said of the day, “This truly was a special day for all of us —being able to be a part of first-time experiences for some of our people in service who had never played kickball or been

part of a team. This was equally true for some of our staff, who also had never played kickball. The joy and laughter will long be remembered by all. We are deeply grateful and sincerely touched by Deanne’s

generosity and determination to make this incredible event happen. We are hopeful that we can do this again and get even more people involved!”

A friendly competition was enjoyed by everyone thanks to the vision and heart of Deanne Mundt and the community who came together to make this dream a reality — thank you!

Mosaic’s Kickball TournamentHearts were pumping with

excitement and activity at Des Moines’ first ever Mosaic Kickball Tournament on Sunday, September 22. Though she was somewhat familiar with the people served by Mosaic through therapy horse riding, Deanne Mundt attended a Discover the Possibilities tour and learned more about how Mosaic provides opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to enjoy a full life. After the event, she was compelled to get even more involved with our mission.

Through her determination and devotion to the cause, Deanne helped 24 people served by Mosaic and 20 Mosaic staff members enjoy a wonderful day of kickball. With generous sponsorships from the Urbandale Girls Recreation Association Complex, Advanced Eye Care and a gift in memory of Lester and Laura Joens, Mosaic’s Kickball Tournament took place on a beautiful field with coaches, announcers, prizes, food for participants, event T-shirts, and a professional photographer all arranged by Deanne and at no cost to Mosaic! The pure joy of the experience was evident on each smiling face.

Mosaic in Des Moines’ Executive Director Carol Mau

Des Moines, Iowa 1 PATHWAYS

PATHWAYSa publication of Mosaic in Des Moines | 11141 Aurora Ave., Bldg. 3 | Urbandale, Iowa 50322-7904 Winter 2014

Katie Brown does her celebration pose after scoring a run for her team!

Keith Wiskirchen sends this ball soaring at Mosaic’s Kickball Tournament!

Becky Gale runs for first base, assisted by Mosaic volunteer and kickball tournament organizer, Deanne Mundt.

PATHWAYS is published by Mosaic in Des Moines

11141 Aurora Ave., Bldg. 3 | Urbandale, Iowa 50322-7904P 515.246.1840 | www.mosaicindesmoines.org

Executive Director carol.mau@mosaicinfo.org

Public Relations Specialist & Editor leah.shields@mosaicinfo.org

MissionEmbracing God’s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life.

Integrity at MosaicIf you have a concern, call our national Confidential Reporting Hotline at 800.443.4899, or email integrity@mosaicinfo.org.

RelationshipsMosaic is an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of Lutheran Services in America.

Non-discriminationMosaic will not discriminate in matters of employment or service delivery on the basis of race, creed, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status or veteran status.

To be added or removed from the mailing list for PATHWAYS, or to receive information via email, please contact Mosaic at the address given.

©2014 Mosaic. All rights reserved. Mosaic is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

In September 2013, Mosaic went through a rigorous four-day accreditation process with The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) which resulted in a four-year accreditation award. Our CQL accreditation promotes excellence in person-centered services and supports that lead to increased quality of life. It’s about continuous improvement — always — an improvement we’ve been striving for and reaching consistently since 1985 when we achieved our first CQL accreditation!

CQL accreditation facilitates organizational improvement in person-centered services and supports and personal quality of life outcomes. The focus of this accreditation process involved review and discussion of many different facets that indicate quality: Basic Assurances systems and measures, Personal Outcome Measures for people served, appreciative inquiry (what we do well), and an overview of organizational systems and practices that support and measure person-centered excellence.

Over the four day process, Mosaic in Des Moines assembled more than 70 key organizational members including people who receive services, family members, direct support professionals and leaders, board members as well as community affiliates and supporters to participate, resulting in shared knowledge and a plan to continue to improve how well the agency provides person-centered supports and services.

Three main areas of focus were reviewed and discussed: health, safety, and human security; personal quality of life; and evidence-based practices in person-centered excellence. The goal of the stakeholder discussions was to identify three top strategic priorities to move forward.

Those priorities were identified as:1. People manage supports and providers.Desired Outcome: Support people served to achieve

their definition of a full life.Focus: More deeply integrate Basic Assurances and

Personal Outcome Measures in all areas of the agency so that people achieve full lives.

2. The workforce is stable and qualified.Desired Outcome: Recruit, develop and retain

PATHWAYS 2 Des Moines, Iowa

Letter from the Executive Director by Carol Mau, Executive Director for Mosaic in Des Moines

engaged employees by providing ongoing training and supporting positive professional relationships.

Focus: Recruit and retain qualified staff by revising training curricula and developing coaching that truly supports employees to learn and grow.

3. People control their budget allocations.Desired Outcome: Support stakeholders to understand

funding, where it comes from, and how to use it.Focus: Teach employees and other stakeholders about

funding systems and other benefits and resources that impact people served; advocate for funding to be provided that truly meets the needs of people served.

As you can see, we have very important work ahead of us! These priority areas and other goals are now included in our agency strategic plan. These are things that matter most — not only to the people we serve, but to our families, staff, supporters and to the community.

While we received wonderful feedback and much praise in many areas from the CQL reviewers, here are some thoughts they shared about what really stood out:• Mosaic in Des Moines displayed and practiced great

respect for all its stakeholders and intently listened to what each one had to say.

• The leadership group works as a dedicated team with the same agenda of supporting people to live the lives they want.

• The organization understands the importance of collecting Personal Outcome Measures data and using it to plan for the person’s goals and preferences.

• Mosaic in Des Moines does an excellent job of using the data it collects through an analysis and developing quality improvement efforts in response to what is learned.

We are all very proud of this significant accomplishment — our four-year accreditation — and we look forward to our continuous improvement in our systems and practices to really impact what matters most for people with intellectual disabilities!

If you are interested in learning more about what Basic Assurances or Personal Outcomes Measures are and how Mosaic uses them to measure our quality, please contact me at 515.246.1840 or carol.mau@mosaicinfo.org.

Thank you, as always, for partnering with us on this journey!

Yours in service,Carol Mau, Executive Director

A priceless giftLove and friendship come in many forms. Our Mosaic

family and our community partners exemplify this every day. One source of entirely unrestricted, unbiased and unconditional love comes to us with warm eyes, wiggling backside, wet nose and the four paws of Maggie Cooper, one of our Therapy Dog International volunteers.

Maggie is a four-year-old Australian Shepherd. She is family to Mosaic volunteer Mark Cooper since she was 8 weeks old and a beloved friend of Mosaic. Mark and Maggie began volunteering with us in October 2013. They rotate multiple visits each month between our three original 8-person group homes, thus providing pet therapy services to 24 of the people we support and any staff that are lucky enough to be working on those visit days!

A natural talent, Maggie entertains us with her many tricks and skills including agility, frisbee, tennis ball tricks, shaking hands and speaking on command. She is incredibly intelligent and can master a new trick or skill in a mere

Des Moines, Iowa 3 PATHWAYS

couple of hours. She also cuddles up to anyone who needs extra attention and even gives kisses to those who encourage it! Mark shared that they initially got into volunteering because Maggie has always had a great disposition and he wanted to share her natural sweetness with others. When asked what led them to volunteer at Mosaic, Mark replied, “Well, you asked us to.”

Mark is President of the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO and is Secretary on the Polk County Health Services Board, so he was familiar with Mosaic, but it wasn’t until he attended a one-hour Discover the Possibilities tour at our Urbandale office where we share about the wonderful things being done at Mosaic, as well as the ever-present need for more opportunities, that Mark saw a way to get directly involved. Now, he and Maggie are part of that more. This extra opportunity truly allows the people we serve to enjoy full lives. Mark and Maggie enjoy hanging out with us and have commented on how rewarding the experience is for them as well.

If we let Maggie be our teacher, we’ll learn to love generously, always run to greet loved ones at the door, play daily, be loyal, delight in the simple pleasures and offer a steady, quiet shoulder when someone is having a hard day.

Thank you, Mark and Maggie, for saying yes and choosing Mosaic! Words are not enough to express appreciation for the gift you give us.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” – Comedienne Gilda Radner

Mark Copper and Maggie shake hands as they take a break from a lively game of living-room frisbee.

Maggie entertains everyone with one of her tricks. She will toss the balanced ball into the air and catch it in her mouth!

Maggie dons her Santa hat to help spread holiday cheer during one of her visits.

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We would love to have you and a friend or family member join us for an upcoming Discover the Possibilities tour at our office. During these events, you’ll hear inspiring stories showcasing the impact of our mission told by those who know it well – the people we serve, their families and our staff members. Space is limited. Please email laura.holtman@mosaicinfo.org or call 515.868.0602 to reserve your spot today.

March 11, 2014 | 5:00 p.m. April 8, 2014 | 5:00 p.m.March 28, 2014 | 11:30 a.m. April 11, 2014 | 11:30 a.m.

Many hands make light workThis summer season saw

great improvements at the Mosaic Easton Boulevard home in Des Moines. Through the generosity of caring groups and individuals, an infestation of trees was removed from the premises and a new concrete drive completed.

Earlier in the year, several members of the Valley Church Disaster Relief Chainsaw Team donated their efforts to chopping down and chipping up countless trees that had overtaken the fence row. This set the groundwork for the incredible project that was completed later in the summer!

Good things kept coming for the Easton Boulevard home when The Rasmussen Group covered the cost to remove the

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” - Andrew Carnegie

Wish List Itemsn Movie theater passesn Restaurant gift cardsn Yahtzee gamen iPads or tabletsn Dining room set (for six)n Ladder ball gamen Bean bag/corn hole toss gamen Love seat

For more information or to donate, please contact Laura Holtman at 515.868.0602 or laura.holtman@mosaicinfo.org.

A second century of serviceWe hosted our second

Partners in Possibilities fundraising luncheon

on October 16, 2013. Around 140 people joined us to hear about the work of Mosaic; where we started, the great strides that have been made, and the steps that are yet to be taken.

Over the hour we shared the stories of four people being served in Mosaic locations. They had people searching for tissues and searching their souls. Through the combination of event sponsorship, leadership gifts, and generous pledges and donations more than $60,000 was raised to help us continue our mission!

Many wonderful things have developed from the one-hour luncheon that cannot be marked with a monetary value. In addition to the funds raised to go toward providing vital services for those we support, we were able to share our mission, as well as the overall need to support people with intellectual disabilities to live a life of possibilities with more people. Some attendees were inspired to get involved through volunteering. Others chose to donate in-kind gifts which are equally impactful.

We are truly blessed and thankful for the support from families of people in service, staff, volunteers, donors and all of our community partners who share passion for the mission of our work at Mosaic. Thank you for your support.

tree stumps that peppered the property. All of the stumps were pulled out, hauled away, and the disturbed sod had been

grated down and smoothed all within one days work. Their donation also covered a beautiful and much needed concrete drive. The materials and labor totaled $28,000 —what an incredible gift!

Mosaic has had the opportunity to partner with The Rasmussen Group in the past and is very grateful for this relationship and the outstanding work they completed for us this summer. Mosaic serves eight people who live in the Easton home, and they are loving the beautiful new drive and unobstructed view.

Teamwork is evident in all that Mosaic does, and the wonderfully uncommon results show every day in the lives of those who work for, volunteer with, and are served by Mosaic.