Regardless of the industry, employee retainment can be a constant challenge companies – and the pandemic only made things worse. For Penn-Mar, our support for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) is directly tied to our fantastic team of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Without...
By Kathleen McMahon, Penn-Mar Parent & Advocate I often describe our family as “unique,” but in so many ways we are just like many other families. As the mother of a son and daughter, I had to juggle career and family when David and Kara were...
Each month, we’re highlighting a “behind-the-scenes” team member whose work supports our mission, but whose face you might not often see on our social media pages. We’re excited to help you get to know our innovative team and the complex work we do. So, tune in for...
Donna Kiberenge (she recently married; Penn-Mar friends may recognize her more readily as Donna Redmond), is guaranteed to be the life of the party. A Residential Supervisor who has been with Penn-Mar for 5 years, she brightens any room she walks into, and can genuinely...
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to highlight some of our advocates, who’ve helped spread awareness and advocated for inclusion and equity for their loved ones with developmental disabilities. Each week this month we’ll be highlighting a different Penn-Mar Advocacy Collective...
Rachel Dowling doesn’t mince her words when asked what it is she likes about having a job. Her immediate response: “The money!” Until Rachel, 45, who was born with intellectual disabilities, joined Penn-Mar’s Day Program, and took up residence with Mim and Bill Barnes through the...
By Rhonda L. Morano, Maryland Quality & Day Program Manager Greg Miller, our CEO, loves to tease me by telling me I have had the most titles (nine) and offices of anyone at Penn-Mar. That’s what happens when you’ve been with an organization for 32 years...
By David Stang, Penn-Mar Supporter & Friend For nearly 13 years I would drive some 1,250 miles round-trip from my home in Louisville, KY to visit my brother Murray at his Penn-Mar community home in Maryland. I tried to make the trip at least once a...
How do you make the best of a bad situation? One answer is you adapt creatively. In the last ten months, Penn-Mar Westminster’s Customized Employment (CE) team made lemonade out of a sackful of lemons. The sweet success of the team’s Virtual Employment Supports program,...
As Manager of Volunteer Engagement, Tina Chan Sweenie is tasked with finding corporations looking for meaningful employee service projects or specific program donation opportunities. Hired in January 2020 to formalize the organization’s volunteer effort, she was only two months into the job when the pandemic...