Vanguard, Summer 2001

The Arc-South Bay Sheds Some Light on the Energy Crisis

The energy crisis in California is real, according to the utility companies, and so is the challenge facing The Arc-South Bay.

As with most of you, The Arc has seen its share of power disruptions and accompanying inconveniences and has implemented programs to reduce consumption. In our attempt to lower our energy bills we have reduced lighting wherever possible, minimized energy usage during peak hours (such as starting machines at Southwest Industries after 8 a.m.) and adjusted thermostats.

And, like you, we have received rate increases in our bills. Unfortunately, these aren’t the kinds of "rate" increases we usually look forward to. The upcoming California Budget will not reflect the much needed and eagerly anticipated rate increases for our programs because of the high costs for power incurred by the State. We will do our part by continuing our conservation efforts in the future and hope that when the light bulb turns on in the heads of our Governor/leaders of the California Legislature they will do their part by re-visiting the system of payments for programs like ours.

Please be assured that while the energy crisis in California may have impacted The Arc-South Bay in several ways, it will not compromise our commitment to providing quality programming for the consumers we serve.

Family Bowling Day

The 18th Annual Family Bowling went down the alley on Sunday, July 15th at the South Bay Bowl, 1515 Hawthorne Blvd., in Redondo Beach. Bowling began at 1:00 p.m. with pizza and awards following in the South Bay Bowl’s Meeting Room. As in the past, members of the Saturday A.M. Bowling League were paired with a family member, friend, Arc-South Bay Staff, or volunteer from the Leisure Services Programs to make up the two-person teams.

And the winners were… First Place - Rosemary Boyer and partner Claude Wright (total 1218 pins); Second place - David Jones Jr. and partner David Jones, Sr. (1207 total pins); Third place - Matthew McElroy and partner Kevin McElroy (1200 total pins). Most Inspirational Award was given to Pam Spomer and Charlene Apel (from South Bay Sunrise Rotary), who had a combined total of 1024 pins.

Congratulations to all and thanks for joining in!

Fireworks

Did Arc staff, volunteers and the Gardena Valley Kiwanis Club members survive this year's swarm of eager fireworks buyers?

With the 4th of July falling on a Wednesday, sales were down somewhat from last year, but we still appear to be headed for a tidy profit. Stay tuned for more details.

And THANK YOU to our volunteers extraordinaire who "worked" the booth: Masae and Joyce Yoshida, Bobbie Hedges, Laura Johnson, Paul Kang, Florence Bagsby, Dolores Alexander, Dolores Brown, Lyn O'Neill-Burton, Carl Uebelhart, Jason Chu, Randy Willis, Gary Kohatsu, Sylvia Cameron and Martha Hawks.

Thanks also to those who purchased scrip or made a donation for the consumer's show: Sylvia Cameron, Mary Craig, Ken Kasukabe, Ida Phillips, Hettie Davis, and Deborah Johnson.

Facelift for Hermosa Beach Facility

In May, The City of Hermosa Beach and the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club did ground work for the remodeling of the Adult Development Center in Hermosa Beach.

Remodeling began at the end of May in Room 17, which is shared with Project Touch. As of this date, Room 17 is almost completed. The City installed new fluorescent light fixtures and carpet. The Kiwanis club added wall cabinets, new window coverings, applied fresh paint, and is preparing to paint and seal the counters. The room is beautiful.

Adjacent to Room 17 is the kitchen, administrative offices, and storeroom. Again the City has replaced old light fixtures with new fluorescent lights. Staff have moved supplies and equipment out of the rooms to allow Kiwanis workers to enclose the top of the wall that separates the offices from the kitchen, apply fresh paint, put in new window coverings, lay new carpet in the office, and refinish the counters in the kitchen. A new stove and blackboard will also be added to the equation in the kitchen.

Once these projects are complete, the city of Hermosa Beach and the Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club plan to take a break until Fall when they will begin remodeling the classrooms. Again, new light fixtures will replace old ones, fresh paint will be applied and any repairs to the rooms and or furniture that are needed will be made.

In Memoriam

The Arc-South Bay has lost some very special people since the last Vanguard. Connie Uhlin passed away June 8. Connie had worked for The Arc from 1977 through 2000, serving as Secretary, Office Manager, Department Manager, and Southwest Industries Administration Manager.

Two consumers recently passed away: ADC Gardena consumer Boyd Knight suffered a heart attack in May while being treated in the hospital for pneumonia. In February, Southwest Industries consumer/warehouse helper David Chavez lost his battle with cancer. He was a hard worker who enjoyed being at Southwest Industries.

Long-time member Terry (Theresa) Walls succumbed in May after a long battle with cancer; her son Michael used to attend Southwest Industries and she was an active volunteer.

Paul Beres died in March. He was a long-time member and father to two of our former bowlers, Anthony and Dennis Parker.

Mr. Davis, long-time member, passed away in February. He is survived by wife Helga, a son in Finland, and son John, who is in our bowling program.

Fred Fredericks, who was the father of bowler Kevin Sanders, passed away in April.

Samuel Bagsby passed away in April from cancer; his wife Florence serves on our Board of Directors, and his brother-in-law Willie Boykins attends the Hermosa Adult Development Center.

Our condolences also go to the family of Board Member Laura Johnson on the recent loss of her mother, and to Board Member Dolores Alexander, on the recent loss of her brother.

Gardena ADC Summer Fun Splash

It was just another Friday at ADC Gardena, or was it? Edie Crawford, Program Manager, arrived and opened the building. Staff prepared their rooms for the day. Clients arrived and proceeded to their classrooms. Hey, that’s not what happened! Clients arrived and were given decorations donated by Balloons n Things, with the assignment to decorate the courtyard for the Summer Fun Splash. Tables and chairs were moved, a D. J. arrived, music was turned on…Let the Fun begin!

At 10 a.m. on June 1st, the Gardena Adult Development Center kicked off the Summer with a Splash! Consumer, parents, careproviders, guests, and staff were toe tapping, swaying, and dancing to music. Guests included staff and consumers from The Marine Educational Center, two of our favorite Los Angeles Unified School Teachers Arthur Besiant and Victoria Riley, and Dolores Alexander, member of the Board of Directors.

Staff prepared a delicious feast including potato salad, corn, pasta salad, peas, carrots, baked beans, green salad, and rolls. Fried chicken (350 pieces!!), half of which was donated by Stater Brothers markets was the main event. For dessert, everyone devoured a scrumptious chocolate cake baked by Ida Phillips.

Two o'clock arrived and summer had been welcomed.

Keeping Healthy

On Thursday, April 19, 2001 a facility wide inservice was held at the Southwest Industries location. Staff members from all Arc programs assembled at 3:45 p.m. in the client lunch area of the warehouse to hear guest speaker Aqdas S. Kuraishi, M.D., speak on "Recognition of Common Emergencies."

Dr. Kuraishi was referred to The Arc-South Bay through Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Speakers' Bureau., is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Not only does Dr. Kuraishi have extensive experience in managing clinics, but also many years of service in an emergency room environment. All of our staff were very impressed with Dr. Kuraishi’s presentation.

On June 21 another facility-wide in-service was held at the Nakaoka Center in Gardena for a presentation on Hepatitis. Visiting us from the Curtis Tucker Health Center in Inglewood were Registered Nurses Rhonda Williams, Iris Johnson, and Wit Nguyen with a combined 60 years of public health service.

All three nurses gave an excellent presentation on Hepatitis A, B, and C. A very valuable afternoon was spent learning what each virus is, universal precautions on the protection against the virus, what the symptoms are, and what kinds of immunizations are available if any. We are very appreciative to these dynamic women for taking the time from their busy schedule to discuss a very serious issue.

An In-Depth Look at Supportive Employment

Since May 22, 2001, five consumers have been enrolled in The Arc-South Bay’s Enclave Program. These individuals are Tajae Maxie, Debra Smith, Darnell Hayes, Joe Washington, and Ninicko Collins.

The Enclave is a pilot program designed to build new work skills in our consumers so that as they become proficient with their new abilities they can be individually placed in an employment opportunity that has been assessed and developed by The Arc-South Bay’s Job Developer. As individuals exit the Enclave Program to enter an individual placement, more consumers from the workshop program enter the Enclave Program and the cycle continues.

Funding is provided through the Department of Rehabilitation, Regional Center Services, and also through payment of services by businesses the Enclave has contracted with.

The Enclave Program has three contracts.

Three days a week the group goes to The Arc-South Bay’s rental office space on 2913 Marine Avenue, Gardena. They are responsible for the janitorial services, which include vacuuming and mopping all floors, sanitizing the restrooms, and taking out the trash.

Five days a week are spent at the Adult Development Center in Gardena. There, they are responsible for the janitorial services which include vacuuming and mopping all floors, sanitizing the restrooms, taking out the trash, cleaning the lunch tables and kitchen, and providing gardening services by maintaining the lawns.

The Enclave’s third contract is with the United States Department of Transportation, Maritimes Program, located at 2980 Nimitz Road in Long Beach. At this location the group uses gas blowers to clear ocean debris (such as seashells) from the dock. They are also responsible for the cleaning of the Maritimes Program office space and sanitizing the restrooms. This contract is once a month and on an "as needed" basis determined by the Maritimes Program Administration.

Individual placements refer to those consumers who have been or are being placed in an individual job opportunity. For the first three to six months these individuals have a full-time job coach. As they become experienced in their positions, the on-site coaching is replaced by an occasional phone call and/or periodic visit.

At this time The Arc-South Bay has three consumers in Individual Placements: they are Jose Pimental, Maxine Railey, and Dorothy Evans.

Since July of 1999, Jose Pimental has been employed by Tony Roma’s Restaurant in Carson. There, Jose is responsible for janitorial needs in the kitchen such as washing dishes and mopping the floors. He is also responsible for maintaining a supply of place settings for the restaurant tables. He is often seen in the dining area clearing and wiping down tables. He works three days a week, four hours a day. He enjoys and receives great satisfaction from his employment. Although he understands when his job coach calls or shows up at the restaurant, he jokingly says it "aggravates him to no end," because he is independent in every sense of the word.

Since July of 1999 Maxine Railey has worked at Ms. Vickie's Child Care Center in Los Angeles. Three days a week, four hours a day Maxine has a wonderful job. Her responsibilities include greeting the children as they arrive, feeding and changing infants and toddlers, supervising children while they are out at play or napping, and of course she is interacting with them constantly. The children and her employer love her.

Dorothy Evans started work at the Bead Bin in Lomita in April of 2001. She reports to work three days a week, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Her responsibilities include inventory of supplies, making jewelry, arranging displays, customer contact and sales, tidiness of the store, and stocking shelves. She is very excited about the job and enjoys her work.

Employers who participate in our Supported Employment program get a lifetime employee who is diligent, hardworking, task oriented, and ready to tackle any job assigned to them. And also, the employer receives a tax credit of $2,600 a year per employee hired through a job placement program.

If you would like more information on how your business can become involved in the Enclave or Individual Placement Programs, please call The Arc-South Bay’s Supportive Employment Manager at (310) 532-6333 ext. 231.