‘In Case You Missed It’ Highlights – 2/13

‘In Case You Missed It’ Highlights – 2/13

February 13, 2023

This Valentine’s Day we’re sending our love to you for serving as a voice for children and adults who deserve to live their best lives. Check out the inspiring moments we’ve captured of our work and mark your calendar for this coming weekend as Momentum Refresh road trips to the Honda Center, marking the first truly accessible professional sports game when the Anaheim Ducks host the L.A. Kings.

The Honda Center Set to Make History with

Momentum Refresh

Watching hockey is fun, but seeing the game in person is awesome. And with the Honda Center bringing restroom equity to its arena via Momentum Refresh, we are cheering even louder for this NHL game. We’re proud to invite you to the Honda Center Friday, February 17 for this monumental moment. The partnership is part of the Ducks and NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone™ campaign. They’re using the game of hockey – and the league’s global influence – to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities. A big thank you to the Honda Center’s leadership to partner with Momentum on this exciting opportunity. Find tickets here and we’ll see you there!

Creating an International Connection

Momentum PTN welcomed USC exchange students and their professors from South Korea last week. Students learned about Momentum’s pediatric programs, and got to observe our therapy sessions live! It was a beautiful experience exchanging ideas and concepts about pediatric developmental programs. Students above are showing the hand sign for OT, Occupational Therapy!

A Trip to The Getty

This February morning was a picturesque day to visit The Getty. The excursion proved a wonderful opportunity for several Momentum artists who had the chance to visit for the first time. Momentum Refresh provided assistance on site. Momentum staff ensured everyone had a wonderful day at one of the most acclaimed art museums in the world. We are also grateful for The Getty’s staff in helping make this possible. “Visiting The Getty is much different than other museums, so we were happy to make it as accessible as possible,” said Cori Garfias, tourism assistant at The Getty. “Everyone deserves to see beautiful art.”

Forever Learning & Growing

We believe in constantly learning and keeping our team of top-notch occupational therapists updated with the best practices and latest research in the field. Excellence, after all, is one of our guiding principles. This is why we resumed our Mid-Day Connection series with a very interesting and illuminating talk about “Data-Driven Clinical Reasoning to Solve Complex Issues in Pediatric Practice.”

The webinar, which was also held live and attended in-person by members of our pediatric team in Torrance, was facilitated by Prof. Erna Blanche, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, clinical professor at the USC Chan Division, and AOTA Lifetime Achievement Awardee. The learning session touched on both theory principles and practical ideas that can guide therapists in addressing the complex issues they encounter in their practice, in a systematic manner that can lead to better interventions.

Honoring the Legacy of Fierce Advocates

Burt Bacharach

We are saddened to learn of Burt Bacharach’s passing and our team extends our deepest condolences to his wife Jane, their family, and friends. Burt was introduced to Momentum by a mutual friend and our long-time Board Member, Peter Devereaux.

The combination of Peter’s passion to support children and adults with disabilities and Burt’s vast talents, which he generously shared for two private concerts, resulted in this power duo raising over $300,000 to support Momentum’s array of services. While we lost Peter in July 2020 and Burt recently, we continue to be grateful for the impactful legacy these amazing gentlemen created.

Send a Tribute

Sylvia Drzewiecki

We develop everlasting bonds with the people we support. In January, artist and advocate Sylvia Drzewiecki passed away. CLS Program manager Kelly Chernega shared these words to honor Sylvia’s memory:

“I worked with her for my entire career at Momentum (about 17.5 years). She was a fantastic advocate for herself and her community. When she spoke, people listened. She had so much wisdom to impart on her fellows and they respected her opinions. Over the years, Sylvia participated in several rallies to defend the rights of people with developmental disabilities and keep funding in place with the Department of Rehabilitation of California. She told it straight to everyone that needed to hear it, but always in a diplomatic way. She was kind and thoughtful and made people feel welcome in her home. She made strong, loving and lasting relationships with those she cared for and made it known that she cherished each person in her life.

Sylvia loved art. She created art with adaptive technology, assisted by the staff at the Momentum. She encouraged others with their art as well. She was a featured artist at the gallery shows and had art proudly hung at the day program and around her own apartment. She was in the process of working on a piece of art she had planned to send to the White House, addressed to the president, as she was very proud of her work and what it stands for.

I am so blessed to say that I worked with Sylvia and am glad to have been a part of her life. She was an extraordinary woman who touched so many lives. I will truly miss Sylvia but am comforted to know that she believed that when she passed, she walked through the gates of heaven and got her legs back to start running and dancing, and received a full set of teeth so she could eat a big steak again! She will be missed.”