC.
 
"They said we'll get you guys down here together so you can drive together," said Margaret. "I had never donated blood." Margaret finished her donation before Rosemary, then sat with her in the Donor Café.
 
"We wanted something good to come out of this for someone," said Margaret. "Something positive."
 
CBC COVID-19 CONVALESCENT PLASMA PROGRAM
To be eligible to give CCP donors must have a diagnosis of COVID-19 through RNA testing.  Potential donors can review the CCP eligibility criteria and doctors can complete and submit the form to qualify donors at www.GivingBlood.org.