Recipient of the 2017 REHABILITATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Lawlor Therapy Support Services

Nominated For: REHABILITATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR

We are grateful to our colleagues who nominated us and to the Ontario Brain Injury Association, in collaboration with the member firms of PIA Law to be selected as a nominee for an Award of Excellence in Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Company of The year. We congratulate all of the nominees for this year’s awards in recognition of their valuable contributions in this field.

Lawlor Therapy Support Services has been providing rehabilitation support services to people with an acquired brain injury and other catastrophic injuries since 1998 in Ontario. This year is Lawlor’s 25 year anniversary! When Laura Gridel and Angie Cunningham, sisters, started their company, their goal was to focus solely on providing exceptional, client centered, rehabilitation support work. They honoured their mother who had passed away that year by naming the company after her (Lawlor was her maiden name). Her philosophy of life was incorporated as our mission statement and moto. To treat everyone as you would want to be treated. This has been our guiding principle in the people we hire and the people we serve.

We are honoured to work with individuals that have allowed us to walk alongside them on their rehabilitation journey. Every individual we have worked with and their families have taught us the true meaning of strength and courage. It has been a privilege to witness the many obstacles and challenges they have overcome. Lawlor is inspired by every individual we have worked with and they motivate us to continually improve our skills and service.

In the 25 years that we have been providing services, we have been fortunate to work with many esteemed members of the rehabilitation community that recognize the importance of the role of a Rehabilitation Support Worker. Lawlor staff also recognize their role as part of a team that includes regulated health care professionals who provide the RSW with direction and guidance to enable clients to reach their rehabilitation goals. We are grateful to be part of a rehabilitation community that supports each other, provides educational opportunities through OBIA and other resources, fights for the rights of the insured through the Ontario Rehab Alliance, and the numerous Brain Injury Associations that support and fundraise for so many people with an acquired brain injury.

Our success is due to our amazing RSWs who maintain a client-centered philosophy, and are true team players. Lawlor RSWs are known for their exceptional documentation skills, professionalism, training, and ability to work within their scope of practice. We are fortunate that the majority of our employees have been with us for over 15 years and several have been with us since the beginning. Our outstanding managers, lead inspire and encourage staff. All of our managers wear many hats and continue to work with clients. Rck Hadleycrane is head of Business Development, our Barrie and Area manager and has developed and managed the Technology Training Program Developer which has been very successful in helping clients incorporate technology to improve their abilities and skills. Heather Ricardo is our Niagara and Hamilton manager and part of the Health and Safety team as well as part of the training and hiring team. Courtney Enright is our Toronto manager, social media expert and referral coordinator. Drew Schmitt, our Kitchener Waterloo manager support clients, manages staff, and is also the keen eye and final say on our treatment plans. We are beyond grateful to work with an amazing team of managers and staff and this recognition would not be possible without them.

We continue to be inspired by Rob Kattenhorn, an RSW who passed away in 2016. He was recognized as Rehabilitation Professional of the year in 2014. When Rob won the award he said to the audience, “I hope this reminds people of why what you are doing is so important and how big of an impact you can make in your life, even if it is for a very short period of time.” I hope we all recognize this.