Strategic Discovery and Future Direction

Why did the turtle cross the road, or in my case, stop in the road? This is the season we see a lot of turtle journeys. These animals are not out for a stroll. They know exactly where they’re headed, as females leave their aquatic homes to lay their eggs on safe, dry ground.

I remember summer trips to my grandparents’ cabin, located on a dirt road in northern Minnesota. Every season about this time, a large snapping turtle would lay her eggs in that dirt road! We understood that it was us who had invaded her habitat. She’d probably laid her eggs in that same spot long before there was a road. We dutifully drove around the turtle nursery.

Intentional and Deliberate DiscoveryI’m recounting this story because it provides perspective on our strategic discovery process to arrive at a plan for Fiscal Years 2014-2016. Like the turtle’s journey, our multi-year process has been intentional and deliberate. It consisted of seven steps, in which many of you took part:1. Completed Baldrige Assessment – August 20112. Won Strategy Counts! grant – December 20113. Surveyed employees about workplace engagement – April 20124. Updated Vision, Values, Mission statements – May 20125. Conducted Service Line Reviews for all eight Service Lines – February 20136. Developed Mission-Money Matrix to analyze strengths – February 20137. Held Theory of Change sessions – March and April 2013

Strategic Plan RolloutLike the turtle’s journey, this process has set our future direction, a three-year strategic plan. On June 25, our Board of Directors adopted the plan and kicked off a process you will see unfold in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned as we communicate our three strategic priorities. Thanks to you all for the part you played in this. Like the turtle we shall not waiver in our direction.

Senior Leadership Page 2 Cici Hughes - Exciting News about Speranza Center for Women, Engagement Survey Results Being Studied

Excellence Pages 3-4Louise Wolfgramm honored at MCN’s Luncheon, Article Published by VOA-MN Board Chair - Matt Norman, Colleague Anniversaries

Dignity Pages 4-6 ADARA Conference Photos, Promotions & Kudos, Becca Garris is Columbia Heights Board and Lodge Manager, Villa House Anglers Win Tourney!

Hope Pages 7-9Avanti Center for Girls Banquet Awards, Global Impact Day 2013, Family Treatment Makes Blankets for Foster Kids

Self-reliance Page 9First Annual Reentry Wellness Picnic

Did You Know? Page 10 Grants Update, Trauma Informed Care

National Awards Page 11 Recap of Awards for VOA-MN

July 3, 2013

VISION

Upl i f t A l l L i ves

VALUES

Col l abor a t ion, Compassion, E xcel l ence, In t egr i t y and Respec t

MISSION

Help peopl e gain sel f-r e l iance, d igni t y and hope

VOICESNewsletter by and for the colleagues of Volunteers of America - Minnesota

Submit Your $10K Idea Here!

Paula HartPresident and CEO

COLLABORATION COMPASSION EXCELLENCE INTEGRITY RESPECT

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Speranza Center for Women Will Bring “Hope” to Women

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAMCici Hughes, Vice President Children, Youth and Families

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has granted a license for Volunteers of America - Minnesota to operate the Speranza Center for Women in St. Paul. The licensing process follows months of work to transform the 16 bed unit into a calming, inviting and optimistic environment for chemical dependency and mental health treatment. Speranza means “hope” and that’s what we expect our services to bring to our residents. One floor of the building has undergone a full renovation, and updates to other floors were made to be solace for women who are struggling with past trauma, unhealthy relationships, parenting issues and legal obligations. A special thanks to our residential treatment staff, headed by Terry Thompson, and Deb Chmieleski, the new facility

director, for all they are doing to make Speranza Center for Women a reality.

The final step, before we open to residents, is to finish hiring and training the staff, which will provide evidence-based treatment, designed for women ages 18 and older. The Trauma-Informed Care model has a unique approach to service-delivery, from a comprehensive perspective to meet the multiple and individual needs of our residents. When Speranza opens, which we anticipate will be sometime this month, it will join four other Volunteers of America-Minnesota residential treatment centers, providing “hope.” They are Avanti Center for Girls, Bar None Residential Treatment, Children’s Residential Treatment Center and Omegon Residential Treatment Center. Click here to read more about each of them.

ENGAGEMENT We are now analyzing the results of the recent Workplace Survey, which identified the overall strengths of our culture and suggests areas where we need to focus to make it better. We were not listed among the state’s “Top Workplaces” as surveyed by WorkplaceDynamics and published in the Star Tribune.

“We appreciate your participation in this survey, where 60 percent of VOA-MN colleagues responded,” said Lorie Humphrey, Vice President

Human Resources. “We are carefully studying the results and will share the key findings as soon as we’re ready, along with specific action plans to follow-up on the results.”

Workplace Survey Results Being Studied

The deadline for the Wednesday, August 7 VOICES is July 19. Please submit your

information to VOICES@voamn.org

Click here to see the entire VOICES 2013Editorial Calendar for content submissions.

July 2013 Anniversaries Congratulations and thank you for your service!

Monica Lewis Senior Services 28 yearsKathryn Grassman Senior Services 26 yearsMarilyn Morrison Senior Services 25 yearsReny Hardy Housing 21 yearsShad Cook CRTC 10 yearsJohn Coughlin Housing 5 yearsAisha Mohamed Senior Services 5 yearsCassandra Jarvi Bar None 5 yearsLufelia Addison Finance 5 yearsMichelle Torrey Mental Health Clinic 5 yearsTheresa Severson SPSN 5 yearsBritta Stensland SPSN 5 yearsHoang Pham Senior Services 5 yearsBrianna Szabla Avanti Center for Girls 1 yearHannah Bengtson Avanti Center for Girls 1 yearLaura Hagen CRTC 1 yearKaty Larson Bar None 1 yearKami Hall Development 1 yearSamantha Johnson Omegon 1 yearCrystal Murphy Avanti Center for Girls 1 yearCarlirae Ronning Bar None 1 yearJamille Page Housing 1 yearRodney Beach Avanti Center for Girls 1 yearSamantha Smart-Merritt Development 1 year

Amicus President Emerita Louise Wolfgramm was honored at a luncheon in June 2013, sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits (MCN). Louise was awarded the 2013 Transformational Leadership Award during the MCN’s annual leadership conference held at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis.

The award recognized Louise’s work at Amicus in “reaching across traditional boundaries to develop transformational solutions.” In attendance were VOA-MN Board Members and past Amicus Board Members to honor and support her outstanding accomplishments. Congratulations Louise!

EXCELLENCE

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Kudos to Lisa Melquist, Grants and Contracts Officer, for doing such excellent work on the Community Crime Prevention proposal to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Within a very short time frame, Lisa produced a well-crafted proposal narrative with excellent citations - fabulous work! - Submitted by Samantha Smart-Merritt

A BIG Thank You to everyone who helped with the front office move for the renovation. My BIGGEST thanks to Dennis Aman, Kristy Peloquin & Jesus Cervantes. Without your extra help, I’d still be packing boxes!!! - Submitted by Roger Mlynczak, Lake Street Residential Reentry Center (RRC)

Practice Leads to ExcellenceAfter an initial training experience where we intellectually grasp new concepts, and evenafter initial efforts to incorporate the new ideas into our work, how many of us eventually fall back into our old, comfortable habits? Sound familiar?

Click here to read a great article on Practice, Creativity, Emotion and the Brain, published recently in Training Magazine, and written by Matt Norman, chair of the VOA-MN Board of Directors. Thanks for sending this Matt!

EXCELLENCE

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Kim Begin, Program Supervisor with Services for Seniors and Persons with Special Needs, deserves a huge thank you for her coverage of a Kathy Johnsen’s entire case load for nearly three months. Kim didn’t just put out fires; she treated it like her own and made it look easy. Thank you again for your help. - Submitted by Kurt Seidel and Kathy Johnsen

Missy Martin, Residential Counselor, has stepped up at Omegon to show great leadership skills. Missy remains consistent with the program, while creating therapeutic relationships with the residents. She strives to provide the best quality care, looking at the underlying reasons behind the residents behaviors and consistently using the trauma lens. Missy does a great job holding herself and peers accountable; taking the feedback and growing from it. She pays attention in our Team meetings, asking many questions and has made a conscious effort to always be learning. - Submitted by Jade Mason

Please pass my great appreciation to Jill, Chris, Mike, and Mike at Amicus for a successful workshop at a recent United Church of Christ (UCC) annual meeting. As was the case at Linden Hills in January, the presentation was excellent. I don’t think I’ve been connected with any other organization that so clearly exudes its excellence as Amicus does. You do a remarkable job in presenting who you are and the great things you do. You were each powerful in sharing your passion for the program and its benefits. - Submitted by Steve Nelson on behalf of Eliot Howard Minister at Linden Hills Congregational United Church of Christ

Kudos to Nancy Christianson, Grindle Green and the Senior Nutrition team for superior program management. I attended the responders’ conference for the new Minnesota Area Agency on Aging (MAAA) grant opportunity and with many organizations represented in the room, the MAAA leadership chose to single out the VOA-MN program as one to cite for evaluation and data collection best practices. Great Work! - Submitted by Samantha Smart-Merritt

Team Spirit RulesI would like to give a special recognition to Eloise Schwab, Jodi Mandt and Kirsten Avraamides in the Accounts Receivable Department for maintaining the TEAM spirit has they helped out during the vacation of a co-worker. They did it willingly and did not fall behind on any of their own responsibilities. Go Accounts Receivable Team!! - Submitted by Lufelia Addison

Also in the Accounts Receivable Team: It’s a special noteworthy testament to the dedication of our team that in June Eloise received her 10 year pin, and Leslie received her 5 year pin for their years of service at VOA-MN! Congratulations to everyone! - Submitted by Kirsten Avraamides

May Employee of the MonthAvanti Center for Girls would like to congratulate Brittany Tobin, May Employee of the Month. During the past couple months, Brittany has progressed as a counselor tremendously. She has taken on more responsibilities, demonstrating increased confidence, leadership and willingness to learn as she goes. Brittany nicely balances being supportive and approachable, while also holding the residents accountable. She actively seeks new experiences and recreation opportunities, making Avanti a better place to be. Brittany is an important part of the Maya team and a great Counselor. - Submitted by Pam Solber

Bridges Out Of Poverty Workshop is a Success - A Big Thanks

Thank you to Rhonda Peterson and Bill Melton for organizing and hosting the recent workshop on “Bridges Out of Poverty”. I appreciate the extra effort it took to open the training up to Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and other VOA-MN departments. Thanks for making this information available to us! - Submitted by Alice Tennis

DIGNITYVOA-MN Gear Makes a Splash at the

ADARA Conference

I would like to send my appreciation to Denise Fosse, Barbara Brandt, Kristin Knutson, Sarah Friedman and everyone else who helped support the ADARA conference at the end of May. It was amazing to see the VOA-MN logo on almost every participant’s shoulder bag as I walked around the conference. It was so impressive, that many people stopped at our exhibit table and I have received several emails from other agencies around the country asking about our services so they can adopt them. Thank you for helping the Mental Health Clinics’ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program shine as a program of excellence at this national conference! - Submitted by Dr. Rebecca Goffman

Promoted to Fiscal ManagerThe Special Needs Division would like to acknowledge the promotion of Erin Wittwer and congratulate her on her accomplishments. Erin has worked for the Special Needs Division as Administrative Billing Associate for the past three and a half years. During that time Erin has streamlined our billing processes, handled complicated financial contracts, manages our HUD 811 accounts payable and receivables and operating budgets and developed a positive and productive working relationship with her colleagues within the Special Needs Division and at the Corporate Support Office. Her professional and intellectual demeanor has assisted with our relationship with local counties whom we rely on for our business. While she primarily works with fiscal and contractual issues, she has also developed an astute understanding of the work our Direct Support Professionals do with the individuals we serve. We are proud to have Erin on our team of professionals, and would ask that all of our Volunteers of America - MN colleagues celebrate Erin’s promotion to Special Needs Fiscal Manager! - Submitted by John Kehr

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Leah Austin is a fabulous therapist and wonderful team member. She is always there to help out whether it’s training a new staff, providing a Diagnostic Assessment for a new Somali client or stretching to add another child to her very full case load. Leah is truly appreciated by her Mental Health Clinic team. - Submitted by Chris Harnack

VOA-MN Honored at ADARA BanquetVOA-MN was honored at the ADARA Banquet in May 2013. All members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Team stood as representatives of VOA-MN as the conference participants thanked VOA-MN for their sponsorship of the conference. Pictured on right is part of the new ADARA board for 2013. Rebecca Goffman was elected Member at Large and will serve for 4 years. Also decided tonight, but not pictured, Jaime Monson will be the co-editor of the ADARA newsletter.

Members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Team stood as representatives of VOA-MN.

Columbia Heights Board and Lodge Has a New Manager

Becca Garris began management of the Columbia Heights Board and Lodge facility in December. She comes to us from St. Cloud Children’s Home with a background to serve our residents suffering from severe and persistent mental illness, drug addictions and homelessness.

Becca has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Education with an extensive background in mental illness and emotional and behavioral disturbances. She quickly made significant positive changes to the processes to achieve a smooth running residential and work environment for our 16 residents and nine staff. Within months of starting with Services for People with Special Needs (SPSN), Becca graciously accepted the added responsibility of taking on our new In-Home Respite Program. The respite program currently serves 12 intellectually and developmentally disabled children in their own residences with either partial or full day respite care, enabling parents to get much needed rest from the rigors of parenting a child with disabilities.

We would also like to thank Becca for achieving a high-quality of life for her program participants through her engaging, patient and supportive manner and holistic approach to care. - Submitted by Kurt Seidel

DIGNITY

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HOPE

A Farewell From Andrea Hendel Reflecting back on the past 10 years, I am very grateful for my time at VOA-MN. I was hired by Chris Harnack and am grateful for her taking a chance on me and have been under the supervision of Terry Thompson for my time at Bar None and again at Omegon. I learned a lot from them about balance, therapy and being a supervisor. I have made some great friends while here and have been in contact with so many talented, caring, respectful colleagues all across the diverse agency in many departments, I am grateful for all of you.Omegon has truly talented professionals and amazing program, led by a team of clinicians, office/administrative staff and maintenance/housekeeping/nursing staff and supported by a superb staff of residential counselors. Keep up the great work! I am proud to have been a part of all that you do. Caring about kids and their families is our job and you do it well! I will greatly miss VOA-MN, but know that this wonderful organization and Omegon will continue to thrive as our mission is put in place. - Submitted by Andrea Hendel, former Program Director, Omegon

Villa House Anglers Win Tourney!Peoples National Bank in Mora celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a number of local events. One was a fishing tournament on Knife Lake in Mora. With the love of fishing floating throughout the VOA-MN Villa House, two of the consumers asked to participate. After a two hour day of fishing and weighing in fish, the Villa House, Bernard Weyaus, Julie Stace (lead DSP) & Scott Polinder came home winners. Taking three out of the possible five places. All proceeds from the contest were donated to the local food shelf. - Submitted by Julie Stace

HOPE

Avanti 2013 Staff Appreciation BanquetAvanti Center for Girls held its yearly Staff Appreciation Banquet in June. All of the staff at Avanti deserve recognition for the hard work, emotional and physical energy they put into their work every day. During 2012-2013, Avanti functioned over budgeted capacity most of the time. Additionally, outcomes show that we are working with more girls who present with a higher intensity of symptoms, but at six months follow-up, 100% of our residents were residing in a place they call home. This is a drastic improvement from previous years. We are proud of our work and recognize that we couldn’t do it without the commitment and passion of all of the people who work here. The following employees were recognized for their outstanding work as recipients of our annual awards.

2013 Avanti Employee of the Year- Andi NoldAndi stepped into the role of Catori Unit Supervisor in August after being the Lead Counselor on Maya Hall, Andi stepped into her new role with excitement and was eager to create a strong team. Andi can truly validate Counselors’ concerns and emotions having recently been a Counselor herself. She is able to balance empathy with holding people accountable and challenges her team in order to bring out the best in each of them. Her confidence has grown throughout the year and she has been able to have many difficult conversations while modeling respect, fairness and understanding. Andi also has a great sense of humor, positive energy and a caring heart which draws both residents and employees to her. As a self-described “shy

intern” when she started at Avanti, Andi has made quite the transformation in her career at Avanti!

2013 Avanti Counselor of the Year- Kellie HarrisonKellie has been doing an awesome job at being the Senior Case Manager. She often goes above and beyond, taking on extra projects to help her team out. When a counselor needs help with something, Kellie often steps up to help them out. She puts the resident’s needs before her own. Kellie has been a strong base and support for our counselors. Kellie genuinely cares for each one of the residents. She has changed and grown so much as a counselor throughout her time at Avanti. She has learned a great balance between therapeutic and holding residents accountable.

2013 Heart of Avanti Award - Amber RossAs Avanti’s sole fulltime therapist, Amber has direct therapeutic contact with almost every resident at Avanti. The emotional weight that goes along with doing this work is difficult to imagine, yet Amber maintains a consistently energetic, positive and gregarious attitude and it is clear that she truly believes in her clients. Amber is able to challenge her clients and say difficult things that need to be said, while maintaining a strong therapeutic and empathic stance. She is collaborative in her work and values insight from counselors, supervisors and other therapists working with the resident. Amber is approachable to staff, residents and parents and appears to build rapport with everyone she meets. I have seen everyone’s clinical work rise since Amber has been at Avanti and the impact she has made on residents and their families is indescribable. It is clear that her heart is in her work at Avanti.

2013 Program Director’s Award- Rodney BeachIn addition to making Avanti more aesthetically pleasing, professional looking and safe building for our staff and clients, Rodney has invested in making the maintenance processes more sustainable, building relationships with vendors and proactively planning for long term improvements. It is clear that Rodney cares about the quality of his work and approaches his job with high quality and ethical standards. Thank you for all you do to make Avanti such a great place to be. - Submitted by Julie Bluhm

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Global Impact Day 2013 a Success!We all know the Nielsen Company for their TV ratings & shopper marketing research. After June 13 we see them in a whole new light. Each June, The Nielsen Company celebrates their annual Global Impact Day by volunteering all around the world and making a difference in their communities. Roughly 80 volunteers from the Minneapolis office joined Bar-None residents and VOA-MN staff for a fun-filled day of indoor and outdoor activities. Volunteers, program participants, and staff split into groups that participated in everything from planting flowers and vegetables, to building an intricate four-foot high flower box to showcase their new flagpole. Jerry, a Nielsen volunteer said “ I was so impressed with the dedication the residents had. One of the young men in my group asked if he could

stay back and finish the project even though it was time to move on. He was so passionate about what we were doing---it was inspiring” Groups of residents and volunteers also

worked on résumé writing and many skill-building activities. Program participants even created Personal Brand Square to represent themselves, which were later added to a larger flag that now hangs from Bar-None’s flag pole. After a day of hard work in the sun, residents, VOA-MN staff and Nielsen volunteers enjoyed a

BBQ, yard games, music and raised the flag that they worked together on earlier that day. The residents were beaming with excitement and pride seeing how much their hard work had paid off. Nielsen volunteer, Steve said “THANK YOU! This event exceeded my expectations by a margin so wide you could drive a boat show through it. I learned a lot yesterday and I can’t thank everyone at VOA-MN & Bar None enough”, and Renee another volunteer said “Thank you making this day so special and memorable to everyone at Nielsen. It was a pleasure working with you and getting to know the residents. You are doing some incredible work out there.”

A BIG thank you and pat on the back is in order for Terry Malecha, Danielle Patterson, Shelly Manke, Kerry Newell, Terry Thompson, Michelle Price and Kami Hall for playing a vital role in planning a successful Global Impact Day along with many other Bar None staff who rolled up their sleeves and helped throughout the day!

HOPE HOPE

8Group Photo from the Global Impact Day 2013

at Bar None Residential Treatment Center

HOPEThe Family Treatment Program had their annual program retreat on June 18. During our time together we discussed program goals, strengths, and areas for growth. We took time to review processes and get on the same page with the work that we are doing. We also took some time to focus on the importance of self-care with a brief training on Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue. As part of the self-care section of the retreat, the team participated in making Tie Blankets for incoming youths to our foster homes. We cut and tied 16 blankets. - Submitted by Gary Olson

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SELF-RELIANCE

The Family Treatment Blanket Making Team

At the annual program retreat, Family Treatment made blankets for the incoming foster kids!

Nothing Like a PicnicFreshly popped popcorn, cotton candy, sno-cones, hotdogs and burgers – you can’t beat it, on a beautiful Friday afternoon, when more than 80 VOA-MN staff and family members came together for a picnic that we hope will be an annual attraction. The event was conceived by Reentry’s Wellness Committee for our two reentry centers and our new Amicus colleagues but it soon morphed and opened to everyone in the organization. Thanks for coming!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Wellness Committee or wish to join (we always need members), please contact any of the following people for more information:Amy Moore - amoore@voamn.orgKathy Yanari - yanari@voamn.orgKami Hall - khall@voamn.org Ken Sohriakoff - ksohriakoff@voamn.org Stephanie Brager - sbrager@voamn.org

The three smiling grill-masters Mark Jackson (left), Wyatt Lanning (son of Amy Moore), and Kevin Honl (friend of

Lake Street Reentry Center’s Stephanie Brager)

First Annual Reentry Wellness Picnic

DID YOU KNOW?YES! - Central Air Conditioning

For the first time in their individual histories, Mora Villa and Wakhon Our HOME Hacienda will have central air conditioning for their staff and clients, as of the week of June 17th. In the case of Wakhon, a generous $10,000 donation made the installation possible. Not only will there be increased comfort levels, but a better use of energy as well! - Submitted by Mike Price, Facility Service Director

Grants UpdateThe Otto Bremer Foundation awarded Our HOME a grant of $40,000, in addition to the grant of $10,000 awarded by Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless for capital improvements to the Wahkon site.

The RBC Foundation granted the Mental Health Clinics $2,000.

The Hennepin County Bar Foundation granted Elder Law $1,000. Securian Foundation awarded Reentry a grant of $5,000.

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Trauma-Informed Care -- Key PrinciplesA trauma-informed care culture reflects the adoption of underlying principles. Principles are generalized across all settings.

Click here to review the key principles of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) covering the concepts of: Safety; Trustworthiness and transparency; Collaboration and mutuality; Empowerment; Voice and choice; Peer support and mutual self-help; Resilience and strengths based; Inclusiveness and shared purpose; Cultural, historical and gender issues; and Change process.

Becoming a Trauma Informed Organization: What can YOU do?

1. Discuss these principles at your next team meeting. 2. Identify and celebrate what you are doing well.3. Identify areas that you can strengthen and make a plan.

Services for Persons with Special Needs is proud to have a Volunteers of America National Award Winner!

John Ellison was awarded 2013 Community Administrator of the Year winner at the national conference held in Washington, DC in June. John is a veteran Program Supervisor for our two Milaca Living Center Adult Foster Care homes. These two programs serve eight individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In addition to the facilities he also manages services for nine individuals living in the Milaca and Foley area who live on their own or with loved ones. We applaud John for stepping up to the plate in all he does to serve society’s most vulnerable neighbors and friends. John is a shining example of the quality program staff that lead our services provided by our dedicated Direct Support Professionals! Congrats John for a job well done! - Submitted by John Kehr

We Join Our Friends at the Wilder Foundation by

Celebrating Everyone!

I saw this sign at Wilder last week. Since June was GLBT Pride month.It would be nice to mention this in VOICES. - Submitted by Chris Harnack

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National VOA Names John Ellison “Community Administrator of the Year”

John is responsible for quality supportive housing at our Milaca Living Center about 65 miles north of Minneapolis. “John is always learning, always growing, always has a smile on his face,” said Area Director John Kehr, with Services for People with Special Needs (SPSN). “He realizes his job is not just in the office; he spends time daily talking and laughing with residents and staff. He will help out with daily nuts and bolts issues and he has a level head in a crisis.”John (left) is pictured with VOA National President Mike King (right)

National VOA Names Nicollet Towers “Property of the Year”

Among the recognition that Volunteers of America – Minnesota received at this year’s National Conference, our Nicollet Towers affordable housing facility was selected “Property of the Year.” VOA-MN manages the 306 unit multi-family apartment building in downtown Minneapolis. Community Administrator Harriett Raglin, Assistant Community Administrator David Marsh and Compliance Manger Jennifer Melton (pictured on the right)

Volunteers of America-Minnesota Wins $10,000 National Grant

In addition to the awards we knew we had won, we also were one of 18 affiliates that qualified for a drawing for a $10,000 award from National, as the conference closed on Tuesday. We won! This sparked the idea to gather ideas from employees on how to allocate the winnings. See page one for the details of the 10K Opportunity idea campaign.

News from the Volunteers of America National Conference

Three Colleagues Commissioned VOA Ministersat the National Worship Service

We congratulate our three colleagues who were commissioned as VOA Ministers at the National worship service on June 16. They include Ken Sohriakoff (left), social service coordinator-Roseville Residential Reentry Center, Barbara Schmidt (right), case manager - Our HOME and Paul Omodt, Vice President of External Relations, who we weren’t fast enough to photograph after the service.

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