Kokua Services



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|[pic] |“THE KOKUA SPIRIT” |

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

| |lives.” |

|August 10, 2008 Volume 4, Number 8 |

|FUN THINGS TO DO: |What’s Happening at Kokua? |

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|Lacey Community Market |Jesse W went to see his parents in Vancouver, WA. He got a new mattress and is waiting for his communication |

|August 9, and Sept 13, 2008, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |board to be programmed. |

|Huntamer Park in Woodland Square |Dean H is enjoying his work at The Farm and really likes attending the MELE sessions. He went to visit his |

| |brother in Rochester and had a good time. |

|Olympia’s Music in the Park 8/13, 7pm at |James M is doing a lot of art work and coloring. He would like to buy a TV and has been looking at them at |

|Sylvester Park. Ft. Lewis Army concert Band. |Wal Mart. |

|More information 357-8948 |Danny C has been reading his tribal newspaper every month with staff. He has been making more connections in |

| |the community and is planning to attend some local events this summer. He is also working on building job |

|Olympia Harbor Days 8/29 – 8/31, Friday 5-8pm, |skills. |

|Saturday and Sunday 10-7 Percival Landing in |Charlie B recently had an overnight visit at his parent’s house. He’s been taking advantage of the summer |

|Olympia. For more information see website: |weather with daily bike rides and community outings. He’s also planning some rides with his friend Bill C in |

|harbordays@ |the next few weeks. Do you enjoy hanging out at Starbucks, Cutter’s Point, or other coffee houses, listening|

| |to music and people watching? John C is looking for a coffee buddy! If you are interested, please contact |

|Southwest Washington Fair |John’s staff at Carpenter Hills Loop house. |

|8/12 – 8/17 (Tuesday thru Sunday) Chehalis, WA |Bryan C has been doing well. He had the chance to see the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight”. He really |

|For more information, call the fair office |enjoyed it. Rick F is doing well. He and his staff Tony have been planning Rick’s trip to the San Juan |

|(360)740-1495 |Islands, where he will be going in August. He will be leaving on August 12 and returning August 16. He is |

| |very excited. He bought himself a cell phone and a digital camera for the trip. Rick will be back just in |

|Pierce County Fair 8/7 – 8/10 (Thursday thru |time for his birthday on August 17 – Happy Birthday, Rick! John W is doing well, also. He is really |

|Sunday) at Frontier Park in Graham, WA. More |enjoying his new job with the DMV. He will be having a birthday in August, too – August 7. Happy Birthday, |

|information, call (253)847-4754 |John! Scott B has been doing a great job with his apartment and his meds. Way to go, Scott! |

| |The gentlemen who previously resided at the Hoffman house moved this last month into a new house on Chambers |

|[pic] |street. The word is that it is a great house – and has a really nice deck. |

| |Jack D is still working for Morningside. His hours were just recently increased, so he’ll be working an |

|Contact us to have your newsletter delivered by |extra 2 hours every day. Gene W is doing well. He’s still enjoying his woodcarving class that he takes at |

|e-mail. Contact us: (360) 705- 4665 or e-mail |the Senior Center. Ed W. is still painting. He has a good supply of paintings hanging around his house |

|sally@ |that are for sale ($40 each). Give him a call at the Chambers St. house if you’d like to view his “gallery”.|

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|NEW FACES AT KOKUA |Gary W is having a birthday on August 4th. Gary spent a recent weekend visiting his family and had a great |

|Several new employees joined Kokua’s ranks this |time. Jeff D is excited about swimming again soon and about his new wetsuit. |

|last month: |All the ladies at the 22nd house have been looking forward to the Kokua picnic. Cecelia M has been enjoying |

| |the weather and helping staff and her roommates. Maggie P has been a consistent winner at Senior Center |

|Derik Solberg will be working at the 25th Loop |Bingo! She also seems to enjoy staff assisting with styling her hair. Beverly G had a blast in Everett and |

|House. Derik was born in Nuernberg, Germany and |says Dave, aka “the boy” is planning to come down for a visit! Manuela C continues to practice her computer |

|enjoys football, watching WPT (world poker tour)|skills. She also went to visit her “buddy” for lunch in Centralia. |

|and card games. |Bill C had a birthday last Sunday and celebrated with a small party with cake and ice cream in his home. The|

|Amanda (Mandi) Conwell was born and raised in |previous week, Bill played softball at the Special Olympics and his team won 2nd place in the regional games |

|Olympia and loves photography, being outdoors |and he won |

|and spending time with friends and family. | |

|Sarah Jensen will be working as a fill-in. She |Continued on page 2 |

|was born in Portland, Oregon. She enjoys going | |

|to Mariner Games and spending time with her |What’s Happening at Kokua, Continued from page 1 |

|family. | |

|Amanda Harris was born in Chicago, IL. She will |a silver medal. Congratulations, Bill! Following are a few pictures from the game. |

|be working in the Angela House for now. She |[pic] |

|enjoys kickboxing, making jewelry, and “watching| |

|any movies that aren’t chick flicks.” |KOKUA KUDOS |

|Gina Grocott is a native of Olympia. She’ll be |“Everyone appreciates being appreciated. Try to catch people red-handed in the act of doing something right –|

|working at the 22nd House. She played soccer for|and praise them for it.” |

|13 years and enjoys making necklaces, puzzles |A gigantic THANK YOU! to Amanda Cordero, Jill Ralph, Sara Chafe, MaryAnn Yarber, Wendy Yarber, Sean |

|and drawing. |Bonneprise and Juleene Jenkins for being so willing to fill open shifts for Independent Living Team A. You |

|Noreen Tangredi was born in Bronx, NY. She has 2|guys are amazing. I appreciate your hard work! From Nicky Crow |

|Yorkie dogs that are her spoiled babies. She |Thanks to Yolanda Worrall for acting as Team Leader at the Carpenter Hills house on the days Hana is |

|loves to cook and create new, original meals. |attending school. From Judy Cline |

|She enjoys fashion, jewelry and shoes (to a |Thank you to my teammates for covering my shifts when we broke down while out of town. From Oline Horton |

|fault!) She likes exploring new areas, |Tracy Baum – we wish you a speedy recovery from your foot surgery. You will be missed. Dawn Stewart – |

|antiquing, window shopping, gardening and riding|thanks for all your hard work. We hate to see you go. Good luck in school and all that you do. Keep in |

|her bicycle. She likes to make people laugh and |touch! From the 25th Loop Team |

|looks forward to getting to know everyone at |Kudos to Andy Wedlund and Mick Gallagher for making Danny’s first DECOD visit a success. I appreciate your |

|Kokua and building new friendships. |willingness to “go the distance” to make this happen. Kudos to every single staff member on the Carpenter |

|Welcome to all new employees – we’re glad you’ve|Hills team. You all have really pulled together to cover open shifts and ensure the clients needs are met. I |

|joined us! |appreciate your unity, effort and teamwork. I’m thankful I work with such great people! WELCOME! To Morgan |

| |Picton and Sunshine Rhodes – you are great additions to the Carpenter Hills team and Kokua as a whole. From |

| |the Carpenter Hills Loop Team. |

|REMEMBER “OPEN SWIM” FOR SUMMER SWIMMING |I’d like to give kudos to all the Kokua staff – everyone does an excellent job – whether you’re in the office|

| |or out in the houses. Special kudos to Valarie, our Mental Health Specialist, (and also extra kudos to Lisa |

|Lacey Parks is sponsoring “Open Swim” this |Nelson, because she made me do it.) Great job, everyone. From Tony Benavente |

|summer – at River Ridge Pool. It will be held |Thank you so much to everyone who helped out with the Hoffman house move. Sean and Valarie for leading the |

|thru 8/22, 1-3pm,Mon thru Sat. The pool has a |moving team on move day. Diane for making the arrangements for the movers and the truck, Chris for getting |

|hydro-lift (basket-type) to lift or lower |the new refrigerator, Rose for getting all the services turned on, Mary Ann, Cary, Carol and Valarie for |

|swimmers into the pool. More info, call 491-0857|cleaning at the Hoffman house, Cary,  Andy, Nathan, Nicky and Crystal for helping with the unpacking at the |

| |new house, and all the Hoffman staff for getting things packed up and ready to move and getting the guys |

| |settled in the new house. I hope I didn't miss anyone. I really appreciate all of your hard work. From Judy |

|NEWS FROM PREVIOUS KOKUA EMPLOYEE |Cline |

| |Kudos to the Chambers house team and everyone who helped with the move-- Good Job! Thanks. From Nathan |

|We got a note from Brittany Levesque, who now |Sanchelli |

|lives in Pasadena, CA. She got a part as an |Sara Chafe, Lakeisha Allen and Andrea Membreno – thanks for being there and for all you do! From David |

|extra on the show “Cold Case”. She plays the |Raddatz |

|part of a 70’s disco roller skater in a bright |Kudos to the 22nd team for being patient while we train our new staff. Thanks to Sally for being so helpful |

|red dress. The show is to be aired in October as|with that card! Also thanks to the Resource Team for assistance with outings, rides and planning the picnic! |

|either the 2nd or 4th episode and it’s called |Thanks Lynn for always coming through in a pinch, and BIG thanks to all who helped fill-in! From Mel Smith |

|“Roller Girl”. Watch the show and watch for |A heartfelt thanks to Crystal Pogue for going above & beyond at the last minute to ensure all who wanted to |

|Brittany! |attend the picnic could be there. Thank you for making a difference! From Diane Lamb |

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| |EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FOR AUGUST 2008 |

|THE GAMBLING SCARECROWS | |

| |Independent Living Team A is recognized for all the fill-in shifts they have been doing.  Everyone has gone |

|If you were lucky enough to be at the Lacey |far beyond the call of duty to ensure that clients are taken care of. Great job team!  |

|Music in the Park performance on July 30th, you | |

|enjoyed the rollicking country music of the |Jill Ralph is appreciated for teaching the sign language class and providing the skills needed to help staff |

|Gambling Scarecrows.  The drummer for this fine |communicate successfully with clients. Moreover, Jill is very thorough about documentation and proper follow |

|group was none other than Kokua's own Devin |up on client concerns. Thank you Jill! |

|Giles.  Devin is co-leader of Kokua's music | |

|program, MELE.  |Choua Chhim is recognized for her dependability and for the quality of care she provides clients.   Kokua |

| |appreciates Choua’s strong work ethic. Excellent Job! |

| | |

|NEW TEAM FORMING! |Theresa Sheadel is recognized for providing quality care to clients and supporting her teammates during a |

| |staff shortage, all with a smile and happy disposition. Thank you Theresa! |

|Kokua has been chosen to provide support for two| |

|young ladies who are recent high school |KOKUA TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE |

|graduates. One of the ladies from the current |The transportation committee has completed it’s first meeting and has come up with numerous ways to save the |

|household on 54th will be moving into the new |company money and increase the independence of our clients.  The goals are set and subsequent meetings will |

|home to make it a threesome. |be held to delve into data collection and troubleshooting.  The changes recommended by the committee will be |

|The house is located on in |thoroughly examined and put through trial runs before implementing as company policy.  We look forward to the|

|Lacey, within walking distance to . It is a lovely home on a quiet street.| |

|Tracey Moog will be Team Leader for the new | |

|team. |Volunteer Program Update |

| |Welcome Diane Grossman to Kokua. Diane met Denise H and Donna, her mother, at the open Board meeting last |

| |month and has since completed her volunteer training. Denise and Diane go swimming together at the YMCA. We |

| |are glad you are a Buddy! |

| |Thank you also to Judy Murphy, Don Murphy, Linda Murphy, Kitty Center, Pat Clark, Terry Steinbrugger, Candy |

|KOKUA EMPLOYEES: |Zhao, Sandy Wilson, Tammy Stark, Elisabeth Schafer and Renuka Vallarapu.   |

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|If you’re feeling weighed down with: Family |Cooking Class. |

|Problems, Stress, Anger, Job Concerns, Alcohol |Our cooking class with Elisabeth Schafer will resume on Wednesday, September 24. Not only are the classes |

|orDrug Problems, Depression or Anxiety, |fun but they are recipes that you will want to cook again and again at home. |

|Parenting, Grief, or Relationship Problems, |If you would like to join, please call Cary at the office at 705.4665 ext 108. |

|you’re covered by: | |

|Employee Assistance Service Call 493-7867 |Shop at Ralph’s or Bayview Thriftway and Help Support Kokua |

| |Stormans Inc. believes strongly in giving back to the community and has provided Kokua with “Community Rebate|

|RECRUIT NEW EMPLOYEES FOR KOKUA AND EARN $$ |Cards”. Whenever a purchase is made with the card, 1% of the total purchase will go back to Kokua. It’s that |

| |simple! |

|Kokua is still giving out bonuses for referrals.|I would be happy to mail cards to you and if you want to get a few extra for friends and family that would be|

|Here’s how it works. |great too! |

|Talk to people you know who you think would make|Kokua thanks you for your help. |

|great Kokua team members. Give them an |Cary Richardson, Volunteer and Internship Coordinator |

|application or Kokua’s phone number with |cary@ or 360.705.4665 ext. 108 |

|Dominique’s extension #105. Have them tell | |

|Dominique that you’ve referred them. She will | |

|complete a referral form so you can get the | |

|credit for the referral. (A referral form must |KOKUA COOKS |

|be completed and in the new employee’s file for |GO GREEN! |

|you to receive the bonus.) |Submitted by Chris Rasmussen-Barsanti |

|If your referral is hired and completes the 90 | |

|day probation period, you will receive a $50.00 |In summertime fresh greens are abundant and reasonably inexpensive. We could learn a lot from our |

|cash bonus. If your referral remains a Kokua |grandparents for who ate “greens” on a regular basis. Ounce for ounce they are the most nutritious food |

|employee for a year, you will receive a $100.00 |available in the local grocery. |

|cash bonus. We have several employees who have | |

|already received their $50.00 bonus for referred|The most commonly available greens are spinach and Swiss chard. Here are a couple of easy recipes for |

|employees, and they’re on their way to receiving|including in your summertime fare. |

|that $100.00 bonus! | |

| |Hot Spinach Salad |

|EXTRA HELP NEEDED | |

| |1 10 ounce bag of fresh spinach |

|Kokua Employees: As many of you are aware, some|3 small red potatoes, cooked and diced |

|teams are very short staffed right now. Anyone |2 hard cooked eggs, sliced |

|who is interested in extra hours and is willing |½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional) |

|to get trained in other homes, please contact |½ small red onion, diced |

|Andria Membreno at 705-4665 ext 120. Thank you. |3 bacon strips, diced |

| |½ teaspoon cornstarch |

| |¼ cup apple juice |

| |2 tablespoons vinegar |

| |1 tablespoon sugar |

| |Salt and pepper to taste |

| | |

| |In a bowl, combine the spinach, potatoes, mushrooms and eggs. In a skillet cook the diced bacon until crisp.|

| |Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Sauté the onion in the drippings until tender. Remove with a |

| |slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Remove the skillet from the heat. In a measuring cup combine the |

| |cornstarch, apple juice, vinegar and sugar. Stir until smooth, then pour into the skillet and mix with the |

| |drippings. Put skillet over low heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Pour over the salad, |

| |mix and serve. |

| | |

| |Swiss Chard Italian Style |

| | |

| |2 tablespoons of butter |

| |2 tablespoons of olive oil |

| |1 tablespoon of minced garlic |

| |½ small red onion, diced |

| |Juice of one fresh lemon |

| |4 tablespoons of water |

| |1 bunch of Swiss chard, washed and coarsely chopped |

| |3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese |

| |Salt and pepper to taste |

| | |

| |Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the |

| |chard, water and lemon juice. Cover and cook until wilted. Add a tablespoon or two of additional water if |

| |needed during cooking. Stir in the cheese and serve. |

| |_______________________________________________________ |

| |WARNING: PUNS AHEAD! |

| |Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery. |

| |A pessimist’s blood type is always b-negative. |

| |Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? |

| |A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor. |

| |Reading whilst sunbathing makes you well-red. |

| |Without geometry, life is pointless. |

| |When you dream in color, it’s a pigment of your imagination. |

| |Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana |

| |Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death. |

| | |

KOKUA’S PICNIC WAS “MAGICAL”

Kokua’s annual picnic was held August 6 at the Tumwater Historical Park. The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful, sunny day. We had a large turnout of clients, family, friends and staff who enjoyed the good food and amazing entertainment. Thanks to everyone for bringing the delicious food. We’d also like to thank everyone for their help setting up, serving and cleaning. A special thanks to Brandy Hahn for helping the Resource Team for the day. Thank you to Tony Benavente for providing his sound system for the day.

The entertainment began early with a steady stream of singing on the microphone by James Martin, Bryan Crabbe, Kim Rodriguez, Sue Walden and Cecelia Meyers. There was also lots of jamming on instruments by Keith Wilcox, Beverly Gibson, Jeff Dean, Mike Craig and Derek Escabi.

Special thanks go to our guest performer, Master Magician Jeff Evans, who bedazzled the crowd with his amazing and really, really funny performance. His show had everyone laughing, enjoying themselves, and shaking their heads in wonder at his astounding magical abilities. His presentation is “interactive”, so many attendees assisted Mr. Evans in his performance including Kim Rodriguez, Beverly Gibson, (who’s ring was polished by the “ring polishing machine” that was invented by Mr. Evans). Cecelia Meyers, Laurie Holman and Lisa Nelson also offered their assistance.

Mr. Evans works as a part of AMAZEMENT PRODUCTIONS out of Tacoma. They provide entertainment for both private and corporate events by appointment. You can view samples of some of their shows on their website at . Thanks again to Mr. Evans for an Amazing Presentation!

Below are pictures from the Jeff Evans’ performance and picnic pictures are featured on page 6.

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