Vines of Hope Sets Fundraising Goal for Highmark Walk

Support Vines of Hope!
 
Register to walk for Skills
OR
Sponsor a Skills walker/team!

The 2012 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community will be held on

Saturday, June 2  •  9 a.m.
at Central Park, Johnstown

Skills Vines of Hope is one of 20 organizations participating in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.

Register today as an individual, create a team or join a team. Supporters can even create their own fundraising webpage and share it with family, friends and coworkers.

This annual fundraiser is underwritten by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield — 100 percent of the funds raised by Skills goes to the Vines of Hope program. This is the second year that Skills Vines of Hope will be participating. Last year we had 38 walkers that helped us to raise $3,500 for the Vines of Hope program in Ebensburg. This year we are looking to have 50 walkers help us to raise over $4,000.

Early Bird Challenges!

Highmark has given us two Early Bird Challenges. First, if Skills gets 30 people to sign up to walk during the month of February, Skills will be in a drawing for special prizes that we will be able to use to provide an incentive to our walkers.

Second, every person that registers for the walk in February and raises $25 in donations by the end of the month on their donor page will be put in a drawing for a $50 Visa gift card.

If you are thinking “I would like to join the walk and support Vines of Hope but I have a prior commitment that weekend,” it’s OK. This year you can sign up as a “virtual” walker and still help to raise money.

Please contact Julie McBreen at 814-472-1031 ext. 26 or Lori Lange at 814-238-3245 ext. 321 for more information.

Person Centered Approach — It Works!

A Person Centered Approach provides opportunities for people we serve to pursue happiness and live as they choose.

Dale is a quiet, caring guy with a good sense of humor. Born in Altoona, he attended high school but never finished. Dale tried to work but had little success and became discouraged. He lived with his parents until they passed away, then moved into a personal care/boarding home.

Recognizing that Dale was not happy living there, his brother invited Dale to come live with him and his wife. Dale accepted and moved in.

Dale’s brother realized that Dale needed to have something to do during the day. Something to explore. Something to develop his interests. Something to provide Dale with opportunities. He and Dale initiated obtaining community support services.

Dale began receiving Vocational Training Services in September 2010 at Skills Vocational Training & Industrial Services (VTI). Dale worked on various subcontract jobs. His work was exceptionally detailed and accurate. Dale built an excellent working relationship with his supervisor.

While attending Skills VTI, Dale’s team recognized that although he was a very good worker, Dale was not happy. Dale and his team met and discussed what options Dale had for day services that might better serve his needs and interests yet still offer opportunities for him to share his talents.

Using person centered approaches, Dale’s team completed the What Makes Sense/What Doesn’t Make Sense Exercise about how Dale was spending his day. This exercise helped Dale and his team members get a better picture of what type of day activities would better match Dale’s interests and abilities. This exercise also provided some input as to needing further support to aid in lessening his personal anxiety.

Dale, with his brother’s help, decided to try Skills Adult Training Services (ATS) in March 2011. Since Dale has been attending the ATS, he has blossomed. Dale now volunteers at Trinity Lutheran Church once a week assembling church bulletins. Dale participated in a summer park conservation program by helping clean up litter and debris. He also enjoys gardening around the ATS building. Dale has discovered activities he enjoys, such as bowling and picnicking, and has shown an interest in painting wood crafts with his trademark detailed work.

This very positive change in Dale’s life happened over time with caring support staff using person centered approaches. As a result, Dale has been able to overcome some of his anxiety so that he can better enjoy life.

With a continued team approach, Dale began receiving Supported Living Services in April 2011 in conjunction with his day services. Initially Dale and the first support staff didn’t work well together. This was quickly recognized by his team, who completed a person centered exercise called Developing Interests. The team helped Dale decide what type of activities he would like to do with a supported living specialist. Based his interests Dale, was matched with another support staff, Jade, who helped Dale get reconnected with his niece and her family. This appears to have brought much pleasure to Dale.

Using person centered approaches and team work, support staff can be instrumental in helping the people they serve overcome obstacles and live the life we all so richly desire. Dale is now developing relationships, learning more about his community, and experiencing life in a way that he never has before.

My Experience with Cerebral Palsy

by Juanita Shoemaker

This feature article was written by Juanita Shoemaker, who attends the Centre County Adult Training Services. She speaks to middle school students every winter about what it is like to live with Cerebral Palsy. This article is an adaptation of one of her speeches. It takes Juanita about six hours to enter a speech on her talker.

—Karry Carr, ATS Program Specialist

Juanita shares her experience of living with Cerebral Palsy.

My name is Juanita Shoemaker. I’m forty-one years old, and I have Cerebral Palsy. It is the result of an accident when I was born.

Cerebral Palsy is a group of nonprogressive, noncontagious motor conditions that cause physical disabilities that affect all parts of the body. I use a wheelchair to get around.

I get really frustrated with people who think I am a slow learner. I have a mind! I use it! You can talk to me in a normal way. Don’t shout. I can understand and hear everything you say. If you ask me a question, I will gladly answer you by spelling words on my tray or using my computer.

My computer, called a “My Tobii,” is helping me to write this article. I use my eyes to type words on the screen. My Tobii reads out loud what I type so I can speak.

When I was a baby, doctors told my mother that I would be very low functioning and she should put me in an institution. My mother got very angry and decided not to listen to the doctors.

My mother has always believed in me. I went to the State College Area School District and had great teachers there. I learned how to read and write. That made it a lot easier for me to express myself. When I was 21, I moved into a group home run by Strawberry Fields. I have received services from Skills since about 1991.

Now I have a large circle of support. I am a member of State College Missionary Alliance Church. The people at my church are very proud of me and I have many friends there. I am also close to my mother. I have two sisters, two nieces, and two nephews. I have many friends that I like to do scrapbooking classes with and go to see movies, out to eat, and bowling with.

A lot of people have helped me along the way. I am still working on my life goals. My next goals are to live in my own apartment or house and to go back to school.

Environmentally Friendly Place Mats

Improvements to the place mat cutter by Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) triples productivity.

Skills of Central PA, Inc. has been making place mats out of recycled, biodegradable paper for over 10 years. The Deli, a restaurant in downtown State College, has been a loyal supporter of this project by purchasing Skills recycled place mats. Hotel State College also uses Skills recycled place mats in Bill Pickles Tap Room Restaurant & Bar. This project is both good for our environment and supports individuals with disabilities by providing valuable work.

Jay Shawley cuts place mats from recycled paper at Skills.

Individuals who attend WOSKOB Vocational Training Services in Centre County earn a paycheck to make the place mats. Until now, client-workers had been using a home-made cutting contraption that could only cut two place mats at a time.

Thanks to Penn State University Students and the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), Skills now has a newly refurbished place mat cutter that can produce six place mats at a time — tripling production with one cut! Tim Wheeler, research assistant for the Department of Electrical Engineering, is the program coordinator. Matt Cornwell, Penn State mechanical engineering student in the EPICS program, designed and built the new place mat cutter for Skills.

The EPICS program at Penn State gives engineering students the opportunity to use their developing skills for the community. Students put what they have learned into play to help agencies like Skills solve everyday problems, which in our case helped Skills increase production to better serve our customers.

Interested in purchasing Skills environmentally friendly place mats for your restaurant or business? If so, please call the WOSKOB Industrial Site Manager at 814-234-2330 ext 318 for details.