InterHab power up conference 2025

Our team at Big Lakes had a great time at InterHab's Power Up! Conference, a three-day annual conference dedicated to empowering and educating professionals who support individuals with disabilities. This year it was from October 8-10th at the Hilton Garden Inn right here in Manhattan, KS. We joined IDD professionals from across the state to learn, connect, and share new ideas to keep improving the services we provide.

The conference featured many breakout sessions and inspiring keynote speakers, including Barbara Merrill, the CEO of ANCOR and Zack Gottsagen of the 2019 indie hit The Peanut Butter Falcon.

A highlight ever year is the InterHab Annual Arts and Awards Ceremony, which honors individuals and business that have made an impact on the IDD community that year. We were especially proud to announce that multiple members of the Big Lakes family received recognition during this event. Jennifer Newman received the Outstanding Direct Support Professional (DSP) award, Amy Phillips graduated from Leadership InterHab and one of our clients, Chelsea, was one of eight InterHab Award Artist recipients.

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We are thrilled to celebrate Jennifer Newman for receiving the Outstanding Direct Support Professional (DSP) Award! 🎉

For the past 10 years, Jennifer has been an essential member of the Big Lakes team. Her dedication, passion, and unwavering support have made a lasting impacting on the individuals she supports and the coworkers she inspires every day. 

Jennifer goes above and beyond to help clients achieve their employment goals by teaching them essential job skills, connecting them with meaningful work opportunities and providing ongoing support to ensure long-term success. She also builds strong relationships with employers through open communication to help every partnership thrive.

Jennifer truly embodies the very best of what it means to be a Direct Support Professional (DSP). She exemplifies Big Lakes' mission to promote choice, independence, and inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer on this well-deserved honor! 💙👏

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We are incredibly proud to celebrate Amy Phillips, Associate Operations Director, on her graduation from Leadership InterHab!

Over the past six months, Amy has been part of this statewide leadership program, learning to strengthen leadership within the IDD community. Through sessions focused on advocacy, emotional intelligence, strategic planning, service innovation and more, Amy has continued to develop her skills and passion for making a difference in the IDD field. Her dedication to the people we serve and commitment to personal and professional growth are truly amazing. 

Congratulations Amy, we're so proud of you and cannot wait to see how you continue to make an impact! 💙