2024 Employee Recognition Recipients
As we continue recovering from and moving beyond many post-pandemic obstacles as an agency, it is important to recognize and remember the individuals who helped make any of this possible in the first place. We are extremely grateful for all of the hard work put forth by our employees and would like to take the time to shine some light upon those in particular that have served through countless trials and tribulations over the years, while always putting their service to our participants first and foremost.
Spurwink|RI would like to congratulate our 2024 Employee Recognition Recipients for their years of service.
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30 YEARS
Angela Defreitas – Employment Specialist, VocLinks
Jason Mancini – DSP, Crompton Road
William Muller – DSP, Crompton Road
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25 YEARS
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Ocy Agwuegbo – DSP, Cobble Hill Road
Dennis Branca – Teacher Assistant & Building Manager, Spurwink School
Lisa Iannotti – Accounts Receivable, Administration
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15 YEARS
Mary English – Administrative Assistant, VocLinks and Administration
Felix Ireland – DSP, Seven Mile Road
Suzanne Pagano – Executive Assistant, Administration
David Perretta – DSP, South County Trail
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10 YEARS
​Lasana Disu-Koita – DSP, Cobble Hill Road
Sonja Parker – Associate Program Manager, Brook Drive
Rebecca Tartaglia – Employment Specialist, VocLinks
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5 YEARS
Joseph Lyons – DSP, Peaked Rock Road
Renee Mureddu – Program Manager, Peaked Rock Road
Josmarlin Rosario – DSP, Crompton Road
Victoria Sands – Employment Specialist, VocLink
John Soares – DSP, South County Trail
Arthur Stern – DSP, Cobble Hill Road
Abimbola Taiwo – DSP, Seven Mile Road
Michael Wilcox – DSP, Cobble Hill Road
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our recipients and thank you for your many years of service to the agency.
On behalf of spurwink|ri’s Board of Directors, our Senior Administrative Team, and the Human Resource Office, Thank YOU for your ongoing commitment to our Spurwink Community.
The Winston R. Smith Award
The Winston Smith award is presented to individuals who capture the meaning of “Company Spirit”. They demonstrate the ability to go above and beyond for the betterment of the company and its community. Consideration is given to involvement in company events, contributions to fellow employees, dedication to the people we support (given agency position) and an overall positive approach to all that Spurwink represents.
The 2024 Winston R. Smith Award
The 2024 Winston R. Smith Award recipient is Joanne Malagrino. Congratulations to Joanne for all her outstanding service to our Spurwink Community!
Since the very beginning of joining our Spurwink Community, it was apparent to everyone that Joanne was dedicated to our mission and that we shared a common goal. She was the right person at the right time to lead and develop residential programming for the adult population. At the time, this meant working literally around the clock and fulfilling multiple roles to simultaneously open three group homes within a six-month period, and several more in a span shortly thereafter.
For the past 36 years, Joanne has been a highly dedicated administrator of spurwink|ri. In her role as Assistant Executive Director, she has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to promoting the mission and values of our agency. Joanne has provided helpful administrative support to the managers she has supervised, while also being a positive influence in the lives of the program participants. Additionally, she has made valuable contributions to the benefit of important agency committees and quality initiatives. When it comes to “Company Spirit,” the list is endless as she consistently maintains a positive outlook, shares excellent stories from her plethora of experiences, and has an irreplaceable sense of humor. “Chuckles” can always be counted on to bring levity when needed, even creating catchy and uplifting jingles during periods of high stress.
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Over the years, Joanne has volunteered at fundraisers and hosted regular social events at her home, which all helped to build up a positive spirit of comradery amongst agency personnel and makes it a point to continue this growth in her own way by sponsoring contests and games throughout the year. She looks forward to the annual May breakfast with chocolate milk at the Spurwink School and loves attending their Christmas party to experience the joy that Santa brings to all. Quite possibly, what she is most renowned for, is her Halloween spirit, always promoting contests to encourage participation and constantly showing us up with her creative costumes, which are, quite frankly, THE BEST. She is generous with her time and personal finances, always willing to listen and help, regardless of the problem at hand, even while enduring her own health challenges! She truly exhibits the spirit for which the Winston R. Smith Award stands.
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Please join me in congratulating the recipient of the
2024 Winston R. Smith Commitment to Quality Service Award
Joanne Malagrino.
The Community Provider Network-RI
Direct Support Professional Award
This award is given to a direct support employee from each agency that has been selected by that organization as exemplary in the practice of direct support and thought of as a model of excellence. Consideration is given to the person’s longevity, creativity, leadership and contribution to the quality of life for people supported.
The 2024 Community Provider Network-RI
Direct Support Professional Award
The 2024 spurwinklri Direct Support Professional winner is Leroy Moses.
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For more than ten years, Leroy Moses has been a valuable member of the Cobble Hill Road team. Leroy has always been extremely reliable, willing to work extra shifts during crisis situations or staffing shortages. Leroy is always looking to help and readily volunteers to take on added responsibilities and took on the role of case manager for many years. He has continuously been a staunch advocate for the participants in his care. Leroy works extremely well with all the participants at Cobble and has always been very skilled at altering his style of interaction to successfully support whichever participant he has been assigned to work with. Leroy works particularly well with our two participants diagnosed with autism and is frequently complimented on his style of interaction by their guardians. In summary, Leroy has been one of our most outstanding team members. His many qualities are reflected in the continuous successes of each of our participants. They, as well as all of us, have learned much through his reflective and genuine approach to the care and development of our participants.
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Leroy was also recently celebrated with other CPNRI Direct Support Professionals at their annual meeting. We would like to congratulate him again for his outstanding work and commitment, as well as his representation of all Direct Support Staff!
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The Big Heart Award
Given in recognition of her/his commitment and dedication to spurwink|ri.
The 2024 Big Heart Award
The 2024 Big HeartAward recipient is Dr. Debra Roberts.
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In collaboration with The Comprehensive Community Action Program, Dr. Debra Roberts became a part of the spurwink|ri community through her service to one of our participants supported by the Seven Mile Road Group Home in 2008. Even with such a small sample size from which to draw, it was evident that Dr. Roberts’ style of interaction, soft-spoken demeanor, capacity to sincerely listen, and the ever-present person-centered attention shown to her clients were all second to none. Alongside her consideration of diagnoses and presenting disabilities, it was because of these admirable skills and character traits that it was asked of Dr. Roberts if she could take on a few more of our participants. This was a request that came with no hesitancy, but instead much pride and we are grateful it was asked to this day.
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In 2009, Dr. Roberts agreed to this request and began providing care for all the ladies at Seven Mile Road. Whenever her practice was relocated, she remained dedicated to the ladies of Seven Mile Road and continued to serve and fit them into her busy schedule. To ensure that the coordination of care was at peak efficiency, Dr. Roberts always made the extra effort to communicate with the Program Managers and effectively keep them apprised of any ongoing changes so that the best treatment possible could be maintained. This is simply one example of how Dr. Roberts goes above and beyond for our ladies at Seven Mile Road, but she’s done so much more as well. As any doctor does, she would see them whenever it was necessary. However, when it became increasingly difficult for us to bring the ladies to her due to their disabilities and our own staffing shortages, Dr. Roberts put in place regular home visits and brought herself to the ladies.
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Dr. Roberts is always available whenever she is needed, whether it be an on-site visit, requesting a medication refill, or even to answer a simple question. Due in part to her compassionate disposition and impeccable bedside manner, we all recognize how incredibly relaxed and comfortable the ladies are when under her care. She makes it a point to value staff insights, and always takes into account their perceptions and observations. Dr. Roberts exudes kindness, generosity, and empathy toward all our participants, and we are incredibly thankful for all the support she regularly supplies. The rarity of her willingness to serve is not lost on any member of the team, and we cherish the time that we still have left under her vigilant watch.
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Please join me in recognizing and celebrating the
2024 spuwink|ri Big Heart Award recipient – Dr. Debra Roberts.
The 2024 Raymond A. Arsenault Children's Education and Enrichment Award
​The 2024 Raymond A. Arsenault Children’s Education and Enrichment Award recipient is Carleen Ballaire.
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As most of you here tonight know, the origins of our organization date back to 1982, two years after The Lakeside Treatment Center closed operations. This closure abruptly left thirty Rhode Island children who were in need of psychological services with no place to go. Prior to this period, the State of Rhode Island was also referring some children with serious emotional needs to The Spurwink School in Maine due in part to the minimal amount of support services that were readily available within our own area. Now, referring a couple children here and there is one thing, but scrambling to find placements for nearly thirty children at once seemed like an insurmountable task. Something needed to be done to help alleviate this demand.
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In 1981, the state issued an RFP seeking assistance, and our colleagues at The Spurwink School in Maine answered the call. They proposed to help develop three therapeutic foster homes and a day treatment program for some of these children, as well as returning four of our out-of-state placements in Maine back home to beds in Rhode Island. As a result, the very beginnings of this organization, or at least the idea of what it has become today, began to take shape.
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At that time, a man named Raymond Arsenault was also working at the Rhode Island Department for Children and Families, or DCYF as it is known today. Ray had developed quite a reputation as a steadfast activist for children in need, dedicating much of his life to making sure said children received proper services and care. When the Rhode Island branch of The Spurwink School formally incorporated as its own non-profit in 1984 after a state policy change was enacted, Ray was recruited as our very first Executive Director due in part to his dedicated passion, personal sacrifices, and staunch advocacy for our children. I speak about this because it is important to remember both where we came from as well as how those values upon which all of this was built are still exhibited today.
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I also speak about this because I have the honor of introducing a new annual award, one that recognizes those who have followed in Ray’s footsteps, those who continue to provide education and enrichment to individuals in our children’s program, and those who go above and beyond to make sure that these
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kids have a safe place to learn about navigating life with their specialized needs. Simply put, the objective of this award is twofold – to honor the history that brought us here today, and to recognize the continuation of the spirit that sparked the genesis of this organization.
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With the emergence of this new annual award, one person in particular comes to mind who is already more than deserving of such recognition. This individual has served at The Spurwink School in various capacities for over thirty-eight years, with thirty-two of them in the role of Special Education Administrator. They continue to exude the very definition of the aforementioned passion, sacrifice, and advocacy for which Ray is well-known. On a daily basis, they ensure that their students receive the best possible education and therapeutic support by researching and implementing the ever-evolving evidence-based best practices. They consistently put the needs and well-being of their students ahead of their own, making sure that every single student is awarded the attention that they inherently deserve in order to enrich their quality of life. Their calm, quiet presence and uncanny ability to listen whenever one requires assistance has been attested to by families and staff members alike throughout the years. Furthermore, they have earned the respect and admiration of referring school departments and special educators across the entire State of Rhode Island. Lastly, and certainly not least, they have earned the appreciation and sincere gratitude of the Spurwink Community as a whole.​
Please join me in proudly congratulating the inaugural recipient of the
Raymond A. Arsenault Children’s Education and Enrichment Award
Carleen Bellaire.
