We could never express how proud we are to manage the DSP team at the East Meadow Art Gallery. The past few months have shown us what these ladies are made of. The courage, the compassion, and the concern that they showed for the people we support during this COVID crisis has been so inspiring. At the beginning of the crisis, these ladies worked to make care packages for our guys living at home and in the IRAs and put smiles on their faces delivering the items while showing them that we were still there. These same ladies were called to work in the IRAs and ICFs cooking food, preparing meds, helping out with the day-to-day operations of the homes, and sometimes bouncing from place to place. We know they were scared, yet they showed up. Every day, they worked hard and they didn’t let fear get in the way of finding a way to bring some joy to their workplaces. They brought art and activities to the houses and helped the people supported to continue their day hab goals. Every picture you see of the guys/gals smiling is because one of my DSPs brought art, exercise, learning and fun to their homes. We received so many wonderful phone calls from residential managers complimenting my staff and the way that they engaged the people in their house to do fun things. We want to recognize them for their outstanding bravery and work ethic. We want to tell them that they make a difference every day that they come to work and that we are so proud and honored to have them as coworkers and friends.