For more information, contact:
Justin FLowers
Office 334-343-2373
jflowers@voase.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Recognition honors professionals exemplifying workforce that empowers community inclusion for people with intellectual, developmental disabilities.
Enterprise, AL –April 10, 2024 ANCOR, the leading voice in Washington for community-based disability services providers, has announced that Destiny Flowers, a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Volunteers of America (VOA) Southeast, has been named the recipient of the ANCOR’s 2024 DSP of the Year award. Flowers joins 54 other honorees in the 2024 edition of ANCOR’s annual DSP of the Year Awards program. This year’s awards garnered a record-breaking 492 nominations.
“VOA Southeast is immensely proud of Destiny Flowers,” stated Rob Rogers, President and CEO of VOA Southeast. “We are delighted to celebrate her award; her unwavering dedication to fostering true community inclusion for those we support truly deserves recognition. Destiny embodies the transformative impact of community-based supports. We are profoundly grateful that ANCOR has acknowledged her efforts with this prestigious national honor.”
Since 2007, ANCOR’s annual DSP of the Year awards recognize outstanding Direct Support Professionals who deliver long-term services and support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The awards celebrate the important role DSPs play in ensuring people with disabilities have what they need to thrive and be included in the community. These awards also aim to raise awareness about a dire situation facing the direct support workforce. Inadequate investments in this essential workforce have led toa decades-long severe shortage of DSPs, which has only been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and has accelerated into a crisis that threatens access to critically needed services.
“Each year, we are seeing more nominations, and more compelling nominations, for ANCOR’s DSP of the Year Awards,” said Diane Beastrom, president of ANCOR’s Board of Directors and vice president of transition for Ohio-based I Am Boundless. “But Destiny’s nomination just blew us away. I cannot think of a more deserving professional to honor, as she truly exemplifies what it means to see, appreciate and value the people we are fortunate enough to support.”
Barbara Merrill, chief executive officer for ANCOR, added: “DSPs really and truly do it all, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this years of class of honorees deliver transformative and sometimes lifesaving support to the people who accept their services. People like Destiny and all 55 of the 2024 honorees are perfect reminders of why ANCOR works tirelessly to advocate on behalf of the direct support workforce and the incredible work our DSPs do to support people in community.”
The awards ceremony where Destiny and the other 2024 honorees are to be recognized took place in Santa Fe, N.M., on Wednesday, April 10 at 8:30 am MDT during ANCOR Connect ’24, the association’s annual conference. Members of the press interested in attending the awards presentation should contact Sean Luechtefeld, ANCOR’s vice president for membership and communications, at sluechtefeld@ancor.org or 571.207.9108.
About ANCOR
For more than 50 years, the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ancor.org) has been a leading advocate for the critical role service providers play in enriching the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). As a national nonprofit trade association, ANCOR exists to advance the ability of its nearly 2,500 member organizations to support people with I/DD to fully participate in their communities.
About VOA Southeast
VOA Southeast (voase.org) is a nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Our ministry of service has supported and empowered America’s most vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, veterans, seniors, at-risk youth, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through our human service programs, including housing and health care, VOA Southeast helps over 47,000 people annually. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.
We are dedicated to providing compassionate care and support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, empowering them to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives. Our specialized programs and services are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, offering a person-centered approach that fosters growth, skill development, and community integration. With a team of dedicated professionals, the individual has the freedom to choose what services they will receive and where they will receive those services. This may include housing, day habilitation through enrichment centers, personal care assistance, and supported employment.