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Charity hard at work for Cascade DAFO - Submitted by Hannah Leib

#1 Executive Director selection

IN THIS ISSUE

Page 1: Photo Contest

Page 2: New Faces

Page 3: What’s happening

Page 4: Interns

Page 5: National Health and

Fitness Month

Page 6: Vocational and Training

Staff Newsletter May 2015

Have you seen the winners from our photo contests? Don’t forget to capture the moments showcasing Cas-cade Connections at work throughout the year. This will not be the last contest we have! Stay tuned for future updates!

Mary Ann at her job as a Zookeeper at Health Pets - submitted by Lan Totten

#1 –Board Selection

My name is Nicole Taylor and I am the new Program Coordinator for Home Care! I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful team. I was born in Se-attle Washington and grew up in Hood River Oregon. I spent my childhood windsurfing, skiing and camping when-ever possible. I have been a resident of Bellingham Washington for 10 years now and I love calling this great town home. I spend my down time doing art, hanging out with my cat and back-

yard chickens and studying for the classes I’m taking at Bellingham Technical Col-lege. I started working as a caregiver when I graduated high school and I have been doing various caregiving jobs ever since. I love meeting new people and hav-ing new experiences! I am looking forward to learning new things and imple-

New Faces at Cascade Connections

Cascade Connections commercial operations is growing. On

April 1, 2015 our vocational department expanded our custodi-

al operations to include our newest customer, Department of

Homeland Security. We are cleaning the Border Patrol stations

across Whatcom County.

This contract provides new employment opportunities for

twelve individuals with disabilities and increases the number of

work hours for an additional eight. These are great jobs with

livable wages. Employment is often far more than just a

paycheck. Employment in our community allows us all to build

relationships, status, and independence. Employment allows

us to afford freedom that otherwise may not be possible.

Newest addition to the Home Care Team

Creating Opportunities for Everyone

Ribbon Cutting Cascade Connections recently celebrated our new name with two ribbon cutting ceremonies. A great time was had by all!

Paul Oleniacz, our development director, is now working on a Fall 2015 Fundraising and Friend- rais-ing event for Cascade Connections. This event, which will feature wine, beer, chocolate, great food and music, will be held at the Bellingham Cruise Ter-minal. If you are interested in helping and volun-teering for this event please email Paul at polenaicz@ccsite.org.

Board member Susana Rodriquez and Executive

Director George Beanblossom cut the ribbon

celebrating our new name

Stay Tuned for more infor-

mation about this fun event!

Cascade Connections Supported Living growth continues. The Bellingham program has received referrals from the Developmental Disabilities Administration. Some folks are moving from other local residential providers and others have come across our website and are seeking a variety of in home services. Bellingham Supported Living has a total of 6 clients and we continue to grow-we will have 2 more referrals soon, one of which will be joining us probably June 1st. Our Lynden office also continues to receive referrals. They have 2 new clients in the past month.

These referrals are a testament to the great work provided by the caregivers in our organization. Your dedication to provid-ing quality services is second to no other agency!

Western Washington

University Has Brought

Cascade some Great Talent

Cascade Connections participated in the internship fair at WWU this past fall. We were able to mingle with some great talent and have selected three interns to work in our or-ganization this quarter.

Larissa Halbert, a Human Services student at

WWU, is interning in our Vocational depart-

ment. She is working to gain a versatile experi-

ence through supporting both the direct and

indirect services we offer. Larissa is a local

resident from the Lynden area who was inter-

ested in learning more from a population she

had never worked with. She is learning a great

deal about vocational services and plans to

spend another quarter with us in the fall. She

has been a tremendous support for everyone

she is working with.

Melanie Patterson is a Western Washington Student majoring in Human Services with a minor in Communication. She is expected to graduate June 2015. Melanie has embraced the Human Resource Assis-tant Intern position with passion and persistence. She has sat in on new hire paperwork and orienta-tion, attended the Employee Recognition Committee’s initial meeting as well as a meeting with a bene-fits broker to discuss ACA requirements and our employees’ benefit options, and tirelessly researched HR-related issues, procedures, and responsibilities. She has accomplished many tasks from the simple to complex that may seem insignificant to some but has huge impact on the functions within our organi-zation. The most complex and substantial project is her work on the implementation process for our new Human Resource & Payroll Information System, Sentric. Melanie has assisted in compiling data and completing spreadsheets that go to Sentric to create the new system that will tremendously help in maintaining all of our employee records, payrolls, and employment history.

Jaydon Ahue, a Human Services student at WWU, is

working with our Development Department on two

grants: one to obtain mannequins for our training

department and another that will secure funding for

individuals to attend training classes that pertain to

family’s members with special needs. This grant will

seek funding to start a scholarship program for indi-

viduals that cannot afford to take the Home Care

Aide Certification classes or have the resources to

pay for continuing education classes. Jaydon, who is

originally from Honolulu is becoming exposed to

various other non-profits and organizations that can

increase Cascade Connections visibility and mission

in the Community.

Cascade Supported Living recently participated in an Eating to Change

course with Demetree Robinson, a health coach and the owner of

NuHealth Holistic Wellness. This included 3 classroom sessions, 2

cooking sessions, and a tour of the Cordata Food Co-op. We learned

so much information! This course taught us about the dangers of

eating refined sugars as well as the importance of drinking water. It is

recommended to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water a

day. Getting fit happens in the gym, but weight loss occurs in the

kitchen. Demetree states that 20% of weight loss is from exercise, 80%

of weight loss is from nutrition. A variety of health problems our cli-

ents face can be prevented with good nutrition.

An additional resource recommended to us is the video Fed Up (which

is available on NetFlix). Below you will find her website as well as my

favorite recipe from the course. Nobody believes me when I tell them

this chocolate mousse is made out of avocados.

Please note that raw organic cacao powder is NOT cocoa powder!

http://www.nuhealthholisticwellness.com/ ~Mary Nestle-Klyn

As a professional in the social service industry, you give everything you’ve got—week after week, month after month. But what about you? How do you tend to your own needs as you serve others?

If you hope to avoid burnout, practicing self-care is essential. Exercise can be a great way to keep your mind, body and spirit working together. Here are a few tips to try:

Set small daily goals and aim for daily consistency rather than perfect workouts. It's better to walk every day for 15-20 minutes than to wait until the weekend for a three-hour fitness marathon.

Find forms of exercise that are fun or enjoyable. Distract yourself with music.

Recruit an “exercise buddy.” It's often easier to stick to your exercise routine when you have to stay committed to a friend, partner, or colleague.

Get enough sleep.

Remember we cannot support anyone if we don’t support ourselves. ~Thank you for all you do

MAY is National

Health & Fitness

Month!

EATING TO CHANGE

Ingredients

1 Ripe Avocado

1/4 cup Raw Organic Cacao Powder

1/4 cup Organic Raw Honey

1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp Organic Raw Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Puree in food processor or blender until

smooth.

Chill before serving

Serves 2

Cascade Connections Training Offers Continuing

Education Credits to our Community

Need CEU credits? Visit our website for a list of upcoming classes.

http://cascadeconnections.org/courses/general-classes/

We support those who

support us!

Be sure to thank those employers

who hire individuals with disabilities

and demonstrate a commitment to

diversity.

These employers have partnered

with Cascade Connections in the

past few months to provide employ-

ment opportunities for our appli-

cants

Casa Que Pasa

Old World Deli

Opportunity Council

Health Care Services Group

McDonalds

Bellingham Technical College

Safeway

Avamere

Bayside Tile Install

Max Higbee Center

Thank

You Tomoe

Have you checked out our new website? Our very

own Tomoe Wilfong, Home Care Director, has

created a masterpiece that shows off all of the

incredible departments within our organization.

She has done a great job! Thank you for helping

us look so good Tomoe!!!!