Community Catalysts of California January 2007 Catalystsnews . De-clutter. Clutter is a time-waster and a stress- builder. Divide your desk or room at home into sections. Pick a section and de-clutter it. Vow to handle things once. Get three boxes and mark them: Keep, Give Away, and Toss. . Delegate. Stop doing it all yourself. Let other family members help at home. This will help everyone find more time. . Rid yourself of old commitments and goals. Think about all the things you're doing or working towards. Do they still fit in your life today? If not, stop doing them or update your goals. . Schedule a day to do the things you enjoy the most. Everyone Needs These Three “Rs” Allow yourself the time to relax, renew and recharge. Resolve in 2007 to simplify your life and find time in your day just for you. You’ll be a better person for it! For more information on ways to find balance in your work and life, log on to www.MagellanHealth.com or call your program’s toll-free number 1-800-523-5668, for help and support. 12 Years Denise Mansfield 9 Years May Moua 8 Years Luz Olmos 7 Years Sylvia Ruiz-Ortiz 6 Years Carole Uhlenhop 5 Years Shawn Benson 4 Years Rosa Vizcaino 2 Years Arlene Monroe 1 Year Annabell Saldana Yer VangCatalysts AnniversariesWe had a very exciting December. Our staff Christmas party was on December 14th at Luna's Italian restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner, gift exchange and a raffle for a portable DVD player. The winner was SL coach Wendy Ly! Our consumer Christmas party was on December 22nd. A good time was had by all. We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. We also wish everyone a safe and happy New Year too! Fresno Take Time for You in 2007 Far from being selfish or irresponsible, taking time for yourself on a regular basis can make you a better parent, spouse, worker—and a happier person as well. Has your life become so complex that you can’t remember what it feels like to have time that is truly yours and yours alone? Strange as it sounds, you may need to give yourself permission to sit back, relax and enjoy life. Can’t Find the Time To Take Time? Once you’ve decided to take some time for you, how do you do it? Try some of these easy tips and you’ll probably find ‘you’ time in places you never thought of looking! . If you live by the calendar, pencil in a breather. Schedule small blocks of time every day to allow some time for you. Five minutes away from your work area can have a positive effect on your productivity. . Schedule time in your calendar to work on specific projects. Giving yourself time to work on – and therefore complete – your projects will lower your stress levels and free up your time. . Get as good at planning fun as you are at scheduling work. . Mark one day a month on your calendar as a "catch up" day. enhance their lives To empower consumers and Merced The Merced consumers just returned from a fun filled overnighter in San Francisco. They enjoyed dinner at the Wharf on Friday night and on Saturday they had breakfast at a local IHOP. They then went to the Exploratorium and enjoyed all the amazing hands on exhibits they had to offer. Merced also had their employee end of the year bash. The staff and family that attended enjoyed some great Chinese food. Staff participated in a quick pop quiz, answering questions regarding Community Catalysts. Then staff and family all did the white elephant gift exchange. A great time was had by all. Belated congrats to Martha Castaneda for becoming a great aunt for the second time. Adam Christopher Hernandez 9 lbs 10 oz came into this world in November. Congrats to consumer Irene Perez for being our Consumer Catalyst of the month. Congrats to the Merced SLS team for completing their CPI Training! San Diego Happy New Year from the staff in San Diego! The Holiday Party for the consumers was a huge success. We had over 40 people show up to eat and party at "Asian Buffet". Our consumers out did themselves with the gift exchange. There were 24 participants. The hot item for this year was the tin of popcorn which was "stolen" three times. San Diego Advisory group is busy planning their annual Disneyland trip. We will be visiting Mickey & Friends in February. All staff attending our Holiday party enjoyed the great food at Olive Garden. This year for our gift exchange, everyone brought a gift card from their favorite place. We had a wide variety and I believe everyone walked away with something they could use. A few staff thought they were being original, but it turned out great minds think alike and we had 3 Trader Joe's cards. For the Holidays, SE Case Manager Sherie Kainz took her daughter and their foreign exchange student to Disneyworld. SE Case Manager Hillary Page welcomed the new year with family and friends back east. SL Case Manager Angela Pagan spent the holiday with her new puppy Riley, who is all of 2 lbs but feisty enough to chase the cats which weigh 3 times as much as her. You can guarantee there will be pictures Catalystshelping people Salinas December was a very busy month for the Salinas office. On December 14th the Consumer Advisory Committee held a Christmas event at Valley Center bowl. All of the consumers and staff enjoyed themselves as they bowled and had pizza for lunch. The consumers all received a gift from the CAC and a second gift from the white elephant game. The consumers really enjoyed opening their gifts then exchanging them with their peers. On December 16th 4 Years: ELVA G. ~ COALINGA 15 Years: JOHN R. ~ SAN DIEGO 13 Years: JOHNNY J. ~ FRESNO 12 Years: LINDA W. ~ EL CENTRO 11 Years: AKITO I. ~ EL CENTRO & 17th the CAC held a gift wrap fundraiser Consumer Catalysts Anniversaries Ukiah We all had a great Holiday! Ukiah staff celebrated with a nice lunch. Hope all have a Happy New Year! Many of our consumers visited family for the holidays. Modesto On December 19th, the Modesto staff and consumers got together for a Christmas Luncheon at the Modesto Office. We had an Italian lunch consisting of Lasagna, Raviolis, Tortellini, and Chicken Fettuccine. There was also homemade brownies and cookies from a consumer’s mother. The Modesto Staff wishes everyone at Community Catalysts a very Happy New Year. December is the month that UVAH puts on a dance for all of their consumers. Lots of good food, friends, and music to dance the night away. PAUL M. ~ EL CENTRO 10 Years: ELLIOTT Q. ~ VISALIA CHIA L. ~ FRESNO PLAI M. ~ FRESNO SOU T. ~ FRESNO 8 Years: ROBIN W. ~ SANTA CLARA 7 Years: EVERARDO M. ~ EL CENTRO LEO B. ~ SANTA CLARA MARK K. ~ SAN DIEGO 6 Years: ALICE C. ~ SANTA CLARA CHERYL L. ~ SAN DIEGO DANNY A. ~ SALINAS 5 Years: ALEXANDRIA C. ~ MERCED STEVE G. ~ MERCED RAY R. ~ MERCED YOLANDA J. ~ VISALIA TIMMY W. ~ VISALIA MARIE G. ~ UKIAH ALEX L. ~ SAN DIEGO RICHARD G. ~ STOCKTON OLIVIA A. ~ SANTA CLARA MARIA G. ~ SALINAS SUSAN M. ~ SAN DIEGO 3 Years: ANTHONY A. ~ STOCKTON 2 Years: SEPIDEH V. ~ SANTA CLARA KAREN M. ~ SALINAS STEVEN R. ~ SAN DIEGO ERIKA T. ~ SALINAS JESS G. ~ UKIAH 1 Year: JOSE G. ~ SALINAS SHARON J. ~ STOCKTON MICHAEL T. ~ SANTA CLARA Patricia Dixon Community Catalysts of California was proud to announce that Patricia Dixon was selected as December’s Star of the Month. Patricia is a Skills Coach in the Stockton office and she has been with us for a year and a half. Pat is being recognized for carrying out our mission with her consumer while in the community shopping. Pat was observed working by a Regional Center service coordinator while shopping. Pat did not know who she was and the next day the service coordinator emailed one of our managers and this is what she had to say about Pat. "She was so patient and kind to this man that I thought the man was her father. When I made a comment on how patient she was being with him, she explained that he was her client and one thing led to another and this is how I found out she works for you. I just wanted to take the time to compliment your organization on this. Our hope is that the consumers receive the type of service that I saw her demonstrating last night, she was very kind to him and she dealt with him in a manner that showed she genuinely cared and it was more than just her job. I observed her for about ten minutes before talking to her because I was waiting in line.” It is not often that you hear the good things, so we wanted to recognize Pat for a job well done. Pat’s co-workers state that she is respectful, flexible, has a great attitude and is always willing to help. We think she is a star! Congratulations, Patricia! Consumer of the Month- January 2007 Andrew Wilson has been chosen as our January Consumer Catalysts of the Month. He has been in our Independent Living Program in Salinas for four and a half years. Andrew has opened up with staff and has built friendships with other consumers in our programs. Andrew has become independent in up keeping his chores such as cleaning his room, bathroom and doing his laundry. He has overcome his fear of cooking and now cooks dinner twice a week for himself and his parents. Andrew enjoys watching Disney movies, reading and researching Japanese culture. He also loves eating at Japanese restaurants. Andrew plays soccer and basketball through the Special Olympics. He is an excellent speller and a great basketball player. Andrew is always willing to participate and help out when needed. When you see Andrew, he is always in a great mood and has shown so much growth in this past year. He has accomplished many of his CSP goals. Congratulations, Andrew! Community Catalysts of California 6050 Santo Road, Suite 145 San Diego, CA 92124 Phone: 858-569-1055 Fax: 858-569-1064 www.communitycatalystscalifornia.org