SUMMER 2014 NEWSLETTER

10 Individuals compete at

Special Olympics!

INSPIRATIONFIELD

Welcome HR Director 2

Special Olympics cont’d & Community Supports News

4

MONSTER BASH 5

Employee’s of 1st & 2nd Quarters

6

Case Management News 7

Host Home Providers WANTED!

8

Residential News 9

Thank You to Cinco de

Mayo & Golf

Tourney Volunteers!

10, 11

Inside this issue: Ten individuals in service at InspirationField competed at the 2014 South-

east Area Regional Special Olympics Spring Games. The games were

held on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at South High School in Pueblo, Colorado.

The event included athletes competing in a variety of track and field

events, aquatics and power lifting.

150 Special Olympics athletes participated in the Spring Games including

the athletes from InspirationField. Excitement filled the air while the com-petition went on. Athletes had high hopes for gold medals, which was clear

by the concentration they put into their events. All athletes from Inspira-

tionField placed in the tournament.

continued on page 4...

BACK ROW: BRADFORD SCHULTZ, SCOTT CABINESS, DAVID SALAZAR, PATRICK DRYER, ANDY

METZGER, MARC MEIER, RON PHILLIPS FRONT ROW: ELAINE SCHLEE, HANNA GRAUBERGER,

CORA MARTINEZ, YOLANDA RAEL, MATTHEW HARRIS

P A G E 2 I N S P I R A T I O N F I E L D

Chief executive director blog - johnnie deleon

My how time flies. On June 3, 2013, we celebrated by moving into our new $5.7 million facility.

The move left behind many great memories at the old building as we started fulfilling new dreams

in the new facility. Out of the blue, one year later, we celebrated our one-year anniversary in the

new building on June 5, 2014. Over 200 people joined us for the celebration and enjoyed the mu-

sic of Second Chance, who also played the very first performance at Inspiration Field during our

grand opening. The building is holding up very strong and has attracted many outside functions,

including: weddings, dances, birthday parties, conferences, banquets, workshops, funeral lunch-

eons, graduation parties, to name a few. If you are interested in renting the facility for your next

function, please contact the agency’s wonderful Event Planner to schedule your next event. Cait-

lin Coffield can be reached at ccoffield@inspirationfield.org or 719-468-9408.

Looking ahead, the agency is looking forward to receiving Person-centered training from a nation-

ally-recognized leader in the field. The training creates a foundation for person-centered practice

throughout our service delivery model. The benefit to individuals in service increases the quality of

life of those who are in our services and the amount of positive control they have over their lives.

Person centered thinking will help staff deliver services in a manner that is focused on supporting people within the context of

the individual’s desired lifestyle. We hope to fully train all staff, board members, and host home providers during the first

quarter of 2015.

Finally, it’s not too late to start thinking about what costume that you are going to wear for the agency’s 3rd Annual Monster

Bash Costume Party & Dance, hosted by Steel City Behavioral Health and Mid-Town Motel. The event will be held on Satur-

day, October 25, 2014, from 7:00 – 11:15pm in the Commons Area at Inspiration Field. The band Krush, from Pueblo, will

once again entertain the crown in what has quickly become one of the agency’s most successful fundrais-

ers. Last year’s event sold over 280+ tickets. And, we are expecting at least the same size crowd for this

Halloween event. Please call Caitlin to reserve your table today.

InspirationField Welcomes a

New Human Resources Director!

Elizabeth graduated with honors from Otero Junior College with an Associ-

ate of Arts degree, with an emphasis in Business Administration. Prior to

joining InspirationField, Liz worked at Bent County HealthCare Center for

19 years. The first five years, Liz served as their Office Manager and super-

vised two individuals. During the next 14 years at Bent County HealthCare,

Liz was promoted to the Finance Director position. As the Finance Director,

Liz was in charge of accounting functions and HR-related functions and supervised a staff of ap-

proximately 4-5 employees. Over the next two years, Liz worked for Genesis Rehab at Pioneer

Healthcare in Rocky Ford as a Rehab Department Manager and as an Administrative Assistant at

the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in La Junta. Since July/2012, Liz has been employed

by Fowler Health Care as a Finance Director. Liz supervised two employees and was in charge

of the company’s finances, human resources, and oversaw computer and technical support for

the facility.

Liz has since decided that she enjoys Human Resources and wants to work exclusively in that

area and she will assume HR duties for InspirationField. Liz brings to InspirationField 15+ years of Human Resources experience and a desire to learn and to excel. Liz can be reached at

719-384-8741 ext. 101. Liz’s email address is: ecritchfield@inspirationfield.org.

P A G E 3

November 2014

6 - Board Meeting 11:30a

20 - Thanksgiving Dinner

11:30a - 1:30p, St. Mary’s Hall

27 - Closed, Thanksgiving

December 2014

1 - Annual Dinner/Meeting

5:30p, IF Commons

4 - Holiday Luncheon 11:30a -

1:30p, IF Commons

5 - Volunteer Appreciation

Dinner 6:00p, IF Commons

9 - Swink Lions Dinner 5:30p,

IF Commons

24, 25 - Closed, Christmas

August 2014

4 - Board Meeting 11:30a

September 2014

1 - Closed, Labor Day

3 - Board Meeting 11:30a

October 2014

6 - Board Meeting 11:30a

25 - Monster Bash 7:00p -

11:15p, IF Commons

30 - Halloween Party 5:30p -

8:30p, IF Commons

InspirationField Congratulates the following employees

on their years of service:

Thank you for your dedication and commitment

to the individuals we support!!

PRESIDENT, JIM CLAWSON

Board Member Since: Sept. 1999

VICE-PRESIDENT, JOHN GALLEGOS

Board Member Since: Oct. 2003

TREASURER, MIDGE CRANSON

Board Member Since: April 2000

SECRETARY, MELVINA SKINNER

Board Member Since: Jan. 1995

STEVE BERG

Board Member Since: July 2007

MARGIE GARDNER

Board Member Since: July 2007

FRANCIE HABERMAN

Board Member Since: July 2007

BOB SAMANIEGO

Board Member Since: Sept. 2004

CURTIS PEACOCK

Board Member Since: Feb. 2009

HELEN HOLLAR

Board Member Since: May 2013

MICHAEL MATTHEWS

Board Member Since: May 2013

Jose Diaz 1 Year Angela Aguilar 4 Years

Julio Estrada 1 Year Gary Hendren 4 Years

Richard Herrera 1 Year Alicia O’Canas 4 Years

Allen Jackson 1 Year Ivy Garcia 5 Years

Monica Montes 1 Year Melissa Rodriguez 6 Years

Maria Perez 1 Year Ryan Denahy 7 Years

Laura Stanley 1 Year Audrey Gonzales 7 Years

Tiffany Wheeler 1 Year Julia Hoeppner 9 Years

Kayla Bitter 2 Years Julie Fernandez 10 Years

Beatrice Duran 2 Years Sharon Church 11 Years

Erica Garcia 2 Years Marcie Aguilar 11 Years

Marie Mondragon 2 Years Johnnie DeLeon 11 Years

Lynette Ramirez 2 Years Sandra Brown 18 Years

Tracey Ruby 2 Years Joseph Archuleta 22 Years

Andi Vigil 3 Years

P A G E 4 I N S P I R A T I O N F I E L D

Special Olympics cont’d from page 1 . . .

InspirationField had eight athletes take first place in the games. Those who placed first are: Hanna Grau-

berger in the 50m Dash, Matt Harris in the 100M Dash, Marc Meier in the 100M Dash, Andy Metzger in the

Shot-put and 50m Walk, Yolanda Rael in the 50m Walk, David Salazar in the Shot-put and Elaine Schlee in

the 50m Walk.

Other individuals placing in the events were: Scott Cabiness, 2nd in the 100M Dash and 3rd in the Shot-put,

Patrick Dryer, 2nd in the 50m Walk, Hanna Grauberger, 3rd in the Softball Throw, Matt Harris, 2nd in the

Shot-put, Cora Martinez, 3rd in the 50m Dash and 4th in the Softball Throw, Marc Meier, 2nd in the Shot-put,

Yolanda Rael, 5th in the Softball Throw, David Salazar, 2nd in the 100M Dash and Elaine Schlee, 5th in the

Softball Throw.

After many medals and ribbons were awarded to the well deserving athletes, the competition came to a

close. New personal bests and great memories were created, leaving athletes ready for next year.

“Special Olympics gives the individuals the opportunity to compete in events that they are successful in and

gives them pride. This is part of what we do here at InspirationField, teaching the individuals that they can succeed and become as independent as possible.” commented Coach Julia Hoeppner.

Individuals in service at InspirationField also participate in Bocce and compete in several tournaments as-

sociated with Special Olympics.

To all the athletes who competed in the 2014 Southeast Spring Games, Congratulations! Job well done!!

Director of community supports blog - ryan denahy

Join us on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. in the commons at InspirationField as we

celebrate our individual’s birthdays with a lunchtime barbeque. Enjoy hamburgers, hotdogs, birth-

day cake, and the company of our individuals in service. Also, we are integrating technology into

our Learning Center with the addition of five new iPads that are available to the individuals in ser-

vice. We have purchased several learning applications as well as some fun ones too. So far, it has

been a great tool and we look forward to expanding the opportunities for individuals in our pro-

grams. Congratulations to Necole Ackerman, Direct Support Professional who works in the Learn-

ing Center. She was nominated the Community Supports Quarterly award winner by her peers with-

in her department. Also, congratulations to Cindy Padilla for her promotion to Store Leader at our

Global Treasurz thrift stores. Cindy has an incredible work ethic and solid vision to lead the stores

and should be a strong contributor to the continued success of the stores. Cindy will lead the daily

operations and the staff at the stores. We wish Cindy the best of luck in her new role.

Denver Broncos

Training Camp:

July 30

Elitch Gardens:

July 31

Ark Valley Fair &

Parade:

August 15

P A

Proceeds to Benefit InspirationField’s Programs & Philanthropy Funds!

Music By:

From

Pueblo, CO

Let Your Inner Monster Out! Wear Your Costume and

Come Join Us for a Night of Partying and Dancing!

InspirationField Commons

7:00 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.

Live & Silent Auction

Free Shuttle Service - La Junta Area

Call Caitlin to Reserve your Table - 719-468-9408!

RESERVE A TABLE FROM

- $225 - INCLUDES:

8 ADMISSIONS, 8 DRINKS & A

WITCHING HOUR DELIGHT!

P A G E 6 I N S P I R A T I O N F I E L D

Employee of the 1st & 2nd quarter

Our first Employee of the Quarter (January 2014 - March

2014) is Cindy Padilla! Thank you Cindy for supporting our

mission and for outstanding support to individuals, staff and

the agency.

STAFF COMMENTS:

“Cindy has helped our clients work outside of their box. She chal-lenges them to try new tasks, and is very encouraging when to have success in the new task. She knows who needs new tasks more often by knowing and understanding their ISP require-ments. She helps them try and meet their ISP every work day. “

“Cindy seems to know everyone’s likes and dislikes. She takes the time to know all of the current events that are going on in our client’s lives. She builds relationships through conversation and awareness of what the client’s life is like.”

Recently, Cindy was promoted to Store Leader at Global Treasurz in La Junta. Con-gratulations Cindy!!

Our second Employee of the Quarter (April 2014 - June 2014) is LaVonne Coffman! Thank you LaVonne for support-ing our mission and for outstanding support to individuals,

staff and the agency.

STAFF COMMENTS:

“LaVonne spends countless hours making sure that all vehicles receive the proper maintenance when scheduled and when needed to ensure we are not stranded on the side of the road with our individuals.”

“With her amazing hard work and dedication when keeping up the maintenance on agency vehicles she is helping in serving the individuals by safeguarding them with a reliable car to have transportation to their homes, events, outings, and doctor ap-pointments.”

P A G E 7

Case Management has been busy

this spring with many activities and

events. On May 14 & 15, Sharon

Church, Case Management Director

and Maria Armijo, Case Manager at-

tended the Statewide Early Interven-

tion Meeting in Colorado Springs.

Maria stumped the State and earned

the honor of keeping the pink

gnome for a year. We plan to give

the gnome many ex-

periences this year to

report back at the

statewide meeting in

2015.

On May 22, Inspiration Field

hosted the Case Manage-

ment Director Meeting. 35

Case Management Director’s,

their staff and DDD staff at-

tended the meeting from

across the state. It was a

huge success and, of course,

everyone fell in love with our

new building.

On June 12, Case Management

hosted a unified kickball game at

Veterans Field. Fun was had by

staff and individuals who played

and cheered

on the players.

It is hot out there this summer

and Case Management will be

hosting the Children (7/24) and

Adult (7/29) swim parties in July.

Come join

us for good

c o m p a n y ,

good food

and slide in-

to a cool

good time!

P A G E I N S P I R A T I

INSPIRATIONFIELD HOST HOMES

A nurturing and supportive family-style living option

for people with developmental disabilities.

Individual Choice

Host home living is based on individ-ual choice. Support plans are de-signed to enrich quality of life, based on individuals unique needs and pref-erences.

Personal Devotion

Host home providers offer personal devotion in a fostering home setting to support the individual and meet their unique needs.

Community Engagement

By living with a family, an individual has the opportunity to participate in all aspects of family and community life.

Tailored Living Options

Individuals, their family members, the host home providers and Inspiration-Field join forces to design and imple-ment a customized plan for day-to-day living.

Adult Services Director

Julia Hoeppner

(719) 384-8741, ext. 151

Cell: (719) 469-2170

jhoeppner@inspirationfield.org

Program Supervisor

Arlene Romero

(719) 384-8741, ext. 152

Cell: (719) 469-3470

aromero@inspirationfield.org

INSPIRATIONFIELD CONTACTS:

SUPPLEMENT YOUR INCOME AND MAKE AT LEAST $15,400 A YEAR, TAX-FREE!

P A G E 9

This has been a busy season for Residential Services and the Recrea-

tion Department. We are looking forward to another enjoyable year

keeping individuals involved in the community.

March proved to be a blast for the individuals. We started the month

with training for Special Olympics Track and Field. Practices were held

every Saturday. InspirationField had 10 Individuals participate this

year. Then we moved to the FUN video shoot where all of the staff

and individuals were encouraged to participate. They had a blast and

they enjoyed the day of fun events. We also held our annual St. Pat-

rick’s Day Dinner & Talent Show. This year we had a total of 46 staff

and individuals show us their talents. The Inspiration People’s Choice

went to La Junta Global Treasurz for their rendition of “What Does the

Fox Say”! We look forward to them performing their talents at the an-

nual dinner in December.

During the month of April, individuals continued to train for their track and field events in Special

Olympics. They attended art parties and brunch candy bar bingo, the wake up breakfast and ended

the month with a swing fling dance and BBQ. Individuals finished off their bowling season and look

forward to it starting again in September. For the Easter holiday the individuals dyed Easter eggs

and had an art party to make their Easter baskets. On Easter morning the individuals in service en-

joyed the new facility by completing an Easter egg hunt and having lunch together.

May is always an exciting time for the individuals in service. They enjoyed the fun filled day of our

annual Cinco De Mayo Celebration, which included everything from breakfast burritos to Martini

Shot who performed for the evening dance. The following weekend was the Gobin’s-Davis Golf

Tournament and 10 individuals attended the golf clinic that was put on to teach the individuals how

to hit a golf ball. Also, another 10 other individuals attended Special Olympics Track and Field in

Pueblo at South High School. We took 26 individuals and staff camping to Mountaindale

Campground in Colorado Springs. They took the Cog Railroad to the top of Pikes Peak and en-

joyed seeing the wildlife right outside the cabin doors. It was an awesome time at a new area.

In June the individuals started the month by attending the Colorado Springs Sky Sox game. 25 indi-

viduals and staff attended this event and had a BBQ on the terrace. Then, they started practicing

Bocce for Special Olympics, and will be competing on July 26, 2014 in Colorado Springs at Memori-

al Park. During the month of August, they will be attending State Special Olympics in Denver.

Then, all of the Residential homes, individuals, and Host Home Providers are invited on a fishing

trip at the Pueblo Reservoir. This is an annual trip to get the individuals out to just enjoy a day in

the sun.

ADULT SERVICES DIRECTOR blog - JULIA HOEPPNER

P A G E 1 0 I N S P I R A T I O N F I E L D

P A G E 1 1

Derek Carroll, State Farm

Scaff Bros. &

SUMMER 2014 NEWSLETTER

612 Adams Avenue

La Junta, CO 81050

27580 Frontage Rd.

La Junta, CO 81050

719-384-8700

306 N. Main St.

Rocky Ford, CO 81067

719-316-2799

Supporting Individuals with Developmental Disabilities since 1966!

Fun facts about summer

1. France’s Eiffel Tower can grow by more than 6 inches in summer due to

the expansion of the iron on hot days.

2. Ice pops were invented by accident in 1905 by 11 year old Frank Epper-

son. He mixed soda and water and left the mixture out overnight with the

stirring stick still in it. Since the temperature was low, the mixture froze. He

patented the idea in 1924.

3. Watermelon is not a fruit, but a vegetable.

4. The frequency of a cricket’s chirps fluctuates with the temperature, so if

you count the chirps for 15 seconds and add 37, you will have the approxi-

mate outdoor temperature (in Fahrenheit).

5. The average American eats around 5 1/2 gallons of ice cream a year. July

is National Ice Cream month because it is the month the most ice cream is

sold.