november newsletter community catalysts of california • 2008 employee anniversaries 16 Years Theresa Marich - EC 14 Years Teri Geston - SM Jan Todd - MDO 13 Years Luz Olmos - EC 10 Years Esperanza Rader - EC 5 Years Ying Cha - MCD Cindy Fransham - UK 4 Years Bernice Bellinger - MDO 3 Years Maurilio Montanez - MDO 1 Year Madalena Acosta - UK Briana Chambliss - STK Jose Cortes - MCD Jayme Dix - CORP consumer anniversaries 18 Years Vera P. - SM 12 Years Eva H. - EC Maya W. - FSO 11 Years Ronald R. - EC 10 Years Javier S. - FSO 7 Years Jesus Y. - MCD Christopher M. - STK Hayden H. - SM 6 Years Daniel W. - SC Steve A. - MCD Gregory T. - MCD Marie G. - STK Claudia G. - SAL 5 Years Shoua V. - FSO 4 Years Jan B. - SD Tyesha T. - SC Rachel T. - SC Cecelia K. - SC Lee Ann T. - MCD Jue Wanda T. - SC 3 Years Jose T. - SAL John K. - MCD 2 Years Federico V. - SM Tracy H. - VIS Sean T. - MCD Patricia B. - SC Luis P. - SC Jeffrey S. - SM Thang D. - FSO 1 Year Sara S. - MCD Lisa T. - SC Jasmine R. - SC Edna D. - STK Biyao L. - SC Alicia S. - SD Daniela R. - SD Victor S. - SAL John H. - SC Arturo P. - MCD Juan R. - MCD Richard C. - MCD Diana V. - MCD Ha V. - MCD Juanita V. - MCD Stockton a time to regroup October was a month for regrouping for many. After a busy few months with CARF, our Living Services leaders felt it was time for a breather before the holiday months crept up on everyone. Both Judy Powell, SLS Case Manager and Chris Korelin, ILS Case Manager, took off in different directions for a week in early October. In celebration of their five year wedding Anniversary, Chris and her hubby, Kevin, along with their “good son”, Cooper, went for a four day drive up the Northern CA coast to Oregon. It was a beautiful, relaxing drive, although it was very chilly. On the flip side, Judy Powell and daughter, Johanna escaped to the sun while taking a road trip through Arizona and surrounding areas. They enjoyed riding four wheelers in Sedona and even came back with a slight sun tan! The Stockton CAC put on a very successful Halloween party on Thursday October 30th at the Stockton office. Everyone seemed to have alot of fun and we had a great turn-out of approximately 50 plus in attendance. Everyone enjoyed good food, spooky games, scary-oake (that’s Halloween karoake), and crafts and decorating. Prizes were given to those who came in costumes. The weather even cooperated with us as the evening began with a thunder and lighting storm followed by rain and winds. We have lots of plans and ideas on how to make next years even better. We appreciate all of those who put in your time and energy to make this party a success. Extra thanks to Jodi and Bradley, SLS staff, for all the hours you put in with decorating and arranging our “spooky” rooms. A big thanks to Leonel, SLS consumer, who also spent his whole day helping us get things ready for the party. Keep your eyes open as the Stockton CAC will be involved in some exciting plans in the next few months! PACE House: Congrats to Michael Elkins who has been working as a Therapeutic Aide at the PACE House. He has just been promoted to Residential Care Manager! modesto celebrations First of all we would like to congratulate Marisa E, a Modesto consumer, for being named Employee of the Month at her program, Productions Unlimited. Good job Marisa! We are so proud of you. Keep up the good work! More congratulations go to consumers Jason B. and Thelma C. for their artistic abilities and having their art published in a calendar which was sold through their program, Howard Training Center. On October 26th, Modesto staff and consumers celebrated birthdays for Tammy V., Jason B., Ken C., and Danny D. at the local Mountain Mike’s pizza. Later that same evening consumers and staff attended a Halloween party at the Senior Citizen Center. The consumers looked great in their costumes and they had a “frightfully” good time. On a sad note, a long time Modesto employee of Community Catalysts is leaving us to pursue a new career. DSA Darren Monteith has been with us for over 11 years. Darren recently graduated from Computer Training Courses and has been certified so he is moving on to further his dream in the Computer Industry. On the 29th we had a farewell party so that consumers and staff could say goodbye to him. We will miss you Darren and wish you luck! southern california San Diego & San Marcos The San Diego and San Marcos Office are very pleased to announce that they have held their Grand Opening for Community Coffee Creations. The coffee cart is operated by our Consumers (who are now our staff) at the San Diego Regional Center. The Grand Opening was on Thursday, October 30th. This has been an ongoing project for a large part of this year, with staff from various offices collaborating together to make this project operational. We are appreciative to all of them. We also want to give special recognition to the Butterfly Club for the start up funds, the home office for their timeless hours in printing signs, menus, etc. We are very grateful to the San Diego Regional Center for supporting our coffee cart on their grounds and for the grant to begin this project. There also needs to be special recognition to the Foundation for Development Disabilities for the grant to install electricity and water and for the pavement that was poured. This has truly been a collaborative effort and it is wonderful to see it come to fruition. Congratulations to our Employment Specialist and Employment Coordinators for their recent placements. Margie White placed Bryant at Home Depot and Krista Hribar placed Marianna at Home Goods. Great Work! Wishing a speedy recovery to our SE Employment Coordinator Joanne Moffett and IL/SL Case Manager Teresa Grenawalt. Get well! Our consumers had a howling good time at our Halloween Party! SE Consumer Loc K. received a $5 gift card to McDonald’s for winning the ‘Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin” contest and SL DSA Bob won a candy bowl full of chocolate “eye balls” for being able to guess how many eyes were in the bowl. Everyone enjoyed the great potluck. SE Case Manager Teri Geston brought some dry ice for a great effect on our pot luck table. We had fog rolling all around our food which helped create a true Halloween feeling. The San Marcos office is very proud of our very own SE Consumer John M. who was recently recognized as Consumer of the Month. He was surprised at his work site with a visit from his Case Manager, Jessica Young and Program Leader Evelyn Bardales. They presented him with a Community Catalyst backpack full of great stuff to help recognize his success. Congratulations again John! Salinas ghoulishly good time! Ghost, Goblins, and Witches showed up at the Salinas office 4th Annual Halloween CAC Event held at Central Park on October 31st. This also happened to be consumer Martha C.’s Birthday so Happy Birthday Martha! Both consumers and staff showed up in festive Halloween attire to celebrate the scariest day of the year. Everyone enjoyed playing games, socializing with their peers, scaring one another with their costumes and of course, eating all the yummy treats! The event was a success as usual and everyone left with a goodie bag full of delicious snacks. October’s Safety winner was Jeannie Leauma who won a Starbucks gift card. Congratulations! merced & miscellaneous fun, fun, fun!! We’d like to congratulate Vanessa Salazar, Social Rec. Aide on her new addition! She had a beautiful, bouncing baby girl and we would also like to welcome her back. Congratulations to Stephanie Hernandez, Social Rec. Coordinator for being the winner of the Safety Incentives for the months of September and October. Our consumers went to a Halloween Dance and had a great time! They all dressed in their costumes (including staff) and danced the night away. Sandy isn’t only safe when she’s at work...she stays in character wherever she goes!! Including on the San Francisco tour she recently took. Exerpt from an email she sent: “Yesterday’s SF tour on the fire engine was so fun! It was the most beautiful day weather-wise. I don’t know how we got so lucky! It was fleet week with even more people than usual “to watch.” The Blue Angels were in town; it was so exciting! The fire engine hosts sing and dance in addition to giving a very interesting tour... Good food, great fun! --Sandy.” healthy holiday eating Magellan Health Services Holiday gatherings overflow with eggnog, cookies and other treats loaded with fat and calories. Eating these goodies in moderation, maintaining healthy eating habits and exercising will help you avoid weight gain and improve your overall well-being. Below are some guidelines for healthy eating: Choose these foods: Low-fat, low-cholesterol foods like vegetables, fruits, rice and pasta. They’re high in fiber and • carbohydrates, and they’re filling without being high in fat. Vegetable, olive and canola oils: These oils are relatively low in saturated fat, compared to • palm oils, butter or lard. Low or non-fat varieties of products like salad dressing, cheese, mayonnaise and milk. Fat • contains more calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein does. In addition to choosing the right foods, try these tips: Bake, broil or steam your food. Frying with oil adds unnecessary calories to your meal. • Trim fat from meat, remove skin from chicken and add fish to your diet. These are easy ways • to cut fat from your food. Eat smaller portions at a slow pace. This helps prevent overeating. • Try to eat well before your bedtime. This gives your body time to digest your food before you • go to sleep. Getting Help If you would like more information, you can call our Employee Assistance Program toll-free number 800-523-5668. © 2008 Magellan Health Services Jessica Ramos Community Catalysts of California was proud to announce that Jessica Ramos was selected to receive the Catalyst P.R.I.D.E. Award~Leading by Example for October 2008. Jessica has been with Community Catalysts of California for about 6 months and has truly been a great asset to the Stockton Office as the Office Manager. Jessica is being recognized for her on-going excellence and for being such a great team player! She jumped right into her position, ready and willing to do anything and everything. She was a huge help with preparing for the CARF survey in September, and did not allow the fact that it was her first one, to intimidate her in any way. She is very thorough and knowledgeable as the Office Manager and gives excellent support to both staff and consumers. Jessica has shown that she is able to multi-task in an extremely busy office while maintaining a professional, friendly and upbeat attitude at all times. She has developed great rapport with staff and consumers and is a pleasure to work with. Her ability to manage her responsibilities and support those around her is inspiring to all that she encounters and is deserving of recognition. We appreciate the great service and dedication to the vision of Community Catalysts of California that Jessica has provided and would like to recognize her for her hard work and for Leading by Example. Thanks for Leading Us In the Right Direction! Consumer Catalysts of the Month November 2008 Chris Barton Christopher has been in our Supported Living Program in the Stockton area for 5 ˝ years now. When Chris first came to Community Catalysts of California, he was over medicated for his seizures and was unable to walk or attend Day Program. He had to spend his days in bed with a patch over his eye to help with the double vision. In the past 5 years, Chris has had a change with his medications and is now able to achieve dreams that he never thought were possible. Chris is very active with the Stockton Advisory Committee and participates in all the activities. He attends Day Program 3-5 days per week. He has been able to go to New York to visit family and was also able to plan a fun trip to Las Vegas for his birthday. Chris likes to sing, tell scary stories and play Yu-Gi-Oh cards. He also likes to challenge the staff to play the game of Yu-Gi-Oh with him! He enjoys going on his computer, watching scary movies and camping. Chris’ Case Manager received a letter from a counselor at Christian Berets, a camp he recently attended with two consumers from Modesto. In the letter the counselor stated that Chris had made a lasting impact on their lives because of his positive and funny attitude. He enjoyed challenging others to a game of basketball and often overshot everyone. They really hope to see him again next year! What a wonderful thing to hear! Congratulations Chris!