VICKI COUGHLIN
Community Living, Inc.
Vicki Coughlin has served at Community Living as head counselor of one of the group homes for eight years. She has served in this field for over thirty-two years and finds it very rewarding and meaningful to serve those with disabilities.
Vicki’s work with a young man with autism has been especially rewarding. Prior to his entering the group home, Vicki had never worked with anyone with this disability. Prior to his arrival, the young man’s parents gave her a copy of the father’s book A Mommy, A Daddy, Two sisters and Jimmy. This book gave Vicki a roadmap of how to effectively work with their son. Vicki was willing to learn and through daily interactions with Jimmy, she has learned a great deal about how he sees the world and his place in it. Over the years they have developed a bond of trust that has enabled Jimmy to become more independent and better able to indicate to her when he needs additional emotional support. Vicki’s greatest accomplishment has been when she overheard Jimmy tell his parents after being quarantined at home during the COVID-19 lockdown that he wanted to go back “home.” Jimmy considers the group home his home. His parents acknowledged that this was the first time he has ever considered any place his home. Jimmy is able to function well within the limits and structures that Vicki has established because of the bond of trust they have.
Vicki finds her present work most rewarding because she is continually learning and feeling that she is making a difference.
From a letter from Michael Plantz to us in response to our letter regarding the fabulous job Vicki does every day for the clients in her care. “I can’t tell you how much it means to receive letters like this from families. I wish I could take credit for Vicki’s caring and skill but that is all her and her years of experience.”
TONI SHINDLECKER
Asian American Center of Frederick
Toni Schlindlecker started in February 2020 as a volunteer for the Asian American Center of Frederick and became a full time employee in August 2020. Toni is responsible for operations and fiscal management of the agency as well as managing growth and strategic planning / initiatives. She oversees the Kaiser Permanente Community Health Access Program (CHAP). She has spearheaded the purchase of a new building and renovating the current space to become a future Family Support Center. She will also be responsible for the design and construction of a new building that will eventually become an Intergenerational community center that will have programs to support a variety of needs from prenatal to seniors. Although their name is the Asian American Center of Frederick, Toni reiterated that their door and services are open to anyone and everyone that needs support regardless of race, religion, gender, etc.
When it began, AACF had 200 people certified to receive health insurance through the CHAP program. Toni and a team of dedicated volunteers recertified 900 people after the first year. The following year, 250 new slots were added, and due to the need for health insurance, they had to do a lottery for those slots. They are now an anchor partner for Kaiser Permanente.
Toni hopes that someday her son will drive down Rt 40 and see the centers she helped to build and say that because of them, someone had a future, had hope, was given support to make the right choices in life. In making the right choice, they are now giving back to their community and thus the circle continues.
JENNIFER SHOEMAKER
Federated Charities
Jennifer Shoemaker has worked at Federated Charities for over 2 years. A lot of Jennifer’s work is done behind the scenes. She is the first come to person for the building. Her main role is not even on paper, it is holding space for people coming in, making sure they are seen. A dozen different organizations come into the building that need support and use the space. “My days are never the same, Elin and I move furniture, stage spaces, it is always new and different.”
Jennifer enjoys seeing new faces. She shared “I have grown as a person being with these wonderful people driving these organizations. Seeing the people who are coming in. They are coming in because they are struggling, they are lost.” A client entering the building told her: “I love coming in here because you see me and treat me like a human being.” Jennifer loves seeing people grow, including herself. She likes to educate the community about what Federated Charities does and being able to tell people that the building belongs to the community.
“The person who sits at our front desk, welcoming people on the worst day of their lives is a special person. We’re lucky to have Jennifer as part of our team at Federated Charities.”
– Elin Ross, Executive Director, Federated Charities
DIANA KING-WALKER
Lead 4 Life
Diana King-Walker has worked for three years as the program coordinator for Lead 4 Life. She is the kind of calming influence necessary for her job working with juveniles and single mothers for the Lead 4 Life program as they have expanded services in the Frederick community over the past few years. As a single, widowed mother herself, Diana understands the challenges to take care of your children and also take care of yourself.
She tells of her most notable success working with a young man as part of the diversion program for the State’s Attorney’s office who wanted to start his own business. When she challenged him to really think about what that meant, he went out and developed the basics of a business plan and, because of her connections, recently accepted his first contract.
Diana centers herself by working the ground and gardening…preparing the soil for plants and nurturing young people into successful adulthood are really two sides of the same coin. She looks forward to expanded opportunities for the Lead 4 Life program in Frederick and also for herself in this community. Diana goes above and beyond her roles and responsibilities are for her program coordinator position. Diana is a great community partner and works collaboratively with the State’s Attorney Office, police, Student Resource Officers, and Department of Juvenile Services to ensure youths are not entering the criminal justice system. Diana improves not only the youth she works with but ensures their families are taken care of as well. She builds trusting relationships with the youth so there is natural support and they feel that they can confide in someone outside their home.
“Diana is a leader in the village that makes a difference. Diana is the definition of leadership, strength, and dedication.”
– Executive Director, Lead 4 Life
SHANNON WAGNER
Mental Health Association of Frederick County
Shannon Wagner has been a systems navigator with the Mental Health Association of Frederick County for over 4 years with 26 years of experience in the field. She connects families to resources and support in Frederick County and maintains a high-intensity caseload. She works a lot with transitional-aged youth (late teens, early 20s, out of school but before a job), advocacy in the school system and in the court system.
Shannon has dedicated her life to help empower others. Through her own experiences growing up and to the present day, she has been integrated in the system and knows how to navigate it well. Advocacy is extremely important to Shannon, especially around the gaps and barriers that exist systemically. The mental health impact of the pandemic has no end in sight and doesn’t discriminate by age, gender, race or income. So Shannon will continue to use her voice and raise the bar in advocacy for people who are struggling.
Shannon expressed, “I have worked in the mental health field for over 26 years and have dedicated my life to help empower others. I am honored for this nomination and humbled, as there are days I don’t feel I do enough or am enough. It doesn’t feel right to receive this nomination without acknowledging the change that is so critically needed in order to keep doing the work that I and so many others like me love. Frontline workers witness barriers in services every day and most of us are personally struggling with our own barriers within the system. Poor pay – ALICE level. As of 2020, 37% of Frederick County households couldn’t afford basic needs. Since COVID, the numbers are rising. Yes, we chose a profession that is intrinsically rewarding at times, however that doesn’t pay the bills or put food on the table. High caseloads with high levels of need + poor pay = burnout/loss of workers in the field further limiting services/resources to those in need. Struggling with our own mental health/financial/physical health needs and trying to overcome our own barriers in accessing help within a system we work with daily.”
“Shannon is a staunch advocate and trusted resource for the families she serves. She touches the lives of hundreds of families every year.”
-Shannon Aleshire, Executive Director, MHA of Frederick County