“Let Your Voice Be Heard”

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Sheryl Click’s Corner 1 Program Highlight 2 Volunteer Highlight 3 Hilltop Summer Safety 3 Program Liaison Highlight 4 Volunteers Opportunities 4 CEO Hilltop Update 5 Volunteer Mission Award Recipients 6 Volunteer Training Opportunities 6

Leading through action to make a difference for

people of all ages

Sheryl Click’s

Corner

Program Development Sometimes Means Taking the Stairs

Have you ever had the experience of waiting for an elevator? No matter how

many times you hit the button it never seems to come directly to your floor

first, or when it does arrive, it is completely filled with people so you cannot

get on it anyway. Sometimes in order to get where you need to go you have

to be willing to take the stairs. The stairs may take additional time and effort

but when you finally reach your destination, it can prove to be worth the

climb.

Developing the Hilltop Volunteer Program has been kind of like taking the

stairs. It is not always easy but climbing each step brings you closer to where

you hope to be. There are some wonderful developments happening within

the volunteer program that will help to ensure the effective engagement, safety

and management of volunteers throughout the organization.

First, in order to provide guidance to our volunteers and employees on

Hilltop’s volunteer practices, policies and procedures, a handbook has been

drafted and will hopefully be finalized later this summer. Second, program

liaisons and coordinators will be receiving on-going training on different as-

pects of volunteer management so they can not only build a strong relation-

ship with their volunteers, but also know how to utilize and develop them as

well. Lastly, programs will be helping to develop their own program volun-

teer orientation, onboarding, training and performance evaluation plans.

These plans will help to ensure that volunteers receive all necessary program

information and training to not only retain them longer but also enhance their

volunteer experience.

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Volunteer Services Staff & Volunteers

Manager- Sheryl Click Jo Ann Rezen

Administrative Volunteer Volunteer Coordinators: Shelby Laird

Senior Services Sheryl Click

Child & Family Services

Youth & Adult Residential Ser-vices

Professional Services Tiffany Waugh

Miscellaneous Services Leather Bang

Property Services Paige Cadman

Marketing & Development Services Teresha Taylor

Montrose Services

DV Services Program Volunteer Liaisons Karen Clymer

B4 Babies Anna Cubel

Hilltop Health Access/ Access + Crystal Cox

Family First Kristy Skidmore

Cooking Matters Maria Martinez

Environmental Services Lisa Vega

Life Adjustment Program Louis Palmer

Landscaping/Maintenance Dwight Ross

Residential Youth Services Tiffany Paramore

Senior Daybreak Joanie Leinbach

Workforce Center Amanda Salinas

Hilltop Wellness Program Tiffany Waugh

Supporting Our Seniors Christie Higgins

ADRC Nicolle McCown

The Commons

The Fountains Kevin Matthews

Get Real Susan Volkmann

Human Resources Paige Woodrow

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Program Highlight

Family First is one of Hilltop’s many programs and is located in the Family Resource Center. Family First focuses on strengthening the entire family. Our mission is to provide encouragement, guidance and opportunities to help families succeed. Our services include parenting groups for moms, dads, young high school parents and parents with a history of substance abuse, case management, free car seat safety checks, Cooking Matters clas-ses and Parents as Teachers home visitation program. Cooking Matters is a six week course offered to low-income families. The instructors are culinary and nutritional professionals whose primary goal is to teach families how to cook delicious and nutritious meals on a budget. Participants are able to assist in cooking a meal during each session. They are given the ingredients and the recipe for each meal so they can practice at home. Cooking Matters has held 17 series so far this year. Parents as Teachers is an evidence based home visitation program whose primary goal is child abuse prevention and school readiness. We work with families who have children between the ages of zero and five. Our Family Navigators work together with anyone in a care-giving role to en-hance parent-child interaction, child development, and family well-being. Children who are in the program typically score higher on kindergarten readiness tests, are better problem solvers and are more advanced in lan-guage and social skills. So far this fiscal year, we have provided services to 78 families, 112 children and have completed 777 home visits. All of our groups are held weekly and are geared to-wards edu-cation and creating a social sup-port net-work and education. We provide transportation, meals and child care for participants. We could not hold these group sessions without the assistance of our dedicated volunteers. Our participants love our volunteers because of the dedication, affection and guidance they provided to the children. Our volunteers are immensely valued and are an integral part of our Family First Team.

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Hilltop

Summer Safety By Brian Luby

Summer is almost upon us! The summer months can be the most enjoyable months of the year, but they do come along with different risks than the rest of the year. Maintaining a safe approach to the summer months can allow you to maximize your opportunities to have fun.

Sun Exposure

The hottest hours of the day are between 10:00AM and 2:00PM. Experts recommend that people try to limit their exposure to the sun during these hours. Sounds like a great time for a mid-day nap! Our summers here can reach well above 100 degrees, so it does not hurt to check the weather fore-cast before planning activities.

Stay Hydrated

It is recommended that the average person drink eight glasses or about two liters of water each day. That amount of water is recommended all year round, but it is especially im-portant during the summer months to stay hydrated. The risk of heat stroke can be signif-icantly lowered with adequate and consistent hydration. Chil-dren are especially at risk for heat stroke, so if you’re playing outside with your kids, make sure they are drinking enough water.

Volunteer Highlight:

Lindsi Peters and Abraham Selenke

Family First would like to spotlight two of our dedicated volunteers,

Lindsi Peters and Abraham Selenke. Lindsi and Abraham are both full

time students at CMU. Lindsi plays lacrosse and is pursuing a nursing de-

gree and Abraham is involved with several extra-curricular activities and is

pursuing an engineering/physics degree. Both volunteer for dad’s group

every Tuesday night during the school year. Lindsi began volunteering in

August of 2016 and Abraham in

January of 2017. While it was

only required that they volun-

teer one semester in order to

meet the program requirements,

they both enjoyed volunteering

for dad’s group so much that

they continued.

Abraham and Lindsi assist in

meal preparation, child care

and clean-up. Both Abraham

and Lindsi stated they enjoy

working with the dads, children

and staff and that they fell in

love with the environment of

Hilltop on the first day. Lindsi

exclaimed that volunteering has

really allowed her to feel grate-

ful for what she has. Abraham

has also become more aware to

be grateful for everything he has. He says he has learned that everything

we do in the community and every contribution we make, makes a differ-

ence…even if we can’t see that difference immediately.

Lindsi and Abraham have developed a very good rapport with the dads and

the children. The dads often ask about their week, how school is going,

talk about football, etc. There is a lot of banter going back and forth over

dinner…especially during football season!

Abraham and Lindsi are going home for the summer. Lindsi will be taking

a year off from school next year, but that does not mean she will be idle!

She will be taking on new adventures and is looking into volunteer posi-

tions in other countries. Abraham will return to us in the fall. This summer

we will miss their excitement, positive attitude and non-stop energy!

Thank you both, from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done and

contributed to the Family First Program!

WATER

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Hilltop

Volunteer Opportunities

Hilltop Community Resources is

looking for volunteers:

In Delta, Montrose, Ouray

Counties:

Domestic Violence Services

(Crisis Line)

The Family Resource Center

(Office & Reception

Support)

Child & Family

(Life Skills Mentor)

In Mesa County:

Domestic Violence Services

(Crisis Line Support)

Fountains & Commons

(Resident Companions)

(Activities Facilitation)

Life Adjustment Program

(Resident Companions)

(Activities Facilitation)

(Interns)

Family First

(Special Events Support)

(Child Care Support)

(Transportation Support)

Corporate

(Special Events/Projects)

(Program Internships)

ADRC

(Interns)

Supporting Our Seniors

(Driver)

Residential Youth Services

(Interns)

(Administrative Support)

For more information about this or

other volunteer opportunities

with Hilltop please contact

Sheryl Click, Manager of

Volunteer Services, at 244-0659 or

sherylc@htop.org

Program Liaison Highlight

Crystal Cox, Family First Supervisor

Crystal Cox joined the Family First team in August of 2017. She has over 25 years’ experience working in an array of human services settings. The majority of the years were spent working with developmentally disabled children/adults and their families. When she is not working, Crystal spends time with her family. Some of her favorite activities include camping, hiking, baseball and skydiving. Recently Crystal became interested in researching her family history. She discovered her great-great-great grandmother homesteaded in Paradox, Colora-do. When she visited Paradox she was able to locate her grave and tour some of the historical build-ings in what is now considered a ghost town. This was very exciting! Crystal is grateful to be a part of the Hilltop Family First team, which in-

cludes our wonderful, dedicated volunteers! Each volunteer brings with them their own unique personalities, strengths and passions. She would like them to know what a huge positive impact they have on each one of our fami-

lies and staff. We simply could not function without them!

Hilltop Domestic Violence Services Update

Karla Kitzman has left her role as Manager of DV Services and Latimer House after 16 years. Hilltop thanks and wishes Karla well as she embarks on new endeavors in our community.

Leslie Sparks, Delta/ Montrose Shelter Manager, has accepted the position of program supervisor for DV Services for all regions.

Jackie Sievers, Director of the Hilltop Resource Center, will be transitioning into the directorship of DV Services for all regions.

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Hello Hilltoppers & Volunteers,

I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and getting a chance to be outside and be active I thought it

would be a good time to send along some Hilltop news.

First, I want to send out a big congratulations to Kaye Hotsenpiller, our Senior Director for Regional Ser-

vices. Kaye was recently recognized in Denver by the Colorado Nonprofit Association with the William Funk

Award. This statewide award is given to an individual who has excelled at building and strengthening their com-

munity. Kaye’s leadership and success in the Montrose region has been inspiring and has not gone unno-

ticed. “Kay's dedication is to the people we serve in our community. She advocates for our community members

who don't always have a voice. She leads our board with professionalism, integrity, honesty and by example."

Jeremy Carroll, River Valley Family Health Center Congratulations Kaye!

A second acknowledgement goes out to Hilltop’s informational technology team. We have always known they do

amazing work, but over the past couple of weeks this rose to new levels. Our resident response system which is

critical for The Fountains, Commons and Life Adjustment Program began to fail and receiving new parts was no

longer an option. IT jumped on vetting and proposing new systems, pulling the cable on our three large campuses

for wireless capability, and is beginning to install this week. This was a great team effort, in which they all

pulled together to put our residents first. Thank you all!

An acknowledgement with mixed emotions goes out to Karla Kitzman. Karla has been the foundation of

Hilltop’s domestic violence services for over the past 16 years. At the recent DV Academy, Karla was recog-

nized with a Lifetime Achievement awarded by Mesa County Domestic Violence Taskforce. This award was

very well deserved and turned out to be well timed as Karla announced her resignation during the same week.

Countless individuals have benefitted from Karla’s expertise over the years and she will be sorely missed.

We are also excited to announce a new facility was purchased in Montrose for the Senior Day Haven program.

This program, constricted by space, can only serve 5-6 participants at a time in the back of the regional office.

The new facility, one block from the regional office, is able to serve nearly 20 participants and gain Medicaid cer-

tification. This will be a significant plus for Montrose.

If anyone has seen the development work just north of the Fountains, you are seeing the new Fountain Hills sub-

division. Hilltop is developing this multiple use community, consisting of 16 single family lots and when com-

plete, 14 patio homes. Hilltop’s Board of Directors just approved the building of the initial phase of 6 patio

homes, which will be very similar to our Cottages. This service has been very popular and contributes financially

to all of our other programs.

Thank you all for everything you do. Together we make a difference.

Mike

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Volunteer Mission Awards:

Jim Mello, Supporting Our Seniors Program (SOS)

Jim Mello has been volunteering for SOS for over three years helping to transport seniors in the program to their medical appoints, pharmacy and to grocery stores. Jim is always willing to take on even the most challenging of riders and does not mind getting up ear-ly or staying late to complete his assignments. The seniors who utilize the program often personally re-quest him to be their driver because of his friendly and patient demeanor. Jim brings the best of himself to his volunteer service. Congratulations Jim!

LeRoy Wilcox, Life Adjustment Program (LAP)

LeRoy Wilcox has been visiting LAP residents every Wednesday, for over 14 years. He enjoys visiting one-on-one with residents who are in need of a little per-sonal attention. Residents have grown fond of him and have said, “LeRoy is a good friend and really cares about how I am doing.” LeRoy, has shown dedication to the residents at LAP by being an inspirational role model and caring friend. Congratulations LeRoy!

Upcoming Hilltop Training

Opportunities for Volunteers Hilltop believes in offering training opportunities to volun-

teers at low to no cost, which can help individuals grow

personally, professionally and educationally. Here are some

orientation and training dates coming up. Please note that

New Employee & Volunteer Training provides an overview

of Hilltop history, programs and services and is the same

content each month.

First Aid and CPR Class is being offered to volunteers for

the cost of $23.80.

July

New Employee & Volunteer Training

Thursday, July 19th, from 10am-11:15am

Hilltop Corporate Office, 1331 Hermosa Ave.

First Aid and CPR Class

Tuesday, July 10th, 6pm-10pm or

Friday, July 20th, 9am-1pm

Commons Garden Room

August

New Employee & Volunteer Training

Tuesday, August 7th or

Thursday, August 16th, from 10am-11:15am

Hilltop Corporate Office, 1331 Hermosa Ave.

First Aid and CPR Class

Tuesday, August 14th, 6pm-10pm or

Friday, August 24th, 9am-1pm

Commons Garden Room

September

New Employee & Volunteer Training

Tuesday, September 4th or Thursday,

September 20th, from 10am-11:15am

Hilltop Corporate Office, 1331 Hermosa Ave.

To sign up for trainings please contact Sheryl Click at

(970) 244-0659 or by email: sherylc@htop.org.