In Community sheds light on the many issues and challenges people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face in their journey to leading fulfilling lives. It also focuses on Laura Baker Services Association’s efforts to build a supportive community that embraces all people.
July 25, 2025
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Times Like These, Opportunities Abound. Written by Sandi Gerdes Executive Director of Laura Baker Services Association. When times are tough, it’s easy to be turtle-like and pull into our shell, waiting for danger to pass and better times to come. That reaction can be seen as safer. Is it? What… Read More
July 3, 2025
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
When the System Fails: The Consequences of Ignoring Behavioral Health in IDD As healthcare leaders, we strive to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care. Yet for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), our systems often fall short, especially when it comes to behavioral health. While we readily address physical needs, behavioral… Read More
May 21, 2025
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Bridging the Gap – Why mental health care often overlooks people with IDD As someone who has worked in the mental health arena in multiple states for nearly 40 years, I have a vast knowledge of our mental health systems, services, clientele, etc. I am pleased to see that mental… Read More
May 14, 2025
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
From Referral to Results: How to Navigate Behavioral Health Services When and how should a person determine if they need behavioral health services? The process of determining the need for mental health care varies from person to person. Many people seek out care on their own, and others have a… Read More
March 4, 2025
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Together We Can By Sandi Gerdes, Executive Director Transitions. They are an unavoidable fact of life. Despite their unavoidability, we resist them. We complain about them. We mourn the old. As the world moves faster and faster, we have less time to acclimate to transitions, to prepare ourselves. Sometimes they happen so quickly we… Read More
October 17, 2024
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Together We Can By Sandi Gerdes, Executive Director “Our joint conviction is that much, much more is possible than people ordinarily think.” — Rosamund Stone Zander, The Art of Possibility It’s so easy to constrict ourselves. It’s easy to believe that what the world tells us is possible, is indeed… Read More
February 15, 2024
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
We need our partners along for the journey – and we thank you, in advance, for continuing the journey with us. Read More
January 3, 2024
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Martha W. Lantz, MSW, MBA, has been working with LBSA to develop behavioral health services for those with IDD and mental health conditions. Read More
November 15, 2023
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
We look forward with hope and anticipation to striding purposefully into our next century! Together we can, and we do, and we will. Read More
August 15, 2023
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Everyday magic – seeing people blossom is the stuff dreams are made of. Read More
February 14, 2023
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
The Path Forward Finding Hope was the theme for the 2022 Gala and going forward in 2023. It’s also my personal goal this year. I recently had a conversation with someone, and they asked me how do I know if I’m finding hope? What does it mean for my physical… Read More
November 7, 2022
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Finding hope, finding the light, can seem more and more difficult in these crazy times. Community support, families who tell their stories and the good they see remind us that the work we do is life-giving, and that the people we work with deserve to be moved from society’s margins to receive the support they need and deserve. Read More
July 28, 2022
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
For me, finding hope is essential to continuing to work through the enormous existential challenges we face every day. Read More
February 9, 2022
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Challenges and Triumphs Well, it’s been an interesting few years at Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA) – and the challenges and triumphs continue into 2022. It’s messy. The pathway that once seemed relatively clear is now subject to unexpected twists and turns, or to disappearing in the forest with little… Read More
November 18, 2021
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Embrace the Mess, Every Step of the Way 2020 AND 2021 HAVE BEEN VERY MESSY YEARS. Both internally at Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA), and in the world at large. At LBSA, our biggest challenge continues to be finding enough staff members to support our services. We’re joining with other… Read More
August 17, 2021
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Expectations and Challenges So how about 2020? What a year! We’re all grateful to be able to be mostly done with quarantine and moving forward with our lives. At Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA), 2020 was about keeping people safe from COVID-19 (both clients and staff) and examining and adjusting… Read More
July 14, 2021
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Hope for the Future So how about 2020? What a year! We’re all grateful to be able to be mostly done with quarantine and moving forward with our lives. At LBSA, 2020 was about keeping people safe from COVID-19 (both clients and staff) and examining and adjusting our business model… Read More
January 29, 2021
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Gratitude. Unadulterated thankfulness that I don’t do this work alone. Navigating the COVID-19 landscape, often in small circles or alone, has made it clearer that we need each other: for social purposes, for mental health purposes, for emotional support, for recreation. We are social animals. Isolation is chafing. If you’re… Read More
November 16, 2020
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
The Pathway to Tomorrow Change, The Art of Possibility, Beacons of Hope – I’ve written about all of them over the years. We’re definitely in a sea of change. I am inspired by the people who are finding ways to adapt their businesses and personal lives to meet the changes. Read More
August 6, 2020
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Beacons of Hope It’s a time of uncertainty, heightened emotion – especially emotions we prefer to minimize: fear, sadness, fatigue. We struggle with our ability to feel a host of emotions at the same time: How do we hold fear and joy, sadness and pride, humility and anger? Instead of… Read More
June 8, 2020
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Standing Up Together I’m a little late to the support for the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter cause. Why? Because I want to be an authentic and appropriate voice for making meaningful systemic changes that are desperately needed in our society. For me, that takes thoughtful consideration. I – we –… Read More
February 12, 2020
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
The start of the new year provides an opportunity to refresh perspective on intractable challenges and to consider possibilities. Read More
February 3, 2020
By Sandi Gerdes
Executive Director
Possibility A friend of mine recently said, “… one of the strengths that Sandi brings to her role as Executive Director is a critical ability to see the possibilities. Honestly, I think it is her shield that she wears in this very challenging and, at times, very dynamic sector of… Read More
