August Newsletter CEO Corner... With the 2009-10 California Budget (and Governor’s line-item vetoes) finally being revised, Community Catalysts of Calfironia and all of the Consumers, Vendors, Regional Centers and other stakeholders in the DDS care system are waiting to see what the final outcome will be. Overall the news is not good. The total cuts exceed $234 million--plus line-item cuts to Early-Start programs serving pre-school individuals with disabilities. Community Catalysts remains strong thanks to your efforts and our diversity of programs and geography. Thank you, again for every sacrifice you have made. I will keep you informed of actions and activities throughout the coming months. Please don’t hesitate to contact your supervisor or me directly. Jim Jenkins, CEO …employee anniversaries… 8 Years Glenda Brown - UK 6 Years Deborah McCowan - FSO 5 Years Jessiel Manuel - CORP 4 Years Romy Yang - FSO 3 Years Laura Bermudez - PH Stephanie Bravo - SC Brennan Fox - STK Sophie King - STK Farley Odad - SAL 2 Years Kristin Fleischhacker - SD Karla Martinez - SAL 1 Year Orlanda Garcia - SM Carrie Gonzales - SC Esmeralda Lopez - VIS Irma Lua - MCD Christopher McKelley - SD Yvette Rodriguez - STK southern ca …el centro… El Centro would like to welcome new Personal Attendant, Rodolfo Rocha Jr. to the team. Welcome Rodolfo! The Living Services program continues to grow!! We have recently seen the IL numbers double and there have been several new staff hired to accommodate this growth. The new DSS Becky LaBree who has done a phenomenal job with both the administrative aspect of her job and the consumer focused side. Congrats Becky! The Supported Employment program never ceases to grow as new consumers enter the program almost on a weekly basis. Matthew Brady, our Employment Specialist has been extremely flexible with his schedule to meet consumers need. Thanks Matthew for all that you do! San Diego and San Marcos had a wonderful day at the San Diego County Fair. Consumers rode on rides and ate the tasty food. No one was brave enough to try the new creations of Fried Coke, Zucchini Dogs or the Fried chicken on a Crispy Cream Donut. Everyone played it safe and ate the good old stand-bys of nachos, hot dogs and cinnamon rolls. Thank you to Krista Hribar who put together another fun filled day for our clients. The Annual Potluck Beach Picnic was attended by several consumers and staff and fun was had by all! There was a ton of good food, hot dogs with all the fixin’s, great weather and a whole lot of happy people! …San Diego… …San Marcos… Kudos go to Stacy Meyer for assisting her consumers with Sec. 8 vouchers to decrease their rent based on the decrease in SSI benefits. Way to take initiative Stacy! Great job Keltoum Cherki for stepping up and maintaining the IL program while the Case Manager was out of the office. Thanks for always taking on extra responsibility when needed! The Supported Employment program would like to acknowledge Emily Egely, Employment Coordinator, for her work at the group. She is patient, caring and understanding of there needs. Jack Bazzeni Sr., is doing such a great job with his new consumers. He has learned how to track his hours perfectly! Way to go! The Supported Living program would like to welcome our New Personal Attendant Constance English. Her client is looking forward to all the new recipes she has to offer. Case Manager Teri Geston would like to thank the dedicated staff who have stepped in from outside of their program to help cover our clients: Stacey Meyers, Margie White, Orlando Garcia, Melissa Tobley, Larry Steckling, Jennifer Valdez, and Kathy Hartland. Thank you guys for going above and beyond! It is people like you who make our team a success! Central Valley …Social rec… The Social Rec. program had a Day on the Beach which was sponsered by Shared Adventures. We took 13 consumers and 6 staff. The consumers that were in a wheelchair were able to go down to the water and be on the sand thanks to the volunteers and the use of beach wheelchairs. The consumers enjoyed playing in the water, laying on the beach, listening to live bands, eating free lunches and going to the Boardwalk. It was a lot of fun!! …visalia… Mijha Leasure, Program Leader in Visalia’s daughter Brianna made it into the Santa Maria Newspaper!! Mijha is so proud, she just had to share! Below is an excerpt: Hanford Flames 5, Orcutt Warriors 2 “Delanie Nolan singled home Caitlin Griegos in the second inning to put the Warriors ahead 2-1, but the Flames parlayed some wild pitches and errors later into four runs. Two stellar defensive plays helped seal the win for the Flames. With the Renegades bidding for more runs in the second after going ahead, Flames second baseman Brianna Leasure reached high and snared a hard line drive for the third out. Orcutt was making a strong bid in its last at-bat in the last of the sixth. The Warriors had runners on first and second with no outs, but then shortstop Alana Alvarez raced for a hard line drive toward second base, snared it and then stepped on the bag to double off the runner. The Flames got the last out shortly thereafter.” …consumer anniversaries… 15 Years Jeff L. - SM Connie M. - SM 14 Years Crystal C. - EC 12 Years Rebecca C. - SD 11 Years Winifred S. - SM Ronald P. - SC Reyanida V. - SC James W. - SC Kelly M. - SM 10 Years Ron G. - SM 9 Years Esmeralda R. - EC 7 Years Laura C. - SC Maria C. - SC 6 Years Moua C. - FSO Armando O. - SAL Ernest R. - FSO 5 Years Melissa C. - FSO 4 Years Christine P. - MCD Sonja E. - FSO 3 Years Casey F. - MCD Lorraine H. - SC Kimberly V. - FSO Christian B. - FSO Russell S. - SC Claudia S. - MCD 2 Years Maia S. - FSO Mark C. - SAL Manuel S. - SD 1 Year Sally P. - EC Terrance M. - SD John D. - FSO Norma L. - SC Javier E. - MCD Diana R. - EC …San Diego… redwood coast July was a very hot month, some days it was over 100!! Unfortunately we did not have fireworks this year. Consumers Lloyd, Paul S., Eddie, and Randy got together and had a Fourth of July BBQ. Darryl C. went camping at Lake Shasta with his family. He was really excited to spend a week sleeping in a tent. Allison J. had her mom over to visit. They went out to eat and did a little shopping. Allison enjoyed the girl time. Diana D. from Plum House was very excited to see her mom who doesn’t get to visit often. Diana showed her mom around the house and made plans to visit her in Fort Bragg. Happy Birthday to: Lizabeth S., Cindy F., Diana D., JoAnn H., Sarah M. and Katie P.!! Caring for an aging parent, significant other or a loved one with special needs can be an incredibly rewarding experience. For many however, it is also a source of great stress. This stress can lead to feelings of anger and guilt. These feelings can get in the way of successful caregiving, and may even impact your health. Taking care of yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. It is important to learn that you cannot take care of others unless you take care of yourself as well. …ukiah & plum House… ...self Care for the caregiver... Your Feelings are Important Many caregivers feel guilty about expressing feelings of anger or resentment. It is very common to have these feelings and it is important that you acknowledge them so that you can seek out the help you need. Here are a few tips on what you can do to help yourself. Recognize your limitations. • Ask for help when it is needed. • Attend a support group. • Keep friends and family in your life. • Communicate your feelings.• Why Accepting Help is Important There may be many reasons for rejecting help that may be offered from friends and family. You might feel that it is your duty alone to take care of your loved one, or that you don’t want to be a burden on others. But, accepting help from others can allow you more time for yourself. In the long run, this will make you a better caregiver. When someone offers help, be specific about what they can do, such as: Getting help from a friend with meal preparation can leave you with much needed time for • yourself. Getting help from a significant other and children with your own household chores such as • laundry, dusting, grocery shopping and cleaning bathrooms can help keep your house running smoothly and they will be proud knowing that they are helping. There is Support for You Out There Meals-on-wheels programs, in-home care agencies and adult day care programs are only a few of the many support services available when you are taking care of a loved one. Finding appropriate services can be as much an act of caregiving as providing them yourself. Find the local Agency on Aging office that services your community. They have a wealth of • information on local resources. Network with other caregivers to find out what services can be helpful. • Remember: Allowing help from outside sources is a way to take care of you. • Recharge Yourself Do you have hobbies or leisure time activities that you don’t seem to have time for anymore? Will talking to a counselor or attending a support group meeting help your mood? It is important that you do things you enjoy. Taking care of yourself means replenishing your spirit as well. A simple walk around the neighborhood can feel like a mini-vacation. • Read a book or watch a movie you enjoy. • Arrange to meet a friend, even if it is only for a few minutes. • Use time away from your caregiving duties to do special things for yourself, not to run • errands. Call our Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-523-5668 for more information. Alice Olsen Community Catalysts of California is proud to announce that Alice Olsen was selected to receive the Catalyst P.R.I.D.E. Award~Leading by Example for July 2009. Alice has been with Community Catalysts of California for almost a year as the Office Manager for San Marcos and San Diego. Alice was recognized for going above and beyond in all aspects of her job, all the while maintaining a positive attitude and enthusiasm for her work. Alice is a perfect example of someone who works to make everyone else’s job easier. Anything that is asked of her is executed immediately and accurately without complaint no matter how busy she is. She is extremely organized, reliable and can work independently. She has excellent interpersonal skills and works well with all of the staff. She is known for her expertise with excel spreadsheets and has created a system to keep her area in perfect order. Alice is eager to learn new tasks and take on projects with enthusiasm. Although she has only worked with Community Catalysts of California for a short period of time, she has greatly impacted her area and is an asset to the Southern California Region. We appreciate the great service and dedication to the vision of Community Catalysts of California that Alice has provided and would like to recognize her for her hard work and for Leading by Example. Consumer Catalysts of the Month August 2009 Marisa Esquedo Marisa has been with Community Catalysts of California for the past 6 years in the Modesto Supported Living Program. She has come a long way in this past 6 months. Marisa has done so well with her behaviors that she no longer requires a Personal Attendant roommate. She now also gets alone time during the day. Marisa has also done very well at work with her job at Production Unlimited. In fact, she has done so well she has been promoted to the Howard Training Center Kitchen. She is now doubling her paycheck! In the kitchen, Marisa prepares all the meals for the Meals on Wheels Program. The Meals on Wheels Program feeds over a 1,000 elderly people in her community. Marisa was also nominated for Employee of the Month. Marisa is a true example that if you put your heart and mind to something you can accomplish anything you set out to do. Way to go Marisa, you are an inspiration! Congratulations Marisa!