Dear Imagine friends and family,
I want to let everyone know that I'll be on vacation with my family beginning March 20 and returning April 2. I expect I'll be accessibleish but will be trying to vacate as best I can. If I'm slow to react around then, don't take it personally. It's not that I don't care, it's that I'm trying not to (for two weeks.)
A lot of Palentine's Day fun was had when the women of Kennedy House hosted a party. This is how we always want to get together. With generosity, fun and a little impish pre-trouble. The photos for this month will include a lot from that event.
I've decided to make "The Year of The Facilitator" a monthly column for 2024 in order to give you all news of how things are going with the work of improving the work of Faciliators and giving them more balance. This month's edition will be shortish.
Introduction to the newsletter: We've recently added a bunch of new subscribers who might just be readers, so it seems worth explaining a little what is in here. The first thing we want you to know, though, is that we welcome submissions. If you have something you'd like to share with our community and don't mind some light editing, please feel welcome to mail it in.
This column: Rambling by me about whatever is on my mind. If I can't think of anything all month long, I might do something like an explanation of the newsletter for instance.
The Year of...It is necessary, important and slow to improve how an agency does what it does. Over the last few years we have focused annually on some part of the agency to improve in pursuit of better implementation of our mission and better achievement of client outcomes. In the past I have used my main column to discuss what's happening in that pursuit. As of last month, I am experimenting with a running commentary.
Human Resource Corner: This column is written by Assistant Director/HR Patty Lopez. It is targeted for employees of Imagine and worth their time to read as it is where you learn about new policies, new or old parts of our benefits, compensation policies, etc.
The Service Sector: This column talks about things going in our services that are kinda macro or at least effect several clients and their teams at once. Operations Manager Heather Cahill and Lead Facilitator Stephanie Urbina take turns writing this column.
Person-Centered Evolution: In our last Strategic Plan, a key goal was "Person Centered Thinking Everywhere." One of the smaller achievements of that effort was a column of applied person-centered thinking and how we're using that discipline. Most months, we discuss one of the canonical tools from Person-Centered Thinking/Essential Lifestyle Planning and occasionally we have a mini essay.
Self-Determination: Imagine has been a supporter, mentor and resource for the self-determination since before it was available in this area. Typically, this column is just an invitation to learn more about the program.
Community Connections: Community Connections is a group put together to share resources, mentoring, fellowship and education in a peer-to-peer way among family members and conservators of Imagine clients. Raul Rekow, Jr., board member currently leads that group. When he plans an event, you'll read about it here.
Transparency at Imagine: This column will let you know when upcoming board meetings occur. Whenever we finish an audit or a federal filing or put together a big policy something we publish it here for busybodies like you.
Advocacy Corner: Imagine's mission is "To empower people with developmental disabilities through service and advocacy." We try to keep our community aware of public policy developments. Mostly by cribbing off of CDCAN.
Spotlights: Each month we celebrate one employee and one client. We're proud of our family and don't mind telling you about it.
We end by celebrating the birthday month of our clients and staff and thanking those employees who have completed a year of service to our community. You can download our activity calendar down there too.
Intermittently, we add content that has been submitted. Semi-regularly, our client, Jake, submits articles about animals he loves. When we have a planned event coming up, you'll read about it in here.
So, now that you know about the newsletter and its' sections, here are the sections in this issue.
Further down, this month's newsletter includes the following:.
In The Year of...a few updates on work we're doing to make the Facilitator's job easier to do better.
Patty Lopez, explains our new policies meant to insure that our employees' workweeks are safe and sane.
In The Service Sector this month, Operations Manager Heather Cahill steals my thunder a little by talking about the interviews being conducted by our new Service Support Facilitator, Lia.
It's important to and for the Person-Centered Evolution column to talk this month off.
In Community Connections, big news. We think we have found a leader for the group for 2024.
Our usual stuff in the columns around advocacy, self-determination and Transparency.
This month we have spotlights on Wendy and Nate, who is going to be his own employer of his staff through self-determination in 2024.
As ever, I am at your service. 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
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