Global Health Ministries

Lifeworks client sorting mail for Global Health Ministries

Starting at the beginning of 2012, Lifeworks Brooklyn Park has found a way to give back to the global community by participating in a very special program through Global Health Ministries (GHM). Global Health Ministries, founded in 1987 by returning Lutheran medical missionaries, carries out its mission through the gathering and shipping of requested medical supplies and equipment to Lutheran partners in over thirty countries. Since then, GHM has developed a nation-wide network of supporters for Lutheran mission hospitals and health care programs in over thirty countries.

Every Wednesday Lifeworks clients who wish to participate take a trip to Fridley arriving at 9:30 a.m. excited to volunteer, have lunch on location, and work until 1:00 p.m. One task they perform is quality checks on baby kits. These kits are given to pregnant women in Africa who check into clinics to birth their child. The kits contain a blanket, an outfit and a hat, and are highly sought after. GHM says that women will travel great distances to go to these clinics especially for the baby kits.

Another project Lifeworks clients participate in is the assembling of hospice kits for AIDS patients. Once a month, they sort through donations received by mail and enter information into the database. GHM uses the information entered by clients to order supplies for their clinics. Angi Reisdorf, program supervisor at Lifeworks Brooklyn Park says that clients enjoy the idea of giving back and helping others. Lifeworks Brooklyn Park plans to keep volunteering every week for as long as GHM needs help.

Where in the world is Rodrigo today?

Lifeworks volunteer, Rodrigo

Submitted By Kath Pengelley, Lifeworks volunteer and advocate coordinator

Late last April, I placed a volunteer opportunity on the Hastings United Way e-volunteer network  for an activity assistant. I never know who will respond to these requests and am always appreciative of the responses. However,  I was surprised when the volunteer who responded came all the way from Guatemala. Meet Jose Rodrigo Moll Duran.

Rodrigo is on an extended visit in the United States to practice his English speaking skills. He has friends in Hastings and could not think of a better way to learn English than to volunteer in an English speaking community. He also has a huge personal commitment to giving back and helping others. 

 He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in Guatemala and plans to go on to graduate school in Aachen, Germany, to obtain his Master’s degree in Medical Engineering. Rodrigo’s ultimate goal is to work in the field of Tissue Engineering. He is fluent in Spanish, German, and wants to perfect his English. He saw my posting on the e-volunteer network and thought he would check us out.

“Your clients are so open. They have so many interests and they want to know about me and my culture. They like to participate. I have taught them some of my words and they have helped me with yours.” 

We have enjoyed our international guest enormously and are happy to spend time talking, learning, and sharing with him. Our Hastings clients say that they are benefitting more than Rodrigo when it comes to learning about the Guatemalan culture, language, customs and celebrations. I asked Rodrigo if he had experienced any surprises during his time at Lifeworks, and he said, “Your clients are so open. They have so many interests and they want to know about me and my culture. They like to participate. I have taught them some of my words and they have helped me with yours.” 

 I asked Rodrigo what obvious differences he sees in services for people with disabilities comparing Lifeworks to services in Guatemala. His previous experiences are exclusively with children, so his comments were limited, but he did say that in general people with disabilities in Guatemala are not as comfortable expressing their feelings, thoughts, or needs. I guess those self advocacy classes that we have been offering are helping.

In November, Rodrigo will be returning to Guatemala to take the graduate school entrance exam and then hopefully make arrangements to move to Germany. As he jets off to his next adventure, we wish him well and say, “Adios amigo.” We hope that as he travels the world, he will remember us and perhaps one day return to teach us about German culture, language, and customs. Thank you Rodrigo for volunteering at Lifeworks. We wish you well. 

If you would like to learn more about volunteering at Lifeworks, please call me. Kath Pengelly 651-365-3720 or send me an email kpengelly@lifeworks.org.

Fie Boesgaard – World Traveler, International Volunteer

On June 29 at the MSP airport, Fie Boesgaard arrives from Denmark for a one month stay to learn about services for adults with developmental disabilities in the US, specifically in Minnesota at Lifeworks Bloomington.

Fie and some new friends at Lifeworks Bloomington

At home in Denmark she is studying social pedagogy. She has one year of school left and will graduate next spring. Social Pedagogy is an academic discipline offered in Denmark that is concerned with the theory and practice of holistic education and care. Originally when Fie started her degree program she thought she might want to work with youth in a criminal justice setting, but now after her one month at Lifeworks she is rethinking that decision. She says that she would like to pursue a career working with adults with developmental disabilities.

I visited with Fie both at the beginning of her volunteer commitment at Lifeworks Bloomington and also at the end. I was curious to know about her impressions of Lifeworks and MN. She has only been to the United States once and that was to visit New York City.

She said she was surprised about the amount of green area that we have in MN, our love of the outdoors, the aggressiveness of our mosquitoes, but most of all a new found leisure activity, tubing on rivers. Fie joined a group on the Apple River for tubing and picnicking and loved the whole inner tube experience.

During her stay at Lifeworks Bloomington Fie said she was impressed by the positive atmosphere in our center.

“Everyone is so nice to each other. I like the way the day is structured for the people Lifeworks supports, it feels good to be here.”

She visited many of the Bloomington job sites but her personal favorite was REI, she liked the variety of the retail processing tasks that our clients complete, from unpacking the product, steaming it, folding it, hanging it, tagging it, to moving it out onto the sales floor. Fie thought there was a good mix of physical and mental work involved for our clients.

Finally I wanted to know what she is going to tell family and friends about Lifeworks when she goes back to Denmark. She said,

“Lifeworks does a great job of training people to be successful in the workplace. I like the way you go to a job site and have the Lifeworks job coach learn what is happening there and then teach the person with the disability.”

What would she change if anything about her visit with us? “It was just too short,” she said, I wish I could stay longer.”

Fie Boesgaard. Lifeworks volunteer, studying abroad from Denmark.

Travel safe Fie, it was a pleasure to have you. You taught us new words, new games and shared a new culture with us. If you would like to volunteer at Lifeworks please contact me at 651-365-3720 or email me, kpengelly@lifeworks.org

The Multitalented Man: Andrew Fairbanks

Andrew and I met in September 2010 at the U of MN. He was taking a capstone class and needed 30 community service learning hours to complete his psychology degree. Ultimately Andrew would like to pursue a career in law enforcement and is considering going to either the police academy or entering the Air Force. We talked about the importance of people in law enforcement having an understanding about diverse populations including people with developmental disabilities.

Andrew Volunteering at Lifeworks Burnsville

Andrew agreed to volunteer once a week at our Burnsville center. Initially we asked Andrew to facilitate a sports talk group. Now reflecting back I realize that he has done so much more. Andrew completed his 30 hour capstone requirement before the end of 2010 but continues to come to our center once a week being open to whatever we need him to do. He has volunteered more than 113 hours to be exact and we have discovered that he is a multitalented man. His interests go far beyond law enforcement and sporting event scores.

Andrew has taught us French, gone for walks, played a variety of outdoor games like bean bag toss, catch and even croquet. He has helped us clean at a local church and a park and also assisted us at the Lifeworks Annual Celebration in a myriad of roles.

I sat down with him recently and asked him why he continues to come, week after week knowing that the school commitment is long behind him. His response was quick and heartfelt. He said,

“By the time I had finished the 30 hours I had grown in my relationships with the people here and felt that I had established true friendships. I thought about other college students who might just come to complete their required service learning hours and then leave. I just couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right; it would feel like I was using these people. I have time in my week. There was just no question for me; of course I would continue to come.”

I also asked Andrew what surprised him the most about people with developmental disabilities. He said he was impressed by how open and authentic everyone is, how quick our clients are to accept someone new, how friendly they are but mostly how they just take you for who you are, no question.

Andrew graduated from the U of MN in May 2010 and is taking the summer to work at the Eagan Community Center and also volunteer with us while he ponders the next chapter in his life adventure. How will we know when his time with us is going to end I asked. He said, “I don’t know yet but I will continue to come until I am ready to move on to something that doesn’t allow time for this.”

Derek Bucher, Burnsville Program Supervisor made this comment about Andrew’s volunteer commitment, “Wednesdays are highly anticipated at Lifeworks in Burnsville, not because the weekend is nearing but because our friend Andrew is coming! Andrew is fun, energetic and compassionate. We wish we could keep him forever.”

Finally I asked him, “What would you tell others about Lifeworks?” Andrew said,

“Lifeworks is something that really reflects my personal values. I have never done anything like this before but anyone could come here to volunteer. Everyone is so welcoming. This experience has changed me a lot; I can’t even put it into words. Originally I was deciding between the Children’s Museum and Lifeworks. I am so glad I came here.”

We are glad that you came here too Andrew and we appreciate the gift of time that you have shared with us. Lifeworks partners with more than ten colleges and universities and we are ready to create many more volunteer opportunities. You might be just one person in the world but to one person you might be the world. Just give me call at 651-365-3720 or email kpengelly@lifeworks.org

Prognostications According to Sean

Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. a group gathers in the kitchen area of the Minneapolis center to listen to Sean Latterner speak. He has complete command of his audience, what is his topic? Finance? Politics? Movies? Nope, it is sports and his followers wait anxiously to hear the outcome of their previous weeks picks. Who will have the highest percentage of correct sport predictions? Only Sean knows the answer to the question.

Sean and Oona looking at stats

Sean works as a financial adviser at Minneapolis Financial Group in the AT&T Tower on Marquette Avenue. He learned about Lifeworks last spring in a Minneapolis Star Tribune article. The article was about a Lifeworks client working at a local business and it made Sean think about his best friend’s sister who has Down syndrome. He has known his friend and sister since the fourth grade and has first hand knowledge how much it means to her to have friends and feel included. Sean wanted to volunteer with us but wasn’t sure what he could offer or what our needs might be. After visiting with him for a while I knew the perfect match, sports!

Many of Lifeworks clients love sports, all kinds, not just the typical ones like baseball and football. They love talking about the world of sports, the players, the scores, the standings, the victories and the defeats.

Sean has his time with the group down to the same level of preciseness that his work as a financial advisor requires. First he interviews the group, what they did since the last get together, what sport they participated in or observed, and how do they think they did on their predictions. Then he goes in for the juicy part of the meeting, who scored the highest percentage of correct scores. The day I was there Janice came in second on the picks. Her smile told it all, coming in second was good, and spending time with Sean was wonderful. When Kyle came in the room, his first words were, “Oooh Sean is here!” “We’re talking sports, that’s Sean’s routine.” All the while that Sean is in the room Nick works with paper and crayons drawing his favorite subject, sport paraphernalia.

I asked Sean why he takes time in the middle of his day to walk over to Lifeworks and he told me that he really enjoys his Wednesday outing.

“It is a nice change of pace. It breaks up my week, gives me a chance to clear my head from work. The group likes it, they like me and I like them.”

Kyle, a Lifeworks client, told me that when he retires he would like to be a professional bowler. Right now he is satisfied with his job at the Hilton Garden Inn and Wednesdays with his friend Sean, the sports guy.

Ode to the NFL by Nick

Sean wraps up the meeting with a list of eight upcoming sporting events for the next weeks meeting. He has chosen the Twins, Vikings, Gophers and several other random sport challenges. He asks each member who they pick and then records their response with his permanent blue ink pen. Who will be next week’s best predictor? Nobody knows, after all this is sports, all kinds of things could happen.
Sean is not our only sports fan, we have Eric Olson, an employee of Ecolab, at Eagan, and Matt Groff, a student and sibling in Bloomington helping our clients cheer on their favorite teams.

How about you? Would you consider volunteering at Lifeworks? If you tell me your interests I’ll bet there is someone here who would enjoy your company. Sean is one example of our generous volunteers who make time for others. Thank you Sean, Eric, and Matt. Go Twins!

Amazing Ameriprise Financial Mentors

by Kath Pengelly, volunteer coordinator, Lifeworks Services

When you drop a pebble in a pond the ripples spread out and you can’t always tell where they begin or end. Sometimes when you do a kind deed it has that same ripple effect. A ripple happened at Ameriprise Financial when Nicole Tokach-Bucher, team leader, Service Delivery unit, offered to help us start a computer mentoring program.

Nicole is familiar with Lifeworks and our mission because she used to work for us, but now as an Ameriprise Financial employee she directs our work and keeps her eyes out for additional opportunities. She thought that if our clients could have mentors to learn and expand computer knowledge then perhaps work opportunities might expand as well. In the early fall of 2009, she posted a volunteer request on the company’s internal employee web site and almost immediately there were fourteen willing volunteers ready to be mentors.

Since September 2009, there have been a total of eighteen Lifeworks clients who have regular meetings with a mentor. Having a mentor means having a partnership with a person who has agreed to share their knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster personal and professional growth.

I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the participating mentees and mentors and what I learned was that the experience did have a component of learning and expanding skills but more importantly it fostered friendships that will go well beyond the mentoring commitment.

I asked Becky Curtis who is served by Lifeworks and matched with Hamida S. Mujammad, an Ameriprise Financial employee, what she enjoyed most about having a mentor. Becky said that Hamida was a patient teacher and shared good information about Microsoft Word but also gave Becky a chance to tell Hamida all about the play, Annie. Annie is Becky’s favorite topic and Hamida gave Becky time to explore the functionalities of Word while writing about a much loved subject.

Michelle Suomela, also served by Lifeworks, was partnered with Mary Beth Glassman of Ameriprise Financial. Michelle’s face lit up as she described going to Mary Beth’s work area to practice Excel and Microsoft Office tutorials. I asked Michelle which was more important, learning more about the computer or meeting Mary Beth. Michelle responded quickly, “Mary Beth! I met a new person and now Mary Beth and I are going to go out for lunch.”

Lifeworks associates Becky Curtis & Michelle Suomela

When I interviewed Mary Beth and asked her about her mentoring experience she shared that originally she was concerned about meeting an objective for Michelle. She asked herself, am I here as a teacher or just to have fun? Mary Beth said, “If Michelle learned something new then I am so happy. This was a great experience for me but it was also good for the people who sit around me to get to know Michelle. It expanded their understanding about disabilities.”

Finally Stacy Klund, another Ameriprise Financial mentor, said she was thankful for the time spent as a mentor. Stacy says she has a very fast paced, stressful job but her time spent with Holly made her feel like she was really helping someone. Stacy had never interacted with a person with a disability and was surprised at Holly’s current knowledge. Stacy said, “Yes we worked on Excel, formatting spreadsheets, but now Holly is my friend.”

We all have a need for insight that is outside our normal life and educational experience. The power of mentoring is that it creates a one of a kind opportunity. The amazing Ameriprise Financial mentors  nurture learning but also have discovered unexpected friendships. Thank you Nicole and all of the mentors for starting a ripple that as of today shows no sign of ending.

The Lunch Bunch: making a difference in a unique way

submitted by Kath Pengelly, volunteer coordinator, Lifeworks Services

For more than eleven years the Lunch Bunch has been meeting and eating at DART Transit in Eagan. I had the pleasure of joining the diners one Friday while they noshed on pizza at Old World Pizza in Inver Grove Heights. It was obvious within the first few minutes that I had stumbled into a group of friends who share extensive food interests, enjoy laughing together, and sincerely care about each other.

Joe Rangel, the Lifeworks job coach at DART Transit, started the job site along with his team in February of 1999 doing a variety of clerical tasks. Originally they traveled to and from work in a Lifeworks van. One tradition that was quickly established was going out for food and fellowship during Friday lunch. But when Lifeworks needed the van for another job site Joe was no longer able to transport his team of four in his car. That’s when the DART employees came to the rescue and the Lunch Bunch was born.

Members of The Lunch Bunch with the Lifeworks team

Now there are approximately twenty members of the Lunch Bunch who on a rotating schedule help Joe take his group to a different restaurant each Friday. Joe says that the DART employees know his clients so well that they even help guide everyone toward healthy meal choices.

James Beard, the famous chef, once said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

Having the DART employees help Joe and his crew go out to lunch is so much more than pizza or sandwiches on Friday. It is a gesture of friendship that lasts long after Friday. I listened to the group banter back and forth during our time together and heard real camaraderie, stories about favorite lunch spots, birthdays,  past  memories of other outings and old friends, and future ideas for their upcoming lunches.

Sharing Friday lunch has become the vehicle to build friendship, create inclusion, and generate fun. I asked Joe what the favorite spot for the group is and everyone chimed in, El Parian in Eagan. Guess I will have to see if I can get a repeat invitation!

Thank you DART employees for sharing your lunch, your time, and your friendship with Lifeworks.

Are you looking for an opportunity to volunteer at Lifeworks? Contact Kath Pengelly at kpengelly@lifeworks.org today!

Highlighting Our Volunteers

 

Students from Apple Valley High School's AVID Program

 

submitted by Kath Pengelly, staffing and recruiting coordinator, Lifeworks Human Resources

On a warm day in early August, Theresa Kuhn, a teacher from the Apple Valley High School called to inquire about a community service opportunity for students in the AVID program at her school. We discussed options for a service event that could engage up to 20 students and settled on a holiday party at Lifeworks Burnsville on December 4, 2009.

I was curious to learn more about this AVID program and emailed Theresa back and forth over the remaining summer weeks and learned that AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. It is a program for students who are in the academic middle. AVID places them in courses that help them become competitive and offer them greater choices for college.

At its core, AVID operates on the Socratic Method. Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher and teacher, believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than simply providing them with the correct answers. After reading more I wondered who I would meet the day of the party.

Students from the AVID Program

Lifeworks Burnsville Program Manager Lori Schluttenhofer and her team leads, Derek, Teckla, and Lori helped plan a holiday party that had a variety of activities either stationed in a particular spot at the Center or could travel on a cart room-to-room. Students were assigned in groups of two to the activities with instructions of what to do.

Prior to the start of the party we met with the students and talked about dignity and respect for people with disabilities and that the expectation of the party was fun. I asked the group if they had worked with people with disabilities before and everyone indicated this would be their first time. Our clients had no disappointments at the end of the day. Each student accepted their assignment with genuine sincerity and it was hard to believe that they had not done this before.

AVID students at the nail painting station at the Lifeworks Burnsville holiday party

I asked one student what they learned during the time spent with us and she said, “We are all just people, this was fun.” As they were leaving to go back to the school two students asked if they could start a pen pal program with the Lifeworks Burnsville clients and I said, “Sure, contact me about that.” Before the day was over there was an e-mail for me requesting a planning meeting at the Apple Valley High School to discuss how this new partnership can continue.

Lori and I have already had one meeting to discuss the pen pal program and we hope to have it launched the week of January 11, 2010.

I was so proud of our Lifeworks Burnsville staff the day of the party; yes we provided a great day for our clients, but we also helped to educate 20 new advocates for people with disabilities. You never know what opportunity awaits you when the phone rings. Thank you Theresa Kuhn for calling Lifeworks.