Mosaic in South Central Iowa Newsletter | 2016 Fall

mission possible summer 2016

a publication of Mosaic in South Central Iowa | www.mosaicincouthcentraliowa.org

Caring Community OUR FANTASTIC FIELD DAY The anticipation leading up to Friday, May 27 was overwhelming and exciting for many of us. But when word got out that rain was in the forecast many spirits were brought down. Was there going to be a track and field day this year or not? Track and Field day is a day all of us look forward to. It is a time to show off our talents and all be together and enjoy the spring day.

But with rain in the forecast, we didn’t know what would come of this day.

Rachelle Williams, Direct Support Manager, and Darcy Aschan, Direct Support Specialist, took charge and made sure that there was a back-up plan. Thank goodness for that back-up plan because we needed it! The back-up was planned to the max and the day center – Expanding Horizons – was turned into an indoor field-day and everyone loved it! There was bocce ball, ring toss, horse shoes, hulahopping, softball throw and more.

assistance to the people Mosaic supports, it allows them to experience fun like they deserve to experience.

We are very thankful for our local supporters. We could not have done it without you!

Roger Ansley, Pepper Pace, Michelle Wessell, Hy-Vee Store Director Jeff Mallory, and Kasi Jones

On top of having the Mosaic team come together and still do what was needed to be done to make sure everyone had a wonderful time, we also had great support from the Osceola community. Our local Hy-Vee store offered to provide their services and food for the day. The store manager Jeff Mallory delivered loose meat sandwiches, chips, and beans – along with delicious cookies!

Being a non-profit in a small town is hard to have successful events because of a small budget so when a community comes to help out and offer their

Mosaic of South Central Iowa is so thankful for the local Hy-Vee for helping give people with intellectual disabilities a wonderful Track and Field day. We truly do have a caring community!

Bridget Derksen, Steve Gilbert, Summer Lettington, Roger Ansley and Joan Broderick practicing their Javelin Throw.

The South Central Iowa Field Day Group

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Mission Possible

Mosaic At Home OUR COMMON LANGUAGE by Jim Poehlman Mosaic is a large organization providing services in 36 agencies across ten different states.

We stretch as far east as Connecticut and Jim Poehlman as far west as Executive Director Arizona. Tanzania Mosaic in South Central Iowa Mosaic employs more than 5,000 people across the country and we support nearly 3,700 people with intellectual disabilities.

We also work with the international partners in Tanzania and Romania to provide services and support for people with intellectual disabilities around the world.

Can you imagine the complexities of operating an organization where the regulations you must follow could be interpreted so many different ways?

This is the challenge that Mosaic faces every day. Because of this, Mosaic knows that it must have a common language that every employee, from our newest person to our seasoned veterans, can speak and understand. For Mosaic, this common language is our Mission, our Vision, and our Values.

Our Mission is “Embracing God’s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life.”

Our Mission is what we do. It’s why we exist. When we “Embrace God’s call to serve in the world” we understand that

we are truly considerate of the enormity of the work we do at Mosaic and we accept our individual responsibility to move our Mission forward.

Mosaic’s core values are Respect, Integrity, Connection, and Safety.

These values are the promises we make about our service to others. They are how we do business at Mosaic. The common language of our core values direct every employee of the organization to be respectful in words and actions to every individual associated with organization to include work colleagues and supervisors, the people we support and their family members, case managers, regulatory oversight, and all stakeholders. We will operate as an organization with integrity as evidenced through our actions of always doing the right thing even when doing the wrong thing would be easier. We will foster and nurture significant connections for those we support to help them live the most meaningful life that they want and we will build partnerships with family members and the community to help move our mission forward. Finally, we will operate with the safety of every individual associated with the organization in mind at all times.

Our vision reads “Mosaic is the recognized leader in making a positive difference in people’s lives. We are passionate about the services and partnerships that create meaningful lives in caring communities. Inspired

Mosaic Mission Possible is published by Mosaic in South Central Iowa | 730 S. Main, P.O. Box 482 Osceola, IA 50213-0484 | 641.342.6015 | www.mosaicinsouthcentraliowa.org Executive Director Public Relations Specialist & Editor

jim.poehlman@mosaicinfo.org kasi.jones@mosaicinfo.org

Mission Embracing God’s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life.

Integrity at Mosaic If you have a concern, call our national Confidential Reporting Hotline at 800.443.4899, or email integrity@mosaicinfo.org

by faith, we give voice to issues that affect people’s lives.” The vision is a direct correlation of our Mission and our Values and it is only through our common language that we can achieve this vision.

At Mosaic, our faith is why we serve.

We are called to love and serve our neighbor. Why we serve has not changed in the 103 years we have been in existence. How we serve has evolved numerous times as our field has changed and the expectations of those we serve (people with disabilities and their families) has changed.

Over the next few pages you will read stories of how our common language brings mission, vision and values to life, through the work of employees, friends and the invididuals we support.

I hope you enjoy it, Jim Poehlman, Executive Director

Connect with Mosaic in Central Iowa! mosaicincentraliowa.org mosaicinfo.org/blog donate.mosaicinfo.org/central-iowa facebook.com/mosaicincentraliowa twitter.com/mosaic_dsm

Relationships Mosaic is an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of Lutheran Services in America.

Non-discrimination Mosaic will not discriminate in matters of employment or service delivery on the basis of race, creed, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status or veteran status.

To be added or removed from the mailing list or to receive information via email, please contact Mosaic at the address given. ©2016 Mosaic. All rights reserved. Mosaic is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

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Mission Possible

Giving a Voice LT. GOV AND GOV. VISIT MOSAIC Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities every day. We dream of a world where people with disabilities thrive as valued participants of their community.

Mosaic is constantly trying to promote public awareness of disability issues, to advocate for equality, and to advance sustainable strategies that shape public policy. Reaching our government officials is so important in our advocacy efforts and when Iowa’s Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds agreed to visit us, we were ecstatic!

Having Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds visit reminds us that all of our efforts are working and to keep pushing every day, no matter the struggles we run into. We are chipping away at a huge rock every day and even though the tasks seems daunting, if we don’t do it, who will?

To learn more about how to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities with your elected official visit mosaicalliedvoices.org.

During their visit we were able speak with the Governor and Lt. Governor about issues that matter to people with intellectual disabilities like funding and our Mosaic at Home program. They asked many questions and showed a lot of interest in the quality of life for the people that we support.

They were able to tour two different apartments to see how the people Mosaic supports live, how they afford to live and what they do. Being able to show them the obstacles people with intellectual disabilities face firsthand was rewarding in so many ways.

Hy-Vee’s beautiful cookies made special for the occasion.

Lunch and Learn Sept 22 | 11:30–12:30 730 South Main St., Osceola, IA October 5 | 11:30–12:30 730 South Main St., Osceola, IA October 19 | 11:30–12:30 1010 Court Ave., Chariton, IA Lunch is provided during DTP – Lunch and Learns

Tony Beck, Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds.

Join us for a free lunch, and learn how Mosaic helps create a life of possibility for adults with intellectual disabilities in our community. You will hear stories told by the people who know Mosaic best—the people we serve, their families and volunteers.

These one-hour presentations open our doors in an attempt to share our mission, vision, and passion for those being served, and lunch is on us!

To reserve your spot, contact Kasi Jones at kasi.jones@mosaicinfo.org or 641.342.6015.

The group posed for a photo in front of Aaron Mateer’s apartment, a person Mosaic supports.

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Mission Possible

730 S. Main PO Box 482 Osceola, IA 50213-0484

A life of possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Meaningful Life HORSE BACK RIDING Helping someone have the most meaningful life can sometimes be challenging working with people who

Becki Cobb practices sitting on the saddle with the Wesley Woods Horse Trainers.

have many unique personalities. One activity Mosaic makes sure to work into the calendar is to go to Wesley Woods in Indianola and go horseback riding.

Horseback riding is very therapeutic and many people really enjoy going, even if they have never seen a horse. As the staff at Wesley Woods would say, “being around horses is just good for the heart.�

Mosaic takes the people we support to Wesley Woods every Monday and Wednesday for one hour. During the hour, they get to ride the horses around the arena and groom them. There are professionals there to provide support and many different horses to bond with.

Many people have their one special horse that they have come to love.

The people Mosaic supports always have a smile on their face when they go.

Getting on a horse can be intimidating at first but to witness someone getting on for a first time and falling in love with the animal is wonderful.

We are so thankful for places like Wesley Woods. They have wonderful staff who love doing their job. Without community partners like Wesley Woods it would be hard to give people

with intellectual disabilities options, which are so important to a meaningful life.

A Wesley Woods Horse Trainer and Joellen Johnson.

Rosemary Harrison gives the horse a hug.

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Mission Possible