Spotlight Newsletter: April 2011

Compassion, Integrity, Respect

FUNdraisersCommunity Support Services of Missouri hosts several special events throughout the year. These are fun events that raise money for our support service programs and also help toincrease public awareness of our agency in the community. We have three fundraisers remain-ing in 2011 and we need your help to make them a success!

UPCOMING EVENTSMay 20th: Rhythm & Brews 2011

June 25th: CSSMO Motorcycle Poker RunSeptember 24th: CSSMO Bowling Tournament

Here are a few examples of how you can help out and have fun at the same time:• VOLUNTEER at an event!

• SECURE a donation or sponsorship!• DISTRIBUTE posters and event flyers!

• TELL everyone you know and help spread the word!• SELL event tickets!

If you would like to help with an upcoming event, please contact Melissa Eiken at 624-4515, ext. 204 or via email at meiken@cssmo.org

2312 Annie Baxter AvenueJoplin, MO 64804

www.cssmo.org

Kudos Corner

Janet Nokes is the February Kudos winner!

Janet works at ISL 701. The Kudos was awarded by a fellow employee

for Janet walking 6 blocks in the blizzard to do a med pass.

Congratulations Janet!

Alyson Burrows

New Hires

Melisa Prince

Ashley Betts

Mary Conrad

Amanda Morgan

Kim Ward

Glenna MikselBobbiJo Henninger

Matt Cole

Jimmie Thompson

Nichole Mahoney

Travis Denney

Amanda Butler

Libby LaGarce

Russell Harbraugh

Lisa Bishop

Penny Cooper

Pam Smith

Rene Wild Sharon Smith Shelley SmithShelby DavidTed Neal

Eric Longing 4/2Charles Owens 4/4Shea Smith 4/9Wesley Shriver 4/9Christina Palmer 4/10Joe Rivette 4/11Marie Sachsel 4/12Jhan Hurn 4/14Alex Bird 4/14Scott Schlichting 4/15Janice Blystone 4/16Angela Hacker 4/16Ryan Ferrier 4/23Chad Camp 4/25

Ashley Habel 4/28/2010Bill Evans 4/1/2010Steven Navel 4/8/2010Demetrus Matthews 4/22/2010Shellie Hayes 4/22/2010Daniel Smith 4/8/2010Donna Newhouse 4/30/2009Gina Mueller 4/30/2009Kristi Wolken 4/24/2008Danica Morgan 4/24/2008April Knight 4/3/2008June Wood 4/30/2007Lisa Lewis 4/19/2007Amber Collins 4/22/2004Carla Destefano 4/12/2002Janet Nokes 4/30/1993

“Start Right…Stay Right”from Laura Westley, Residential Coordinator

One of the concepts in the Start Right…Stay Right book by Steve Ventura is that of RESPECT

R – Recognize the inherent worth of all human beings.E – Eliminate derogatory words and phrases from your vocabulary.S – Speak with people – not at them…or about them.P – Practice empathy. Walk awhile in others’ shoes. E – Earn the respect of your coworkers through your behaviors.C – Consider others’ feelings before speaking and acting. T – Treat everyone with dignity and courtesy.

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me…all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” ~Jackie Robinson

From Sarah Parker, V.P. Early Childhood Services

FIRST STEPS “THUMBS UP” AWARD GOES TO…

KRISTAL SOMMER

A big thumbs-up for going above and beyond service coordination responsibility! Kristal intervened when an acquaintance of a family she was visiting collapsed. She performed CPR services until the paramedics arrived. Kristal’s quick thinking and courage allowed a family to spend some additional time with a loved one.

We are very proud of Kristal!

Birthdays

Anniversaries

1st Annual CSSMO Poker Run

Saturday, June 25th 2011

We will be hosting a Motorcycle Poker Run to benefit Community Support Services. This fundraiser was just approved, so all of the details are not yet complete. One thing is for sure...

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

The fundraiser will need lots of volunteers. If you are interested in helping, contact Laura Westley via Scomm ASAP so we can get

everything lined up.

Employee LuncheonApril 12th, 2011

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Please come by for a great lunch, good conversation, and

make a donation to the pig!

See Marie at the front desk for details.

Community Spotlight from Janet Thompson, Community Program Manager

We would like to introduce... Angie Turner, GOALS Lead Staff Hire Date: March 17, 2011

Angie states that she was born on a glorious day in Orlando, Florida. She moved to Springdale, Arkansas at the age of 7. She graduated from Springdale High School in May 2005. She played softball for Missouri Southern State University for 5 years and graduated in May 2010 with my degree in Physical Education. She is very outgoing person who loves to have a good time. She love sports and being outdoors. She loves meeting new people and trying new things. Her family consists of her awesome mother Faye and her younger sister Meredith. Some of Angie’s favorite things are: baseball, the color blue, walking on the beach, playing any sport, dogs, food (mainly desserts), dancing, listening to music, sleeping, watching movies, lazy rainy days, and laughing or smiling. WELCOME, ANGIE!

GOALS Departmentfrom Angie Turner, GOALS Lead Staff

Special Olympics BasketballState Tournament

The 2011 Special Olympics Basketball season has come to a close. On March 18th & 19th our team travelled to Kansas City to compete in the State

Play-Offs.We took a team of six players: Matt King, Joey

Johnson, JoNell Thompson, Jenny Dayton, Lisa Vantrease and Donald Hixson.

Our team placed 4th place in the state tournament. WAY TO GO TEAM!!!

If you know of anyone who would like to volunteer to be a part of coaching or working with our Spe-

cial Olympics Teams, contact Angie Turnerat 624-4515, ext. 107

“Personal Appearance Policy”From Melanie Ousley, Human Resources Representative

With spring and summer on the way, please remember that CSSMO has a “Personal Appearance Policy”.

Below is an excerpt from the CSSMO Personal Appearance Policy:

Community Support Services of Missouri (CSSMO) shall require each employee be present for work groomed and dressed in a manner that is conducive to the safe and efficient operation of the agency. Employees shall select attire that presents a professional image and one that models positive and therapeutic behaviors as the appearance of all employ-ees is extremely important to reflect the high standards of professionalism the Agency strives to achieve and our com-

munity expects.

Appropriate dress for general office personnel and situations in which the employee expects to have interaction with the general public would include at a minimum business attire. Employees who are working in programs in which they are

expected to be providing direct consumer care may be permitted to dress in more casual clothing.

Appropriate dress for all employees will vary and will be dictated by the tasks to be performed.

While on duty, employees shall wear clothing that is clean and in good repair and condition.

Shoes shall be selected for safety and comfort, i.e. closed toed shoes must be worn when working with consumers.

During work hours, employees shall not wear clothing that is unsafe, provocative, nor has printed messages other than designer logos, agency logos, school or school team names. Agency logo apparel can be worn at agency sponsored events or at the discretion of your supervisor. Unprofessional and provocative apparel such as short skirt or shorts;

clothing that is “see through”; clothing that exposes undergarments or midriffs; strapless tops; tight fitting clothing; tank tops or muscle tops; and similar items of casual attire are not permitted as they do not present a professional ap-

pearance and could promote aggression.

Recipe CornerCathy’s HELLO DOLLIES

Melt one stick of Oleo in a 9”x11” cake pan.

Sprinkle the following on the melted Oleo in layers:

1cup crushed graham crackers½ cup chocolate chips½ cup butterscotch chips½ cup chopped pecans1 cup coconut

Drizzle one can of Sweetened condensed milk over the top

Bake for 25min at 350 degrees

This month’s fabulous financial winner is Theresa Bailey.

She stepped up to the temporary lead staff position at home 720, when it was needed and did an excel-lent job in the financials department. Her financials

were clean and correct with no mistakes.When you see Teresa around let her know what a

good job she is doing and how much she is appreci-ated.

Congratulations Theresa for having Fabulous Financials in February!

Marie’s Fabulous Financialsby Marie Sachsel

4/1 Med Recert9:00 -1:00

4/4 Financials & Mileagedue to supervisor by 5 pm

4/6 CPR & First Aid8:30 - 5:00

4/7 New Hire Orientation8:30 - 5:00

4/8 PAYDAY

4/12 Employee Luncheon12:00 - 1:00

4/12 Lead Staff Meeting1:30 or 3:30

4/13 CPR & First Aid8:30 - 5:00

4/14 MANDT recert3:30 - 9:30

4/14 New Hire Orientation8:30 - 5:00

4/15 Special Olympics Track and Field at MSSU

4/15 Mileage Checksafter 2 pm

4/20 MANDT 3:30 -9:30

4/20 CPR & First Aide8:30 - 5:00

4/21 MANDT 3:30 - 9:30

4/21 New Hire Orientation8:30 - 5:00

4/24 EASTER

4/25 Med Admin9:00 - 5:00

4/25 PAYDAY

SAVE THE DATE!

The April GOALS Dance will be held on Friday, April 8th from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Cost is $3.00 per person.

Brad Burger and Empire District Electric

for helping to makeour monthly newsletter

possible!

APRIL FACTS

April Fools’ Day, or All Fools’ Day, is the first day of April. No one

knows where the custom began, but some historians believe it started in France. They had a New Year’s fes-tival that was celebrated from March

25 to April 1, and they would then exchange gifts. Later, King James IV changed the holiday to January 1 for New Year’s. The people that still cel-ebrated it April 1 were called ‘April

Fools’ and sent mock presents.

Small animals that hibernate are usu-ally coming out of their burrows in April. The birds fly back northward

or they settle down to have their families. The bees and butterflies

begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season.

In some parts of the world, it’s planting time. In other parts, it’s the

harvest season.

The professional Baseball season begins in April.

4/26 Med Admin9:00 -5:00

4/27 Med Admin12:00 - 4:00

4/27 CPR & 1st aide8:30 - 5:00

4/28 New Hire Orientation8:30 - 5:00

THANK YOU

Residential NewsFrom Laura Westley, Residential Coordinator

Here’s the problem…Now what are some possible solutions?

Sometimes it is easy to see what the problem is, it’s easier to see the symptoms of a problem and point-ing out these symptoms for some people comes very naturally. I want to challenge everyone to look past the symptoms. Look at what an underlying problem might be to what can be identified as the root prob-lem. The challenge will be to come up with a solution. Most problems have several possible solutions, so figuring out which one is the best one to choose is also helpful. Here at CSS we are confronted with problems to be solved all day long. I recommend that you take a minute to look at the problem and come up with a few solutions before you decide what to do. Talk to someone else about it. This could be the lead staff, or the coordinator. When you talk to someone else about a problem and you have a few solu-tions in mind it speeds up the decision making process. As a coordinator, I find it wonderfully refreshing when an advocate comes to me with an identified problem and a possible solution. To bring up a problem alone, is complaining. To bring up a problem and a solution, is being part of a team of caring individuals who are invested in improving the lives of others.

Here is a problem: Most of our consumers have limited resources to go out and do fun things in the community. Possible solution: Advocates can look into upcoming events in the area and make a posted list for all consumers to learn about. Advocates can see about cultivating resources for tickets to events around the area for their consumers. Advocates can create a list of fun things to do in the area that do not cost money. This of course doesn’t have to be limited to advocates; I was just using them as an example of an identified problem and some possible solutions.

Remember that we have a suggestion box at Alcott and in Therap for you to submit any ideas. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!!

Save the Date!

Friday, May 20thHoldiay Inn Convention Center

Dinner, Brew Tasting, and Live Music

Featuring: Rich McCready

The Ben Miller BandSarah Dunn & Sundown

Gino Gebelin

$25 in advance, $30 at the doorAll CSSMO staff may purchase one set of

2 tickets for the price of 1!

Eligible for payroll deduction. See the Alcott front desk for details.

Calling In to Miss a Scheduled ShiftAs you have read in the employee newsletter and discussed at staff meetings, there is now only ONE phone number

for Residential Staff to use to call in to miss a scheduled work shift, training, or staff meeting: 417-850-4210. Community Staff also now have only ONE number to use to call in to miss a scheduled work shift, training, or

staff meeting: 417-437-4096.Both of these numbers will be answered 24 hrs/day, seven days a week.

Who answers these phones will depend on what day of the week it is. You do not need to worry about what time of day it is or what day of the week it is, or who will be answering the phone, just use the numbers above if you need to

call in to miss a scheduled work shift, training, or staff meeting.DO NOT TEXT TO MISS A SCHEDULED WORK SHIFT, TRAINING, OR STAFF MEETING. Because different people will be answering these phone numbers, the numbers are forwarded to the phone of the person who answers.

This means that the person who is on call may not be the person receiving your text, because texts are not forwarded. Texting can be a great way to communicate a brief message quickly, but it doesn’t work for calling in and may mean that you end up with a No Call, No Show if you are texting to attempt to let someone know you are going to miss a

shift. Please help CSS and yourself by ONLY calling to notify staffing about missing a shift.

Suggestion Box ~February 2011~

CSS received several thoughtful suggestions during February, and we appreciate hearing your thoughts, so keep those suggestions coming! Submit your suggestion in the box located in the mailroom at Alcott, or drop in the after-hours drop box beside the west door. Or you can log on to Therap using “esuggestions” as your user id and “sugges-tions” as your password and Scomm your suggestion anonymously to Mary Heger.

Suggestion: Please have the next Quiz at the Community Support Place. Response: CSS has received a lot of feed-back regarding not having Quiz Night at the Carl McConnell Activity Center. CSS is currently looking at ways to hold this event at CMAC again.

Suggestion: I suggest staff not have to pay for the yearly driving record. If staff have current license and it is turned in, that should be enough. Response: A person may be able to provide a driver’s license that is not expired, but a driving record may show that the license isn’t valid or had been revoked. CSS has a responsibility to our consumers to ensure that everyone providing transportation to them has a valid driver’s license. CSS is researching alternate ways to pay for the annual driving record requirement.

Suggestion: If someone calls in sick or needing time off and another staff is called…I suggest an incentive as an extra PTO time. (From Deb Kniesly) Response: When staff are asked to work additional shifts it is their choice as to whether or not they accept them. The incentive is additional pay, often at overtime rates.

Suggestion: Our clients are #1, our field staff working with our clients are #2. We need easy parking with our clients & quick parking for the 15 minute or less, paperwork pick up & drop off, between clients. If office staff park an auto all day & only move it for lunch I believe it should be parked away from the building & save those spaces for the fast traffic & the clients safety. (From Deborah Vaughn)Response: Great idea! CSS is planning to pave the parking lot at Alcott by the end of the summer of 2011. When this project is completed, CSS will designate some of the spaces near the building for short term use only.

Suggestion: How about the agency using Cartridge World for ink supplies? It’s good for the environment and we would save money. Response: CSS does recycle the ink cartridges from all printers through another source already.