Voices For Independence

📣 ATTN VFI CAREGIVERS: Please SAVE THE DATE for our upcoming 2026 Mandatory Caregiver Meetings!

🗓️ Please note that you only need to attend one of the following meetings throughout the three weeks listed below, and that online registration to RSVP for the meeting of your choosing will be made available next week on our website-- the registration link will be posted here as well, once the page is live.

📍 There are just a few meetings in which we are waiting on final confirmation of the meeting site. These are denoted with "Location TBD," and will be finalized by the time registration is live next week. Please see below, as we wished to give as much notice as possible regarding the dates/times.

1️⃣ WEEK 1:
• Wednesday, July 8th | 5:30pm-7:30pm | 5410 W Lake Rd, Erie, PA 16505 (VFI Training Center)
• Thursday, July 9th | 10am-12pm | 2 Central Ave, Oil City, PA 16301 (Oil City Library)
• Thursday, July 9th| 3pm-5pm | 2 Central Ave, Oil City, PA 16301 (Oil City Library)

2️⃣ WEEK 2:
• Monday, July 13th | 10am-12pm | 42 W Maiden St, Washington, PA 15301 (VFI Washington Office)
• Monday, July 13th | 3pm-5pm | 42 W Maiden St, Washington, PA 15301 (VFI Washington Office)
• Wednesday, July 15th | 1pm-3pm | Carmichaels, PA (Location TBD)
• Thursday, July 16th | 10am-12pm | St Mary’s & Altoona via ZOOM

3️⃣ WEEK 3:
• Wednesday, July 29th | 10am-12pm | Allegheny via ZOOM
• Thursday, July 30th | 10am-12pm | Erie, PA (Location TBD)
• Thursday, July 30th | 1pm-3pm | Erie, PA (Location TBD)

❓ For any questions regarding these meetings, please reach out to your dedicated PAS Supervisor during office hours, Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. Thank you and keep an eye out for the finalized list and registration link next week!

🐾🐶 Today, we were lucky enough to get a visit from our favorite four-legged "staff" member, Erie office therapy dog, Marlin! We even had one consumer stop by just because they saw Marlin's visit listed on our Activities Calendar!

🗓️ To stay up-to-date with all of our office activities, including our next scheduled Therapy Dog day, simply check out the pinned post on our profile page-- we hope to see you soon!

📣 ATTN ERIE FRIENDS: Just to clarify, our upcoming Disability Pride Erie event is SEPARATE from our regularly-scheduled Consumer Pig Roast in August.

🟩 Disability Pride Erie is a standalone event being held on July 7 in downtown Erie at Perry Square from 10am-2pm. This event is free to the public and will host resource tables, entertainment, guest speakers, and have a food truck on site.

🟦 Our annual Consumer Pig Roast is being held here at our Erie office in August, and as always, entry will be by invitation only-- if you are a VFI consumer, you can expect your invite postcards to arrive in the mail in the coming weeks!

😊 Have a great weekend, and we hope to see you all at BOTH events!

📣 It took just a little while to get photos of everyone, but trust us-- this is worth the wait! Join us in celebrating VFI's latest Caregiver(s) of the Month! Today's post features THREE of our dedicated caregivers for the month of April-- one in Erie, one in Oil City, and one in Washington!

🎉 CONGRATULATIONS to Nate Privott, Linda Melin, and John Mucha! Please read below to learn more about what makes these incredible caregivers stand out, and why they are all amazing Caregivers of the Month!

• Nate is a great example of what it means to go “above and beyond” as a caregiver here at Voices for Independence. His commitment to his consumers is tremendous-- he says, "I'm just taking care of my people," but what is second-nature to Nate is truly remarkable to those around him. Nate hasn’t missed a shift since he started at the beginning of the year, and is always on time. Nate works hard to make things better for everyone, especially the consumers. Even more impressively, he works doubles regularly to ensure that those around him are taken care of. Working so often while maintaining such a high level of care is what makes Nate such an amazing employee.

• Linda exemplifies what a caregiver should be. She shows up to work on time, as scheduled, and rarely calls off. Linda manages requests for schedule changes on behalf of her consumer and has great communications skills. She provides ample time to fill any of her shifts for a PTO request, and is always more than willing to pick up short-notice shifts either later in the day or on weekends, in addition to her regularly scheduled hours. Linda has demonstrated time and time again why she is more than worthy of receiving our Caregiver of the Month award.

• John is always extremely professional, always communicating clearly and thoroughly, especially when it comes to relaying information regarding the schedule of the consumer he serves. He always makes it a priority to ensure that the individual he serves has the very best care at all times. John also not only manages his schedule, but also the schedule of the nurses who come in to serve the consumer-- and he does all of this while maintaining a positive attitude. Always polite and understanding, John truly embodies all of the incredible traits that a caregiver should display.

🙌 To Nate, Linda, and John, we are so thankful to have you on our team-- your hard work and dedication mean the world to us, and to those you serve.

📞 If YOU would like to be considered for the Caregiver of the Month award, or if you're a consumer and would like to nominate your caregiver, simply call and speak to your assigned PAS Supervisor directly.

🏌️‍♀️🏌️‍♂️ ATTN WASHINGTON-AREA GOLFERS-- SAVE THE DATE for Monday, September 14, 2026 and join us for our upcoming 10th Annual Voices for Independence Washington Golf Outing at Lone Pine Country Club! Stay tuned for more information, coming soon!

📣 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: the extremely talented Justin Moyar is returning to VFI's Midday Cafe at our Erie office THIS FRIDAY, June 12, from 12:30pm-2pm!

🎤🎸 Justin is no stranger to VFI, as he has shared his musical talents with us many times before-- he even headlined our Midday Cafe Fundraiser event years ago! You do NOT want to miss this one-- hope to see you all Friday!

⏳ There is just an hour and a half left in today's 814 Job Fair at the Millcreek Mall, running until 4pm!

🤝 Come visit Khyl, our dedicated Hiring & Recruitment Specialist, to learn more about our caregiver positions and to join our team today!

🚫🧘 ATTN ERIE FRIENDS: Unfortunately, yoga class is canceled for this Thursday, June 11. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

‼️📋 ERIE JOBSEEKERS, DON'T FORGET-- Tomorrow is the 814 Job Fair at the Millcreek Mall! Join our Hiring and Recruitment Specialists to learn more about our dedicated caregiver positions and how you can schedule your interview to start the process of joining the Voices for Independence team!

Tomorrow is the day! Don't miss the 814 Job Fair! Click here to see who can't wait to meet you (or someone you know!) Please pass the info on to someone you know who's looking for full-time, part-time or seasonal work! https://bit.ly/4rKwAq2

⚠️ Due to a planned power outage scheduled for the entirety of the work day, our Erie office is planning to be closed tomorrow, Friday, June 5. HOWEVER, please note that we will still be holding our regularly scheduled Wiffle Ball and festivities outdoors! Restrooms will still be functional, with lighting.

📞📧 Office staff will still be available by phone/email, working from home. If anything changes or the outage is rescheduled, we will keep you all informed via our social media channels.