Inspiration Gala

Duvall Homes Art For Everyone Coloring Book

October 9, 2019 – A very special, early release of Duvall Homes’ 75th Anniversary Art For Everyone Coloring Book debuted at our 2019 Inspiration Gala on September 27, which took place at the Sanborn Center in DeLand, Florida. Images of the works of art created by day training participants and support staff are celebrated in this 20-page project that was completed last summer at Duvall’s Opportunities Enrichment Center.

The completed artworks were transformed into grayscale coloring pages so that the community could take part in this empowering Initiative developed to introduce the artistic talents of Duvall artists and their support team to a larger audience.

We are proud to share these colorful, collaborative artworks created through the eyes and hands of people with special needs. And the option to color within large or small lines, or to use removable tape for guides just as Duvall residents demonstrate (here), makes the coloring book a great gift for any age or ability.

Many of the pages in this anniversary coloring book have a repeating Crossroads focus – symbolic of the many roads taken in all Duvall programming to bridge the gap between ability and disability.

If you’re interested in supporting a great program for people with developmental disabilities through the donation of 20 or more coloring books to a classroom or school of your choice, please contact Duvall Homes at 386.734.2874 or email your information to ebhimjee@duvallhomes.org. All proceeds from the sale of the coloring book help enhance the programs and services that enrich and improve the lives of those in our care.

Art For Everyone Update

Art Instructor, D. Renee Wilson, joined Duvall’s Art For Everyone Program this past August, helping us break in our new Art Studio.

Wilson is an established artist from New Smyrna Beach, and a professional Art Instructor from Arts4All Florida, a nonprofit organization headquartered in the College of Education at the University of South Florida

Under the guidance of their new instructor, Duvall artists contributed to the Sounds of The 60s – British Invasion theme at this year’s Gala with individual and collaborative works.

Artist Renee Wilson also donated a one-of-a kind Twiggy: The Face of 1966, an acrylic and block printing painting on a vinyl record, which she created just for the event! One lucky winner who bid the highest at the Gala’s silent auction, went home with this groovy masterpiece!

Thank you to all sponsors, auction donors and the participating community who continue to support the programs and services that serve people with special needs living at Duvall Homes and who attend our day training. You are all part of TheDuvallDifference.

Duvall Inside Daytona’s MY COAST Holiday Issue

December 11, 2018 – Duvall is in Daytona’s MY COAST. Highlights from Duvall’s 2018 Inspiration Gala are inside December’s MY COAST Magazine. The lifestyle publication is produced by The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Special events that took place this past quarter across Coastal and West Volusia areas, including Flagler, are spotlighted in the SEEN section.

Duvall’s Inspiration Gala took place on September 28, 2018. This was the fourth year Duvall hosted its signature fundraiser at the Sanborn Center in DeLand.

View fun images in the magazine here. (Duvall Homes is on page 50.) You can pick up a copy of MY COAST at a number of locations across the county. Locations are listed here.

For additional Gala images, visit Duvall’s Inspiration Gala page.

Be sure to read our full Gala story inside Duvall’s 2018 Fall Newsletter.

FLCHS Students Help Our Banners Sparkle For Gala

September 21, 2018 – Thank you Father Lopez Catholic High School students for your community service. For the second year in a row, FLCHS students helped clean our 16 seven-foot Duvall banners.

The two-sided pole banners collected dirt and debris while on display in downtown DeLand last August. Close to 20,000 vehicles (FDOT) and pedestrians passed the banners each day along Woodland Blvd. and were able to view images of empowerment of those we serve.

Next week, the banners will be repurposed at Duvall’s 2018 Inspiration Gala so that family and friends can enjoy the sparkling smiles again.

Thank you to banner sponsors Reames Employee Benefits Solutions, Inc., Florida Hospital and Florida Public Utilities.

Past service from Father Lopez Catholic High School

ImInspired.org

Get Involved

Thank you 2018 Inspiration Gala Silent Auction Donors

September 18, 2018 – Thank you to our generous silent auction donors who help to provide both fun and funding to this year’s Gala. When the highest bidder wins, Duvall Homes wins!

Get your holiday shopping done early. Pair travel with a sporting or cultural event and win even bigger. You must have a Gala ticket to participate. Fore more information, visit DuvallHomes.org/Inspiration-Gala.

Posted by Lisa Habermehl

Duvall inside MYHEALTH Magazine of Daytona News-Journal

November 1, 2017 – Images from DUVALL HOMES’ 2017 INSPIRATION GALA are highlighted inside the November/December 2017 issue of MYHEALTH published by the Daytona News-Journal. Flip to pages 42 and 43 at https://goo.gl/By2G7J. Get your own copy by subscribing to NJ at subscribe@news-jrnl.com. A larger story will debut in Duvall’s Fall Newsletter coming out later this month!

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MYHEALTH SEEN:
Duvall Homes would like to thank friends, families and sponsors for their support of this year’s Inspiration Gala, which took place at the Sanborn Center in DeLand, September 29, 2017. Since the Gala’s inception, three years ago, the organization’s newly established annual fundraiser continues to reach new milestones, this year, raising more than $85,000, with funds still coming in.

Of the more than 200 guests who attended, sponsors included Reames Employee Benefits Solutions, DaVita Labs, Florida Hospital (Memorial Medical Center, DeLand & Fish Memorial), Florida Public Utilities, Park Shore Pharmacon, Kemp Realty Group and many other businesses. A few highlights from the evening included exhibited works of art created by residents of Duvall Homes, performances by Stetson University’s School of Music, a special tribute to John S. Olivari of Olivari & Associates, a seated dinner by award-winning Puff ‘N Stuff, and entertainment by Johnny Wild & The Delights, a high-energy 6-piece ‘50s/’60s’ band. To learn more, visit DuvallHomes.org.

Inspiration Gala

A Boulevard of Inspiration

July 31, 2017 – When Ruby Helton learned that the image of her developmentally disabled son, Jason, would appear this August in one of 16 banners that would adorn Woodland Boulevard (US Hwy 17-92) north and south of New York Avenue downtown DeLand, she was ecstatic. “Oh my, I will be driving down Woodland Blvd. every single day,” said Ruby in her sweet Georgia-native accent. Ruby and her husband moved to DeLand from Georgia seven years ago specifically for Jason. “Duvall Homes was the best place we could find for our son that makes him feel like a real person.”

Jason wears a helmet, because like so many individuals with a developmental disability, he also suffers from a seizure disorder. This however, does not curtail the goal setting and -achieving set by Jason and his personal Direct Support Professionals in his supportive housing nor reduce the educational, cultural and social opportunities organized by his team at Duvall’s Adult Day Training (ADT).

“We aim to provide daily experiences that produce opportunities of learning at various levels on the cognitive spectrum,” said Shirley Zonnevylle, Duvall’s ADT Director. Many experiences have a lasting positive impact on the participants’ lives and their families, while other experiences offer valued moments of curiosity and joy, which the images on the boulevard banners so clearly depict.

Banner images also include one resident, Meg, smiling after endorsing her check following fulfilled obligations for MBI. Other banners show residents holding art they have personally created (or discovered through #DeLandRocks) and young music students from Stetson University with residents who they performed for, or worked with, through their Instruments of Healing group.

“That’s me! I did that painting!” announced Shirley T., an ADT community participant, as she pointed at an image of herself holding a painted vase of colorful flowers. When asked what she thought about being on a very large 7′ banner that will hang downtown DeLand, she smiled and said, “I’m happy… my painting is in that room over there.”

Duvall Homes will celebrate its third annual Inspiration Gala fundraiser, presented by Reames Employee Benefits Solutions, September 29, 2017, at the Sanborn Center, with the focus of honoring those inspirational experiences. The evening will also pay special tribute to businesses and individuals who support and sponsor the empowerment of those in Duvall’s care, including this year’s special honoree, John Olivari of Olivari & Associates, CPA.

Maureen Kemp, Kemp Realty Group Broker, and her husband Chris are the 2017 Gala entertainment sponsors, which will be Johnny Wild & the Delights. “I was first introduced to Duvall through the Keyettes Club at DeLand High School more than 30 years ago and am proud to support them today.” said Kemp

People are always amazed when they discover what the developmentally disabled are capable of doing, including community service and earning a paycheck, and these banners shine light on just a fraction of the inspiring stories of those who quietly live, and struggle, in the background, unknowing to the average person.

Reames Employment Benefits Solution Duvall — *Randy E.*

While the government does provide funding toward housing and training for developmentally disabled, not surprisingly, there remains a persistent gap between actual costs and what Medicaid Waiver covers. “Coupled with federal mandates tied to licensing and certifications, there remains additional costs for insurance, group home operations and special need vehicles. So we are dependent on the generosity of the members of our community to help us minimize this gap,” said Elizabeth Bhimjee, Chief Marketing & Development Officer. “Our Inspiration Gala has become an essential event to help us with those financial challenges.”

The installation of these symbolic banners is yet another milestone in Duvall Homes’ enduring 72-year history that began in the single-family home of Thelma and Alanson Duvall and their Down syndrome son, which has now grown to 16 group homes. Learn more about Duvall Homes and its 2017 Inspiration Gala, an RSVP ticketed event, at ImInspired.org. Members of the public are encouraged to comment what inspires them about the banners and Duvall Homes.

Thank you to ERA Grizzard Real Estate for their use of an image taken of Downtown DeLand at night as a backdrop for our 2017 Inspiration Gala program cover.

Tell us what you think about these banners and DeLand’s Boulevard of Inspiration by visiting ImInspired.org and filling out the fields, or by email Marketing@DuvallHomes.org.

Learn about Duvall Homes’ 2017 Inspiration Gala.

Posted by Lisa Habermehl

Duvall Homes’ Hits a New Milestone

October 17, 2016 With deepest gratitude, the Board of Regents and Staff of Duvall Homes would like to thank friends, families and sponsors for their support of this year’s Inspiration Gala, which took place at the Sanborn Center in DeLand, September 23, 2016. In only its second year, the organization’s newly established annual fundraiser topped nearly $80,000.

“For several years we have been working very hard to raise community awareness about the good work that goes on here at Duvall Homes,” said Duvall’s CEO, Steven DeVane. “We certainly saw, first-hand, the power of one as sponsors, staff and the community came together for a great cause and a great evening, and I personally thank everyone involved. While our work is not done here, the future is bright and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Florida ranks 49 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in funding services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and that shortage has a ripple effect on family members, employers, the community and the state. Donations that come through fundraisers like the Gala are vital to sustaining Duvall’s mission.

“Duvall Homes serves a function of taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves,” said longtime Duvall supporter Bert Reames, President of Reames Employee Benefits Solutions. “I feel the rest of us have a moral obligation to take care of those people, and through Duvall Homes we get that done. Thank you to Duvall Homes for permitting us to be part of the family and give support to their projects.” Bert and Julie Reames are the 2016 recipients of The Alanson and Thelma Duvall Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service, presented at the Gala.

“Duvall Homes’ mission of caring for its residents greatly mirrors the commitment we feel to our patients, our teammates, and our world,” said Jason Cline, VP and General Manager of DaVita Labs who served as the Gala’s Presenting Sponsor.

Other corporate sponsors included Florida Hospital, Tower Realty Partners, Florida Public Utilities, Park Shore Pharmacon, Florida Health Care Plans, Gateway Bank of Florida, Mainstreet Community Bank of Florida, Marshall Law Office, Merrill Lynch, and Olivari & Associates, to name just a few.

“It was an amazing team effort,” said Elizabeth Bhimjee, Duvall Homes’ Chief Marketing and Development Officer and Gala Coordinator. “We received an outpouring of support from the community again this year. It was inspiring to see so many individuals and organizations come together to help us achieve another new milestone in Duvall’s long history.” For more information, visit DuvallHomes.org.