I’m still a relatively new hire here at MediSked and as far as my professional experience goes, I’m brand new to the human services and ID/DD space.

My mom has spent many years working in group homes, my cousin Julie has Cerebral Palsy and does great work for the Advocacy Center in Rochester, NY and my cousin Jim has received DD services since long before I was born.

With so much familiarity in my home/family life, I thought that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I was wrong.

Yesterday morning seven brave souls from our Rochester office braved the 21-degree temperatures to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge.

For those unfamiliar with the event, we basically shed our coats, hats, mittens, and warm clothes to run right into the waters of an into an ice-chunk filled Lake Ontario - all in the name of raising money and awareness for the Special Olympics. 

If you’ve opened an Internet browser in the last day or so, chances are you’ve seen the story of Samuel Forrest and his sweet baby boy Leo.

Forrest is originally from Auckland, New Zealand but currently lives in Armenia where he and his wife were happily anticipating the birth of their first child.

On January 21^st baby Leo arrived and much to everyone’s surprise, he was born with Down Syndrome.