CHI - Friendship

PEOPLE EXPRESS SPIRITUALITY Jennifer Olson has been attending Atonement Lutheran Church in Fargo for more than 10 years. She often refers to it as "God's house," and is not afraid to talk about how much she loves it there. This past year she was given the opportunity to become a regular greeter and pass out Bibles. When asked if she wanted to try this, she responded very condently and has since embraced her new social role. Jennifer also attended a Women's Bible Camp Retreat in Park River in May where she enjoyed the company of other women of faith. Jennifer's faith is very important to her, and she expresses her spirituality through prayer, attending church, and sharing with others. It has been exciting to watch her grow in her faith during this last year. Making Their Mark People supported by CHI Friendship are encouraged to live life on their own, be part of the community, and reach their goals. The CQL Personal Outcome Measures help us hold ourselves accountable for providing the people we support opportunities to live self-directed lives. The following three articles are examples of people living our Personal Outcomes Measures every day. PEOPLE HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTH Eric Giles is a young man with a passion for eating freshveggies. Unlike most men his age (who cringe at the sight of a veggie smoothie), he is in love with fresh produce. Eric's Bluebird Gardens membership allows him to pick up weekly boxes of fresh produce that are delivered to numerous volunteer "hosts" in the community. He enjoys the mystery of the boxes as well, since every box contains dierent foods each week, based on the readiness of the various produce for harvesting. The membership also includes a number of "Harvest Events," where Eric can travel to the farm and pick straight from the ground. This has included sweet corn, peas, melons, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, and even pumpkins in time forHalloween. Bluebird Gardens has also been a way for Eric to share his passion for fresh and healthy eating with his roommate, who wasn't always as fond of vegetables. Eric's roommate now shares the membership because he realized just what a dierence it makes in the taste of fruit and vegetables when they go straight from farm to table. Erichosts family dinners regularly, so he looks for all kinds of recipes that incorporate the farm-fresh ingredients, making fruits and veggies fun, not just for himself but for others in his life. PEOPLE PERFORM DIFFERENT SOCIAL ROLES Every new CHI Friendship employee completes an initial week of orientation designed to prepare them for their work and to provide an understanding of our mission and vision at CHI Friendship. This training includes basic teaching tools, proper language, and most importantly, ensuring the empowerment of and respect toward the people we support. This initial week is made much more powerful by oering self-advocates the opportunity to share their own perspectives to new employees. For instance, Darlene Polensky attends a portion of orientation regularly to let new employees know what she looks for in a great sta and to share wisdom she's gained from being supported by CHIFriendship. New employees always walk away with some great pearls of wisdom, hearing Darlene give advice about helping her with work, saying, "I'm going to tell you one thing. You better respect me. You work for me. If I tell you I don't like something, then listen. Help me nd something else." Her advice is spot-on and shows sta that they are here to support people to live self-directed lives and to be good listeners, be respectful, and enjoy the personalities of people. New employees often deepen their understanding from these experiences, especially seeing how people with and without disabilities are much more alike than they are dierent. Jennifer Olson Eric Giles Darlene Polensky CHI FRIENDSHIP /// www.chifriendship.com 4

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