The holidays are here and parties are being planned, but it’s time to do something different for holiday entertainment! This year, TEAM Abilities, an agency that serves adults with special needs, is offering the sounds of gladness and joy from their TEAM Christmas Choir.

“Our Team Members have been practicing with great excitement in hopes that they will be able to entertain various businesses and schools in our community,” said Rachel Jelks, Founder and CEO of TEAM Abilities. “They sound great and you won’t find a more grateful group!”

Team Members, adults with special needs who reside in TEAM Abilities community living homes, have typically sung before groups in assisted living facilities in the Spring/Woodlands area, but this year decided to present themselves as holiday entertainment for area businesses and schools.

“They will entertain for half an hour and they offer their services on a love donation basis. All funds received are split between the Team Members,” said Jelks. “They will then use those well-earned funds to buy Christmas gifts and other items they might want.”

TEAM is an acronym for Together Everyone Achieves More and TEAM Abilities has been serving the Montgomery and Harris counties for 14 years specializing in the IDD community. They take all levels of need and all levels of support as they serve adults with special needs through ISS / day habilitation and community living homes. To book your holiday entertainment, call or text Donna Wick at 832-790-2879. For more information on TEAM Abilities, please go to www.MyTeamAbilities.com.

Bringing the community together to share experiences, challenges, results and possibilities

The stats are staggering with no end in sight. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 in 36 children in the United States have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which is more than four times the rate back in 2000. At least 1 in 59 children has one or several learning disabilities. 20% of children in the U.S. have learning and thinking differences such as ADHD and 4 million children younger than 18 have learning disabilities. In fact, 15% of public school students received special education and/or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

So the question is, what happens?

What happens to children who age out of high school? What happens to young adults with special needs who are not college bound? What happens to adults with special needs who rely on their aging parents for their total care? Moreover, what happens when those parents pass on. Who will care for adults with special needs when there is no longer a family member who can care for them?

As parents search for the answers to these all-important questions, the challenge of types of care and services quickly comes to the fore. Where do parents go for help? What types of services are available? Is their financial assistance to help parents pay for these services?

The good news is that under Home and Community-Based Services-Adult Mental Health (HCS) there is a waiver program that provides home and community-based services to adults with disabilities. The bad news is, the waiting list to receive such services is an estimated 18-20 years. That’s right, one nearly has to register their child for services in kindergarten to possibly receive services when they age out of high school.

“The demand for services is only growing,” said Rachel Jelks, Founder & CEO of TEAM Abilities, an agency that provides services to adults with special needs through ISS/Day Habilitation and Community Living care. “And while parents are waiting on services what are they supposed to do? Many parents have to quit their jobs to stay at home with their adult child. The need is desperate for interim and long-term care.”

The gap is so wide and vast that Jelks is hosting a conference with other leaders in the IDD Community so parents, professionals and educators can learn more about available services.

“There are numerous enclave services that can assist parents while in the gap of waiting for more advanced, long-term solutions,” said Jelks. “There are solutions, services and programs available and we need to start connecting the dots for our families, educators and professionals in our county.”

The conference, Connecting the Dots and Filling in the Gaps, is set for Saturday, October 26, 9am to 2pm, and is provided free-of-charge to parents, educators and professionals in the Montgomery county and surrounding area.

“The conference is a symposium for solutions with expert speakers and panelists that can engage one-on-one with attendees,” said Jelks. “This is our way of bringing everyone together in the same room to share experiences, challenges, results and possibilities.”

Notable speakers will be Nikole Crowder, Prof Speaker Ed/Parent Liaison Special Education/CISD; Gayle Y. Fisher, M.Ed., Ed.Tech./ Empowering the World of Learning Differences / Neurodiversity; Armando J. Bernal, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, Founder, Autism International Consulting, PLLC; Kelly Baughman, Executive Director    Co-Founder, Project Beacon and Connie Baker, M-ED Founder, Advocacy Aid LLC. There will also be materials on hand provided by the Time to Care Coalition.

The event is free and lunch will be provided to all attendees. For more information, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/connecting-the-dots-tickets-1042317809627?aff=oddtdtcreator or call Donna Wick at 832-790-2879. 

(July 2024, Spring, TX)   The month of August begins with National Girlfriend’s Day and sparkle events is hosting a Garden Party Brunch complete with Derby-style hats. The event is set to raise awareness for TEAM Abilities, an agency that serves adults with special needs through Day Habilitation and Community Living care.

“We are going to have a lot of fun along with a sumptuous brunch,” said Rachel Jelks, Founder & CEO of TEAM Abilities. “We will have cash giveaways for the biggest Derby-style hat, People’s Choice and more.”

The Garden Party event will be an eloquent way to raise funds and awareness for the special needs community and how TEAM Abilities is serving adults who have nowhere else to turn. There is also space for those who wish to be vendor at the event. 

“Many of our Team Members, which is what we call our residents, are wards of the state. We are their everything. I often think, if not for us, where would they be?” said Jelks.

The event will take place at the new and spacious Team Abilities’ day habilitation building located at 611 Westridge Drive in Spring which sits under a canopy of trees. There attendees can pull from the “Wishing Magnolia” for items like notebooks, markers, backbacks, and such in efforts to provide items for Team Members who reside in TEAM Abilities 19 Community Living homes.

TEAM is an acronym for Together Everyone Achieves More which goes along with the philosophy of the agency stating TEAM Abilities is not a holding place for those with special needs, but a place for them to reside and thrive in life. TEAM Abilities also has a Supported Employment program so that Team Members can secure jobs, feeling both independent and productive.

“We hope everyone will turn out for this inaugural event that promises to be so much fun and so rewarding,” said Jelks.

The Garden Party Brunch event will be held Saturday, August 3, 11:30am-2:30pm at 611 Westridge Drive in Spring. For more information on becoming a vendor or to reserve a $35 ticket, call or text Donna at 832-790-2879 or go to www.MyTeamAbilities.com.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, TEAM Abilities has rescheduled their Open House and 14-Year Anniversary Party to Thursday, July 25.

"We have waited for so long to move into our new building after setting our sights on this location more than a year ago," says Rachel Jelks, Founder and CEO of TEAM Abilities. "We want to celebrate with our community, but Hurricane Beryl had other plans!"

The agency, which serves adults with special needs through Day Habilitation/ISS and Community Living Homes, moved into its new location after more than a decade at its previous Spring location. 

"The new location is just around the corner from where we had been for more than a decade so those families needing to drop off their special needs loved ones had the same convenience they enjoyed previously," says Jelks. "We have a robust day program and 19 Community Living Homes to serve the ever-growing demand for short- and long-term solutions for families in need."

The Open House invites families with special needs to tour their facility and to learn more about how TEAM Abilities can assist them. The agency is also celebrating its 14-year anniversary and is one of the leading agencies for adults with special needs in both Montgomery and Harris counties. 

"TEAM Abilities takes all levels of need and all levels of care distinguishing us from most other agencies," says Jelks. "So those families who have special needs loved ones with behaviors or are nonverbal or have a juvenile record or need total care, etc. can find a home and care with us."

The agency is located at 611 Westridge Drive in Spring off Budde Road. The Thursday, July 25 Open House event is free, offers light bites and the public is invited. 

For more information, please go to www.MyTeamAbilities.com or call/text Donna at 832-790-2879.

International Women’s Day Event Set for March 8, Houston

Be who you came to Be. Do what you came to Do.

March 8 will prove transformational for International Women’s Day as Houston has put together a stellar lineup of speakers, workshops, shopping and self-care indulgence for women to realize their purpose, power and passion for 2024.

Keynote speakers and Influencers will command the stage offering compelling stories of achievement, success, self-discovery, overcoming and triumph over tragedy. Renown Houston Top Lawyer, Sofia Adrogue, host of Latina Voices and Style Influencer, Theresa Roemer, entrepreneur and business coach are just two of the illustrious headliner speakers to take the stage to share their stories.

“We all have something to share with each other and something to learn from each other,” Theresa Roemer said. “This is going to be a fantastic opportunity to speak with women who would otherwise be outside one’s circle of influence. I encourage all women to set this time aside to grow and to become all they hope to be. If you have a dream, then you need to be here!”

All the women scheduled to speak have captivating stories to share letting attendees know that there is no challenge too great, no dream too lofty and no time like the present to achieve the life they’ve always dreamed of.

“This is an ‘all gold-no rubble’ day. This isn’t about motivational platitudes and hollow promises of who one is and what is possible for them,” said Donna Wick, co-host of the International Women’s Day conference. “This is a touch day! This event is going to be about ‘you know what you want to do, you know what’s in your heart and here are the tools, wisdom and inspiration so you can make that happen’ with dynamic keynote speeches, workshops and break-out sessions. This event is about becoming all that one has thought possible for themselves. You will leave touched, transformed and renewed in what you thought possible for yourself.”

Our Lady of the Lake University is the Premier Sponsor for the event and the venue where the event will take place.

“This is the perfect venue for the International Women’s Day conference,” said Angela Frederick, event co-host with Donna Wick. “Having graduated from OLLU, I know full well their commitment to empowering women. This is going to be a breakthrough day for women!  The stories are incredible and the women presenters are the best of the best.”

Additional keynote speakers are Felicia Lee-White, LaTosha Davis Moore, Misty W. Gilbert, Kimberley Nicole Sprintz, Rachel Jelks, Dr. Lorelle Strong Rich, as well as the co-hosts, Angela Frederick and Donna Wick. Each speaker has their own unique message and will offer a breakout session throughout the day so attendees can glean the wisdom they desire.

“All our presenters have amazing stories of pushing through to ‘be who they came to be and to do what they came to do’. We are excited about will happen during the day for all our attendees,” Wick said.

In addition to a day chockful of information and inspiration, there will be three grand prize give-a-ways, namely: $500 cash Seed Money for one lucky woman to fund her dreams, $150 Office Depot gift card to set up one’s office, and an iPAD to get started with the right equipment.

For more information, discount ticket prices, go to www.IWDHTX.com. Our Lady of the Lake University is located at 600 N. Sam Houston Parkway in Houston. The event will take place Friday, March 8, beginning at 8:30am and ending at 4:30pm. Free Parking.

DW OMNIMEDIA is a diversified Media, PR/Marketing, Promotion, Publishing & Merchandising Group to enlighten, uplift and renew the human spirit. www.DonnaWickOmnimedia.com