It is hard to believe that we have another year under our belts. 2021 went pretty quickly.  What have we learned this year:

 1.  The Corona Virus is most likely here to stay like the flu or the common cold and that it is more deadly then either of those.

2.  Using zoom isn't so bad.  Now I just have to figure out how to make a meeting room. 

(This old dog is not as good at all these new tricks) 

However I did figure out how to change my background on zoom.  

3.  Being short of staff is very stressful. 

For the first time since 2019 I can see the light at the end of the the shortage tunnel at least in transportation.

4.  The new normal now is to wear your mask anytime you go out or are in a large group of people.  Good side is not getting anything including flu or the common cold.  

5.  People have been very generous to the not for profits in 2021.  More donations and more free renovations (more on that next blog)

6.  I miss the Johnson County Fair  Yes I said it!  I miss Lemon Shake Ups - hope this is the year we come back - Stay tuned.

7.   Our staff in every department have been so creative in keeping services going now more than ever. 

We hope we can start going out into the community this year as well.  

8.  The people in our lives family, friends and work family and friends should be cherished and appreciated as tomorrow is not guaranteed!

So in closing I hope and yes I am praying that 2022 will get us a little closer to some kind of  normal.  And we find a happy medium between the new and old normal.

Becky Allen, Director of Transit

On a sad note . . .
Gateway lost a longtime friend & supporter in April when Reverend Roger Gifford, former pastor of the First Christian Church of Bargersville passed away.
Reverend Gifford and members of his church played an important part in helping us prepare for the fair each year during our daylong “squeezeathons” at the church where they introduced using industrial juicers that made squeezing thousands of lemons so much easier. 
For over 30 years they took over at the lemonade stand on Tuesdays when their members manned all three shifts!  Each shift would compete for the most sales and Reverend Gifford and church members could always be counted on for selling a lot of lemon shakeups!
Thank you Reverend Gifford (and members of the First Christian Church of Bargersville!) your support will always be always be remembered!
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Wow how time flies!! 

My grandmother told me that time speeds up the older you get.  At 22 years old with 2 children under the age of 3 that didn't make any sense to me.  Well those two children are now 37 and 35 and I have 1 grand child that is 10 years old.  In the blink of an eye it feels like they grew up  and too fast.    Much like the Summer of 2020.  

I don't know about you but I am ready for 2020 to be done with.  Tired of COVID, Tired of the civil unrest, tired of hearing bout the elections, tired of Covid (oops now I am repeating myself).  I am looking forward to the cooler days and nights.  Wondering what is going to happen to Halloween and trick or treating in this time of COVID and social distancing.  Wondering what Thanksgiving and Christmas  is going to look like this year too.  Will all of my brothers and sisters and their children and their children's children get to be together this year or not.  

I am tired of being fearful and tired of restricting the people I see or hang out with.  I will continue to wear my mask and social distance as much as possible, however I am ready for a BIG family gathering.  I have my 40th class reunion this Saturday and I have decided to attend.  We will start the day with a tour of our high school.  Then end it on a farm around a bon fire or in a barn if the weather doesn't permit us being outside.  I will wear my mask and social distance and their will be loads of hand sanitizer and I am determined to have fun and try and enjoy the cool fall evening and reconnect with people for a change.  Hope I haven't forgotten how to have a conversation masked face to masked face. 

Wow how time flies  40 years (when did that happen).

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-Gateway Services has been serving the best freshly squeezed lemon shakeups at the Johnson County fair since 1972 - that's 48 years!

-Each year we squeeze 65 cases - that's over 10,000 lemons!

-Each year we use nearly 1,000 lbs of sugar & purchase over 5,000 lbs of ice from Whiteland FFA.

-Each year we reaise between $21,000 - $30,000 to support our services.  I know what you are thinking - WOW that is a lot of lemon shake ups!
 -We could not do it without several hundred wonderful volunteers who help us squeeze the lemons and operate the lemonade stand during fair week!

- Since the Johnson Co Fair was interrupted due to COVID -19 & we are not able to safely hold this fundraiser this year to ensure health & safety, we are asking for your help by...

1. Participating in our Virtual Lemon Shake Up Stand & spending what you might have spent on Lemon Shake Ups if you had gone to the fair.

2.  Asking all your friends, family, co-workers & anyone esle you can think of to participate.

Remember - Our 32 ounce cups of Lemon Shake Ups are only $5 & $2 for refills.

You can go to our webise at www.gatewayarc.com near the bottom of the page is a donation button.  Or you can mail checks or money orders to Gateway Services, Inc - ATTENTION: Lemon Louie PO Box 216, Franklin, IN 46131.

THANK YOU & WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT THE FAIR!
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I am angry and frustrated with the turn of events here at Gateway Services, Inc / Access Johnson County Public Transit.  I am angry at the people that think it is okay to come on our lot in the dead of night and cut off catalytic converters off of our vehicles.  Why is there anyone in this day and age that feel like they need to steal from a not for profit.  Do they not know that it costs money that we don't have to fix them.  Sure some of it is covered by insurance but there is still a deductible that we have to pay for each time it occurs.  That is dollars we could spend taking someone to life saving treatment, work, grocery or to other destinations that they otherwise cannot get to.   That is the frustrating part!
We now have 4 vehicles we cannot drive because we are not able to get them fixed due to a shortage of converters as they are back ordered.
The last time someone decided to drill a hole in one of our fuel tanks on one of our vehicles.  So now we have 5 out.   Drilling a hole in a fuel tank is not the smartest thing I have ever heard of someone doing.  Could they have caused a spark while they were drilling?   You bet they could have.

To the thieves is it worth your life to take a chance on catching you and the vehicle on fire while you are under it.  
Is it worth the $35-$50 dollars you are getting from each converter. 
I have three words for you

SHAME ON YOU!!! 

Where you not taught better, are you using this to buy drugs, alcohol or trying to make a living by stealing?  It is time to stop blaming your childhood  and pull up your boot straps get some help and get a job like our employees here at Gateway Services / Access Johnson County Public Transit.  

You were born for a purpose find it and use if the the GREATER GOOD!!

We were finally able to get our new flag pole installed last week. Just in time for  Flag Day on June 14th.   Flag ceremony was done on Thursday, June 11th. 
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The idea was given to us by one of our drivers, William H.  So we got to work on procuring one.  Thanks to Greenwood American Legion and Edinburgh VFW as these heros were kind enough to donate the dollars for the purchase of our flag pole and flags.  Thank you to Joe B and Rob C (drivers and all around jacks of all trades) for digging the hole, mixing and pouring the concrete and pea gravel and putting up the flag pole.  We know it was not easy and was some pretty hot work last week. 

So as you pass by our building in the coming days, weeks, months and years take a look at the beautiful red, white, and blue.  Give a honk if you feel like it.  

On May 14, 2020 Gateway Services/the Arc of Johnson County lost longtime friend and advocate for people with disabilities, Ilene Younger Qualkinbush.

Ilene was a registered nurse and mother of two. Inspired by her daughter Susan, who was born with severe developmental disabilities, Ilene helped establish the ARC of Indiana in 1956 where she spent many years a volunteer and staff member. 

Ilene was a tireless advocate for people with developmental disabilities and was a consultant for the Indiana Board of Health where she organized genetics workshops throughout Indiana.  Ilene has been recognized locally and nationally for her work, including the Sagamore of the Wabash Award. 

In 1998, Ilene volunteered her time at Gateway Services to help prepare for our 35th anniversary celebration.  She spent many hours reviewing thirty five years’ worth of historical archives in order to write highlights for every year Gateway had operated. 

We have Ilene to thank for the phrase we frequently use in agency information. 

In November 1962, two mothers from opposite ends of Johnson County met over a cup of coffee to explore the possibilities of establishing a school for their children.  Within a week they started knocking on doors . . . and soon located a dozen parents who joined in their efforts.
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Thank you Ilene!  Your hard work and sacrifice on behalf of citizens with disabilities will always be remembered and appreciated.

Since transportation is considered an essential service it’s lucky for Johnson County residents that Access Johnson County has a group of dedicated drivers & dispatchers still on the job ready to get you to work, medical appointments or grocery stores.
 
A special shout out to Becky A., Dave B., Darlene B., Rob C., Rhonda D., Jayne G., Joy H., Christine M., Jeff T.  and Bonnie W.  We love and appreciate all of our drivers, but this group has gone above and beyond during this crisis to get our passengers where they need to go!
 
As you can see from the pictures, our drivers are wearing masks and we are requiring our passengers to wear masks as well.  We’ve also installed plastic curtains around the driver’s seat to help with social distancing. 
 
Our drivers are doing an amazing job of sanitizing surfaces on the bus throughout their shift to keep everyone safe from germs.  Lysol and
antibacterial wipes are awesome!
 
We’ve also moved fare boxes so you can deposit your fare without any contact with the driver.  We’re even providing hand sanitizer for you to use as you get on and off the bus.
 
Please help us all stay and don’t get on a bus if you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-191 
 
Our driver’s do a health assessment before they come to work each day and you should do the same before you get on the bus.  Do I have a fever, cough or shortness of breath?  Get medical help if you do have symptoms!
 
Let’s all do our part to keep the wheels on our buses moving safely in our community!
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 ​For many of us, this mandatory stay at home time is filled with uncertainty and loneliness.  For the people that participate in our Day Program, the loss of daily contact with their friends and staff can be especially stressful.   
 
So our wonderful Day Program staff came up with an amazing out of the box idea!  They put together a Virtual Day Program for the folks we serve!
 
If you wonder what that might look like, staff designed a Daily Zoom Calendar with a ton of activities that folks can participate in through their phone, tablet or laptop.  Zoom is an app you can download to your device and it allows groups of people to see and hear each other while they meet.
 
It allows our folks to see and hear staff and their friends.  They can go on virtual tours and field trips, join discussion groups, and participate in arts and crafts, cooking lessons or a music group.  They can also “meet” individually with staff for some one on one time.  Staff are also staying in touch with folks through phone calls and old fashion letter writing!
 
We want to give a special shout out to our Day Services Staff for their creativity and caring for keeping the people we serve connected during this worldwide pandemic shutdown.
 
Here’s to our Day Program Team--Teena A, Annie D, Lora H, Jill L, Michelle P, Melissa R, Carol S and Skyler T!  Ladies you are awesome!

If only we could wake up from this bad dream, and find it was a very bad April Fools joke.   If you know me personally you know I HATE practical jokes.  I am not a good sport and I do not take it well.  But I so wish this was one practical joke.  Would I be mad yes but then the relief would set in.  

It has been eleven days since we furloughed  most of our employees (with pay of course), in order to help with the spread and to do our part.  What has been happening here.  Well it has been quiet oh so quiet.  I think the first day it was kinda nice from all the hustle and bustle.  But eleven days later we are missing our co workers, clients, passengers and other team members.  We are looking for ways to stay connected.  We are researching Google meet, Zoom and other ways to stay in touch.   

​What are you doing to stay connected to your peeps?  Please share with us in the comments below.