A September to Remember.
With summer in the rear-view mirror and leaves of fantastic colors falling through the air, we joined together with our state and national partners last month to elevate, celebrate and recognize the incredible and thankless work of our lifeblood, our Direct Support Professionals.
National Direct Support Professional Recognition week took place from September 7th to the 14th, and we didn’t waste a day when it came to celebrating your incredible work.
Pleasant Surprises
In addition to recognizing our top employees from all regions of the agency, we gave out a gift to all of our DSPs: VCS Beanies!
As a small token of our appreciation for DSPs of all regions, we also gave away six Apple AirPods products to someone from each region! We capped it off with the giveaway of Apple AirPods Max Headphones to a random Agency-wide DSP!
The Best of the Best, With Honors.
In our third year of our DSP of the Year awards, we were looking for employees who have gone above and beyond by encouraging individuals and staff alike to excel. Like last year, we were overwhelmed with the number of nominations and kind words made by regional leaders, but only a handful could be picked.
New for this year, we expanded the categories to include our Non-Residential and Complex Behavioral Supports divisions, filling out each of the seven days of #DSPRW25!
Melissa Diehl, VCS DSP of the Year 2025
Melissa, a Central region DSP, exemplifies dedication and perseverance in the face of everyday challenges.
She is always available to support individuals as well as any DSPs in her area. She never fails when it comes to supporting people with disabilities, so they can feel included and empowered!
Having worked as an assistant manager in multiple homes, she is also the preeminent candidate and role model for a future management position in our central region.
Our NADSP Certified Staff.
Last but certainly not least, our NADSP Certified employees can not be left out.
Those that go through the NADSP certification curriculum, whether as a frontline supervisor or DSP, are some of our most prized staff.
Soon, access to another cohort of candidates will open. We can only hope that many future VCS Direct Support Professionals of the year will come from it!
Thanks for celebrating our best employees with us!