CHI - Friendship

Rally for Our Cause On October 3, community member and agency friend, Pastor Mark, hosted the rst ever motorcycle rally fundraising event on behalf of CHIFriendship. All proceeds from the event will be put toward our capital campaign to raise money for new lift vans. We had a great turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves. A big thank you to all who participated in this event. We look forward to rallying again next year! by Ryan Orcutt Both a high calling and a test of humility. Both a frenzy of activity and the example of calm for their coworkers. This position is the DSP Supervisor. Our Supervisors play the dual role of being a Direct Support Professional, who provides support to the people we serve, and you guessed it: supervising. During each shift, Supervisors work side-by-side with fellow DSPs, making sure people we support have everything they need, including support to participate in the community, acquire daily living skills, and live life. The people we support also look to Supervisors for guidance toward achieving life goals, such as taking vacations, developing social roles, and countless others. This is at the heart of what CHI Friendship does. The reason every employee takes pride in their work is by assisting people to live meaningful, goal-fullled lives. This often starts with the creativity of the DSP Supervisors. Tim Schempp describes one such example. "I recently assisted a person to his rst Vikings game. He loves to watch the games on TV, so seeing his reaction at the whole experience of a real game really brightened my day. If people we support are happy, then I'm happy." Since this position takes not only incredible people skills, but incredible organizational skills, we oer monthly trainings for our Supervisors to come together as a group and learn more about their role. These trainings cover dierent topics each month and often involve a guest speaker to provide valuable insight. Some recent trainings have tackled such topics as interview skills, sharing best practices across departments, providing eective coaching to sta, and building relationships and morale. There was even a "Pay It Forward" month, where Supervisors were encouraged to do random good deeds or anonymously benet another person. This was done with no recognition or expectation of reporting back what was done. It was a great exercise in humility and selessness. Last Christmas, the Supervisors also worked together with people supported to organize an Angel Tree event out of the Fargo oce. Employees were asked to take an Angel Tree ornament and buy gifts for a person in need from the community. The Supervisors were instrumental is assisting people at CHI Friendship to contribute to the health of their communities. These are just a few examples of how our DSP Supervisors are truly unsung heroes, playing a vital role in the success of CHI Friendship's mission. So the next time you see a Supervisor, take a minute out of your day to stop them, thank them, and let them know how much they are appreciated. It is a big job, but it doesn't have to be a thankless one. Being an Unsung Hero: The Frontline Supervisor At CHI Friendship, there is one position that is almost too dicult to describe to the general population. It is both a challenge and an opportunity. CHI FRIENDSHIP /// www.chifriendship.com 4

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