Newsletter for October 2005 Volume 2 - Issue 10 - Page 1

General Operations
Ladeska (Decky) Makings
Chief Operations Officer
Thanks to the nearly 700 of you who attended our annual Chris Cakes pancake feed! This was the largest crowd ever and everyone seemed to enjoy the food, music and other entertainment immensely. Our new Director of Development, Connie Oetken, deserves high praise for an event well planned and well attended with nearly 500 tickets sold prior to the event. Thanks to her and our foundation board for the fine service at the event, volunteers, and especially all of you for coming. Next year we’ll have more ‘griddle masters’ so the wait won’t be so long. 

Our Leadership team is working to develop a new mission statement. We are looking for just the right words to briefly describe our commitment to supporting people with disabilities in living a lifetime of growth and achievement. If you would like to give it a shot we would love to hear from you. Call or send your ideas to me at the Plant, PO Box 838, and I’ll pass them along to the team for consideration.

We’re all grateful to Kaye Garvert, our Fiscal Director, and the president of both of our boards, Bob Anderson, for the work and successful negotiations involved in health insurance renewals. Our health insurance premiums will increase but Sunflower has made a commitment to absorb the additional cost so staff premiums will remain at current levels.

This last ‘mini-reorganization’ of Community Supports management has worked well. Thomas and Amanda are proving themselves a great addition to the team. All of the coordinators and managers deserve high praise for their commitment to Sunflower and the people we work for. They go about their sometimes difficult, time-consuming jobs without fanfare and without expectation of the recognition they deserve. I am very fortunate to have such an amazing team - management, support staff, and direct support staff - to work with in this constantly changing, immensely rewarding profession we have chosen.

Day Services
Sarah Krom
“Out with the old, In with the new” is a clever turn of a phrase that typically we hear when things are changing. In the case of ‘old’ staff wealth of experience and dedication is being lost. With the addition of ‘new’ staff to take their place, it can mean exciting new approaches that liven up our day-to-day duties. Rose Yeager spent years at SDS working in the employment services program - most recently as the
Manager at the recycling drop off. She has moved on to a new position as a Para-educator with USD 428 Special Services. We will miss her! Opening up a new opportunity, Dan Zimmerschied has been promoted to the manager’s position, and has hit the ground running. Dan has a real interest in expansion and is excited about contributing his former experience as a store manager to the future success of the SDS recycling program. Harold and I look forward to working with Dan, trying out a few new ideas along the way. 

I have just ended a week of travel and meetings. In Topeka attending the KS. Public Transportation Assoc. annual meeting I was re-elected to the Board of that organization for another year.

KDOT has faired well in the federal transportation funding programs and unless the KS Legislature raids funds for schools transportation funding should remain intact.

Then off I went to Garden City, attending a recycling meeting, I heard positive trends for the future and networked with recyclers from across the state. Viewing the facility their city operates makes me realize how great ours is. We have jobs for 20+ people everyday and the opportunity to utilize non-disabled workers along with the folks we serve to perform a great community service. We have nice facilities, truck routes [which no-one else has], and plans to continue to expand this program. 

Penny and Janice attended an inspiring training on program services for folks who are beginning to think about retirement from employment services. They heard ideas on community activities and will bring new activities to life for folks in the CHS retirement program.