the essay woman flew all the way from singapore to attend this amazing event. over 1,000 people...

Advancing the Potential... Through Service! Cheryl Calhoun

Adult Supported Living This issue is all about how

we are advancing the po-

tential of our communi-

ties, our customers, and

ourselves. From art shows

to international confer-

ences, we are making a

difference!

Inside this issue:

Fellowship Award Recipi-

ent: Lindsay Brown

2

Advancing the Poten-

tial...Through Collabora-

tion!

Community & Employment

Services

4


tial...to the East Coast!

Service Alternatives Train-

5

Elemental Leadership™ 6

Spotlight on Longevity:

Elaina Doyle

7


tial...In Our Communities!

Children & Family Services

8

Anniversaries 10

Belinda’s Corner 12

August, 2015 Volume 25, Issue 2

The Essay

This is the story of David, one of our Adult Sup-

ported Living clients, and his learning partner

Jason, who is one of David’s staff. It is the story

of their journey as part of the Make a Differ-

ence workshop. The workshops are based on

the Make a Difference Guidebook by John

O’Brien and Beth Mount, and provide a frame-

work for people with and without disabilities to

work together to become more involved in

their communities.

David and Jason began their journey over six

months ago. Before their first Make a Differ-

ence meeting, all the Camelot Program staff

were shown the amazing video Seth and Lee

made in the first workshop (http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lbFnPYoaz4).

Jason immediately thought of David!

David and Jason, go-getters that they are,

started brainstorming ideas before their work-

shop even began. They met up with Lee from

the video, who also happens to be a former

staff of David’s. During their conversation Lee

asked whether David was still painting. Al-

though he hadn’t done so in years, as they

talked about the amazing art he had created

David’s interest in his hobby was rekin-

dled. During the first few meetings with Make

A Difference, Jason and David continued to get

to know each other on a deeper level. They

learned about their strengths and gifts, and

they learned where they needed to grow.

In the midst of this journey, I had an amazing

experience with David. On our way to meet

Jason at a Make a Difference workshop, David

and I were listening to a country radio station. It

just so happened that the station was raising

money for the Saint Jude’s Children Foundation

for children with cancer. Typically, I would have

changed the station. However, when I looked

over at David he was listening very intently and

was extremely focused on the program.

When we pulled up to the Doph, David and I

were both emotional. I turned off my car and

David said, “Help kids! Kids are sick, they need

help.” We had a brief conversation about how

the kids were getting help. David went straight

(Continued on page 3)

David (left) and his learning partner, Jason, used their

gifts and the skills they learned in the Make a Differ-

ence workshop, to support the Burn Recovery Foun-

dation for Children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lbFnPYoaz4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lbFnPYoaz4

Congratulations to Lindsay Brown, the Summer Fellowship Award Recipient! Lindsay is the

Administrative Assistant for Children & Family Services Region 2 North, and has been since

November 2007.

I hope you have had a chance to meet or speak with Lindsay! She has an incredibly helpful

attitude and is genuinely kind. Clearly, I am not the only one who sees this when working

with her. While reading the nominations I got a true sense from the authors that Lindsay

touches and helps people, each one individually. She creates a peaceful environment for

anyone who comes to see her, willing to stop what she’s doing to listen and or help.

“When I’m feeling like I could cry because a staff quit or a class fell through, I can go to her

office and get really sound advice from her.”

“Sometimes it’s just that she will give up five minutes of her time (which is gold) and listen.”

“Recently she has started walking office to office and dropping off pieces of candy to co-

workers with a smile. And it’s always in the most timely of moments when I feel like I am just

at the end of my rope for that day.”

“She will say she is getting frustrated when a topic gets stuck or goes on too long and ask to

take a break. This is excellent modeling for our manager team.”

“She also makes a mean pot of coffee, and does it even when she isn’t drinking any!”

“Did I mention I think she is just the best?”

As most of you know, and for those of you who don’t, this award was created as a way of

honoring Robin Fellows. Robin was a beloved friend and colleague we lost in 2007. It is such

a joy to hear these qualities coming through another great peer and coworker. Thank you,

Lindsay, for showing excellence above and beyond. You are a true inspiration of what this

award is all about. Congratulations!

There are many reasons Service Alternatives is a great place to work, but one of the most

important is the fantastic people who brighten our day! We know they’re out there - please

help us celebrate them.

Nominations for the next Fellowship Award selections are due Novem-

ber 15, 2015. Please go to www.servalt.com/fellowship for details re-

garding nominations.

Summer Fellowship Award Recipient: Lindsay Brown

Fellowship Award Nominations

The Essay

Lindsay Brown (center) receiving the Sum-

mer Fellowship Award with a few of the

Region 2 North Children and Family Services

team. Left to right: Vener Azurin, Katie

Turner, Lindsay, Dani McCutcheon, Annie

Elder and Sefina Coffee.

“Did I mention, I think

she is just the best?”

to Jason, and told him about helping kids.

David had found his mission!

So, David and Jason set out to find something in

their community where David could make a

connection and support children. They did not

take this lightly – they knew it had to be the

right fit. David had a very clear vision: He

wanted to help younger kids, who were sick or

hurt. After searching and searching, David and

Jason made a connection with Michael from

the Burn Recovery Foundation for Children.

David knew he wanted to help the kids, and he

knew he had this gift of creating art. Jason and

David worked hard and came up with an amaz-

ing plan to sell or auction David’s art, and then

donate the money to the Burn Recovery Foun-

dation for Children.

They had a plan!

David, Jason and I had a formal meeting with

Michael to discuss David’s desire to help. David

had practiced his ‘pitch’ and he did an amazing

job in the meeting! And I got to witness a deep

bond form between David and Michael. They

talked about personal barriers that they both

have had to overcome, how they’d both been

bullied when they were younger over things

they couldn’t control. It was an amazing mo-

ment for all of us.

During the next few months David contin-

ued painting, and developed the plan for

his auction. He asked others to help, mak-

ing more connections in the community,

and the donations came flooding in. Friends

donated art, games, pictures, jewelry, and

records for the auction, and many friends

also donated their time.

Finally the big day arrived! During the auction,

one friend performed a skit for the crowd, and

David’s band, Voices of the Village, provided

musical entertainment. Dakota Neuman, a

local professional singer, even sang a few

songs with the band! Dakota felt such a strong

connection with the group, he

decided to donate some instru-

ments to them before he moves

to Nashville.

When it was all said and done,

David’s auction raised $322 for

the Burned Children’s Recovery

Foundation. David said it best in

his speech, “This is for the kids,

we help them!” Thanks again to

everyone who participated. It was pure joy to

see David’s dream become a reality!

Advancing the Potential... Through Service! (con’t)

Volume 25, Issue 2

Some of the art David created

for the auction to raise

money for children recover-

ing from traumatic burns.

David’s band (left) played at the auction

to support David’s efforts to raise money

“for the kids!” Photo use with

permission.

David and his parents.

Photo used with permission.

The electricity and excitement were appar-

ent as soon as I stepped into the conference

hall. People from all over the world congre-

gated in Philadelphia to celebrate and attend

the 2015 APSE National Conference. Some

participants were native to Philadelphia,

while others had flown thousands of miles to

attend. One woman flew all the way from

Singapore to attend this amazing event.

Over 1,000 people gathered together to con-

tinue the fight for equal employment.

APSE (the Association of People Supporting

Employment First) is a national advocacy

organization. Their statement on employ-

ment first includes that “Employment in the

general workforce is the first and preferred

outcome in the provision of publicly funded

services for all working age citizens with dis-

abilities, regardless of level of disability.”

At the 2015 APSE National Conference there

was a daily inspiring keynote speaker who

helped to remind everyone about our dedi-

cated work. After the keynote, each 2015

APSE National Conference participant se-

lected and attended three 90 minute break-

out sessions. I was proud to represent Ser-

vice Alternatives during one of those 90 min-

ute breakout sessions!

My collaboration team of Steven Cutter,

from Northwest Center, and Blake Konrady,

of PROVAIL, and I presented on the power of

collaboration and how to replicate what

we’ve accomplished. We have been fortu-

nate to take part in the yearlong “C4 Project”

in King County. The C4 Project, or Cross

County Collaboration Project, involved three

agencies with the same overarching mission

to help adults with disabilities find and sus-

tain paid, individualized employment in the

community. Each agency brought in one

Employment Specialist / Consultant and one

customer who experienced unique chal-

lenges to community job placement. The

idea behind the C4 Project was that each

customer would secure paid employment

through all the Employment Specialists work-

ing together by sharing leads, resources, and

skills.

Our collaboration team had the honor of

presenting the C4 Project in November 2014

at the Regional APSE conference, and we

wanted our passion for collaboration efforts

to reach more agencies. We applied and

were accepted to present at the National

APSE Conference in June 2015!

Having the privilege of representing Service

Alternatives and presenting our work at a

national level is truly humbling. Knowing

that the C4 Project concept has the ability to

reach more organizations and assist more

customers is an amazing feeling. Thank you

to everyone who helped make this possible!

Advancing the Potential...Through Collaboration! Anna Eggink

Community & Employment Services

The Essay

Anna also found Steve Seiller

(right) and Chris Breece (left)

in Philly representing RIGHT

RESPONSE at the APSE con-

ference.


“...we wanted our

passion for

collaboration efforts

to reach more

agencies.”

Blake Konrady from PROVAIL

(seated left), Steven Cutter

from Northwest Center

(standing left) and Anna

Eggink from Service Alterna-

tives (standing right) present-

ing at the APSE Conference in

Philadelphia.


Greetings everyone from the East Coast! My

name is Chris Breece and I’m a Special Pro-

jects Coordinator for the SA Training Insti-

tute. Let me first answer the two questions

that come up the most: 1) I’m not back in

Washington State; I still live in New Jersey

and 2) Yes, I still work for Service Alterna-

tives.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the

former Administrator for ASL Training and

former Administrator of the Technical Assis-

tance contract. Fourteen months ago my

wife Lyndee (former ASL Administrator), my

90 year-old mother-in-law, and I moved to

New Jersey to be closer to family.

I was and remain very thankful that SA was

not only supportive in our decision to move,

but was also visionary in seeing that many of

the skills that I possessed were transferable

to a telecommuting work arrangement. The

first few months of this transition brought

with it a lot of questions, particularly how an

arrangement like this could work, as well as

how it could benefit and grow SA.

In the months that followed, my job descrip-

tion could probably have been best summed

up in one phrase, “other duties as assigned.”

This was new territory literally and figura-

tively for all of us!

After several months and a number of ideas

that didn’t pan out, a vision of what could be

began to take shape. So what exactly does a

Special Projects Coordinator do? That’s a

really good question!

Currently I have four main responsibilities

with SA. I continue to work on the TA Con-

tract, assisting Aelfwynn with coordinating

training and consultation needs through

Washington on behalf of DDA. I also now

assess RIGHT RESPONSE needs for customers

throughout most of the country and provide

training when requested.

My responsibilities are not limited to the

Training Institute. For the last eight months,

I have been the SCRIPT Consultant working

with each of the divisions when critical

events happen. In this role, I asses what sup-

ports are needed to work through those

events when they occur. My last main re-

sponsibility is to assist Training, ASL, and CFS

in the implementation of I-1163 when that

takes effect at the beginning of 2016.

So what does the future hold? In the long-

term, we’re still working on that and there

are a lot of ideas that are being batted about.

In the short-term, the answer is a lot of

travel. Over the course of the next several

months, I will be training and presenting all

over the country, from a workshop in Brook-

lyn, to RIGHT RESPONSE ICC’s in Indiana and

Texas, to a month-long stint back in Washing-

ton, to a training tour of North Dakota in the

middle of winter (brrr), and presenting at a

conference in Louisiana.

I’ll end this article with a story and a ques-

tion. At the recent APSE national conference

in Philadelphia, where Steve Seiller and I

were exhibitors for RIGHT RESPONSE, a self-

advocate made a very astute observation.

He pointed out that what I was doing in mov-

ing to the East Coast and continuing to work

with SA, was the idealized vision of job carv-

ing. He observed that what SA and I had

done, was to identify my skills and passion (Continued on page 6)

Advancing the Potential...to the East Coast! Christopher Breece

Service Alternatives Training Institute

Volume 25, Issue 2

Service Alternatives Train-

ing Institute is on the East

Coast!

Photo used with permis-

sion.

June Bug, the East Coast of-

fice muse.


“...my job description

could (be)...best

summed up in one

phrase, ‘other duties as

assigned.’”

and to create a previously non-existent posi-

tion that was mutually beneficial. There are

opportunities that abound within SA, particu-

larly when our shared vision is clear and fo-

cused. What are your passions and dreams

and what are you willing to do to make them

become a reality?

(Continued from page 5)

Advancing the Potential...to the East Coast (con’t)

The Essay

Dusk in Atlantic City, NJ near

where Chris Breece is holding

down the fort of SATI East

Coast.


Come explore

Elemental

Leadership™!

Introduction to Elemental Leadership™

SATI is thrilled to announce the arrival of our redesigned leadership development program, Ele-

mental LeadershipTM. While the name and content have changed, the commitment to SA’s core

values and vision remains the same. The Introduction to Elemental Leadership workshop is the

first step on your path toward leadership development. As a participant of this workshop, you

will engage in exercises to become familiar with each element of our new model and increase

awareness in your own strengths and areas for improvement.

September 3, 2015 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Bothell Instructor: Deb Ausema

September 8, 2015 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Kennewick Instructor: L. J. Keller

October 28, 2015 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

909 Building, South Everett Instructor: Brandy Schutz

Chris working the RIGHT RESPONSE exhibit

at the APSE conference in Philadelphia in

June, one of his varied new responsibilities

with SATI East Coast.

Photo used with permission

Spotlight on Longevity Elaina Doyle

Volume 25, Issue 2

Elaina Doyle (right) with her hus-

band Kris (left) and son Kain

(center). Elaina is the Program

Manager for Alpine House.


The whole family enjoys spend-

ing time at the lake!

Photo used with permission

“Never did I imagine

that ... I would be

with the same

company almost 12

years later.”

November 2003 found me looking for new

employment while I attended college. A fam-

ily friend suggested I interview with her em-

ployer, Service Alternatives, working with at-

risk youth. She knew I was going to school for

Psychology and was interested in one day

working with youth. I needed a job and

thought, “Sure, why not?”

Never did I imagine that would lead to a ca-

reer and that I would be with the same com-

pany almost 12 years later. I was first hired

as a Youth Care Worker (now called Behav-

ioral Intervention Support Specialist or BISS)

for our old Chehalis program. Six months

later, I became a Supervisor. The following

year I went on an adventure to California for

5 months, and when I returned, I was quickly

rehired, much to my happiness. Due to being

out of state, my background check took

longer than normal and Service Alternatives

was kind enough to give me hours helping

out with paperwork or sending me to pro-

grams where I could be a second staff.

In 2008, SA was looking for a new Program

Manager for Alpine House, a boys group

home in Olympia. I didn’t give it a second

thought until a few co-workers approached

me about applying for the position. After

thinking about it, again I said, “Why not?”

During my interview with Melissa Darlington

and Heather Hansen, I was super nervous

and forgot half the SA Core Values. However,

I was offered the position and immediately

accepted, excited to begin a new adventure.

I also married in February of 2008, just a few

weeks before starting my new position. Luck-

ily, I got to honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta

and came back relaxed and ready to take on

my new challenge.

Alpine not only is my work site, but an ex-

tended family. I have been blessed to hire

people that add to our culture and bring in

new ideas and enthusiasm, as well as treat

each other with respect and act as a team.

Alpine wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for

all the employees, past and present, and for

that I am grateful.

Besides my work family, I have been married

to my husband Kris since 2008. We wel-

comed our son, Kain, in May of 2013. As a

family, we enjoy spending time in our yard,

usually chasing Kain around, or going to area

lakes to swim. We are getting anxious for

football season, as we enjoy having family

and friends over to watch the Seahawks and

eat snacks all day.

Both my little family and work family know

me to be a bit OCD... okay, maybe a lot OCD.

I like everything labeled, organized, and in its

place. I may be known to also go behind eve-

ryone and pick up after them, even when

they aren’t finished with it yet. Luckily for

me, they have accepted this about me and

now intentionally set things up to see how

OCD I will get!

Service Alternatives is so much more than

just a job or career to me. My supervisors

and co-workers have given me room to grow,

challenged me when I didn’t think I could

grow anymore, and continue to believe in

what I can become, just not who I am now. It

has given me lifelong relationships with great

people, and an unconditional support net-

work that never ceases to amaze me.

Advancing the Potential... In Our Communities!

Children & Family Services

The Essay

How are YOU

Advancing the

Potential?

The groups replaced an exterior

door, broken fence and gate, re-

moved an unstable shed and com-

pletely landscaped the yard,

Photo submitted to Skagit Herald,

no credit stated.

Recently, staff from Service Alternatives Chil-

dren & Family Service, Region 2 North, par-

ticipated in a service project in Mt Vernon.

Below is the write-up that appeared in the

Skagit Valley Herald.

“Services Alternatives Inc. and Keller

Williams Realty volunteers teamed up

with Skagit Habitat for Humanity and

Thrivent Financial on May 6 and May

14 to repair a Mount Vernon home for

a resident in need. The groups re-

placed an exterior door, broken fence

and gate, removed an unstable shed

and completely landscaped the yard.

The partnership program between

Habitat and Thrivent, called Thrivent

Builds Repairs, combines the financial

and volunteer resources of Thrivent

Financial with the affordable housing

construction leadership of Habitat

affiliates. Together they volunteer to

upgrade existing homes for needy

residents by installing accessibility

ramps or by doing exterior painting,

weatherization, porch repair, light

landscaping and more.

Skagit Habitat is accepting tips about

anyone who needs help with minor

home repairs; call 360-428-9402 or

email [email protected].”

Great example of how we advance the po-

tential of our communities and ourselves

through service!

Landscaping and repairs were

much appreciated in this yard!

Photo submitted to Skagit Herald,

no credit stated.

mailto:[email protected]

Advancing the Potential... Through our Stories! Claudia Carter Managing Editor

Volume 25, Issue 2

The old Brown House,

with the tractor out

front, will be taking

on a new life with

new owners.

What is your favorite

story about this SA

landmark?

We said goodbye to the Brown House this

summer. As many of you know, the Brown

House was the original Administrative Build-

ing for Service Alternatives, an icon and nos-

talgic symbol of where it all started. Over the

years it has served many functions - corpo-

rate headquarters, housing for clients, offices

for Adult Supported Living programs and

general community gathering spot.

In July 2015, the Brown House was sold and

the ASL staff moved into the Corporate office

next door. The new owners plan to restore

the building, and are even hanging on to the

tractor that sits in front!

There are so many stories connected with

our history in that old, brown house. Bats

and ghosts most notably, but so much more.

As we look back and remember, we get a

sense of where Service Alternatives has been

and look forward to where we are going.

Belinda Kindschi, CEO of SA, talks about the

importance of stories and community in her

article on the back page of this newsletter.

One thing she wrote really resonated with

me, and reaffirmed what the Essay is all

about.

“Can you imagine the richness of SA’s story as we learn to share more about the little things, the significant accom-plishments, the learning we are doing together and the connection of all of this to our values? It is through our voices, and through us encouraging our clients’ voices, that our values and culture come alive; our clients’ amaz-ing successes are shared.”

The Essay is meant to be your newsletter. It is

a way to share what is important in your pro-

gram or division with the rest of the com-

pany. It is how we learn about our colleagues

and the work they are doing, even if we

never get to meet them in person. And it is

especially important to me as a way to give

our clients a voice - a way to share their

dreams and successes with the larger world.

Do you have a story to share? Big or small,

we’d love them all. Nothing pleases me more

than to have someone send me an email or a

picture and ask, “Would this work for the

Essay?” The answer is “YES! Yes, it would!”

Celebrating our history is a critical step in

moving forward and creating new stories for

ourselves. I know many of you have tales to

tell about the Brown House, and I want you

to send them to me at ccarter@servalt-

training.com.

We want to collect them for a little history

project to share with everyone in the com-

pany - hopefully in the next Essay.

And if you have more stories to tell, send

them to me as well. Help us build the fabric

of our community with rich and vibrant tex-

tures that we can all share.



September

Name Years of Service

Em Mitre 23 Nancy Lancaster 21 Beth Allphin 16 John Kilmer 16 Crista Hendrickson 15 John Judge 15 Ronald Langingi 15 Tania Scott 15 Abdel Jaber 13 Brandy Schutz 13 Wendy Rutkowski 12 Sefina Coffee 9 Seedy Fofana 8 Jennifer Reed 7 Gisele Dioulo 6 Shirley Kesaulya 6 Sona Porter 6 Diane Feldt 5 Peter Mbari 5 Alieu Mbye 5 Jill Schmitz 5 Bakary Darboe 4 Jazmann Hilliard 3 Michael Moore 3 Ganelle Mullins 3 Delana Spears 3 Ethen Volkman 3 Ali Al Sadi 2 Polly Oeung 2 Nicole Pratt 2 Skiann Stark 2 Monica Walle 2 Melissa Woodall 2 Mike Diaz 1 Mariah Engelhardt 1 Cecilia Faletagoai 1 Esterlita Forschler 1 Leon Ijaz 1 Rosemary Karanja 1 Chelsy Lopez 1 Sheila Martinez 1 Chelsea Paulsen 1 Jarin Storrs 1

October


Troy Schuldheiss 26 Dorthea Schmitt 25 Tim Watt 25 Michelle MColl 19 Larissa Floyd 16 Christian Katabana 15 Brian Johnston 14 Salamawit Tesfamariam 14 Joseph Buchmann 13 Mohammed Bayo 12 Francois Lukoki 12 Renae Adkinson 11 Yao Mekinawe 11 Keri Fezzey 9 Ashley Van Oeveren 9 John Weston 8 Dixie Baker 7 Annie Elder 7 Heather Poulson 7 Judith Tidwell 7 Jessica Weston 7 Pemba Buka 6 Nicollette Cook 6 Paul Maweu 6 Joe Costa 5 Arthur Bennett 4 Hendra Padmasana 4 Jaona Ravelonanahary 4 Michelle Searcy 4 Alassan Ceesay 3 Richard Collins 3 Denise Ducken 3 Tanya Hanson 3 Kristine Hilton 3 Elizabeth Ivie 3 Mobondele Molongya 3 Ashlie Soto 3 Lokeni Tiatia 3 Tammara Joyner 2 Danielle Wentz 2 Claire Azure 1 April Bowden 1 LaSavia Brown 1 Jay Cordary 1 Rebecca Freeze 1

October (con’t)


Tina Graham 1 Apolinaire Kama 1 Andrew Leitch 1 William Mcfadden 1 Dez Ness 1 Arianne Ozolins 1 Jennifer Phillips 1 Jeffrey Sellers 1

November


Antonio Torres 19 Karen Thompson 16 Lidia Boldor 14 Dave Lanning 14 Angela Powers 14 Cristina Villalba 14 Kelli Eggert 13 Marc Rodriguez 13 Elaina Doyle 12 Claudia Carter 11 Taleah Edmonds 11 Lindsay Brown 8 Adama Dibba 8 Kevin Lee 7 Buba Sanneh 7 John Haley 6 Christopher Webb 6 Robert Wood 6 Naema Ali 5 Janet Johnson 5 Aicha Boukari 4 Omar Jallow 4 Alagie Jawara 4 Brian Machoka 4 Yudiantoro 4 Carla DePiro 3 Anna Eggink 3 Josia Ravelonanahary 3 Victoria Bailey 2 Danette Biallas 2 Tami Buckner 2 Robert Cook 2

Anniversaries

The Essay

November (con’t)


Anthony Powell 2 Angela Ramsey 2 Kristian Stewart 2 Mathew Sypert 2 Brandi Bailey 1 Lamanda Barr-Finch 1 Lindsay Gerken 1 Ammon Gitao 1 Kimberly Gorrell 1 Amelia Gross 1 Deanna Johnson 1 Brittany Keylon 1 William Page 1 Wendy Rio 1 Mayra Ruiz-Garfias 1 Emily Shiels 1 Donald Shouse, Jr. 1

December


Trayci Jones 23 Renee Stueckle 23 Alena Yastchenko 23 Anjeanette Potts 14 Elizabeth Kettlewell 10 Melissa Rumsey 8 Omar Gaye 5 Jefferson Miller 5 Tammy Theriault 5 Joseph Kalenga 4 Halima Shuriye 4 Traci Starr 4 Beatriz Gall 3 Sharaya Pearson 3 Shelina Rivera-Fain 3 Kevin Robinson 3 Liki Tiatia 3

December (con’t)


Emma Bemis 2 Samuel Gallegos 2 Denise Haskins 2 Solomon Shitambasi 2 Kathryn West 2 Teresa Barnes 1 Tanya Brandt 1 Frida Christman 1 Erickia Coger 1 Nezif Dekama 1 Kimberly McLean 1 Stephanie Miller 1 Laray Opel 1 Tyber Parsons 1 Nierssa Roberts 1

Anniversaries

The Essay

Our Facebook Page has over 500 Likes!

When I consider why I am at SA after 24 years, it is the

impact of many small stories that inspires me. It has been

24 years of inspiration, frustration, challenge, and possi-

bility. I am still excited to wake up each day and come to

work. Belief in the good work we do and the good people

we have here at SA are essential. Ultimately the heartfelt

belief that we make a difference in people’s lives provides

me with a grounded foundation. Excellence, integrity,

fiscal responsibility, employee satisfaction, customer ser-

vice, and community are planted firmly underneath me.

As impactful as storytelling is known to be, storytelling is

also an art that often goes unappreciated. Can you imag-

ine the richness of SA’s story as we learn to share more

about the little things, the significant accomplishments,

the learning we are doing together and the connection of

all of this to our values? It is through our voices, and

through us encouraging our clients’ voices, that our val-

ues and culture come alive; our clients’ amazing suc-

cesses are shared.

Oh, and speaking of stories, our SA Facebook page is a

place where stories of our own and stories of others

shine. Over 500 likes! If you have not ‘liked’ us on Face-

book, I encourage you to do

so! More important than

that, even, share ideas for

posting to Katie Turner, our

own SA Facebook Adminis-

trator, at kturner@servalt-

cfs.com. One story at a

time, we can advance the

potential of our communi-

ties, customers and our-

selves. What is yours?

Have you ever considered

the impact of storytelling?

Storytelling is one of the

more powerful mechanisms

for teaching, inspiring, and

engaging those around us.

Told well, stories draw peo-

ple in and create shared un-

derstanding.

SA has 32 years of stories.

Whether the story is about how SA started, about a client

who accomplished something meaningful, or about a fel-

low team membe’s journey, it is our stories that create

the fabric of SA. It is our stories that weave the fabric of

our communities together.

Mark DeMonbrun, CES Area Manager, forwarded me an

article that we have also posted to our SA Facebook page.

The article, ‘What they don’t tell you about working with

Adults with Developmental Disabilities’ by Jessica Pride-

more, resonated deeply with me. I encourage you to

check it out too (go to themighty.com to find it). While

the article speaks directly about adults with disabilities,

the concepts translate to all individuals we are privileged

to support.

The article speaks about the ‘million little moments’ that

we experience in our work. It speaks about the small sto-

ries that ultimately bring about change for our clients, for

us as individuals, and for us as an agency. The concepts

behind this article tie closely to my fundamental beliefs

around inspiration and the importance of storytelling.

It is often through our own stories and our own experi-

ences that we can teach and inspire those around us.

The Essay

Belinda’s Corner Belinda Kindschi, CEO

Service Alternatives Training Institute Managing Editor: Claudia Carter

PO Box 445, Woodinville, WA 98072

The Essay is published 3 times per year. All submissions should be in Word format and sent to the editor via email to: [email protected]

Service Alternatives, Inc. is a for profit social services company. We are an equal opportunity employer and we support workforce diversity. We are committed to applying this policy

equally to relationships between the company, its customers, clients and employees.



the essay woman flew all the way from singapore to attend this amazing event. over 1,000 people...

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