Kokua Services



| |

|[pic] |“THE KOKUA SPIRIT” |

| |“Kokua’s Mission is to provide citizens with disabilities the support they need to lead full and meaningful|

| |lives.” |

|March 10, 2009 Volume 5, Number 3 |

|FUN THINGS TO DO: |THANK YOU ST MARK'S! |

| |  Kokua enjoys a long and supportive relationship with St Mark’s Lutheran Church.  Over the years the |

|Disney’s “High School Musical” – March 5 – March |congregation has generously shared its parish hall for many Kokua functions: Cooking Class, our annual Open |

|14, Thurs, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm. This popular musical |Board Meeting, our Holiday Party- even a garage sale fundraiser!  St Mark's also gifted Kokua with the funds |

|presented at River Ridge Theatre in Lacey. |to purchase an electric Hoyer so that our employees could work more safely. |

|Tickets $8 ($6 for students and seniors) For |In February, Kokua Board member, Cindy Gleason, made a presentation of Kokua's program needs before the St. |

|more information, call 412-4837 |Mark's Mission Endowment Fund Committee. On March 1st, Kokua received a $700.00 gift from St Mark's Mission |

| |Endowment Fund to assist with the purchase of a new wheelchair van. Fund Chairman Kem Johnson presented Kokua|

|“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!” March 13 – |Board members John Holmes and Paul Johnson with an oversized check during the Endowment Fund's annual event. |

|April 5, 2009 |Kokua is sincerely appreciative of this gift which brings us closer to our fundraising goal! |

|7pm Thur, Fri; 1pm Sat, Sun; 4pm on 3/28 & 4/4. |If you would like to contribute to the van purchase, you may contribute on our website, |

|Presented by the Olympia Family Theatre at SPSCC’s|or send a check to 1226 Carpenter Road SE, Suite B-1, Lacey, WA 98503, attention of Christine |

|Minnaert Center for the Arts, Olympia. Tickets |Rasmussen-Barsanti, Executive Director, Kokua |

|$8-$15. For more information, call 570-1638 | |

| |What’s Happening at Kokua? |

|“Celebrate Olympia’s 150th Birthday Event” March |Gary W and Jeff D are continuing to be active in the community.  Both of them are continuing with monthly |

|21, 2009 Free event. Raymond Egan as Father |cooking classes with Elizabeth and enjoying them greatly.  They both continue to learn more about riding the |

|Luigi Rossi. Rossi was a missionary, chaplain, |bus downtown and elsewhere.  Gary is looking forward to spending Easter with his Mom in Elma.  They also |

|pioneer & story-teller. He lived in Olympia from |continue to attend movies on a weekly basis. |

|1856-1862 and traveled around western Washington |Manuela C is becoming very proficient at using her new computer. She’s been working with her job coach on it |

|by canoe, horseback, or sometimes by sail or |and is now working independently with it. She recently got the news that her church is relocating, so has |

|steamer. This presentation tells stories of his |been looking into that to see where it will be moving to. She continues to be very active with the 8th Avenue|

|experiences and what Olympia was like back in the |Advocates. |

|mid-1800’s. |Beverly G is working two days a week now and enjoying it very much. |

|ST PATRICK’S DAY |Maggie P has been going out on a regular basis lately. She has an upcoming shopping trip planned to buy |

|March 17 |herself some new clothes and other things to make her life easier and more fun. She loves it when her staff |

|[pic] |assist her in trying out new hairdos, and has an appointment scheduled soon to have her hair cut and styled |

| |professionally.  |

| |Cecelia M went out recently and had her hair done. She stopped at the library this week and picked up some |

|Contact us to have your newsletter delivered by |books on sign language and has been assisting her staff to learn ASL. She will be going out to dinner with |

|e-mail. Phone: (360) 705- 4665 or e-mail |some of her family next week. |

|sally@ |Darren A has been attending MEOW and MELE weekly. He has been trying new instruments and seeing his “music” |

| |friends. Darren visited Keith W and roommates on a Saturday evening for a game of ball and catching up on |

|VOLUNTEER PROGRAM |“guy talk”. |

|Welcome to our new office volunteer, Diane McGee. |Sue W is moving to a new home. She will be missed by her roommates and her staff. She is still saving for yet|

|She will be working with Dominique, and assisting |another trip – to Disneyworld – and talks about it regularly. She has been attending both MELE and cooking |

|with the timesheets. Thank you Diane for helping |classes and enjoys them both. She is in the process of getting signed up again for the YMCA so she can swim |

|with such a lofty task, your time will be very |and do the Special Olympics again next time it comes along. Sue says she “will miss all of her staff and |

|much appreciated. |roommates, too!” Continued on page 2 |

|Diane was born in Saint Louis, MO, and she enjoys |Continued from page 1 |

|going to estate sales, purchasing and reselling | |

|items on eBay- sounds fun! |Kim R has been attending some cooking classes and MELE. She also said she’d like to take a vacation |

|Thoughts from a volunteer: “You have the idea, |somewhere, sometime, not sure where yet. She has been attending birthday luncheons, including two on the 2nd |

|starting out as a volunteer, that you are bringing|and the 4th. That’s more food than she’s eaten for awhile! |

|some quality or service to the organization you |Laurie H is still saving for a trip to Disneyland again and reminds her staff daily. She’s been able to go |

|are volunteering for. But soon after meeting the |home and visit her family on weekends. She spends hours working with beads and listening to her records on |

|staff and those they serve it became clear to me |her new phonograph. |

|that I was receiving much more than I was giving; |Jenny D has been getting out shopping lately. She can hardly wait until one day she can have a van maybe at |

|leaving with more than I had come with. Being a |her house so she can get out even more! She loves to shop! |

|volunteer has been a life-transforming experience.|The 31st St House welcomes Christine R to our home. We all hope she will be happy here with her new |

|The Friend that I've had the honor of meeting and |roommates. |

|coming to know has taught me how to be a better |Jesse W and Dean H have been attending MELE every week. They have a really good time there. Dean is still |

|human being. The honesty and strength of my |working at Left Foot Organics. He is a hard working employee and loves going to his job every week. Jesse W |

|friend has been inspiring beyond words. I've grown|has been working with Devin from the Resource Team learning to use his Dynavox. He’s making great progress |

|to love them and their unique qualities. I have |with it. |

|also developed a deep respect and admiration for |The Angela St House welcomes our new client Matthew L. Welcome, Matthew! |

|the staff and fellow volunteers. “ |Bill C just got a new job with Employment Solutions Plus. He will be doing janitorial work for them 2 days a |

|Kokua is blessed to have Pat Clark, Kitty Center, |week. Congratulations on your new job, Bill! |

|Diane McGee, Dianne Grossman, Don Murphy, Judy |Ed W is still working hard on more paintings. He has a good supply ready for sale. You may call (352-6354) |

|Murphy, Linda Murphy, Julie Propp, Tammy Stark, |for an appointment for a “viewing” of his art if you’re interested. Ed is also working on planning a |

|Elisabeth Schafer, Sandy Wilson volunteer their |birthday party potluck in April for his birthday. He will be sending out invitations hopefully by the end of |

|time, talents and hearts with Kokua and those we |March. |

|serve. Thank you! |Jack D and Gene W are both still working for Morningside. Neither of them want to retire, even though they |

| |could. They like having their jobs. They are planning a trip for this summer to visit the San Juan Islands |

| |and experience the beautiful sights there. |

|A BIT OF HELPFUL INFORMATION: |Missy S celebrated her 29th birthday. She had a small bowling party. Everyone had a lot of fun. |

|Thurston County Solid Waste has a resource |Becky C got a beautiful new hairdo. She is in the process of saving money so she can move into a ground |

|database to help local residents and businesses |floor apartment. |

|find reuse and recycling locations for just about |Both Robert B and Marcia W got new bikes. Robert’s is red and Marcia’s is blue. Robert enjoys riding his new |

|everything under the sun. Just go to their |bike to work. Sean Bonneprise went with him to pick it out at Target. |

|website, click on the yellow highlighted text that|Bev and Barb O are still always on the go. Recently they told about a trip they went on with the Senior |

|says “Where Should I Take My?” and scroll down for|Center to the Art/History Museum, and then they went to Taco Bell afterwards. |

|an alphabetized list of items. These are great |Keith W had a birthday this month and he celebrated it on February 12. He spent the 11th with his family and |

|alternatives to landfilling and can save you |he went out to lunch with roommates and staff. Paul J attended the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to |

|money. The website is co.thurston.wa.us/wwm/ |see the “Lucy Exhibit”. Joe L went to a wrestling match at the Key Arena with Kevin Preston from the |

| |Resource Team. He had a blast! The guys are just enjoying life. |

|NEWS FROM THE SAFETY COMMITTEE |Michael C attended his Mom’s memorial and spent time with his family all day on February 8 |

|The safety committee would like to thank Michelle |Charlie B has started going swimming with Devin from the Resource Team. This is a new activity for Charlie |

|&Jill from the resource team for their dedication |and he was a little nervous at first, but now he looks forward to it and has a great time! Way to go, |

|to client & staff safety. They recently offered |Charlie! |

|mini “refresher courses” at 22nd to ensure that |Danny C has been watching TV and listening to music a lot at home. He watches Cash Cab and the Ellen |

|Hoyer transfers are being done safely & according |Degeneres show almost every day. He recently purchased a new leather chair and footstool. Last week he |

|to protocol. They came to the house outside of |attended the Pow Wow at Little Creek Casino in Shelton. |

|their regular hours to complete this important |John C has a birthday coming up on March 22, when he will be 47 years old. Happy Birthday, John! |

|task!!! Thanks ladies! We also appreciate |Continued on page 3 |

|HomesFirst’s speedy response to hot water tank & |Continued from page 2 |

|furnace issues at the 25th Loop house. Thanks for|Bryan C recently attended “WWE, NO WAY OUT” at the Key Arena, along with Robert B and Marcie W and staff |

|keeping the guys safe over there! |Becky Pickett. They had a terrific time and Marcie and Bobby are already wanting to go again. Below are |

|As a safety tip, we’d like to remind everyone to |pictures of Robert, Marcie, and Bryan. |

|watch out for slick roads & black ice. It’s not | |

|quite spring yet & we can continue to get frosts &| |

|ice into April. |[pic] |

| |  |

|NEW FACE AT KOKUA | |

|A warm welcome to Valerie Honeyblue, Kokua’s new |Doreen L has been spring cleaning and decided to sell her fish tank and starter kit. Cecilia C has been |

|Quality Assurance Coordinator. Valerie moved to |getting ready for her birthday party in early March. Frieda B has a new ramp that lets her go outside |

|Washington state from Alaska at the end of 2008, |anytime she wants. All three of the ladies – Doreen, Frieda and Cecilia – have celebrated birthdays. Doreen|

|and joined our Kokua team this last month. Valerie|has been having fun shopping, going to MELE and craft classes. She also has great fun playing her new |

|has worked in the quality assurance field for |Nintendo DS. Cecilia has been shopping, going out to lunch and is re-decorating her room. Frieda has also |

|around 8 years, so brings with her a wealth of |been getting out. She visited her friends and staff at Evergreen Nursing Home and has been going to DQ and |

|knowledge and experience. She says she has always |KFC. |

|enjoyed working with individuals with | |

|disabilities. We are very excited to have you | |

|join our team and look forward to sampling some of|EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION AWARDS |

|your good cooking! |This month’s Employee Appreciation Awards are presented to the following Kokua staff members: |

|RECRUIT NEW EMPLOYEES FOR KOKUA AND EARN $$ |Rebecca Pickett is recognized for her consistent work ethic. She is valued for her positive attitude, |

|Kokua is still giving out bonuses for referrals. |excellent communication skills that she has with her team regarding client care, support of clients with |

|Here’s how it works. |their goals and encouraging them to try new things. Fantastic Rebecca! |

|Refer (or give an application to) people who’d | |

|make great Kokua team members. Have them call |Jason Austin is appreciated for going out of his way to support clients at MELE. Support of client goals is |

|Kokua (705-4665 ext 105 to reach Dominique) & say |an important part of Kokua’s mission because it provides those we serve the opportunity to live a rich and |

|you referred them. A referral form will be |full life. Great job! |

|completed at hire. A referral form must be | |

|completed & in the new employee’s file for you to |Kristen Kallas is appreciated for her willingness to step-up during a recent staffing crisis, and fill |

|receive the bonus. If your referral is hired & |shifts. Thank you for going above and beyond! |

|completes the 90 day probation period, you’ll | |

|receive a $50.00 cash bonus. If your referral |5th Team is recognized for their fantastic teaming. Your team has pulled together to ensure the house runs |

|remains an employee for a year, you’ll receive a |smoothly and effectively. You are each appreciated! |

|$100.00 cash bonus. | |

|COOKING CLASS |Upholding Kokua's Mission |

|Clients enjoyed another fun and informational |This year Kokua began a special recognition program to reward employees whose efforts best support our |

|cooking class with volunteer Elisabeth. The |mission.  We are trying to reward employees who go the extra mile to advocate for the individuals they serve,|

|February recipe was Confetti Pasta Salad, a |to help an individual to meet one of their goals, to hold to a high standard of client support or to assist |

|colorful blend of pasta and vegetables. The girls |the individuals they serve to lead full and meaningful lives.  |

|from 31st: Sue, Kim and Laurie were the first to |  Employees who are recognized get a small card which mentions the efforts that have gained them a |

|arrive and provided lively conversation while |nomination.  They are also entered in a quarterly prize drawing.  In the April newsletter we will announce |

|Elisabeth prepared for class. The lesson for class|the names of our first winners! |

|was about pasta. The group learned about what it |KOKUA KUDOS |

|is made of and the importance of good |“Everyone appreciates being appreciated. Try to catch people red-handed in the act of doing something right –|

|carbohydrates in our daily diet. They also |and praise them for it.” |

|learned the term "al dente" which means "to the | |

|tooth", and how to test the pasta to make sure it |Kudos to Bruce Walton for providing cheese for my occasional whine, to MaryAnn for the extra training (and I |

|is cooked by taking a bite. After the lesson, |mean what I say) and especially to Gary and Jeff for the almost daily growth opportunities.  To Michelle and |

|clients got to work chopping , mixing and |Jill from the Resource Team for the different perspectives. From David Raddatz |

|measuring. Gary and Jeff had lots of pasta salad |Thank you to Seth Lindley for your help picking up open shifts at 5th. You are greatly appreciated! From |

|for later and enjoyed helping Elisabeth with |Carol McAuley and Andria Membreno |

|stirring and testing the pasta. Dawn M. joined us |A big fat kudos to all the staff at Clearfield for all your hard work! We all appreciate your efforts. From|

|this month. Thank you Dawn for your great |the guys at Clearfield: Paul, Jo, Keith & Mike |

|contributions during the lesson and your support |Kudos to Bennilyn Deocares for all your hard work in the financial office. You are so appreciated for your |

|of fellow clients. Thank you to all staff that |diligence in making the office a positive place to be and for your support of all the clients with their |

|came and supported clients and helped clean up |finances. Also, many thanks to Chris R-B for her help in supporting me through some financial paperwork. |

|after- it would be impossible without you! As |From Rose Hahn |

|always - endless thanks to volunteer Elisabeth for|Kudos to Julie C. for all of her help! Diane L. because she rocks at everything she does for Kokua, Paul J. |

|her time, patience, great knowledge and buying the|for his endless dedication to the cause of his community, Volunteer Elisabeth for her incredible contribution|

|groceries! Here’s the recipe we made: |to our clients at cooking classes. Also, kudos to Manuela C. for being such a trooper when we end up with |

|CONFETTI PASTA SALAD |the DAL blues! From Diane Porter |

|¾ C wagon wheel pasta, uncooked ¾ C tri-colored |To the Angela staff: I count my blessings every day to have such a great team! Thank you Bonnie, Amber, Amy, |

|rotini pasta, uncooked |Claudia, Jason, Choua and Jodie. I appreciate each and every one of you!! Thanks from Bea Rios. |

|½ C red pepper, diced |Kudos to Kristen Kallas for being very very flexible here. Wow – talk about life saving! You are great!. |

|1 c celery, diced |Thanks to the entire team for all you do. You are all great with the ladies. Mandi, thank you for all of the |

|¾ C frozen peas |extra help with the paperwork and keeping up with the safety stuff. Becca, we will miss you here. From |

|½ of a 6 oz. can pitted ripe olives, drained |Candice Lindley |

|½ C cubed cheddar cheese |Thank you to Diane Lamb for always being there when I need you and for all your hard work and dedication. You|

|¼ C thinly sliced green onion |do an awesome job. Thank you. From Jessie Zierk |

|1 tsp dried crushed oregano leaf |Kudos to Rose, Bennilyn and Chris R-B for your assistance in purchasing Danny’s new chair – we couldn’t have |

|½ C low fat Italian dressing |done it without you! Kudos to Jason Austin for switching our dryers – we can keep up with laundry! It’s a |

| |miracle! From Hana Greer |

|Bring large pot of water to boiling. Add pasta & |A BIG KUDOS to the wonderful staff at the Chambers St House! From Kim Stewart, Team Leader |

|stir. Reduce heat & keep pot boiling for 7-8 |A special thanks to Judy Cline, Lynn Royal and Crissy Thompson for providing me with such great assistance. |

|minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook to “Al |From Bruce Walton |

|Dente”. Test by biting a cooled piece. Pour into |Kudos to all staff who have filled in for us at the Clearfield House! Also, to Diane for staying on top of |

|strainer and drain. In large bowl, mix pasta & |all that goes on with our vehicles. We truly appreciate all your hard work!!! From Sarah Anderson |

|remaining ingredients; stir, cover and chill for |I want to thank all my staff at 54th for their teamwork while I was sick. I also want to give kudos to my |

|12-24 hrs. Serves 6. |fill-in staff, Ann, Amanda and Ashlyn – you are so awesome. Kudos to Franny – your organizational skills are|

| |amazing and the house looks great! Thanks to Brenda for being so flexible when needed to help cover |

|WHY, WHY, WHY…… |appointments and open schedules. You are appreciated. The entire 54th team is great! Thank you from Sara |

| |Chafe |

|- Why do banks charge a fee on ‘insufficient | |

|funds’ when they already know there is not enough | |

|money? | |

| |KOKUA EMPLOYEES: If you’re having Family Problems, Stress, Anger, Job Concerns, Alcohol- Drug Problems, |

|- Why does someone believe you when you say |Depression, Anxiety, Parenting, Grief, or Relationship Problems, Call Employee Assistance Service 493-7867|

|there are 4 billion stars, but have to check when | |

|you say the paint is still wet? | |

| |8th Avenue Advocates |

|- Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard? |The Advocates had a fun and busy February. Enjoying coffee and cupcakes at Fusion on Valentines |

| |day.........in the rain! Their usual space in the coffee shop was being used for a fundraiser and was full of|

|- Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest,|purses! The Advocates managed like always and were lucky enough to enjoy a moment of sunshine and |

|but ducks when you throw a revolver at him? |conversation before the rain came. Happy Birthday and farewell to longtime Advocate John F. John will be |

| |moving to Vancouver to be closer to family. We will miss his contributions and endless puns and jokes. |

|- Whose idea was it to put an ‘s’ in the word |Manuela C. facilitated the last meeting, topics included: transition fair; March movie; and the dance. The |

|‘lisp’? |group had many excellent suggestions regarding Transition Fair including what 8th Avenue Advocates do and |

| |deciding that their social activities, political involvement and presence in the community were the most |

|- Why is it that no matter what color bubble |important. Advocates also included information about when and where they meet, as well as upcoming |

|bath you use, the bubbles are always white? |events. Manuela C. assisted staff Diane at the Transition Fair. If you have never been, it is quite an event!|

| |Every vendor for services in the DD community is there with information and free pens! If you get a chance, |

|- Why do people keep running over a string a |check it out next year. The group chose "Coraline" for their March  movie - the group enjoys a movie at |

|dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach |Martin Way Cinemas the first Saturday of the month. The dance discussion has become, well, a split decision. |

|down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to |One half of the group just wants to dress up and "boogie the night away" and the other half would like a more|

|give the vacuum one more chance? |refined event with dinner and music. Staff Diane is hoping to find a way to satisfy all sides and is open to |

| |suggestions from any and all who may have ideas???? The Advocates are considering a silent/live auction. |

|- Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets? |Anyone with ideas or experience with that would be welcome. The dance is scheduled for May 28th from 4 to 7 |

| |at the Lacey Community Center and it will be a formal affair. The 8th Avenue Advocates is a self governed |

|- How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed|group for all persons with disabilities.  |

|light fixtures? | |

| |HOMELESS BACKPACK PROJECT |

|- In winter, why do we try to keep the house as |Everyone is aware that our country is experiencing a pretty serious economic downturn.  Our local community |

|warm as it was in summer when we complained about |is feeling the pinch as well.  According to a recent survey, there are at least 700 homeless people in |

|the heat? |Thurston County and 150 of these are children. |

| |We are a very caring and generous community and there are many local initiatives to help the homeless.  I |

|- Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch |want to give kudos to a great local charity that supports homeless children, the Homeless Backpack project.  |

|something that is falling off the table you always|Currently this project is helping 103 local children to meet their nutrition needs. While homeless children |

|manage to knock something else over? |qualify for subsidized breakfast and lunch through the federal school lunch program, what happens on the |

| |weekend?  This is where the Homeless Backpack program steps in.  Every Friday afternoon, homeless children |

| |can stop in at the nurse's office or the counselor's office and pick up a backpack of food to help them |

|------------------------------------------ |through the weekend.  (It is hard to keep up with your studies if you aren't eating regular meals!)  These |

| |backpacks are also a tangible demonstration that the community does care about all of its children. |

| |Kokua will be collecting food for the Homeless Backpack project in the month of March.  There will be a box |

|“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like |in the front office for individuals to leave donations.  We are hoping that employees will pick up a few |

|wrapping a present and not giving it.” |items for the program when they are doing their regular shopping.  Costco is a great place to pick items up |

|William Arthur Ward |cheaply.  Here is a shopping list of the items needed (single serving items). |

| |Breakfast: Oatmeal, Breakfast/cereal bars, Cereal |

| |Protein/Main Items: Chef Boyardee, Tuna, Top Ramen, Chili, Vienna Sausages, Cup O Noodles, Other soups, |

| |Twisted Protein Bars (Costco), Trail Mix, Jerky/Pepperoni Sticks |

| |Drinks: Milk (Kirkland or Yahoo) drink boxes, Juices |

| |Fruit: Applesauce cups, Fruit cups, Fruit snacks |

| |Snacks: Popcorn, Pretzels, Chips, Cookies, Snack bars, Cheese snacks, Snack Mix (like Chex), Pudding cups |

| |Paper Products: Ziploc Sandwich bags |

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download