Leanna Haahr Named Iowa DSP of the Year

posted on Monday, August 22, 2011

Waterloo, IA - Leanna Haahr Named Iowa DSP of the Year

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) has awarded EPI employee, Leanna Haahr, the distinction as Iowa’s Direct Support Professional (DSP) of the Year.

Leanna has worked at EPI for close to four years. She was nominated by her co-workers and individuals she supports for continuously going above and beyond, for her “can do” attitude and endlessly creating options for persons served to participate in all aspects of their community.

One individual Leanna works with describes her as “non-judgmental, flexible and open to the things I love to do.” He goes on to say “she never tries to influence my decisions or complains. I love extremely heavy metal music. Leanna rearranges her schedule so I can go to late night concerts and hockey games too. When I asked if she likes heavy mental or hockey, Leanna always says it’s not about what she likes.”

Leanna says she loves the work she does and that it doesn’t seem like work at all. She goes on to say, “[My job] is about recapturing life for the persons I serve.” That’s exactly what you can find her doing every day. Congratulations Leanna! Thank you for representing your fellow Direct Support Professionals at EPI so well!

This is the second DSP of the Year distinction awarded to an EPI employee in the last two years.