SharingSharing

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theSharing

Vision

in this issuepg. 1 & continued on to pg. 2

Rooted in Faithsubmitted by: Robert Veitch C.E.O., TCMH

pg. 2

Partnering Togethersubmitted by:Glenn Zehr Board Chair, TCMH Board

pg. 3

New Faces at Tri-County Mennonite Homes

Greenwood Court’s Annual Spring Fundraisersubmitted by:Fred Zehr E.D., Greenwood Court

pg. 4

Connecting Our Communitiessubmitted by:Robert Veitch C.E.O., TCMH

Volume 9 • Issue 1 • Summer 2009Rooted in Faith

At a past retreat for the Tri-County Mennonite Homes (TCMH) leadership group, I opened the all day session with a presentation on leadership and creativity. I used the TCMH Mission and Values statements, and a sack of hammers, to emphasize my points and to challenge our leaders to be innovative and creative.

Our mission and values are very important for our ongoing success and our ability to make a difference in the lives of the people we support and care for. Commitment to the mission and values must begin with the leadership of our organization, if it is to filter through to our front line workers and the people we support.

“Rooted in faith, TCMH provides leadership in service to seniors and developmentally disabled individuals by dedicated staff and volunteers.”

The TCMH mission statement has two very important phrases on which I based my comments to leadership. We begin with “Rooted in Faith”, because of the importance of having a firm foundation or starting point. When I think of “rooted”, I think of fastened or attached to something that: a) gives us strength to endure the tough times and b) is the source from which we receive our energy. At TCMH, we are clear

that what we do and who we are is rooted in the Mennonite faith perspective. This faith perspective guides and directs the way we operate and treat people, sets the tone for our values, declares who we are and tempers everything we

do. It is common, in planning discussions, to have one of our leaders confirm or question whether our decision fits with our mission and values.

The other key phrase in our mission statement is

“leadership in service”. We are not satisfied with the status quo or the ordinary. We want to take what we do to a higher level. TCMH goes about its mission with innovation, creativity, enthusiasm and purpose. We work hard to be the best at what we do.

So what do hammers have to do with mission and values? Hammers pretty much

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In March 2006, the Government of Ontario passed the “Local Health System Integration Act, 2006”, which changed the way Ontario’s health care system is managed by creating 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). Each LHIN works with local health providers and community members to identify the health service priorities of its region, in order to plan, integrate and fund local health services for a variety of health care organizations, including long-term care homes. As part of this initiative, the LHINs and the government have encouraged those operating long-term care homes and other health care facilities to collaborate and cooperatively try to avoid duplication of services and to seek the best economy of scale.

For the past two years, an ad hoc committee of the TCMH Board has met on several occasions with representatives of the Fairview/Parkwood Mennonite Homes’ Board to look for opportunities to learn from one other and to identify ways we could benefit from mutual sharing. One successful partnering opportunity that emerged was the planning and hosting of three jointly sponsored Community Educational events. TCMH’s Nithview Community, Fairview Mennonite Home and Parkwood Mennonite Home have each hosted one

such event, during 2007 and 2008, and the fourth in this series is now being planned for the fall of 2009, to be held at TCMH’s Greenwood Court.

This TCMH/Fairview/Parkwood ad hoc partnership committee further collaborated in undertaking a major review, and developing a policy to be used in both organizations, relating to parameters and compensation for our Chief Executive Officers. Following this success, together we hired a consultant to do a major Human Resources’ review for all of our divisions, and to test the feasibility of possibly hiring a Human Resource staff person who would work for both organizations. The consultant confirmed the many needs that exist, in terms of improving the human resource strategies within our organizations. After both boards and leadership teams reviewed and considered the consultant’s recommendations, it was determined that only TCMH would be considering the possibility of hiring a part-time Human Resources staff person.

It is our hope that this pattern of partnering together has just begun and that, as we move forward into the future, more opportunities will become evident.

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Partnering Together

do the same thing as they did when they were first created, thousands of years ago. They bang, they pound, they crush, they mould, they flatten and so on. The basics haven’t changed very much. But how we apply the fundamental principle of hammering has. The shape and size of hammers and the science of hammering have changed substantially over the years, as people have used their creativity and ingenuity to develop and build a more useful and better hammer.

The seniors’ and developmental services’ sectors are very similar to the hammer analogy. The basics are still there – providing care and support to seniors and people with developmental disabilities. But, the encouragement to be “leaders”, in the services we provide, pushes us to do more than just the basics. This is why we do things like: developing continuums

of care; providing substantially more pastoral care than what is funded by the government; building a dedicated palliative care and family suite; providing sensory stimulation equipment and activities; holding Sunday morning worship services every week; providing unfunded long-term care beds for our continuum residents; purchasing a wheelchair accessible bus; and developing a very active, several hundred strong, volunteer base.

Even though the phrases, “Rooted in Faith” and “Leadership in Service”, formally appeared in the mission statement developed six years ago, that same intent was evident in the founding of Nithview Community, Greenwood Court and Aldaview Services. Today, these three communities continue to build on the basics, through innovative and creative ideas in striving to be leaders in our field.

Rooted in Faith ...continued from page 1

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A New Face on the Nithview Leadership TeamNithview Community is pleased to welcome Tricia Burrough to its Leadership Team in the role of Director of Care. Tricia is not a new face to Nithview, as she has been employed here since 1996. She is a Registered Nurse and most recently served as our RAI Coordinator, responsible for Nithview’s nursing documentation system. As the Director of Care, Tricia has primary responsibility for the residents and nursing staff in Nithview’s Long-Term Care Home.

Tricia grew up in Baden and currently resides in Plattsville with her husband Richard and four children: Kyla, Justin, Isabel, and Emerson.

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A New Face on Aldaview’s Leadership TeamAldaview Services is pleased to introduce Vanessa Vines in the role of Supervisor. Vanessa joined Aldaview Services in the fall of 2007, as a Primary Counsellor, and was promoted to the position of Supervisor in November 2008. Since graduation from the University of Guelph, with a General Arts degree, Vanessa has provided support to people with a developmental disability, both in their home and in shared residential settings. As Supervisor, Vanessa provides leadership to a number of our residences and assists with the coordination of training for staff. Vanessa brings energy, enthusiasm and concern for the individuals supported by Aldaview Services.

These, and other assets, make Vanessa a wonderful addition to the Aldaview Services’ Leadership Team.

What do violins, chicken and the Reader’s Digest have to do with one another? Well, you would know the answer to this question if you would have been able to participate in our annual spring fundraiser.The Food Services’ staff and a number of volunteers prepared and served a wonderful meal consisting of tangy baked chicken breast, baked potatoes with sour cream, a spring mixed salad with raspberry vinaigrette and fresh baked dinner rolls. This was all topped off with a choice of pecan, lemon or apple pie.John Patterson did a superb job of hosting our evening’s festivities, even though we know a number of stories came direct from the pages of Reader’s Digest. His duties continued as we moved to the auditorium where he welcomed Charlene Nafziger (piano) and Karen & Henry Zielinski (violins).

Everyone I spoke with thoroughly enjoyed their performance and wished they would have played longer.We appreciate everyone’s involvement in this year’s fundraiser. Due to the support of our residents, guests, volunteers and staff, we raised $12,450 (less expenses). With these funds, we will be able to purchase our 3 hi-low beds and at least 7 pieces of furniture for a number of common areas. Thank you very much.

NEW FACES at

Tri-County Mennonite Homes

GREENWOOD COURT’S ANNUAL SPRING FUNDRAISER

Greenwood Court Food Services’ Staff

Tri-County Mennonite Homes’ (TCMH) accessible bus has arrived! Since September 2008, the supported individuals at Aldaview Services and the residents of Greenwood Court and Nithview Community have enjoyed the use of a beautiful, new accessible bus. As reported in our last newsletter, the purchase of this vehicle was made possible through a substantial grant from the Ministry of Community & Social Services. The remaining funds needed for the bus were raised through a fundraising campaign, supported by many generous residents, family and friends of TCMH and its divisions. As well, TCMH gratefully received a grant from the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU) to assist with the purchase and installation of a “lift” and wheelchair restraints for the bus.

A contest was held to find a fitting slogan for the bus and out of 75 creative submissions, the winner was “Connecting Our Communities”. This slogan, now displayed on the exterior of the bus, was submitted by the family of a dear Nithview resident, the late Olive Good. Olive’s family and some friends enjoyed the grand prize, a scenic bus ride to Schmidtsville Restaurant, in Wellesley, where they were treated to a choice of delicious pies and beverages, complements of Schmidtsville Restaurant.

Aldaview Services, Greenwood Court and Nithview Community each have use of the bus, one set day per week, so they can plan regular outings. The other four days each week are available for booking, by any division. This has certainly opened up opportunities (i.e., regular shopping trips, Christmas light tours, special excursions, etc.) that would otherwise be impossible.

Sherry Ramseyer, Director of Recreation and Volunteer Programs at Nithview, notes, “The bus is a wonderful addition to the services TCMH provides for our residents. Along with our popular

downtown shopping trips, members of the Nithview Community really enjoy being able to go out for dinner or a country drive, stopping for ice cream along the way!”

Doug, a gentleman from Aldaview, loves to spend time having fun with his friends and the accessible bus provides more opportunities for him to do that. Recently, a ride on the bus enabled Doug to attend a birthday celebration of one of his friends.

When the son of a Greenwood resident asked if there would be any way we could transport his father (who is confined to a wheelchair) to London, ON, to participate in his grandchild’s wedding, the Greenwood Leadership Team worked on the

request and found a bus driver for the day-long excursion.

These are just some examples of how this new accessible bus is truly “connecting our communities”.

TCMH divisions continue to gratefully accept donations to the “Bus Fund”, which will be used to pay for ongoing maintenance and the eventual replacement of this important vehicle. (Charitable receipts for income tax will be issued for donations.) The Board, staff and residents, and supported people wish to sincerely thank each one who has so kindly made the TCMH bus a reality!

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contact us at:Tri-County Mennonite Homes 200 Boullee St., New Hamburg N3A 2K4519-662-2718 visit us on the WEB at www.tcmhomes.com

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TCMH Accessible Bus is indeed “Connecting our Communities”!!

MSCU Accessible Bus Donation to TCMH