Posted 1/30/2026
Congratulations IDD, you did it! In response to employee requests for more recognition, 54 colleagues in the IDD Division were nominated in the first quarter of the IDD recognition platform! While the selection process was happily challenging, the following employees have been awarded 150 points in their Cheers for Peers accounts, which can be used to purchase Amazon merchandise, gift cards, or Merakey branded items.
- Aja Logan
- Harrisha Willis
- Matthew Sobkowski
- Samantha Jansen
- Delores Coleman
- Tina Hafner
- Jean McGinley
- Caroline Malawi
- Yolanda Sepulveda
- Regina Quinn
- Shirley Johnson
- Jasmine Davenport
- Leslie Hill
- Katie Vogel
Congratulations also to all the nominees who were recognized this quarter:
- Jessica Bomar
- Shani Brown
- Ida Guajardo
- Shay Little
- Lilyanne Lewis
- Olusola Tella
- Shantae Wheeler
- Ellen Dunn
- Kimberly Mckahan
- Jalon Gripper
- Cecile Moundhala
- Kori Livingston
- Kimberly Garrison
- Alyssa Euske
- Cynthia Brown
- Taylor May
- Annitia Clark
- Pauline Seibert
- Tierra Brookins
- April Dudley
- Dajah Wise
- Cynthia Agondanou
- Veronica Saunders-Singh
- Lakiya Brown
- Christine Stapf
- Veronica Boynes
- Teresa Wilkins
- Keyanna Webb
- Zeynab Traore
- Brenda Gray
- Sharnay Mitchell
- Ainyah Adams-Grasty
- Belinda Baldwin-Freeman
- Margaret Byrd
- Lisa McCutcheon Pettner
- Lacey Malekovic
- Cortney Green
- Jennifer Pattinato
- Jennifer Branch
- Linda Detweiler
- Wendy Stoll
- Kim Thompson
Reminder – employees can nominate their coworkers individually at any time. When completing the nomination, be persuasive and specific. Examples of questions to answer include:
- How has your nominee provided exceptional care?
- How does your nominee contribute to the team?
- How is your nominee making a positive impact?
It’s easy to submit a nomination.
Click here or log on to Cheers for Peers on the Merakey Intranet and select the IDD Recognition option. Winners are selected based on the quality of the nomination. Anyone in the IDD Division is eligible to be nominated. Nominate early, nominate often!
Open House
Merakey in Southern California recently celebrated the opening of their 14th Enhanced Behavioral Support Home (EBSH) in the state with an open house surrounded by incredible partners, families, and supporters.
This home will welcome four individuals transitioning from Porterville Developmental Center, marking a meaningful step toward community-based living rooted in dignity, support, and person-centered care.
This milestone would not have been possible without the dedication, leadership, and devotion of countless hours by an amazing group of people. A huge thank you and special shout-out to the Cerveza Team:
- Anthony Ford, Program Administrator
- Dalia Gonzalez, Assistant Program Administrator
- Dorothy Williams, Regional Director
- Carly Adams, Executive Director of Development
Leadership is grateful to all the additional team members who stepped in, supported, solved problems, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get the home ready for opening day. Their commitment and teamwork truly made this achievement possible. Thank you to everyone who joined in celebrating this milestone, including Merakey’s partners who continue to support meaningful transitions into the community.
Visiting the Cat Lounge
The ladies from Ewings Mill 1 recently enjoyed a visit to Cats n’ At, a local cat lounge and adoption center. They spent time petting, playing, and bonding with the cats at the lounge. Anna, who openly admits she’s more of a dog person, ended up showering the cats with love and even had one curl up on her lap for most of the time the group was there.
Linda shared, “I love these cats,” while Kelly and Olive soaked up all the sweet interactions as well. The ladies are already looking forward to their next visit.
Dave and Buster’s
The guys from Windy Ghoul home had a blast at Dave & Buster’s, enjoying games, laughs, and great company with staff members Meranda, Lindsey, Dawn, and Shyanne.
Basketball Training
Cathy from Merakey Barclay home showed off her basketball skills on the court during a basketball training sponsored by Special Olympics and DICK’S Sporting Goods, held at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Corporate Campus in Pittsburgh.
Thank you Emilee
Emilee Nicol has been part of the Merakey family for 3 years, and before that spent 7 years providing support as agency staff. She works at Patterson Home in Beaver County, where she is deeply dedicated to both the ladies who reside there and her coworkers.
During the recent snowstorm, Emilee went above and beyond her role, making sure the ladies were well cared for. She then headed home to retrieve a snowplow and returned to plow out not only her own car, but also her coworker’s vehicle, the Patterson Home driveway, and the home’s bus.
“She truly went above and beyond. As the Program Manager at Patterson, I am very proud to have staff like Emilee,” shared Program Manager Wanda Chavis.
Thank you, Emilee, for your dedication and teamwork!
