July 27, 2025 • 11 mins
We spoke with Oak Hill Chief Administrator Dan Osborne and Jack Gaynor from JMR Staffing about the 31st annual Oak Hill Golf Classic.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Murz. My guest this morning is Dan Osborne
from Okill. He's a chief administrator there and Jack Gainar
with JMR Staffing. Good morning, gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Good morning Alison. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Oak Hill has been around for a very long time
and are an amazing organization for those who don't know
about it. How did it all begin and what's your mission?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah? Thanks Allison. So Okhill is the largest provider of
services for individuals with disabilities throughout the state of Connecticut.
We serve people with disabilities of all ages. So we're
a fully accessible organization across seventy five towns in Connecticut.
So we provide services in a full continuum, including residential, educational, recreational, assistive, technology,
(00:47):
and other enrichment opportunities to thousands of individuals across the
state who benefit from these services. So we've been doing
this for over one hundred years, and we have some
new and exciting things that we're doing, and a lot
of vers is that we've provided for a really long time.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Let's talk about that. You've been involved with JMR Staffing
in connection with supporting Okill. Tell me what has that
been like.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It's been great. JMR is a great resource, a great
support for us to make sure that we have high
quality staff for all of our programs across the state
of Connecticut. They're responsive, they're supportive, and obviously we're here
today to talk about and celebrate a way in which
they're supporting our mission and getting behind not just making
sure we're staff, but making sure our agency meets its
(01:30):
mission for a long time in the future.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Last year, JMR was a first time platinum sponsor the
Okill Golf Classic, and this year they've stepped up in
a huge way, becoming the first ever tournament's sponsor. What
encouraged you to increase your support to this level?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well, from last year, the tournament was just such a positive,
upbeat day, a day that I'll remember for a long
time in my career. And from Lenaia singing the auction
for Allen's pay, it was just a beautiful day. Getting
everyone together, raising a lot of money for these individuals
(02:06):
we serve, and really just being more involved was important
to us because our internal staff, a lot of them
have worked in group homes inside schools. We love the tournament.
We love golf, but we really value our partnership with
Okill and how far it's come. So this level of
(02:26):
support was the least that we could do to get
involved and give back to our community.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
How good does it feel to give back?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I mean, this is what it's all about at the
end of the day. So being able to sponsor the
Okill Golf Classic really means everything to us. It's a
tremendous honor first of all, but the opportunity to make
a difference in the lives of the individuals that OKILL
and our JMR staff serve. Giving back to the community
we were born and raised in and everything that we
(02:55):
do wouldn't be possible without the collaboration and teamwork place.
So being able to get involved at this level it
just really impactful, really important to us.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
That's wonderful. I love when local businesses get involved with
things like this. Is there anything new at JMR.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Absolutely so this year we're actually really excited. We opened
up our group home and school training facility. It's located
in East Hartford, across from our main office over on
Main Street. There we offer in house training to better
support our group homes in schools that we serve in
(03:35):
offering in house trainings for CPR and first aid as
well as PMT, which is physical and psychological management training. Now,
when our candidates come in and get hired for a
direct support personal care CNA residential program type role, they
(03:56):
are prepared and ready to go. That's new on the
training side. And then with that training with our school
training facility opening, that establishes our three divisions within JMR.
So we now have our medical Educational group home side.
(04:16):
That's one division which we just spoke about. We have
our office division supporting reception roles, administrative roles, call centers.
And we have our light Industrial division supporting manufacturing warehousing
everything from forklift operating to assembling and manufacturing. But of course,
at the end of the day, our niches been in
(04:40):
human services. In our partnership with Oakhill has allowed us
to grow in this space dramatically and we're extremely honored
to partner with them, And nothing that we've accomplished would
have been possible without the collaboration of the leadership, and
it trickled down to every single member of the team
(05:00):
who's got us to where we all have gotten today.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Have you gotten any feedback from the team saying how
maybe it's impacted their lives positively.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Absolutely, we love supporting Oakill in their mission. We've taken
it on ourselves. That's how our partnerships thrive is when
we're able to get on the same page, working together
with our partners to set and understand goals, meet expectations,
and achieve a successful outcome together.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wonderful. We began to talk about OKILL and its programs
and services. Tell me more about that.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Sure, So, OKILL being the largest provider of services for
individuals with disabilities, we want to make sure that all
of the people that we serve have access to a
full range of services. So we call it our continuum
of care. Someone can come into our services for a
particular need and end up receiving other services down the road,
end up transitioning to different programs because we have all
(06:00):
all of the different service levels that are needed for
someone who is experiencing a disability of any kind?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Is there an age range of the people who can
receive services.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
We provide services across the lifespan, so there's no restriction
on age, from the youngest to those who are maturing
in their life. We can serve individuals throughout the agepan.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Without giving names. Are there any personal stories of people
who have benefited from being at OKILL?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, you know, some of the mission moment celebrations that
we experienced at last year's event come to mind. We
had four oak Kill participants training all summer with our
occupational therapists, which then prepared them to actually play in
the tournament, so that was a super fun, exciting experience.
(06:49):
We also had a young man serving ice cream from
the blue Chip ice Cream truck throughout the tournament, which
is part of our supportive employment program. And we had Allen,
one of our staff, doing a painting exhibition at the
first hole with Roxanne as part of our art therapy program.
(07:09):
So last year's tournament really highlighted some of those things.
Thinking about more recent experiences, one thing that comes to
mind is we have fully accessible water skiing that's going
on right now, just giving participants the opportunity to do
something that we all would love to do but might
be out of reach without the supports and access to
(07:29):
those activities that OKILL provides. So it's those kinds of stories,
you know, when you see someone's face light up with
a smile because of their experience, you know, water skiing
for the first time, or fishing, or engaging in activities
that they might not otherwise have access to. Those are
the things that really get us excited at OKILL.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
And as an administrator, it must be like Christmas morning
some days for you to see how blessed these people
are by all of the programs and services.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's so true. I mean, coming into work at Oakhill,
the days that we get to see the faces, the
direct impact that these services have is extremely rewarding. As
an administrator, some days I'm looking at a computer screen,
but the days that I'm looking at a face, which
is the reason that we're here, really special.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Absolutely. Let's talk more about this golf classic. Oh Kills
Golf Classic. Where's it taking place?
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, so that's the first special part. It's held at
TPC River Highlands, which is obviously the home to the
Travelers Championship, so that makes it special just in and
of itself. The benefit of this event is that all
proceeds go to support individuals with disabilities, and that's what
we're really proud of with this event. We do offer
some of the details. We offer an elevated food and
(08:45):
beverage package with exceptional player gifts for all golfers, and
we've really seen this event grow over the thirty one
years that it's been in existence, which is really exciting
and highlighting our mission. We have opportunities throughout the day
for the golfers to meet some of the individuals that
we serve. So whether it's during the check in process,
(09:07):
during the encourse play, or at that ice cream truck
that I mentioned earlier, there's opportunities for the golfers to
really see what Oak Hill is all about, which is
the people that we serve.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
And then there's a dinner reception.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
There is, so we have a dinner reception at the
end of the evening, which gives us an opportunity to
celebrate both the golfers and our participants and just enjoy
each other's company the work that we do. This work
happens in the context of community, which makes events like
this so special to celebrate that which definitely happens at
the end of the night.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And you all need each other. The workers need each other,
and the clients need each other, and it's a wonderful
way for everyone to relate.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Absolutely at the end of the day, you know we're
all we're all people wanting to live the lives that
we desire, and the people that we serve are no
different than that, and it's a pretty which to be
part of events like this that celebrate their accomplishments and
just who they are as people.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So it's taking place on Monday, October six, it's my
dad's birthday, which is a great day. Yes, and of
course we need donations and sponsorships would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, so good news. Sponsorships are still available, so I
definitely want to get the word out on that. Folks
can visit OAKHILLCT dot org to learn more and sign
up today. And even if someone can't make it, a
donation of any amount helps OKILL provide more for the
people that we serve. And what about volunteers, We love
(10:36):
to have them, so you can reach out to us
at that same web address. So it's I'm going to
say it again. This one's a little longer, but it's
it's OAKKILLCT dot org backslash signature dash events. But if
you if you don't put that in correctly, you can
still find out all this information at OKILLCT dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Absolutely, I'm speaking with Dan Osborne from Okill. He's a
chief administrator there and Jack Gaynor with JMR staffing. The
event is taking place. It's Oakill's Golf Classic. It's at
the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. It's October sixth. Their
goal this year is to raise two hundred and five
thousand dollars. Sponsorships are still available. Please if you love
(11:15):
to golf, if you want to make a difference in
people's lives. Oakill is just so wonderful. Go to OKILLCT
dot org. Thank you both for being here today and
for serving the community.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yes, thank you, Alison. Have a wonderful day.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Alison de Murz. My guest this morning is Dan Osborne
from Okill. He's a chief administrator there and Jack Gainar
with JMR Staffing. Good morning, gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Good morning Alison. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Oak Hill has been around for a very long time
and are an amazing organization for those who don't know
about it. How did it all begin and what's your mission?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah? Thanks Allison. So Okhill is the largest provider of
services for individuals with disabilities throughout the state of Connecticut.
We serve people with disabilities of all ages. So we're
a fully accessible organization across seventy five towns in Connecticut.
So we provide services in a full continuum, including residential, educational, recreational, assistive, technology,
(00:47):
and other enrichment opportunities to thousands of individuals across the
state who benefit from these services. So we've been doing
this for over one hundred years, and we have some
new and exciting things that we're doing, and a lot
of vers is that we've provided for a really long time.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Let's talk about that. You've been involved with JMR Staffing
in connection with supporting Okill. Tell me what has that
been like.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It's been great. JMR is a great resource, a great
support for us to make sure that we have high
quality staff for all of our programs across the state
of Connecticut. They're responsive, they're supportive, and obviously we're here
today to talk about and celebrate a way in which
they're supporting our mission and getting behind not just making
sure we're staff, but making sure our agency meets its
(01:30):
mission for a long time in the future.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Last year, JMR was a first time platinum sponsor the
Okill Golf Classic, and this year they've stepped up in
a huge way, becoming the first ever tournament's sponsor. What
encouraged you to increase your support to this level?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well, from last year, the tournament was just such a positive,
upbeat day, a day that I'll remember for a long
time in my career. And from Lenaia singing the auction
for Allen's pay, it was just a beautiful day. Getting
everyone together, raising a lot of money for these individuals
(02:06):
we serve, and really just being more involved was important
to us because our internal staff, a lot of them
have worked in group homes inside schools. We love the tournament.
We love golf, but we really value our partnership with
Okill and how far it's come. So this level of
(02:26):
support was the least that we could do to get
involved and give back to our community.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
How good does it feel to give back?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I mean, this is what it's all about at the
end of the day. So being able to sponsor the
Okill Golf Classic really means everything to us. It's a
tremendous honor first of all, but the opportunity to make
a difference in the lives of the individuals that OKILL
and our JMR staff serve. Giving back to the community
we were born and raised in and everything that we
(02:55):
do wouldn't be possible without the collaboration and teamwork place.
So being able to get involved at this level it
just really impactful, really important to us.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
That's wonderful. I love when local businesses get involved with
things like this. Is there anything new at JMR.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Absolutely so this year we're actually really excited. We opened
up our group home and school training facility. It's located
in East Hartford, across from our main office over on
Main Street. There we offer in house training to better
support our group homes in schools that we serve in
(03:35):
offering in house trainings for CPR and first aid as
well as PMT, which is physical and psychological management training. Now,
when our candidates come in and get hired for a
direct support personal care CNA residential program type role, they
(03:56):
are prepared and ready to go. That's new on the
training side. And then with that training with our school
training facility opening, that establishes our three divisions within JMR.
So we now have our medical Educational group home side.
(04:16):
That's one division which we just spoke about. We have
our office division supporting reception roles, administrative roles, call centers.
And we have our light Industrial division supporting manufacturing warehousing
everything from forklift operating to assembling and manufacturing. But of course,
at the end of the day, our niches been in
(04:40):
human services. In our partnership with Oakhill has allowed us
to grow in this space dramatically and we're extremely honored
to partner with them, And nothing that we've accomplished would
have been possible without the collaboration of the leadership, and
it trickled down to every single member of the team
(05:00):
who's got us to where we all have gotten today.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Have you gotten any feedback from the team saying how
maybe it's impacted their lives positively.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Absolutely, we love supporting Oakill in their mission. We've taken
it on ourselves. That's how our partnerships thrive is when
we're able to get on the same page, working together
with our partners to set and understand goals, meet expectations,
and achieve a successful outcome together.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Wonderful. We began to talk about OKILL and its programs
and services. Tell me more about that.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Sure, So, OKILL being the largest provider of services for
individuals with disabilities, we want to make sure that all
of the people that we serve have access to a
full range of services. So we call it our continuum
of care. Someone can come into our services for a
particular need and end up receiving other services down the road,
end up transitioning to different programs because we have all
(06:00):
all of the different service levels that are needed for
someone who is experiencing a disability of any kind?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Is there an age range of the people who can
receive services.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
We provide services across the lifespan, so there's no restriction
on age, from the youngest to those who are maturing
in their life. We can serve individuals throughout the agepan.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Without giving names. Are there any personal stories of people
who have benefited from being at OKILL?
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, you know, some of the mission moment celebrations that
we experienced at last year's event come to mind. We
had four oak Kill participants training all summer with our
occupational therapists, which then prepared them to actually play in
the tournament, so that was a super fun, exciting experience.
(06:49):
We also had a young man serving ice cream from
the blue Chip ice Cream truck throughout the tournament, which
is part of our supportive employment program. And we had Allen,
one of our staff, doing a painting exhibition at the
first hole with Roxanne as part of our art therapy program.
(07:09):
So last year's tournament really highlighted some of those things.
Thinking about more recent experiences, one thing that comes to
mind is we have fully accessible water skiing that's going
on right now, just giving participants the opportunity to do
something that we all would love to do but might
be out of reach without the supports and access to
(07:29):
those activities that OKILL provides. So it's those kinds of stories,
you know, when you see someone's face light up with
a smile because of their experience, you know, water skiing
for the first time, or fishing, or engaging in activities
that they might not otherwise have access to. Those are
the things that really get us excited at OKILL.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
And as an administrator, it must be like Christmas morning
some days for you to see how blessed these people
are by all of the programs and services.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
It's so true. I mean, coming into work at Oakhill,
the days that we get to see the faces, the
direct impact that these services have is extremely rewarding. As
an administrator, some days I'm looking at a computer screen,
but the days that I'm looking at a face, which
is the reason that we're here, really special.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Absolutely. Let's talk more about this golf classic. Oh Kills
Golf Classic. Where's it taking place?
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, so that's the first special part. It's held at
TPC River Highlands, which is obviously the home to the
Travelers Championship, so that makes it special just in and
of itself. The benefit of this event is that all
proceeds go to support individuals with disabilities, and that's what
we're really proud of with this event. We do offer
some of the details. We offer an elevated food and
(08:45):
beverage package with exceptional player gifts for all golfers, and
we've really seen this event grow over the thirty one
years that it's been in existence, which is really exciting
and highlighting our mission. We have opportunities throughout the day
for the golfers to meet some of the individuals that
we serve. So whether it's during the check in process,
(09:07):
during the encourse play, or at that ice cream truck
that I mentioned earlier, there's opportunities for the golfers to
really see what Oak Hill is all about, which is
the people that we serve.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
And then there's a dinner reception.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
There is, so we have a dinner reception at the
end of the evening, which gives us an opportunity to
celebrate both the golfers and our participants and just enjoy
each other's company the work that we do. This work
happens in the context of community, which makes events like
this so special to celebrate that which definitely happens at
the end of the night.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And you all need each other. The workers need each other,
and the clients need each other, and it's a wonderful
way for everyone to relate.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Absolutely at the end of the day, you know we're
all we're all people wanting to live the lives that
we desire, and the people that we serve are no
different than that, and it's a pretty which to be
part of events like this that celebrate their accomplishments and
just who they are as people.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So it's taking place on Monday, October six, it's my
dad's birthday, which is a great day. Yes, and of
course we need donations and sponsorships would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, so good news. Sponsorships are still available, so I
definitely want to get the word out on that. Folks
can visit OAKHILLCT dot org to learn more and sign
up today. And even if someone can't make it, a
donation of any amount helps OKILL provide more for the
people that we serve. And what about volunteers, We love
(10:36):
to have them, so you can reach out to us
at that same web address. So it's I'm going to
say it again. This one's a little longer, but it's
it's OAKKILLCT dot org backslash signature dash events. But if
you if you don't put that in correctly, you can
still find out all this information at OKILLCT dot org.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Absolutely, I'm speaking with Dan Osborne from Okill. He's a
chief administrator there and Jack Gaynor with JMR staffing. The
event is taking place. It's Oakill's Golf Classic. It's at
the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. It's October sixth. Their
goal this year is to raise two hundred and five
thousand dollars. Sponsorships are still available. Please if you love
(11:15):
to golf, if you want to make a difference in
people's lives. Oakill is just so wonderful. Go to OKILLCT
dot org. Thank you both for being here today and
for serving the community.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yes, thank you, Alison. Have a wonderful day.
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