Penn Mar Human Services News

Penn-Mar News

Please check back often to view all of Penn-Mar’s latest news and event information.

Featured Penn-Mar News

Fashion Forward: Jemicy School Designers Showcase Inclusive Styles for Penn-Mar Models

Posted on April 29, 2025

Trending at the 3rd Annual Inclusive Fashion Show held April 11th at The Jemicy School in Owings Mills, MD were soft fabrics with a “loungewear-esq” vibe, according to Tina Chan Sweenie, Associate Director of Development at Penn-Mar Human Services and one of the program’s organizers….

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Retaining Key Employees Requires a Ladder to Opportunity

Posted on April 7, 2021

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…

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A Mother’s Hope for All Support Professionals and Children with Disabilities

Posted on March 29, 2021

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…

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Team Member Spotlight: Sonja Schmidt

Posted on March 26, 2021

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…

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DSP Donna Kiberenge: Life of the Party with a Heart of Gold

Posted on March 8, 2021

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…

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Meet Our PMAC Steering Committee: Claudia Summerson

Posted on March 5, 2021

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…

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Rachel Dowling: Sharing Life and Living More

Posted on March 3, 2021

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…

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So Many Jobs. So Many Opportunities to Grow.

Posted on February 12, 2021

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…

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What Gifts Can You Share to Support People with Disabilities?

Posted on February 2, 2021

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…

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Virtual Employment Supports: The Sky’s the Limit

Posted on January 29, 2021

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,…

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Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Posted on January 8, 2021

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…

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