Current Center News

Fall 2009

The Boggs Center Welcomes 2009-2010 Student Trainees

Three students are participating in The Boggs Center's Interdisciplinary Traineeship Program. Boone Clayton is a joint MDiv and MSW student in the Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program at Rutgers School of Social Work.  Boone will complete his field education placement at The Boggs Center and will be supervised by Robyn Carroll, MSW, Communications Manager. Nikki Hasandras, an MSW student in the Direct Practice Program at Rutgers School of Social Work, will complete her field education placement at The Boggs Center and at Cerebral Palsy Association of Middlesex County.  She will be supervised by Kathy Roberson, MSW, Policy and Information Coordinator. Joanne Van Sant, a Divinity student at Princeton Theological Seminary, will be supervised by Bill Gaventa MDiv, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director, Community and Congregational Supports.

Seven students from Columbia University School of Social Work are participating in Individual Project Focused Traineeships. These students will be working on projects mentored by The Boggs Center faculty. Students participating are: Meredith Guberman, Vasavi Kumar, Christina Lee, Marisa Lloyd, Caroline Marks, Ani Sargsyan, and Laura Schwartz.

The Boggs Center Welcomes 2009-2010 Clinical Pastoral Education Students

Eleven students are participating in Clinical Pastoral Education Program at The Boggs Center, directed by Rev. Bill Gaventa, MDiv, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Community and Congregational Supports and Alice Walsh, MDiv, CPE Supervisory Candidate. The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program is a training program initiated by The Boggs Center in collaboration with community agencies in New Jersey. The Program is accredited by the national Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. The 2009-2010 CPE students and placements are:  Aarona Cooper, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation; Sara Benedetti, Allies Inc.; Eric Fluit, Eastern Christian Children’s Retreat; Deborah Miller, The Arc of Ocean County; Karen Lewis, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation; Fleeta Bulle, Green Brook Regional Center; Julie Burris, The Arc of Hunterdon County; Joshua Hess, Kessler Institute For Rehabilitation; Victoria McGrath, Bancroft NeuroHealth; Terry Frazier, LADACIN Network, Inc.; and Christian Dorval, Matheny Medical and Education Center, Inc.

New Jersey Direct Support Professionals Recognized at Making a Difference Symposium

September 13-19, 2009 was designated as National Direct Support Professionals Week by US Senate Resolution and New Jersey Proclamation. To recognize the work of Direct Support Professionals in New Jersey, The Boggs Center coordinated "Making a Difference: A Symposium for Direct Support Professionals" in Iselin, New Jersey, on September 18, 2009.

This event was part of the NJ Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition's Career Path Pilot Project funded by the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. Pilot Agencies participating in the Career Path include: The Arcs of Atlantic, Middlesex, Somerset, and Warren Counties; Allies, Inc; Bancroft NeuroHealth; Matheny Medical and Educational Center; and United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County.  The highlight of the day was presentation of Certificates of Completion to 85 DSPs from these agencies who have completed Levels I and/or II of the New Jersey Career Path.  The 2009 “class” is pictured above with Assistant Commissioner Ken Ritchey.

New Jersey’s Career Path is unique in that is combines online learning from the College of Direct Support with onsite mentoring and competency demonstration through portfolio development.  Nationally, experts in workforce development initiatives are recommending Career Paths as a method to enhance the skills and professionalism of Direct Support Professionals and decrease turnover through incentivized career preparation and recognition.

The symposium featured educational presentations by Bill Gaventa, MDiv, Director of Community and Congregational Supports at The Boggs Center, a panel presentation with Direct Support Professionals facilitated by Colleen McLaughlin, MEd, Training & Consultation Specialist at The Boggs Center, and a recognition ceremony. The DSP of the Year Award was presented to Colleen Quinn of the Arc of Somerset County. Kenneth Ritchey, Assistant Commissioner, NJ Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities, and Elaine Buchsbaum, Chair, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, presented Certificates of Completion to the graduates.