Inspirations

good knightsGroup doesn’t need shining armor to aid community

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Winter 2011

the art ofvolunteeringCorporate volunteers help individuals create works of art

7keeping us connectedInformation Technologydepartment makes work easier for associates

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gettingto work

New van serves individuals in vocational program, pg. 3

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KoiNoNia Homes, iNc.6161 Oak Tree Blvd., Suite 400Independence , OH 44131Phone: 216.588.8777Fax: 216.588.5670

KoiNoNia eNterprises, LLcAdult Day Support & Vocational Services1200 Resource DriveBrooklyn Heights, OH 44131Phone: 216.741.6659Fax: 216.741.6838

www.koinoniahomes.org

Board of directors

fred a. Watkins, Chairmantodd Hays, Secretary/TreasurerKate fenner

Josh Gordon

ethan mcpeake

presideNt/ceo

diane Beastrom

vice presideNtsJody curry Institutional Advancement & Communications

Nancy disbrow Human Resources

david Laubenthal Physical Resources

carol morton Finance

Joann Watterson Government Relations

from the president /ceo

As a non-profit organization, Koinonia depends upon the community to help further our mission of serving adults with intellectual and developmen-tal disabilities. It is truly inspiring when others join in our efforts to achieve outcomes that were once dreams.

This was the case at last September’s CBIZ Walk for D.R.E.A.M.S., in which Koinonia supporters walked together to raise funds to purchase a 12- passenger cargo van for Koinonia Enterprises’ vocational program. The van arrived in December with great fanfare and is showcased on the cover of this newsletter. We are sincerely grateful to the individual donors, families and businesses that championed this wonderful cause on behalf of our individuals’ needs. Once again, we thank you.

The Garfield Heights chapter of Knights of Columbus has long believed in Koinonia and our mission. For the past several years, they have supported us by holding a fun basketball Free Throw event each December in which our individuals participate.

Supporting Koinonia does not always come in monetary or tangible incre-ments. Providing time and/or advocacy is also a valuable asset for our orga-nization. This past December, a group of employees from Rockwell Automa-tion volunteered a morning to help some of our individuals attending our Koinonia Enterprises’ adult day with their art projects. It was an outstand-ing morning for all who participated! Volunteer opportunities always exist at Koinonia and we eagerly welcome new volunteers.

We are thrilled when those in the community engage with Koinonia so we are making a concerted effort to make more of those connections possible. By increasing our online presence, including adding Facebook and Twitter accounts, we’re letting more people know about the organization and what we do. Please let us hear from you.

It’s not too early to save the date for our annual COnnECTeon luncheon coming up on June 14, 2011, where you can connect with Koinonia and others in the community. We are pleased to present “Rudy” Ruettiger, notre Dame ‘76 —the inspiration behind the movie Rudy—as our speaker at the event.

D i a n e B e a s t r o m

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Kate Fenner first learned about Koinonia through a former board member, Joe Kilbane. She told him, “it sounded like a wonderful organization and if they ever needed help he should call me. I have been family, children, career, and business focused for so many years. I thought it was time to give back.” It was Koinonia’s mission that drew Fenner in. “It is a mission with such an important purpose,” she says. “My heart went out to the folks with disabilities and their fami-lies.” Koinonia offers that opportunity to help and make a difference in their lives. “The organization is working so well,” she observes, “That I only see it developing further.” Fenner spends her days as an attorney with KeyBank, focusing on employee benefits and human resources. She keeps busy outside of work. “As the mom to four kids, my focus is family,” Fenner explains. In addition, she and her family developed a business of purchasing and renting resi-dential homes, which includes running a weekly vacation business in Vermilion.

Getting to Work

The proceeds from this past September’s Walk for D.R.E.A.M.S enabled Koinonia to purchase a 12- passenger cargo van for use in its vocational program.

Part of participants’ vocational training is loading the vending machines at Koinonia’s main office and at Koinonia Enterprises. Above: David and Adrian, individuals in the program, unload the van.

welcome New Board of Directors members

the new year brings new people to Koinonia,

including Kate fenner and Josh Gordon, who are

serving on our Board of directors.

Josh Gordon also came to Koinonia through a board member—Ethan McPeake, a close friend of his family. “I’m still fairly new in my dealings with Koinonia,” Gordon says. “But the people that I’ve met thus far are amazing. This alone leads me to believe that there is tons of potential here.” He joins the board wanting to give back to our commu-nity, but he’s no stranger to volunteerism and philanthro-py. “My father is a Lutheran pastor for St. John/St. Paul in Akron,” Gordon notes. “And I have been a member of its board and have contributed in many philanthropic events around the church.” In his professional life, Gordon has an MBA and “nine years of marketing and sales experience working for Info-Cision Management Company.” Currently, he is Director of Client Services within the Business Services division. His ex-perience and skills will help him “bring leadership, market-ing acumen, and an in-depth knowledge of fund raising to the table as a board member for Koinonia.” Outside of work and volunteerism, Gordon enjoys fitness, all sports, coaching, and raising his two children, Jameson and Scarlet.

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Koinonia’s information technology department

makes work easier

Above: Stuart Davis, Erik Toth and Maria Florio.

connectedkeeping us

The term “man’s best friend” was obviously coined in a pre-computer age. With all due respect to lovable canines, dogs don’t save us from corrupted files, broken Internet con-nections and other computer maladies. Without working tech-nology, most of us are lost and defeated by our lack of technical savvy–until an IT person comes to the rescue, restoring our connection to work and the world. A friend indeed. Koinonia’s Information Technology (IT) department provides help in the time of need. “The department is set up to be customer service oriented,” says Dave Laubenthal, Vice President of Physical Resources. The customer being any of Koinonia’s over 500 employees. While not every associate has a computer or cell phone, the department supports 218 computer work stations and 137 cell phones. (not to mention all the numerous land phone lines.) That’s an impressive amount for a department that includes four: Dave Laubenthal, Director Erik Toth, Systems Analyst Stuart Davis and Administrative Assistant Maria Florio. Fortunately, “The way the system is designed is that most IT support requests can be handled remotely,” Toth explains. All issues or requests filter through Florio, who can sometimes address the issue. Otherwise, the requests are prioritized and handled accordingly. Davis is able to address the majority of issues over the phone by walking associates through the problem. “When there’s an issue with their computer, people can get frantic,” Davis explains. “They might be trying to deal with consumers and a dozen other concerns. So I feel good when I help them solve the problem and they can get back to their job.” “The aim of the department is to provide state of the art technologies to our employees to do their job more efficiently so they have more time to spend with consumers,” Lauben-thal elaborates. Tracking each IT issue or request allows Toth to identify patterns, so if a larger issue needs to be looked at, Toth can

continued, pg. 5

The first Saturday of each December, the gymnasium of St. Monica’s is filled with the sounds of basketballs swish-ing through hoops and cheering participants. For years, The Garfield Heights Council of the Knights of Columbus has host-

ed a Free Throw contest for individuals that Koinonia serves. “Every year the event gets bigger,” says

Joe Putka, a member of Knights of Columbus and organizer of the Free Throw contest. “We had the biggest

crowd this year.” The reason it has kept growing is because Koinonia keeps grow-

ing, bringing more individuals each year to enjoy the experience. Putka loves “seeing the excitement on their faces when they win—or even just when they participate” in the basketball free throw. The Knights hold the event, free to Koinonia individuals, because of their belief in charity and service. In addition to organizing the Free Throw, the Knights of Columbus has supported Koinonia with annual donations. Proceeds from its split raffle at each monthly meeting, an aluminum can recycling drive and collections in the commu-nity benefit Koinonia and a handful of other non-profits. Koinonia is honored to be chosen as an organization the Knights of Columbus believes in and supports. Putka simply and aptly says that Koinonia individuals are part of our com-munity, and “we should support our brothers.”

more than a game

Laura moved into one of Koinonia’s homes this past summer. When her family’s longtime friends, Rudy and Sharon Kandrack, visited her new home, they decided to spread some holiday cheer to its residents. The Kandracks purchased and donated a Nintendo Wii game system for Laura and her roommates to enjoy and use to stay active. Pictured are Laura with the new game, (L-R:) Laura’s mother Christine Serio, Rudy Kandrack and Sharon Kandrack.

d o N o r s p o t L i G H t

look at the system. “Then I have those discussions with vice presidents and the like to make global changes to how we do things,” Toth says. The IT department is constantly evaluating and updating Koinonia’s technologies, to the benefit of all associates, our sites—and, ultimately, our consumers. A majority of the staff connects to Koinonia’s server (to access email and files) remotely. This February, the IT department is piloting a beefed-up remote access system. The new system, Citrix, is much less bandwidth intensive and takes less system resources to run it. That means associates will encounter less pauses and slow downs when working remotely. Koinonia’s growth in the past two years led to many new technology upgrades and implementations in 2010, most of which associates would never know occurred. One system rolled out this past fall that employees benefit from is Care-Tracker. This system reduces the amount of time direct care staff spend documenting and reporting, allowing them more time to focus on consumers. Whether the upgrades to Koinonia’s technologies are noticeable or just keep work running smoothly and efficiently, the IT department is behind it, with the service to back up the technology they provide us.

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keeping us connected continued from page 4

Knights of Columbus, Garfield Heights Council

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annual luncheon

Tuesday, June 1411:30 am - 1:30 pmThe Silver Grille at the Higbee Building200 W. Prospect Ave, Cleveland

ConneCTeonWith special guest speaker RUDY Ruettiger (Notre Dame, ’76)the inspiration behind the film Rudy

t e a m W o r K . c o m m i t m e N t . a t t i t u d e .

s a v e t h e

d a t e}

For Koinonia, better health is much more than a new Year’s resolution: It’s part of our mission. Many of the individuals we serve, as well as associates, have gone through the Healthy Living program in which they

learn how to make healthier choices. This February, Koinonia is piloting a Health Advocacy program with 26 individuals.

At 14 weeks long, this program offers measurable goals and places a strong focus on hands-on activities, mostly related to healthful eating. Individuals

will meet once a week in small groups of three to five with their trainer (be it a nurse or residential supervisor). Each person will set a goal, such as losing five pounds, being more active or eating less sugar.

Throughout the program, individuals will participate in a variety of activities that will enhance their learning and understanding of health.

They will use flashcards that feature myriad foods and “create” a healthy meal on a real plate. Participants will analyze real restaurant menus and

pick out healthier choices. The Food Pyramid will provide a foundation for their learning and guide to their choices.

The Health Advocacy program complements the closer look Koinonia is taking at residents’ food choices. Quarterly, dieticians assess individuals who live at ICF/MR homes, and they pro-vide monthly menus to each home. This past December, healthy meal plans were distributed to waiver sites. Koinonia will be working more closely with associates who do the grocery shopping and meal preparation in the homes. This winter, instructors through The Ohio State University Extension office will lead a training session for about 20 associates, helping them to make healthier choices for individuals—and themselves.

For more information about Koinonia’s health and wellness programs, contact Gail McPeake at 216.588.8777, ext. 142 or Gail.McPeake@koinonahomes.org.

For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Jody Curry at 216.588.8777, ext. 109.

a good state of health

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voLuNteer opportunities

coffee & crafts voLuNteerShare camaraderie over a cup of coffee (or tea) and sim-ple craft projects. Many individuals with developmental disabilities love making arts and crafts. Having someone new to help them with their projects makes it even more enjoyable. no artistic talent necessary—just patience and a positive attitude! Any or all of the following upcoming evenings could benefit from volunteers.

Thursdays. Feb. 24; March 24; April 21; May 19; and June 23Time: 6-7:30 pm

Game NiGHt voLuNteerWhether it’s shooting pool, playing Wii or a board game, you will have a fun evening interacting with individuals. no special skills are required. Just by playing a simple card game with someone, you can make an impact. Any or all of the following upcoming evenings could benefit from volunteers.

Thursdays. Feb. 10; March 10; April 7; May 5; and June 9Time: 6-7:30 pm

daNce voLuNteerYou’ve never seen more enthusiastic dancers until you have been to a dance at Koinonia! Here’s your opportunity to boogie with the best and help make the evening fun for the individuals we serve. If you think you have two left feet, help out with set up, clean up and refreshments. Any or all of the following upcoming dances could benefit from volunteers.

Valentine’s Day Dance: Saturday, Feb. 19St. Patrick’s Day Dance, Saturday, March 19Summer Bash Dance, Saturday, June 25Time: 6-8 pm

teacH & sHareDo you have a special talent or interest you would like to share with others? Maybe it’s a simple craft, dramatic arts, nature, or lessons on safety or history. Koinonia is open to your ideas. Consider sharing a lesson with individuals in our adult day support program.

Scheduled at your and Koinonia’s convenience. Monday-Friday, between the hours of 9 am – 3 pm

All of these opportunities are at Koinonia Enterprises, 1200 Resource Drive in Brooklyn Heights. If you are interested in any of these opportunities or other ways to volunteer with Koinonia, contact Lisa Hofmann at 216.588.8777, ext. 351 or Lisa.Hofmann@koinoniahomes.org.

the artof volunteering

this past december, employees from rockwell automation

donated a morning of their time to individuals at Koinonia’s

enterprises day support program. under the instruction of an

art therapist, eight volunteers guided individuals in creating

pieces of artwork. the pieces, assembled together, vibrantly spell

“Koinonia cares” and decorate a hallway at the center.

6161 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 400Independence, OH 44131ph: 216.588.8777fax: 216.588.5670www.koinoniahomes.org

partnering with people who have developmental disabilities to achieve healthy, fulfilling, enriched lives.

InspirationsWinter 2011

follow KoinoniaCommunity and fellowship are as central to Koinonia as they are to the meaning of the word koinonia. It makes sense for us to foster community—and communications—through the ever-growing online world. Dis-cover more about Koinonia: our programs, news, and every day goings on. Keep connected with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Visit our web site koi-noniahomes.org to link to all three social media sites.

Let’s dance!If you have heard the rumors about just how fun dances at Koinonia Enterprises are, don’t feel left out–you’re invited! Dances are open to the community; all ages are welcome. Join us at the next upcoming dances for just $3 per person.

valentine’s day dance Saturday, Feb. 19, 6-8 pm

st. patrick’s day dance Saturday, March 19, 6-8 pm

summer Bash dance Saturday, June 25, 6-8 pm

All dances are held at Koinonia Enterprises, 1200 Resource Drive in Brooklyn Heights. Call 216.741.6659 for more information or to let us know you’re coming.