AmeriServe International, Inc.

AmeriServe International
The People Company

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The Connector
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The Connector.
Arizona
Iowa


See pictures from
West Valley Special Olympics Basketball Tournament

See pictures from
Prescott, AZ. Trip


See pictures from
Wickenburg Open House


Press Releases


Newsletter Articles:

    -  Monthly Adult & Older Children Program Schedules
         Are Now On-Line

         The monthly schedules for the Adult and Older Children
         Programs are not available on the Calendar page. 
         Click here to select the calendar you need.
        
    - From the Director's Desk (Arizona)
    
 I took a trip to New Hampshire last week to see my parents. They  
        are amazing people...they listen when I need to talk, they talk to
        me about their dreams, they make me laugh a ton, and most of
        all, they have let me be who I am and make choice that have
        lead me down some amazing roads, though a bit bumpy at times.

      
 
      Read more...

     - Dean's Blog
        
 
Every person on this planet has a journey that starts the day
          they are born. How their journey develops depends on various
          guiding factors, such as the environment, knowledge through
          information, conditioning, nurturing, and much more.
       
       Read more...

     - Expanding Experiences
          AmeriServe's motto is "making tomorrow better because of what
          is done today." Dean's article focuses on this very important
          concept and I'd like to write along the same theme.
               
Read more...

      - ASI Monthly Elective Education - Iowa
           Positive Teaching Techniques - July 2010
           Incident Prevent - August 2010
              
 Read more about the classes & schedules...

     - A Time of Change
          One need only look at the TV or pick up a news paper to see
          how fast and furious the pace of change has become. As we
          move through this time of change, we are challenged to
          manage for the best outcome for all of our associates.
          
     Read more...

     - Volunteer Opportunities include FUN!
          Volunteering is fun! It can also lead to the development of
          some very special relationships! Thus it is with participants of
          the ASI day habilitation program and Santa's Children
          Christmas Village and its founder, Orin Hodges.

               
Read more...

     - Gifts of Summer Gardening
       
   "Keep Council Bluffs Beautiful" in cooperation with the Council
          Bluffs Recreation and Parks Department introduced a new
          program this spring called Creek Top Community Gardens.
   
          Read more...
          

   

Article One - From the Director's Desk (Arizona)

Lessons from Life

I took a trip to New Hampshire last week to see my parents.  They are amazing people…they listen when I need to talk, they talk to me about their dreams, they make me laugh a ton, and most of all, they have let me be who I am and make choices that have lead me down some amazing roads, though a bit bumpy at times.  Through traveling these roads I think I have learned a lot that I am able to use every day and I don’t say, “ I wish I knew that back then...” because it would have limited some of my growth and learning.

 

These are the things I have learned over the years:

 

  1. Family loves unconditionally
  2. Friendship makes life a lot nicer
  3. It is okay to be alone sometimes
  4. Alone and lonely are two different things
  5. Be who you are, not who others want you to be-by the same token, respect people
      for who they are
  6. Have your own opinions, but be open to listening to the perspective of others
  7. Don’t procrastinate, it just makes things worse, if you are going to do it then DO IT
  8. Worry doesn’t change anything except your appearance (lines, grey hair)
  9. Follow your dreams
 10. Have dreams to follow
 11. You won’t achieve goals unless they are written down and tracked
 12. You can not plan for everything…life happens.  Accept and move forward.
 13. Be open to every possibility…life is full of awesome surprises but you won’t see
       them with your eyes closed

 

I know this is stuff that everyone knows; I also know that during times that are stressful it is really easy to forget these things.  Are you growing and learning during your bumpy road trips?

 

In this months edition of The Connector you will read about perspective, having your eyes opened to new things, motivation, teamwork and modeling.  We hope you enjoy this month’s edition of The Connector!

Happy July!

Michelle Hallock
Director
mhallock@ameriserveintl.com   


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Article Two - Dean's Blog

Shaping Tomorrow

Every person on this planet has a journey that starts the day they are born. How their journey develops depends on various guiding factors, such as the environment, knowledge through information, conditioning, nurturing, and much more. One factor guiding all of this is an individual’s perspective, that inner voice that directs and moves you. A perspective is an evaluation of ones point of view; the result is the realization of those perspectives that drives all of us throughout our journey in life.

 

Continuously, we develop a surfeit of perspectives from our youth through our golden years. Some of those perspectives yield good thought processes and some do not. The method to solving your perspective is to measure its validity through action and experience, kind of a live and learn translation. Did this viewpoint work or was there another course of action to take? There is only one person to satisfy a perspective and that person is you!

 

The title of this article relates to a perspective, that the things we do today shape tomorrow. A reality that is inevitable that tomorrow will exist and indeed become a reflection of what we did today or days before; with this in mind, choosing the path starts with planning for tomorrow. Whether it is a short or long term plan, the process revolves within the individual to perceive the benefit of shaping tomorrow. Again, the only beneficiary is the individual who perceives this perspective as real and authentic. For those of you who agree, we then share the same perspective.

 

Dean Anast
Lead Client Service Coordinator
danast@ameriserveintl.com

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Article Three - Expanded Experiences

AmeriServe's motto is "making tomorrow better because of what we did today".

Dean's article focuses on this very important concept and I'd like to write along the same theme.  I enjoy illustrating concepts with real-life applications so I thought I'd share some recent experiences that increased my awareness of my perspective in several ways.

I recently visited some very interesting places.  Two of them were astronomical observatories, at which people are using special instruments and technology to gather information about the world.  The other place was an enclosed ecosystem in which people can study how nature works-how plants, animals, and weather influence one another.  All these places allow the people doing the studies and the people visiting to have brand new perspectives on the world and on themselves.

At AmeriServe, we are doing the same thing.  We are influencing one another's perspectives by being open to the idea that someone else's perspective might be very different from our own and that we can learn from that difference.

While driving away from each of the places I visited, I felt different.  My awareness had been expanded.  I also thought of AmeriServe and the expansion I've felt there.

In my experience here so far, I have many times felt that same increase in awareness, and ability, after really understanding someone else's point of view.  It is a freeing feeling, and one that allows us all to do positive things we could not have done before.  That certainly is a good way to shape tomorrow.

Elizabeth Wagner
Day Program Manager
Wickenburg, Arizona
ewagner@ameriserveintl.com

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Article Four - ASI Monthly Elective Education - Iowa

Positive Teaching Techniques

     Friday, July 16th   3:30-5:30p.m.
     Thursday, July 22nd  12:00-2:00p.m.
 
     Training provided by American Institute of Management.
       See Sign-up sheet at work location.

This session focuses again on the skills needed to reward, refine and reshape behavior to enhance personal satisfaction, and home and community interaction. Practical, hands-on instruction will reinforce the concepts behind the learning and making the results useful immediately after the conference.

Objectives:

 - State four values of positive teaching and positive behavior support.
 - Understand how your attitudes and values shape the nature of your interactions with
   persons you support.
 - Demonstrate understanding of the Ignore/Interrupt; Redirect; Reward process.
 - State and demonstrate 5 types of prompts.
 - Define and demonstrate shaping and chaining techniques.

 

Incident Prevention

     Friday, August 13th - 3:30-5:30pm    
     Thursday,
August 26th - 12:00-2:00pm
    
Training provided by American Institute of Management.
       See Sign-up sheet at work location.

The best way to address an incident is not to have one in the first place! Learn the steps, tips, and techniques necessary to increase opportunities to prevent incidents.

Objectives:

 - Understand the link between communication, relationships, and environment
 - Review the stages of the behavior cycle
 - Understand 5 steps related to behavior
 - Establish proactive strategies
 - Link the information to actions used to support specific clients

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Article Five - A Time of Change


One need only look at the TV or pick up a news paper to see how fast and furious the pace of change has become.  As we move through this time of change we are challenged to manage for the best outcome for all of our associates. The economy has caused some the biggest changes and will continue to cause them for the foreseeable
future. Last December we experienced the first of the cuts in funding.  Even with funding cuts AmeriServe continued to support people with the quality and dignity they deserve. As we look to the future we may experience many more challenges such as this. Clients and customers of AmeriServe can rest assured that we will carefully plan and manage to reduce the impact of these changes on the quality of the supports we provide.  We will work with funders, counties and case mangers to ensure we have met the challenges in a fashion that results in the continuation of the quality and dignity of a lifestyle of choice
purpose and value. Working with  all our stakeholders to pursue the best possible result is another one of the things that makes us “The People Company”

 

Tom Hoff,

Director of Marketing & Business Development 

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Article Six - Volunteer Opportunities include FUN!

Volunteering is fun!  It can also lead to the development of some very special relationships!  Thus it is with participants of the ASI day habilitation program and Santa’s Children Christmas Village and its founder, Orin Hodges. People participating in the day habilitation program have had a relationship with Orin and this non-profit organization for over a year.  Santa’s Village helps children and families in need locally and all over the world.  ASI clients volunteer at Santa’s Village doing things such as packing donated items for delivery or shipping, helping to set up for fundraisers and banquets, labeling donated books, and doing sorting and inventory of donated items. Over the summer they have helped tend a garden which the Village distributes to those in need.

 

Clients and staff were recently invited to spend the day at Santa’s Village, enjoying a picnic lunch, fishing, cooling off in the water, and relaxing in the wide open spaces.  Here’s what some of the people had to say about their day:

 

 - Matthew S.:  “I liked that we got to go fishing and caught 9 fish, and how Orin, the
   owner, was so nice and respectful to me.”

 - Bryan S.:  “I liked going fishing.  There is a lot of fish in the ponds, and the food was
   great.”

 - Heather S.: “I enjoyed the BBQ and the fire hydrant that Orin sprayed.  It was fun
   running through it.”

 - Jacob S.:  Jacob enjoyed getting wet and getting in the pool; he didn’t want to leave.

 - Rob P.: “I really liked the hamburgers.”

 - John C.:  “I had fun fishing with my teacher Jim.”

 - Nancy A.:  Ice cream!

 - Justin S.: Justin liked walking around in the big open space!


Many thanks to Orin for the day of fun and relaxation! We look forward to continuing to help others through our volunteer experiences at Santa’s Children Christmas Village.

Mike Caricofe, Planning Center Coordinator

Sue Blakestad, CSC Specialist

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Article Seven - Gifts of Summer Gardening

 

 



 

“Keep Council Bluffs Beautiful” in cooperation with the Council Bluffs Recreation and Parks Department introduced a new program this spring called Creek Top Community Gardens. The purpose is to provide a place where people can garden if they do not have space at their own homes. Many people receive joy in gardening and this new program has provided the opportunity for people served by AmeriServe International, Inc. to be among them. The garden plots that have been made available through this program have proven to be a productive and rewarding project for persons served at the day habilitation program.  Brian said, “Gardening takes patience and skills; I have learned it is not done in one day.”  Cameron says he “enjoys pulling weeds and has learned not to over-water the plants.”  David, Ben, and Kathleen each had the same answer as to what they enjoyed about the garden:  they each said it “smells good!”  They also said they enjoy digging in the dirt and watching the plants grow.  Soon they will be enjoying the rewards and the fruits of their labor.

 

Alan Blakestad,

Director


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Previous Newsletters:
 

Arizona
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009

June 2009
May 2009
April 2009

March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November  2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
 

Iowa
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
November 2009

October 2009
September 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009

February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
September 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
 

 

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