Newsletter spring 2010

Making a Difference. Changing Lives.™ Together, we are changing the lives of over 28,000 children, families and seniors.

Spring 2010

Miranda: Road to Social Acceptance

Land O’Lakes employee volunteers completed outdoor projects at our Omegon Residential Treatment Center in Minnetonka including exterior painting, major grounds clean up and landscaping.

National Volunteer Recognition Week is April 18-24

Miranda*, almost 11, stepped heavily out of the school bus and onto the pavement.

She squeezed between two rusty old cars and trudged up the fractured sidewalk toward her home in north Minneapolis.

As she plodded homeward, she could feel her damp underwear beneath the old sweatshirt and pants the school had loaned to her. Her own clothes were contained in the plastic bag she carried.

Earlier that day as she had bent over to collect pond water for a science project, a classmate had pushed her into the lake.

She was absolutely soaked. Everyone had laughed at her. She hated them all. She hated school. She hated everything.

At school, students persistently tormented Miranda. They harassed her about everyHave you had a great experience volunteering, either with us or with another organization? thing including her weight, unkempt hair, rumpled clothes, and the acne on her Please send us your story! We’ll be highlighting the experiences of volunteers in our face. They ridiculed and taunted her until community on our blog (http://voamn.blogspot.com) throughout the month of April.

Please submit your stories and/or photos via email to Kristin Cook at kcook@voamn.org she went berserk. She typically shutdown, collapsed to the floor and cried, lashed

by April 30th. One contributor will be chosen at random to receive a special Volunteers of America gift basket! out in retaliation, or ran away. The torture Here are some opportunities to volunteer and make a difference with us this summer/fall: made Miranda feel sick and caused her to be absent 80% of the time due to • Bowling for Backpacks: Tuesday, July 27th, 5-8pm, Park Tavern, St. Louis Park. headaches, stomachaches, and various Get a team of bowlers together to have fun, kick-off our Operation Backpack program, other ailments. She was an angry girl who and raise money for Volunteers of America. More details online at www.voamn.org was not progressing academically. under the “Events” tab.

(Continued on page 2) • Operation Backpack: August 2nd-23rd. Purchase or collect new backpacks filled with school supplies for at-risk children and teens in need. More details online at: www.operationbackpackmn.org.

We couldn’t do all that we do without the help and support of our volunteers!

• Thanksgiving Food Drives: September 1st-November 12th. Organize a Thanksgiving food drive at your office, neighborhood, or church to provide complete Thanksgiving meals to families and seniors in need. More details online at: www.thanksgivingbagsmn.org.

• Adopt a Family: September 1st-Mid-December (drop-off dates TBD). Sponsor a lowincome family, senior, or child by purchasing holiday gifts from wish lists written by the recipients themselves. More details online at www.adoptafamilymn.org.

• Specialized Volunteer Projects: Ongoing. A chance to work in partnership with us to develop a unique, impactful volunteer experience for your corporate/employee group.

Contact Vicki Testerman at vtesterman@voamn.org or 952-945-4063 for more information. More details online at www.voamn.org under the “Events” tab.

Corporate Support Office | 7625 Metro Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55439 ph. 952-945-4000 | fx. 952-945-4103 We are one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in the state. ©2010 Volunteers of America–Minnesota®

Miranda: Road to Social Acceptance (continued from page 1) “I have no friends because everyone hates me,” Miranda thought to herself as she opened the twisted screen door to the house where she was greeted by two German Shepherds and five cats. She was home and the air was thick with the typical odors of cigarette smoke, fried food, and cat pee. “Shut the (expletive) door,” her mother bellowed from the other room.

Home was no relief. Miranda’s single mother was unable to work because of mental health issues including Bipolar Disorder. As a result, she had significant financial problems, which caused the home to fall into disrepair. It was also a filthy mess. Miranda’s mother was a large woman who screamed often and preferred swearing to more conventional vocabulary.

Mor Lee: Alive! traumatic memories of the violence she had witnessed during the Communist takeover combined with the deaths of her family members consumed Mor Lee. She was tremendously depressed most of the time.

Then in 2009, Mor Lee moved to Minneapolis to live with her daughter and her daughter’s husband’s family.

The house is very small and there is no space for Mor Lee, so she sleeps on the couch or in the corner of the living room.

Mor Lee led a peaceful life in Laos with her In Hmong culture, when a daughter husband and five children. It was a simple marries, she belongs to her husband’s existence, and she was satisfied because family and is no longer responsible for she had the things she and her family needed to live day-to-day on their small farm. her birth family. Again, Mor Lee felt uninvited, like she didn’t belong there.

But then, her husband was killed while fight- Again, Mor Lee felt isolated and was ing in the Laotian Civil War. A few years later overtaken by deep sadness. following the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam But that’s when Mor Lee’s daughter in 1975, the Lao kingdom was overthrown by the Communists. Hmong people, like Mor contacted Volunteers of America’s Lee and her children, became the targets of Hmong ElderConnections program.

The program offers positive cultural, retaliation and persecution. All four of Mor educational and social experiences Lee’s sons were murdered as a result of for seniors of the Hmong community Communist revenge. to help preserve their physical and emotional health and well being. Also, That’s when Mor Lee and her daughter, along with thousands of other Laotian Hmong, the program fills a void in the lives of isolated Hmong elders, teaches them made the dangerous escape across the Mekong River into Thailand where they were about their new country, and gives them a place to find resources and support. often attacked. Mor Lee quietly waited in a Thai refugee camp for more than five years Getting out of the house regularly and for an opportunity to relocate. attending the Hmong ElderConnections program is just what Mor Lee needed.

Finally in 1992, she immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Fresno, California in the home She has made close friends with others who attend the program, many of which of a nephew. Mor Lee had high hopes for a also suffered similar traumatic experibetter life. However, she always felt out of ences due to war, death of family, and place in her nephew’s home. She felt like she didn’t belong there. In Hmong culture, it loss of homeland. They talk about their grief. They discuss the past and look is important for parents to have a son to be responsible for them as they age. Sadly, Mor to the future. It’s a place where Mor Lee, age 74, feels welcome. It’s a place Lee no longer had any sons. where she feels she belongs, a place where she can discuss problems, and Over the next years, Mor Lee became ask for help. Mor Lee says, “Hmong increasingly isolated because of language and cultural barriers. To make things worse, ElderConnections is a place where I feel alive.”

2 Making a Difference. Changing Lives.™

In her presence, Miranda felt she could never do anything right.

A social worker at school became aware of the Miranda’s difficulties at home and school and referred her to the Volunteers of America-Minnesota (VOA) Children’s Mental Health Case Management program which offers coordination of various services that enable children with emotional disturbances to remain living at home. The family was assigned a case manager who identified and managed various services. A VOA Mental Health Clinics psychiatrist evaluated Miranda and diagnosed her with depression and anxiety, while ruling out Bipolar Disorder, and she completed mental health day treatment program to help deal with these issues. VOA therapists worked with Miranda regularly to help her develop coping skills, decrease her anger, worries and impulsiveness, as well as increase her self-esteem. VOA’s RSVP-Telefriends program helped Miranda improve her reading skills by reading books with her over the phone. Gradually, Miranda began to make progress. The turning point came in August 2009, when Miranda and her mother moved to a new apartment in a Twin Cities suburb. VOA’s therapists prepared Miranda for the starting class at the new school with a combination of social skills development and role-playing.

Miranda applied what she learned and made three friends the first day.

Today, Miranda is 13, in the 8th grade, and is blossoming. She takes better care of her personal hygiene and her acne has cleared up. She participates in a friendship group at school and is on the Yearbook Committee. For the first time in her life, she has friends and has been invited to a birthday party. Miranda will tell you, “Now that I have friends, I am happy and look forward to going to school. I used to hate reading. Now I ask to go to the library.” *The subject’s name and certain details have been changed for confidentiality.

The individual in the photo is a model.

Christine Harnack Receives MFBSA Award The Minnesota Family Based Services Association (MFBSA) honored Christine Harnack, MA, LP, LMFT, Director of our Mental Health Clinics, with the Presidential Award in February. The award recognized Ms. Harnack (pictured below) for the stellar outcomes she has achieved for children and families, as well as for exemplifying strength-based, family-centered philosophy, earning the respect of her peers, and for serving as a leader in the community.

Recent Retirees from the Highrise Social Service Program

Park ElderCenter Celebrates Black History Month

Tom Korich (pictured below) retired in January 2010 after 15 years of service as a Social Worker in the Highrise Social Service Program. Tom worked with thousands of Minneapolis Public Housing residents over the years and those residents have expressed their immense gratitude for the assistance he provided.

Tom plans to enjoy his free time on his boat “Up North” and watching his daughter participate in synchronized skating.

Seniors at our Park ElderCenter celebrated Black History Month and the contributions of African Americans in February with a series of educational programs including “Tribute to the Black Soldiers of WWII” featuring World War II Historian Joe Brown, and “Black History From A Generation-X Perspective: Can You Feel Me?” presented

by Reggie Edwards, a professional speaker on Black History in America.

(Pictured above are Liz Moore, Reggie Edwards and Willie Daniels.)

MDS-MNSA Goes to National Academic Bowl Our sponsored charter school, Metro Deaf School-Minnesota North Star Academy (MDS-MNSA) placed second in the Midwest Regional Academic Bowl competition hosted by Gallaudet University at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf during the first weekend of February. The win will allow the team (pictured below) to advance to the national championship games to be held at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC in April.

Kathy Veranth (pictured below) is retiring in April 2010 after 31 years of service. Kathy began as a Statistical Clerk, was promoted to Social Service Coordinator and then licensed Social Worker for our Highrise Social Service Program. Kathy is looking forward to relaxing with a good book and spending time with her family.

DeAnna Lucas Receives ARRM Cares Award DeAnna Lucas, a counselor for our Services to Persons with Special Needs program, was one of six direct support professionals to receive the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM) Cares Award. The award recognizes professionals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to providing quality services including professional integrity, advocacy, and innovative approach. Ms. Lucas will be formally presented with the award in May at The ARRM Cares Award Ceremony in Minneapolis. (Pictured above are DeAnna Lucas and Steve Sargent, a resident at our Portland Home.)

Making a Difference. Changing Lives.™ 3

Noteworthy Tidbits

Leave A Legacy…

A team of our therapists attended and completed more than 80 hours of intensive, advanced training in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) this past year and are now in a position to be certified DBT Therapists. The team included Katie Troyak, Julie Bluhm, and Jaime Monson of our Mental Health Clinics, and Jennifer Barrett and Sara Boelman from our Avanti Center for Girls.

Larry Weight and Jason Smith of our Mental Health Clinics completed Evidenced Based Practices Training sponsored by the Department of Human Services and are in a position to be certified EBT Therapists.

Kelly Krueger, Ehlan Thompson and Julie Bluhm completed Trauma Focused Evidence Based Practices Training sponsored by the Department of Human Services and are in position to be certified TR-EBT therapists.

Gifts that make a difference for years to come.

Would you like to help those in need, but don’t think you can?

Did you know you can make a gift that pays steady income?

Charitable Gift Annuities offer a “win-win” for donors and Volunteers of America-Minnesota.

They offer great returns, plus your income taxes may be reduced and your spendable income may go up.

Please contact Laura Wagner, Volunteers of America–Minnesota, at 952-945-4061 or lwagner@voamn.org Consult your tax advisor regarding these types of gifts and estate planning.

Volunteers of America–Minnesota www.voamn.org

Would you like to receive our newsletter and updates via email?

Simply go to www.voamn.org and click on, “Sign up for our Email List.”

7625 Metro Boulevard Minneapolis MN 55439 Corporate Support Office Main: 952.945.4000 Fax: 952.945.4100

voamn.blogspot.com VOA_MN Volunteers-of-America-Minnesota

Follow us on: Return Service Requested 7625 Metro Boulevard Minneapolis, MN 55439 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID MINNEAPOLIS MN PERMIT NO 27491