The December Update

News Post

by Trevor Jacobson | Dec 20, 2023 | Monthly Newsletter

Happy Holidays, friends of Easy Does It,

The Holiday Season is officially here, but we’re still busy empowering Berkeley Seniors and People with Disabilities to live independently. This month, we have an important announcement regarding our current masking policy, another event to announce, and the introduction of signage at our offices. We also have updates regarding our Holiday hours and multiple brand new programs from The CIL

Happy Birthday Judy

Portrait of Judy Heumann and a quote "They held us at reception and wouldn't let us in until we each swore hat we would not start a sit-in the whitehouse. I couldn't hide the hint of a smile I felt curling across my face."

December 18 is the birthday of Judith Heumann, a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of disabled people. She is widely regarded as the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement” and an inspiration for millions of people around the world. Happy birthday, Judy Heumann; thank you for your service and your vision. You are a true hero.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Easy Does It

We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season on behalf of everyone on our team. Whichever holidays you choose to celebrate, now is the time to celebrate the season and the end of another year with those you love and cherish most. We are also excited to take time away from our work to connect with those we care about.

Easy Does It’s offices will be closed in observance of Christmas Day and New Year's Day. But we will still have Dispatchers, Attendants, Repair Techs and Drivers on call should you require any emergency assistance.

An Update Regarding Masking

Once again, the seasonal flu is posing a threat to the health and well-being of our clients and team. In light of this, we’ve opted to reinstate our masking policy temporarily. Until the situation changes, all of Easy Does It’s Team must mask up when visiting our offices and our field staff are still required to wear KN-95s when interacting with clients. EDI’s Team Lunch and other Team events are being postponed as well. We encourage you to remain diligent in masking up and washing your hands to slow the spread of the flu and to keep each other healthy this flu season.

Thanks for all your support on Giving Tuesday

Infographic Reading "Thank You to everyone who supported us on Giving Tuesday." In the background, Rick and Drewski pose for a photo in our repair workshop.

A huge thank you to everyone who chose to support us on Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is the one time of year we seek out donations from the community and your donations empower us to address issues that our primary funding sources cannot. Your donations will go a long way in helping us enable seniors and people with disabilities to live independently. We cannot thank you enough for any financial support that you can give.

Our morning at the Ecology Center’s Farmers Market

Repair Tech Rick and Board Member Larry pose for a photo in front of Easy Does It's Outreach Booth at the Ecology Center's Farmers Market.

Our Team had a great time representing Easy Does It at The Ecology Center’s Downtown Berkeley Farmers Market. We connected with many people who could directly benefit from our work or had friends who could. We also ran into a few familiar faces and were able to offer quick wheelchair tune-ups and advice. We’re looking forward to tabling at an Ecology Center event again in the near future.

Easy Does It at the Berkeley Senior Center’s Holiday Party

Infographic Reading, Berkeley Senior Center's Holiday Party, 1 pm - 3 pm, North Berkeley Senior Center.

For our next event, we’ll be tabling briefly at the Berkeley Senior Center’s Holiday Party. We’ve had so much fun participating in The Berkeley Senior Center’s past events and are looking forward to connecting their clients with our agency, while also providing donated snacks for guests. We’ll bring our usual collection of merch and Veggy trays and dips for everyone. We hope to see the clients of the Berkeley Senior Centers next Friday at 1 pm.

Our Brand-New Office Signage

A photo of a poster displayed prominently in the window of our main office.

Easy Does It’s offices are getting a refresh! We’re very excited to be installing a brand-new sign above our door with our new logo on it, and multiple posters that educate pedestrians about our services and how they can apply for them online. We’ll also post photos of our Team and The Founders to commemorate their efforts on creating Easy Does It to ensure that Berkeley Seniors and People with Disabilities have the support systems they need to live independently.

Free Self-Paced Care Courses from The CIL

“Have you or your personal care team been eyeing our CalGrows courses and the possible $6k payout but haven't had the time to attend any sessions? Good news! Our Caregiver Courses are now available self-paced and online in partnership with Givers Health for the CalGrows initiative. These courses are designed to equip caregivers with time-saving strategies, meaningful insights, and the chance to earn financial incentives through CalGrows.”

Join the Home Usability Peer Network

Do you want to learn more about resources and approaches to housing programs and services?
Do you want to develop a home usability or modification program at your Center?
Do you want to grow and expand your current home modification programs?

Join the Home Usability Peer Network! Monthly Meetings start January 10, 2024.

Meetings will be held the second Wednesday of every month at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. ASL and CART will be provided.Learn more about the Home Usability Peer Network at https://bit.ly/3GLumRM. Contact Mary-Kate Wells with any questions at Mary-Kate@ncil.org.

That’s everything there is to know about Easy Does It in December. Despite the holidays being on the horizon, we are still committed to connecting Berkeley residents with our safety net of emergency services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their homes. We hope you will help us continue to make that possible with your personal donations.

Have yourself a safe and festive Holiday Season!