Imagine That...May 2021
In Loving Memory of Dana Hackett
Help support Imagine!
Let The Imagine Nation Wander
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Dear Imagine friends and family,


Greetings to you all. It feels like there's a lot going on, although that might be because we've had a year of scarcely anything. We're very excited about the ImagineNation Wander, which will take place June 19 but you sure can sign up now. Let's have some fun together apart, hopefully as a farewell to the pandemic. You can learn more, including our plan and how you can participate in Lili's column below.

But a few things about the Wander, we built it around our principles as well as our circumstances. Because we value lifelong learning, the event is meant to encourage exploration. Because we value the individuals of whom Imagine is built, everyone can choose how and why they participate. Because we value our community, we will be sharing 10% of the proceeds with the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County. Because our community values us, Imagine's costs and prizes will be covered by our sponsors, beginning with Aveanna Healthcare.

Although the pandemic has not yet ended, now is a good time to start taking stock. There is a lot we need to learn about ourselves now. What have we learned that we want to build on and what have we learned that, when the time comes, we might want to dispose of with the masks. We'll want to examine what we have done in the last fourteen months and decide what helped and what was just well-intentioned. We want to be readier for the next emergency. We'll want to make sure that all the good that can be taken from a hard year.

Obviously, that's a conversation we'll have as a community. Please stay tuned. We'll make plans during May and begin bringing you all in to the conversation this summer. If you have any thoughts about how that should go, feel free to write me.

Imagine's office is now open from noon until 3pm. Folks are around much of the week but if you need something from the office, you can come during those hours without making an appointment.

Here we are pretty deep in here and I haven't mentioned COVID-19. We haven't had a case among our clients or coworkers since the last newsletter came out. Across the country and across the State, cases are falling as the vaccines dry out a desert for this disease. But we are aware that in our County, the virus has been holding its own for weeks and we continue to urge caution. Our re-emergence will be slow and cautious. We still quarantine as we did, and require the three W's (Watch your distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.) Also, if you haven't been vaccinated, please consider it. Vaccine Finder still seems like a good way to find the shot(s) and life will get better faster for those who do.

We have changed our COVID protocol to allow visits between individuals we serve, currently limited to 2-3 households, During May, we will be reviewing our masking protocol to maintain safety while respecting the needs of those we serve. Any changes will be made in a person-centered way, team by team.

Imagine has been holding monthly telemeetings with family members and conservators of people we serve. The frequency of these meetings has changed to being quarterly, so the next one is planned for July 28th at 4 PM. This is an opportunity to discuss topics on your mind and ask questions. We have been doing monthly telemeetings during the pandemic but, hopefully, they're getting too boring now to put you through but every third month. Let Lili know if you want to join us in July and she'll see you get the information you need to connect.

In our Human Resources column this week, open enrollment for our health benefits.

More on person-centered approaches to leaving the pandemic behind. 

The appreciations this month are for Yessica and Ian. Yessica is one of the people I have the honor to do direct care alongside and I definitely second Daniela's views. And new Uncle Ian is definitely a fan favorite Imagine-wide. My congratulations to him on all the positive changes.

As ever, if you have any questions, feedback or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can write me here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Gratefully yours,

Doug
The Imagine Endowment
We have started an endowment to support Imagine's future. Beginning next year, Imagine will receive regular payments of the returns from these funds. Initially, we expect the impact to be small but as the endowment grows, it holds the promise of helping Imagine help others through hard times to come.

If you are considering a gift to the endowment, either right now or as part of a giving plan or bequest, we have information available here. And thank you.

To make direct contributions please make checks payable to; The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County.  Designate the "Imagine Supported Living Services Fund". Mail to;   Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, 7807 Soquel Dr., Aptos, Ca.  95003.


-Submitted by Doug
HR Corner
Hello all, 

Those of you who are Full Time employees with Imagine should have received an Open Enrollment email from me. Open Enrollment is the time to change insurance providers if you choose to or add/delete a dependent. Remember that you need to complete the open enrollment forms regardless of whether you are planning on declining our insurance. Please make sure that all of it is completed by the 15th of May.  

If you have not received an email from me, please check your spam or junk email folders- we have gotten feedback of the open enrollment email going to these folders for a few people. If you feel that you should be receiving health benefits from Imagine and have not received this email, please feel free to call me at (831) 325-7760 or email me at patty@imaginesls.org. 

Please also stay tuned for an email from me with zoom link for Open Enrollment Q&A where you will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding our insurance plans. 

As summer approaches, I would also like to remind everyone of Imagine's employee referral bonus. As most of you know Imagine is constantly looking for good staff to support our clients. We want to remind you that Imagine gives employees a referral bonus that will paid out to you 1 pay period after the hire date of one of your referrals. 

This means that if you refer a friend, and they are hired at Imagine, you will be entitled to $200 if they are hired Part Time for at least 1 pay period and $400 if they are hired Full Time. 

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding the referral bonus.


In Good Health, 

Patty Lopez 
HR Manager 
Imagine Supported Living Services 
831-464-8355 ext. 112
Cell: (831) 325-7760
The ImagineNation Wander
We are excited to announce our very first ImagineNation Wander!

As many of you have probably heard, the Human Race was cancelled for 2021. In place of this, we will be holding the ImagineNation Wander in hopes of promoting community support while maintaining social distance. This virtual event is scheduled for June 19th, and we are working on different opportunities for folks to win prizes and t-shirts...so stay tuned!

How it works: You can sign up to support Imagine as a fundraiser or donor by visiting our donation page. Apart from giving, fundraisers & donors will choose their own adventure for June 19th -- a hike, a kayak trip, a motorized wheelchair tour of a nearby town. On the event day, we hope to see you all post picture of your wander. And don't forget to include #ImagineNationWander #ImagineSupportedLivingServices so we can see your adventures take place in real time! You can post pictures of your wander regardless of whether or not you fundraised/donated.

Sign up wherever you are and do your wander!

Sponsorships Available: Along with fundraisers and participants, we are seeking sponsors who can contribute to the festivity. We would like to thank Aveanna Healthcare for sponsoring the ImagineNation Wander! Aveanna provides Financial Management Service support to participants in California's Self-Determination Program. We hope that members of our community considering self-determination will consider them. Please write to Doug, if you'd like an introduction.


Giving Back: One of the features we really like about the Human Race is that the non-profits support one another through a share of the funds raised. We wanted to keep that sense of community alive so Imagine will give 10% of the proceeds from this event to the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, a local nonprofit that with the mission to eliminate poverty and create social change through essential services and advocacy.

Where to start: You can begin by visiting our website to learn more about the event, you can sign up as a fundraiser or make a donation, and you can always reach out if you have any questions by contacting us here.

We are excited to see all of your adventures on June 19th!

#ImagineNationWander #ImagineSupportedLivingServices
-Submitted by Lili

Self-Determination
This month, the Independent Facilitator Roundtable will be this coming Wednesday, April 7 at 11AM. The Zoom link is right here.

Self-determination is due to become available for all regional center clients this summer. The system is more than a little creaky but the opportunity remains valuable. If any of you want someone to discuss it with, please feel welcome to write me.

DDS has recently held some stakeholder meetings around the program. Their goal may have been learning.

-Doug
Person-Centered Thinking
Person-centered thinking and planning aren't magic. But consistent application of the tools can really help in discovering how things have changed. Among the things I wish we had done better before the pandemic, which would have helped a lot now, is to keep person-centered thinking tools in consistent use. Today, the changes in those reports would be a great guidepost of how those we served have changed during lockdown. We could now have a better sense of which changes should be supported and which require support to change back.

Person-centered thinking and planning are tools, to discipline caregivers, family members and friends to ask the questions we already think we know the answers to. If you ask those questions enough, you can better understand how circumstances in the community and the choices of those we serve interact. And that insight provides a platform for more more excellent support.

-Submitted by Doug
Transparency At Imagine
Our next board meeting will be held June 16th, at 11:00. This will be our annual meeting . Write to Lili if you'd like to attend. We expect to pass a revised 2020-2021 budget at that meeting.

We are still recruiting board members. We are working to diversify the board and to add a GAAP-trained treasurer. An attorney wouldn't be bad either.

Our auditing process remains a mess but I should have a new IRS Form 990 to present to you all for our June newsletter, so that's a thrill.


-Submitted by Doug
Advocacy Corner
The state legislature has begun hearings on the Governor's budget. There are no cuts or increases to the Developmental Services budget anticipated but it will be worth watching to get a sense of how confident the state is in next year's budget, which might help us anticipate the budget for 2022-2023.

The Governor's budget is revised every year mid-May, a document creatively named the May Revise. Although there is likely little to win or lose, the passage of each federal law that includes support to States makes possible a certain level of one-time expenditures. This is a long way from where we thought we'd be. Much of the effort to influence the May revise will be done in less open air. As ever, Imagine's advocacy gets split between management's work with the California Disability Community Action Network (CDCAN) and whatever you all choose to do. Consider a conversation with a legislator. If you would like to receive CDCAN updates, write to Marty Omoto, which you can do by clicking here.

-Submitted by Doug
Appreciating Yessica... 
Yessica is a very caring person towards those around her. Yessica has a very positive attitude that radiates throughout the room. She always goes above and beyond for her clients and is willing to give a helping hand when needed. I know first-hand that Yessica is always willing to give a listening ear and give advice (if needed). Thank you for your continuous hard work it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed and it is highly appreciated, I know you will do great on your new adventure!

-Submitted by Daniela
Spotlight on Ian...
Congratulations to Uncle Ian and his family! Ian is a first time uncle and as you can see in this picture he is already a natural. We would also like to recognize how hard Ian worked with his team during his house move this week. It wasn't easy but definitely worth it and Ian is excited to show his friends his new pad once it's safe to do so. Great job Uncle Ian we salute you!
-Submitted by Charlie
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Staff Birthdays

Brenda
Rosie
Derek
Dominique
Becky
Christina
Lluvia
Myrissa
Martin
Malak
Andrea


Staff Anniversaries

Dan - 3 Years!
Lorena - 5 Years!
Natalie - 2 Years!
Brittany - 4 Years!
Patty - 9 Years!
Tatiana - 6 Years!
Autumn - 4 Years!
Russell - 16 Years!
Imagine Supported Living Services
9065 Soquel Drive
Aptos, Ca 95003
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