This article is included in our Fall 2021 newsletter. Click here to view the entire newsletter!

Celebrating our DSPs and our new name

Our Open Door Fun Fest had something for everyone: carnival games, bounce houses, a bungee trampoline, live music, free food, and prizes. Oh, and how could we forget the line of people waiting for their chance to ride the mechanical bull?

“You only get so many chances in life to be thrown off a robotic steer.” – an old proverb, probably

Our big community event served two big purposes:

1. To honor the incredible dedication of our direct support professionals (DSPs), and
2. To officially unveil our new name, Open Door, to the public

About our DSPs

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of our DSPs. Their impact on our organization, the individuals we support, and the community are immeasurable; without their countless hours of personalized care, there’s simply no way we would be able to fulfill our mission to inspire life journeys. The Open Door Fun Fest brought back the DSP raffle, where we gave away big prizes to those who dedicate their lives to serving others. We gave away big screen TVs, bikes, appliances, gift cards, and much more. It’s something we look forward to every year, and we can’t wait for 2022!

Why did we rebrand?

We’ve always been a progressive organization. In fact, we were founded to provide community-based residential care for individuals transitioning out of institutional settings – a revolutionary idea that did not exist in our area at the time. Over our 38-year history, we have continued to be at the forefront of change, advocating alongside the people we support for their right to full inclusion and equality by offering a wide range of innovative, community-focused programs and services; all designed to inspire their unique life journeys.

But, despite the great work we were doing, we consistently heard from others outside our organization that our name was misleading and did not accurately convey what we do. In addition, our old acronym, CCHS, was often mistaken for other schools and organizations, which only added to the confusion. We agreed with these sentiments and made the decision to pursue rebranding.

Our goals for were two-fold: create a brand that could unite the diverse ranges of programs and services we offer under one umbrella, and most importantly, ensure that the new brand would be truly reflective of who we are and what we do. We soon came to realize that we already had a great brand that met both of those goals – Open Door. By repurposing the Open Door brand, which was more widely recognized by the greater community, we will raise awareness and generate additional engagement and support for our other great programs and services.

Meet the New Open Door

Our new logo features two intersecting doors – one representing our organization, and the other representing the people we support. This intersection represents the relationship between us, creating a door of opportunity.

We are so excited to continue inspiring life journeys and cultivating valued roles for all people as Open Door!