• 2009 June Newsletter • Community Catalysts of California Nominate a Manager for the 2nd Quarter Award of Excellence! It’s that time of year again where you have the opportunity to nominate a manager for the Award of Excellence. Please make your submissions no later than July 1st. The manager will be announced in the July newsletter. Those who are eligable for nominations include: Director of Program Services, Regional Managers, Administrators, Program Leaders and Case Managers. Submissions can be made to the following: Email: • wendyforkas@communitycatalysts.net Fax:• (858) 569-1092 Mail: • 6050 Santo Road, Suite 145, San Diego, CA 92124 Please ask your Office Manager/Assistant for a nomination form. Employee Anniversaries 17 Years Laura Johnson - FSO 15 Years Claudia Hutchinson - MDO 10 Years Philip Henry - STK 9 Years Melvin Saleem - RH Cathy Taylor - FSO Jane Wilkinson - MCD 8 Years Marcia Padilla - STK 7 Years Sheila Grounds - STK Maria Rodriguez - MDO 6 Years Denise True - STK 5 Years Christina Cervantez - MDO Johanna Powell - STK 4 Years Patricia Dixon - STK Lukombo Nzambi - STK 3 Years Donald Lucas - UK Lisa Resendez - MCD 2 Years Timothy Daggs - STK Sorena Holguin - SAL 1 Year Jamie Boling - MDO Nicole Dahlgren - MCD Breeanna Ober - SD Davuth Prum - STK Lydia Rodriguez - EC • Southern California • San Marcos, El Centro & San Diego San Marcos Our newest Independent Living Direct Service Aide, Jean Scheuneman just graduated from college this month. Congratulations Jean!!! The advisory group is also busy gearing up for their annual trip to the San Diego County Fair. Do we have any volunteers for the pie eating contest this year? Additionally, we would like to send best wishes to our Supported Living Case Manager, Jessica Young who will be leaving CCC to pursue her educational goals and become a teacher. Supported Employment Case Manager, Teri Geston is excited to announce that she will be transitioning into Jessica’s position. Teri is looking forward to the new challenge and a change of pace. We would also like to congratulate Kasey Rabin for her promotion from Job Developer to the Supported Employment Case Manager. Kasey is one of Southern California’s strongest job developers. She is currently in a Masters Program through the Department of Rehabilitation. Kasey’s knowledge and experience will bring value to the Supported Employment program. Speaking of new additions to the Supported Employment team, we would like to welcome our newest staff, Jessica Paraiso and Emily Egley. El Centro On May 29th the El Centro office ventured to Anaheim where they took an overnight trip to Disneyland. The car-a-van consists of 3 large vans that transported all 37 people. There was a collaboration of work and several fundraisers to make this trip come to fruition. Way to go El Centro! Not only does this office play hard, they also work hard. We would like to welcome Ruben, our newest consumer in our Brawley Day Program, Ricardo, our newest consumer in our Supported Employment Program and Sharon, our newest consumer in our Independent Living Program. The El Centro office is on fire!!!! Additionally, we would like to welcome our newest staff: Terri Ramirez, Evelyn Frazeur and Irene Velarde. They have been hired to help us support our program growth. San Diego Our Supported Employment Case Manager keeps pouring in the referrals. We would like to extend a big welcome to our newest consumers, Jhanrrenatt and Bonnie. Additionally, Program Leader Evelyn Bardales is settling into her new office. Evelyn transferred from the San Marcos office to San Diego. Her commute is much lighter and the consumers and staff are happy to have her back. Jack and Fred Flintstone Jack moved into his own apartment a little over a year ago. It was Jack’s dream to have his own apartment and have a pet. Shortly after moving into his own apartment, he purchased a beta fish named Mr. Rogers. Jack takes good care of Mr. Rogers and wanted to get another pet. Jack and his coach went to the bird store where Fred immediately took to Jack and they became best friends at first sight. Fred Flintstone was already finger trained and extremely friendly. Community Catalysts of California would like to take this opportunity to welcome Fred into the family! • North Valley • Stockton, REST, PACE & Modesto Stockton The Stockton & Modesto Office bid their farewell to Case Manager, Chris Korelin. They took her to lunch on May 15th at Tio Pepe’s restaurant in Stockton. Supported living House Manager, Shawn Benson had her second grandchild last month. Born on May 18, 2009, Alicia weighed in at 6lbs and 7oz and a whopping 19 inches long! Congratulations Shawn! REST Congratulations to David Prum! David is graduating June 6, 2009 from California State University, Stanislaus with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Briana Chambliss is transferring from the REST Program to the PACE House and will now be a Therapeutic Aide. We are sad to see you leave the REST Program but wish you the best with your new position. PACE House We would like to introduce our new DSA’s, Christine Spivey and Kassandera Fromm. Welcome to the Community Catalysts family! Also, the PACE house would like to say “welcome aboard” to Briana Chambliss. Modesto The Modesto area staff met for a farewell lunch for Carole Uhlenhop on May 14th. Everyone got together at BJ’s restaurant to wish Carole the very best in her future. We all will miss her very much! Modesto Management would like to thank their staff for their positive outlook and willingness to adapt to ADP ezLabor. They are appreciated! • Redwood Coast • Ukiah & Plum House Marie Green Marie Greene of Ukiah SLS passed away May 15, 2009 at the age of 85. She was survived by her long time partner of 46 years Albert P. Marie was born in San Francisco, CA on August 14, 1923. She spent 60 years of her life living in Sonoma Developmental Center. Marie made it very clear she was ready to move out of the development center just after her partner did. At the age of 79 Marie moved into an apartment that she shared with Albert P. She loved having her own place and being close to Albert. Marie was loved by many and will be missed greatly. She was laid to rest near her family in Guerneville, CA. Stephen Douglas Watt Stephen Douglas Watt passed away on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at his home. He was 51 years old. Born and raised in Ukiah, Stephen lived in the area all of his life except for 8 years when he lived with his sister and her family in Soda Springs, Idaho. Stephen had many friends through his work, his volunteer activities, his home life and his family. He liked to stay active and he enjoyed helping others, shopping, Starbucks, and sports, especially bowling and frizbee. He was an enthusiastic dancer and all-around great guy. Stephen was the brother of Lynn Graves Gulyash, nephew Daniel Vest and niece Mary Vest. Friends and family gathered at The Todd Grove Municipal Park on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. We would like to thank all of the consumers and staff who participated in the Human Race Fundraiser! A group of staff and consumers attended a dance at the regional center sponsored by People First. The theme was a Sock Hop. Everyone put on their peg legged jeans and poodle skirts and twisted the night away! K.T. from Plum House went to Eureka to visit her Mom and her twin sister on her birthday and had a great time. A small group of Consumers and Staff had a Memorial Day Picnic at Lake Mendocino. It was very nice and relaxing. Happy Birthday to staff Glenda Brown, Donald Lucas, Claudio Lopez, Shawn Mendelsohn, Michael Weidner, Belinda Thomas, and Katherine Thompson. • Central Valley • Fresno Laura Johnson As of this month, Laura Johnson has been providing excellent service to Community Catalysts of California as an Accounting Clerk for 17 years! This is her last month with us and to thank her for all of her hard work she has provided to us over these years, we are going to have a retirement party for her on the 25th of June in the Fresno Office. Thank you Laura for your hard work and dedication to this company and it’s employees. You are greatly appreciated and will be missed! Consumer Anniversaries 21 Years Domenique P. - SM 18 Years Debra C. - SM Eric S. - SM 16 Years Marilyn H. - MCD 13 Years Zachary K. - EC Collin J. - SM Steven H. - SM Ceasar T. - SM 12 Years James K. - FSO 11 Years Debra H. - FSO Karen B. - MCD Donald D. - MCD 8 Years Hilda C. - MCD David S. - UK 7 Years Cesar R. - EC Lee R. - SAL Jesus J. - SAL 6 Years Ruben E. - FSO Lance M. - FSO Leslie M. - FSO 5 Years Jessie C. - FSO 4 Years Vang Y. - FSO Jason B. - MDO Maria R. - SAL 3 Years JC W. - MCD Allison J. - UK Richard G. - MCD 2 Years Patricia C. - SAL Manuel R. - SD 1 Year Juan L. - SD Kristopher C. - EC Frances S. - EC Olivia M. - EC • Here Comes The Sun • Tips for staying safe in the sun Memorial Day often marks the beginning of better, sunnier weather and many of us begin making plans for outdoor activities. Hopefully you are also planning to get your residents outside to enjoy the good weather, but your plans should also include sun protection. Because of age and other factors, such as use of certain prescription medications, your residents are at increased risk for sun burn and other exposure-related skin damage. So when planning to be outside, consider these skin protection tips from WebMD: • Avoid the midday sun (from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon), which is the strongest sunlight. If it cannot be avoided, plan for additional protection. • Wear hats with wide 4 inch brims that cover the neck, ears, eyes, and scalp. • Wear sunglasses with UV ray protection. • Wear loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs. • Encourage the use a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 or higher. • Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going in the sun. • Apply sunscreen to all the skin that will be exposed to the sun, including the nose, ears, neck, scalp, and lips. • Apply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours while in the sun and after swimming or sweating a lot. • Use a higher SPF at higher elevations or in tropical climates. Also remember to encourage residents to drink plenty of water, and of course follow any physician-ordered activity or sun restrictions. This tip was provided by Advanced Healthcare Studies -- your source for operational and training products and services. Community Catalysts of California is proud to announce that Briana Chambliss was selected to receive the Catalyst P.R.I.D.E. Award~Leading by Example for May 2009. Briana has been with Community Catalysts of California for almost 2 years as a Crisis Response Assistant for the REST Program in Stockton. Briana was recognized for her willingness to take on more responsibilities and go above and beyond her call of duty. Briana has really stepped up to the plate and has done all that she can to help the REST program achieve their goal to maintain unparalleled Crisis Services to Valley Mountain Regional consumers. Briana’s manager has received very positive feedback from the funding agency in Stockton regarding her new role answering the after hours crisis pager. Briana continues to provide help to the REST program, TRIPS program and both North Valley Crisis Homes. Briana has shown the ability to be resourceful by thinking outside the box to help consumers achieve their daily goals. She is a positive representative of Community Catalysts of California and it’s mission. Her respect and compassion for all consumers is evident in her daily work and she has made a great impact in the programs she works in and in the lives of the consumers she serves. We appreciate the great service and dedication to the vision of Community Catalysts of California that Briana has provided and was proud to recognize her for her hard work and for Leading by Example. BRIANA CHAMBLISS Consumer Catalysts of the MonthJune 2009Casey FairclothCasey was referred to Community Catalysts of California on August 1, 2006 under the Supported Living Program in the Merced area. He has accomplished so much during his time with us. Examples of Casey’s successes are his being able to talk in complete sentences, taking a trip to Disneyland (which the last time he went he was a child) and losing 20 pounds and counting with the help of his staff. Casey’s behaviors have decreased immensely (the first year and a half was quite challenging)! He now attends Social Recreation events with his peers. Casey is a great person to be around once you get to know him and he can be quite funny in his own quirky way. He loves to give and receive hugs and he greets people he knows with a “Hi” or a high five and then gives them his undivided attention. Casey likes to walk in his local community, sometimes stopping to pick up a diet soda and a healthy snack. He also likes camping and having BBQ’s in his backyard, watching TV, visiting with his parents and spending time with his direct care staff. Casey also likes to go to the Merced Fairgrounds, shop at Flea Markets and mow his lawn. Casey makes noises from his mouth which expresses his excitement and happiness. Community Catalysts of California is excited to name him the Consumer Catalyst of the Month for June for all his wonderful accomplishments. Keep up the good work! Congratulations Casey!