SPRING 2018

TSN Connection

Inside this issue:

Spectrum Kitchen Updates

1

Thrift Store Reorganization

1

Message from the Executive Director

2

Satisfaction Surveys

2

Day Habilitation Monthly Calendar

3

Donation Form 4

Sign up for our e-newsletter!

4

The Spectrum Network . PO Box 22 . Decorah, IA 52101 . Phone: 563-382-8401 . Fax: 563-382-8403

www. thespectrumnetwork.org . email: smiller@thespectrumnetwork.org

Helping individuals of all abilities enter the workforce & community.

Spectrum Kitchen Updates

About Us

The Spectrum Network

provides professional

support to adults with

disabilities, mental

illness, and chemical

dependence. We cre-

ate customized solu-

tions for clients by

assisting them with

basic life skills; learn-

ing job and social

skills; locating employ-

ment opportunities;

and offering support

with daily living tasks

so clients can live and

work in an integrated

community.

Have you driven by the Spectrum Kitchen, recently?

The outside of the building is complete and now con-

tractors move to the inside! Habitat for Humanity

will be doing the majority of the construction inside

after the electric, plumbing, etc. is finished. It’s so

exciting to see our vision becoming a reality!

While the construction has been underway, our Ex-

ecutive Director has been busy creating business for

the kitchen once it is operational. We’re working

with NICC in Calmar to provide a 10 week Culinary

Foundations Certificate course that teaches skills to

succeed in the food service industry, helping to ad-

dress the shortage of qualified workers in NE Iowa.

Contracts are being finalized with NICC, IowaWorks

& the Oneota Community Co-op. We are also hav-

ing conversations with restaurants, schools & other

food industry leaders about how we can partner with

them to make local foods more accessible.

The Spectrum Network . PO Box 22 . Decorah, IA 52101 . Phone: 563-382-8401 . Fax: 563-382-8403

www. thespectrumnetwork.org . email: smiller@thespectrumnetwork.org . This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Thrift Store Reorganization

The Spectrum Thrift Store has had a busy few months of clean-

ing and reorganizing. Our staff, volunteers and some of our

board members have moved shelving, done some painting and

moved things around in the store to make your shopping experi-

ence more enjoyable.

Effective March 1, we also have new hours at the store. The

hours are listed below. New Store Hours:

Monday-Friday:

9:30am-4:30pm

Saturday:

8:30am-3pm

Donation Drop Off is

open 24/7.

Dear family and friends,

After a long winter, it is nice to

know we are moving into spring

weather. It will be good to see col-

or again! As reported last quarter,

we broke ground on our commer-

cial kitchen—well we are full

steam ahead! It has been a busy

few months meeting with contrac-

tors, taking bids and finalizing the

blue print for our kitchen. Our

building started to go up in January and we have kept

very busy with all the decisions that need to be made

when constructing a new building.

Meanwhile, I continued to reach out to the community,

educating them about our kitchen and drumming up

business. We have an agreement to process and pack-

age the majority of the Oneota Food Coop’s balk prod-

ucts. We also have partnered with NICC, Sodexo at

Luther College and IowaWorks, as they will be utiliz-

ing our kitchen for a culinary program. This will be a

Career Pathway Certificate Program to ready workers

for the food service industry. It will be offered to any-

one interested in learning food service. Sodexo staff

have agreed to instruct the course. We have hosted our

first culinary business meeting to share our vision with

the community. I will tell you that there is much inter-

est in our kitchen, which is extremely exciting!

In other news, our Spectrum Thrift Store has a new

look! Staff and volunteers have been very busy shifting

merchandise, painting and moving the store around. We

have been blessed with Rob Larson, a Spectrum board

member with expertise in marketing. He has put in sev-

eral volunteer hours at the store and has even brought

some of his Luther students in as a part of their class to

help, which we are extremely grateful for.

Here at our main site, our Day Habilitation Program is

growing—and with that said, we are needing to expand

and recognized the need for additional items. In No-

vember we sent out an appeal for donations and re-

ceived terrific response! Thank you to everyone who

recognized our need and for your support of this project

and our overall mission. With the money received, we

purchased area rugs, tables, chairs, a TV, craft items,

and exercise equipment. Our plan is to build stations of

activity, allowing more choice for clients while they are

in-house.

We’ve also been doing a bit of restructuring with the way Spectrum operates as an organization. We’ve had to take a look at the organization as a whole to deter-mine what we need to change within our programs so we are able to promote employee development and growth for our staff. We have flattened our structure and delegated more responsibility which has been a positive move for our employees. We feel this will also allow us to better serve our clients and their families/guardians, which has always been our top priority.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment here at Spectrum—which is just how we like it!

Respectfully,

Beverly Fredrick, Executive Director

TSN Connection

A Message from the Executive Director

The Spectrum Network . PO Box 22 . Decorah, IA 52101 . Phone: 563-382-8401 . Fax: 563-382-8403

www. thespectrumnetwork.org . email: smiller@thespectrumnetwork.org . This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Page 2

Satisfaction Surveys

We are getting ready to send out our annual satisfaction surveys. Each year we collect input from individuals receiv-ing our services regarding satisfaction and quality of services. We also conduct a survey for stake holders, i.e., fam-ily members, guardians, case managers, etc. These surveys hold us accountable and generate new ideas for how we can build on our skills or services to better serve our clients and community. You will either be receiving a postcard with the survey link on it or an email asking you to complete this survey. The surveys are short and should only take you a few minutes to complete. We truly value the feedback we receive from these surveys and hope you will take the time to complete one. The Stakeholder survey is done online, but we would be happy to accommodate you with a hard copy, if that is what your prefer. If you want to be sure to receive a survey, email nshimek@thespectrumnetwork.org or call 563-382-8401. The results from the surveys will be available in the Summer Newsletter.

Helping individuals reach their

maximum level of independence.

The Spectrum Network . PO Box 22 . Decorah, IA 52101 . Phone: 563-382-8401 . Fax: 563-382-8403

www. thespectrumnetwork.org . email: smiller@thespectrumnetwork.org . This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Day Habilitation Calendars

TSN Connection Page 3

Each month, our Day Habilitation staff puts together a calendar of community outings for the Day Hab participants.

These outings are a way to get individuals more integrated into the community. Day Hab participants are asked each

day if they’d like to participate in that day’s outing. Calendars are sent home in advance so they can be prepared if

they will need money to participate. Outings range from the library to the Humane Society to holiday parties and

more! As the weather gets nicer we look forward to getting on the Trout Run Trail, visiting the fish hatchery or en-

joying the waterfall at Dunnings Springs Park. Here’s an example of calendar for March.

Page 4

Help us SAVE both trees and postage, receive your newsletter by email

Contact TSN Connection Editor, Sarah Miller, at smiller@thespectrumnet work.org or phone

563-382-8401 to add your email address to our newsletter distribution list. If you know someone who

would be interested in receiving a free copy of The Spectrum Network newsletter, please

contact us. Also, be sure to check us out on the web at www.thespectrumnetwork.org or on Facebook!

TSN Connection

The Spectrum Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We accept contributions by check, credit card and gifts of stock. To opt out of receiving donation asks, please call 563-382-8401.

As a nonprofit, we rely heavily on donations to fully fund our areas of programming. Thank you for your support of our mission!

Name: ____________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________Email: _____________________________________

City: _____________________________ State: ______________ Zip: __________________

I would like my gift to be made in honor or memory of: ______________________________________

Please return donation form with your payment. Automatic withdrawals

from your bank account may also be arranged by calling 563-382-8401.

You can also donate online at www.thespectrumnetwork.org.

TSN Connection

Donation Form

Page 4

The Spectrum Network

PO Box 22

Decorah, IA 52101

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