Posted 4/18/2025
Fish Frys
During the Lenten season, Fish Fries are popular events on Fridays. Amy and Heather, individuals who receive support from the Slippery Rock Program Center, enjoy spending their Friday afternoons volunteering at St. Faustina Catholic Church in Slippery Rock making coleslaw and packaging silverware. Amy said, “It feels good, knowing I can help.” Heather said, “I like helping the church.” The church is thankful to have their help.
Learning About Plants
This week at the Pittsburgh Campus Greenhouse, participants explored the structure of plant cells. They were highly engaged in the activity and had a great time learning while coloring diagrams.
Passover with Friendship
On April 8, a joyful pre-Passover celebration brought together participants from Merakey Allegheny Valley School, the Joy Program of the Friendship Circle, and The Branch at the Pittsburgh Campus Gymnasium. This heartwarming event marked the first time the group was able to reunite in person since the pandemic, after years of connecting virtually through Zoom.
The celebration was filled with engaging and festive activities, including a Passover-themed word search, a lively dice game featuring “Would You Rather?” questions with a Passover twist (like salty vs. sweet), scratch art, and bingo. Light refreshments—both salty and sweet—added to the fun atmosphere.
A highlight of the event was a meaningful talk by Rabbi Mordy Rudolph of the Friendship Circle. He shared insights about the Passover offering and distributed matzah to everyone, explaining its deep significance in the traditions of the holiday. The day was a beautiful blend of learning, laughter, and the joy of reconnecting as a community.
Passion Ambassadors Mtg
Merakey IDD Passion Ambassadors met virtually on April 16 for their bi-monthly engagement meeting. Participants heard from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist Bryanna DeCuir who gave an overview of the ASÉ Employee Resource Group (ERG) and shared information on how to get involved with other ERGs throughput Merakey. VP of IDD Organizational Development Beth Caraccio presented the IDD Roadmap, giving updates on how the service line continues to grow across the country. During the Working Smarter Not Harder portion of the meeting, Jamie Walker shared her to-do list template and how she takes time to plan for her week.
This month’s meeting theme was Wear Your PJs to Work, in honor of April’s meeting falling on this National Day. Upcoming days to be celebrated include National Nurses Day on May 6 and National Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14.
Anyone can join the bi-monthly Passion Ambassador meetings. Simply send an email to PassionAmbassadorsIDD@merakey.org and provide your contact information. Our next meeting takes place on June 18, when we will celebrate National Smile Day.
Meeting Therapy Bunnies
Lucas, Anthony, Jason, and Bill from Windy Ghoul home took a fun trip to the Chippewa Library to learn all about therapy bunnies - and best of all, they each got to pet one!
Papier Mâché Eggs
Individuals at Slippery Rock Program Center explored their creative side for Easter. Rather than dyeing Easter Eggs, they made eggs out of papier mâché. They were able to choose what size eggs they wished to create using balloons, strips of paper, and a watery paste. After the eggs dried, everyone decided how they wished to decorate. Some painted designs, some painted mixtures of colors, and others used glitter. Everyone enjoyed the experience.
