I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the warm welcome I have received from so many of you as I am settling in. I’m rounding out the end of my 2nd month with this wildly talented and caring team and remain honored to have joined Ascendigo, in this particular season and with so much on our horizon. Thank you to those of you that have opted to leverage my open invitation to connect – your candor, questions, input, and willingness to build rapport and collaborate have been meaningful connection points.
Insights & Updates
As a part of my onboarding, I am in the midst of executing an organizational assessment. Areas of focus include staff and culture, business operations, organizational health, and customer service and community impact. This exercise will serve as a way in which we will be well-positioned to dive deep into identifying our strengths and opportunities as well as where there is room for growth and refinement as we continue to map out our path forward.
The Ascendigo Leadership Team recently participated in a teambuilding workshop where we completed the DiSC workplace style assessment. While we were all able to learn helpful detail about ourselves: how we communicate, show support, and navigate conflict – the real value was being able to learn more about each other and how to optimize our team performance.
While I’ve been carving out space to connect across the Ascendigo team, with individuals and families in services, and our dedicated Board of Directors – I’ve also devoted energy towards establishing new (and building upon existing) community partnerships which are the cornerstone to our overall impact. Thank you for your continued dedication and support in our steadfast pursuit to empower people, inspire lives, and shatter expectations.
Team Member Spotlight
Kayla Holthouse, Adventures Program Assistant Director
A shoutout to Kayla who has been diligently working to hire qualified & talented staff for Summer Adventures Camp, while also wrangling all things camp registration – both are herculean efforts! I’m impressed with the traction she is having & her ability to navigate all that is flying at her with such a positive, contagious, can-do energy – THANK YOU KAYLA.
Empowering Voices
Ascendigo has its finger on the pulse of #MedicaidMatters, an advocacy campaign sparked by families, provider agencies, medical entities, and advocacy organizations. Nearly 6 million people in the U.S. rely on Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports. Medicaid provides access to preventative care and life-saving treatments, support for children with an array of needs, assistance for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and vital healthcare services. This campaign and all related efforts are helping to raise awareness for the IDD and autism communities. Want to learn more? Visit the American Network of Community Options and Resources, (ANCOR) Medicaid Resource Center.
