2008 Community Catalysts of California january newsletter catalyst anniversaries congratulations You too have a chance to win next year--just by attending safety meet- ings throughout the year! You have the op- portunity to win a $10 gift card at each meet- ing you attend and then are entered into the drawing for the $25 gift card for your office drawing next Decem- ber! All tickets from each office will be entered into the 2008 drawing for the $150 gift card. $25 GIFT CARD WINNERS • Guadalupe Renteria, El Centro • Margie White, San Marcos • Evelyn Bardales, San Diego • Melissa Downs, Home Office • Elizabeth Jimenez, Coalinga • Meg Salinas, Visalia • Stephanie Morgan, Fresno • Chavella Dobbins, Merced • Bernice Bellinger, Modesto • Judy Powell, Stockton • Estella Hill, Ray Hyde House • Laura Cole, Ukiah • Denise Mansfield, Santa Clara • Maria De Leon, Salinas Vanessa Franklin, Salinas Winner of $150 Visa Gift Card 13 YEARS Denise Mansfield 10 YEARS May Moua 8 YEARS Sylvia Ruiz Ortiz 7 YEARS Carole Uhlenhop 6 YEARS Shawn Benson 5 YEARS Rosa Vizcaino 3 YEARS Arlene Monroe 2 YEARS Annabell Saldana Yer Vang 1 YEAR Nadia Bahriz Mishailai Hackett Frank Rodriguez Clarissa Thomas New Year’s Resolution: How Badly Do You Want It? 2008 making changes YOU USUALLY FAIL TO KEEP RESOLUTIONS FOR ONE OF THREE REASONS: 1. You didn’t want it badly enough 2. You haven’t detected or overcome your personal roadblocks 3. You needed help but couldn’t find it or never asked 2 It’s funny the difference a month can make. January tends to be bright and full of energy as you make plans for the future; the whole year lying before you - unmarred - like a field of freshly fallen snow. But then comes February, and with it the last of the holiday bills, continued cold, shortened daylight hours, and worst of all... the reality that you have already given up on achieving some or all of your dreams or goals for the new year. It’s one of the reasons you may not even make New Year’s resolutions anymore. They’re just too hard to keep, right? Not necessarily! Does this sound like you? Of course! Everyone has been here at one point or another. The difference is in what you do about it! Here are a few coaching techniques or questions you can try with yourself to help overcome the first of these three rea sons. You didn’t want it badly enough. Ask yourself: 1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how badly do you want to achieve this goal? This is a great way to gauge your motivation. If the number is less than a 9 or 10, you’re going to have to find ways to raise this score, and/or determine if this is really something you want to achieve. 2. Why do you want to achieve it? List all the reasons or factors why you want to achieve this goal. Then take a look at the list. Are there any other people listed? Could it be you’re doing this for someone else, and not yourself? Or did someone else tell you to do this; a friend, family member, coworker, or society? You are much more likely to fail at something if you are not doing it for yourself! (How many times have you told your kids to do something you value but they don’t? What was the result?) 3. How committed are you? You might really want to achieve a goal, but what are you prepared to do or give up in achieving it? Are you willing to work harder, feel hunger, drink less, and pay more for healthier foods, programs or people to support you? What are you ready to commit to? Realize the less you are ready to give up, the longer the change process will take. While there are many other questions to explore, these are three very powerful ones that can help you to identify the first steps that may need to be taken in achieving your goals. For more information, call our Employee Assistance Program provided to you by Magellan Health Services. Adapted from materials published by LifeCare, Inc. ©2007 Magellan Health Services, Inc. P.R..I.D.E. Award Leading by Example LEADING BY EXAMPLE By demonstrating the values that we stand for in everyday work, you have become a true leader in our organization. You have taken it upon yourself to lead the way with great tact and dependabil ity. You stand out. You motivate others to perform at their best, directing the entire team toward ultimate success. THANKS FOR POINTING US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ©Baudville, Inc. our new year’s resolution? To better recognize YOU! It is the start of a new year, and we want to kick it off right. That is why we have decided to change our Recognition Program from “Direct Service Star of the Month” to the “P.R.I.D.E. Award”, standing for Professionalism, Respectfulness, Integrity, Dependability, and Excellency. The theme we chose for the year 2008 is Leading by Example, because we believe being a leader is not just about holding a title, but with possessing postive qualities that motivate and inspire others. We want to recognize you for your hard work, great character, leadership abilities, commu- nication skills, and overrall job performance. This will continue to be a monthly award with an annual award at the end of the year. your prize? The COO will come to where you are and take you and your supervisor/manager to lunch at the restaurant of your preference. That’s not all - you will be rewarded with a number of great gifts to show our appreciation for your contribution to Community Catalysts of California! january - national thank you month! Don’t stop there! Monthly recognition is great, but that is just not enough! January is the National Thank You Month. Take this opportunity to thank your coworkers, supervisors, managers and consumers for all that they do! Spending money isn’t even necessary! Leave a note, a phone message, an email or an e-card for someone you appreciate! 11 YEARS Sou T., Fresno Elliott Q., Visalia Plai M., Fresno Chia L., Fresno 9 YEARS Robin W., Santa Clara 8 YEARS Everardo M., El Centro Leo B., Santa Clara Mark K., San Diego 6 YEARS Alexandria C., Merced Steve G., Merced Ray R., Merced 5 YEARS Richard G., Stockton Marie G., Ukiah Olivia A., Santa Clara Elva G., Coalinga Maria G., Salinas Alex L., San Diego Susan M., San Diego consumer anniversaries 16 YEARS John R., San Diego 14 YEARS Johnny J., Fresno 13 YEARS Linda W., El Centro 12 YEARS Akito I., El Centro Paul M., El Centro 4 YEARS Anthony A., Stockton 3 YEARS Steven R., San Diego Jess G., Ukiah 2 YEARS Sharon J., Stockton Michael T., Santa Clara Gian L., San Diego Jose G., Salinas 1 YEAR Roxann H., Santa Clara Timothy H., Santa Clara Chermy H., Santa Clara Sharon H., Stockton Diana K., Fresno Patrick M., Stockton Parker G., San Diego partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime parttime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime partytime Fresno and Mercedwhat’s been happening fresno-dream girls Stephanie (DSS), Cathy (CM), Cynthia (DSA) and Maria (PL) took it upon themselves to entertain staff and guests at the Holiday Party with some 80’s hits, karaoke style. It was an unforgettable performance! (Especially for husbands and boy- friends). Shelly (RM) selected Cathy Taylor as “Community Catalyst’s Very Own American Idol for 2007”. Thank you to all staff who attended the Holiday Party as well as the Holiday Luncheon. It was really great to see everyone! To all Community Catalysts Offices: Happy New Year and thank you for inspiring special people’s lives! merced-party time! 4 It was a packed house at Cool Hand Lukes banquet room with all staff and guests in attendance for the Merced Holiday Party. Yer Vang (DSA) and her daughter won the grand prize basket, a sterling silver amythest bracelet and plenty of other goodies! Chavella Dobbins (DSA) won the other grand prize basket, a diamond heart shaped gold necklace. It was so great to have everyone together in one room to share such a festive event. Here is to 2007 and a successful 2008 for all! Sylvia (Office Assistant) and Charles Ortiz shared their 4 year anniversary at Disneyland. Congratula tions to 2 great people! Merced and Los Banos social group celebrated with their very own End of the Year Bash! Stephanie (Rec. Coordinator) cut it close, but pulled through with locating this site to hold our annual party! Thank you to Lucy (DSA) for seeking donations in Los Banos, Ca. for the Quiznos sandwhich trays, Me & Ed’s for the pizzas, and St. Joseph Church for allowing us to use this site for free! Also, thank you to Veronia (DSA) for drink donations from Food for Less and a special thanks to public donors for making the holiday drawing a success for all consumers in the program! Stephanie (Soc. Rec. Coordinator) is on vacation at her family home in Mexico. We truly miss her and cannot wait until her return in January 2008! The consumers had a successful opportunity drawing generating funds for the up-coming Disneyland trip. Congratulations to Jaime and his wife! parttime partytime more news...more parties Modesto modesto-fun, fun, fun! The advisory group went on the Santa Train in Oakdale on December 16th. Consumers and staff had a great time aboard a train eating cookies, sipping on hot chocolate and having the Polar Bear Express read to them. They even had a visit from Santa, as the pictures to the left show. thelma and santa marisa and santa The Modesto staff enjoyed their Christmas lunch this year at Torii’s Japanese restaurant on December 14th. At this restaurant, the food is prepared in front of you and is so entertaining! (See picture below). Congratulations to Modesto employee Jaime Rodriguez and his new wife. Although they were married awhile ago in Mexico, his wife officially moved here in December to be with her husband after completing all of the re- quired documentation. Jaime can’t stop smil- ing! It has been a long wait, but definitely worth it. Congratulations again from your friends at Community Catalysts of California! 5 Stockton & Ukiah sweet celebrations celebrating 5 years Marie Gentry was awarded a certificate acknowledging five years of participation as a Consumer with Community Catalysts of California! Marie is also employed as a janitor for the Stockton office. She takes her job very seriously and always approaches her duties with a cheer- ful and positive attitude. Thank you, Marie, for all that you do and CON- GRATULATIONS on five years with Community Catalysts of California! see’s central for those with a sweet tooth! Thought we would throw in a photo of “See’s Central”, which we took before the candy boxes were distributed to all of the Butterfly Club elves. The photo is but a scarp of evidence re- maining after all the fund-raising participants made a most profitable disappearing acto out of the boxes of confection. Nice work, elves! With visions of décor plans still dancing in their heads, Simone Vosburg (DSS) and husband, Ste phen, spent Christmas in their newly purchased home in Stockton. They have already applied some very creative interior colors, such as “Peacock Blue”, “Pecan Sandy”, and a “Dark Chocolate” that Sim one says makes her feel like she is inside a candy bar. MmmmmMmmmmMmmm! Sounds rich and tasty, and maybe even another way to satisfy that sweet tooth! Happy New Home, Simone! ukiah-had a happy happy holiday season! Everyone visited with family members, went to the Black and White ball, rode the Holiday Trolley and watched the Truckers Light Parade. Plum House had a crab feed and invited some SL Consumers. It was tons of fun and the food was great! Thanks to staff Steve M. for facilitating that and cooking up that fabulous crab! Consumer Randy D. and Case Manager Diana R, took a trip to Lompoc to visit Randy’s family. On the way back, they stopped at Monterey Bay Aquarium. They enjoyed looking at the fish and exploring the shops on Canary Row. Most of the staff were able to attend the year-end lunch at the Ukiah Garden Café. Everyone enjoyed the food and had a great time visiting! 6 fundraisers, food and fun! Santa Clara welcome to the team A special “Welcome” to Marie Saavedra to our Santa Clara staff. She is the new Office Manager and started December 17, 2007! 7 holiday party The party held on December 9th had a great turnout! 43 consumers attended the event. The dinner menu consisted of a choice between Filet Mignon or Chicken Cordon Blue, with roasted red potatoes and mixed vegetables. YUM! There were holiday songs sang by volunteer Cynthia Limons and consumer Rachel T., a White Elephant exchange, and a separate exchange amongst the consumers! For dessert, there was a choice between sugar free pie and chocolate cake. The Santa Clara office would like to give an honorable mention to staff member Gissell Lopez (pictured above on the left) who, with a sprained ankle, volunteered to stay and help at the event! Staff and consumers both had a wonderful time! fundraising fools Santa Clara’s first gift-wrapping fundraiser of the season was held on December 14th and 15th at Westgate mall in San Jose, CA. Staff and consumers both participated in the fundraiser, allowing them to raise a grand total of $128.35 for our consumers! The 2008 Calendar Fundraiser ran from September 15th through December 15th. A total of $593.33 was successfully raised! The following consumers were top sellers for this fundraiser: Connie L. with 22 calendars, Kathy F. with 9 calendars and Alex L. with 5 calendars. These top sellers will be receiving a certificate and prize for their sale efforts for this event. Thanks to all of those who provided their support! Gail Leal - January 2008 consumer of the month Irasema Garza has been with Community Catalysts of California for almost 2 years and has served as the Office Assistant for the Coalinga Office. On top of her responsibilities in Coalinga, she was willing to assist the Fresno Office for a month while they were in the process of hiring a new office manager. Not only has she proven to be dedicated to her office work, she provides great support for the consumers as well. Irasema has shown a high level of responsibility and is able to help both the consumers and the staff in many different minor and major situations. She is a dependable employee and is extremely thorough when complet- ing documentation with deadlines. Her communications skills are excellent and she is sure to inform all parties of pertinent information. Irasema is very skilled on the computer and is able to create charts, forms and documents to better assist the consumers in their every day routine. She is an efficient and consistently hard working employee who we are proud to have on our staff! Overall, Irasema is a genuine person who has the vision, purpose and values of Community Catalysts of California in mind. Her dedication and diligent work performance is greatly appreciated and is truly the Shining Star of the Month! direct service star of the month Irasema Garza - December 2007 Gail Leal is a consumer that has experienced several life changes in 2007. After the loss of her mother in October 2006, Gail was unsure of what her future would be like. Her mother had raised her to be independent, self sufficient, responsible, hard working and above all, to value the good things in life even if sometimes life isn’t fair. Gail is all these things her mother had raised her to be and more. Gail is involved in our Fresno ILS and Community Activity programs and regularly attends Caeser Chavez adult school two days per week and is also working part time in our Fresno office where she provides janitorial services two days per week. She also drives herself to school and work Mon day thru Friday. During the summer and fall months, Gail is involved in a sports league called Buddy Ball where she plays base ball and soccer with other disabled and non-disabled young adults. When she finds time, she helps her brother in-law with her niece and nephew. Sometimes she takes them out to eat, or just has them over to her house for movie night. Gail enjoys spending time with her friends and has a great time doing activities with them. At work Gail has become part of our team in the office, helping out whenever she can. She is very courteous to all the employees that come in during her work time, from closing our doors when she needs to vacuum so she doesn’t interrupt us if we are on the phone to just asking how our day is going. Gail is our Star of the Month as an employee and a consumer. 8