Five County August 2015 Newsletter

Five County August 2015 Newsletter

Submitted by Nicky Chavez on Wed, 08/12/2015 - 12:16pm

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

Our first quarter recognition goes to Spencer Oliverson. Spencer has been working with the facility since 2012 and is one of our Full Time Therapeutic Technicians. We would like to thank Spencer for his dedication and hard work. Runner ups are Janeen Elliot, Kory Orme, and Jeanette Lundquist. Thanks for being a great part of our Team!!

Our Second quarter staff recognition goes to Ida Butigan. Ida has been cooking in our kitchen for the last six years. She cooks fabulous meals and is always trying new ways to cook things, especially vegetables to try and get our residents eating our veggies! She also cooks remarkable feasts for holidays such as Easter , Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Thank you Ida for all your dedication and hard work. Runner ups for this quarter are Catherine Nielson, Kory Orme, and Scott Murdoch. We are so proud of our great staff we have at Five County!

HONORS

We would like to congratulate one of our residents who started with us with only a few high school credits. She worked very hard and graduated Five County making a place on the National Honors Society. She is now taking college courses here to continue her education to become an anesthesiologist. We know great things are on the horizon for this resident! Congratulations! Five County also had two other residents graduate high school during this last quarter and we want to congratulate them on their hard work. The ceremonies are always fun to attend and so many people came to share in the celebration of their accomplishments.

EASTER Celebrating

Easter would not be Easter without dying some eggs. That was one of the fun activities our residents did to celebrate the holiday. The residents also made paper mache' baskets to put their colorful eggs in. it is always amazing to see the talent that comes from our residents. A good time was had by all, followed by a full ham dinner.

NEW MURAL

There is an old Native American tale about two wolves. Here is a rundown:

An old Cherokee told his grandson

"My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth."

The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?"

The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed." (Author Unknown)

Our Lady Warriors (Female Residential Treatment) Group decided they wanted to do a mural to depict this tale. We have been lucky enough to have local artist Daniel Hidalgo partner with the Center to create visual arts and interior design. He came back this  year to make the mural possible. Daniel has a B.A.. in Arts from Boise State University. The group first worked together as a team and sketched the mural on a poster size piece of paper, They then divided the drawing up into brick sections. Then, Daniel taught them how to transfer the drawings into mural size onto the classroom wall. After this was completed, the residents were instructed in the painting process and began painting their drawings. Materials and man hours for the project came from a grant from Parent Unlimited. The many hours of instruction, were done by Daniel, from the the Idaho Art Lab. The Idaho Art Lab is a non profit art center located in St. Anthony , Idaho started by Daniel and his wife Kara, with am mission statement to promote art education in the community. A great big thanks to Daniel for sharing his love and talent in art!

DO I HEAR CHICKENS

That's right. A new experience for the residents happened this year. Baby chicks moved into the Center to be taken care of by the residents. They were responsible to clean the living habitat, feed, water and all around care for the chicks. A few became quite tame and one even decided it wanted to hang with the Therapy Pup Kaya! They became good friends. The residents had fun with the project and even named each of the chicks. The chickens are now moved out and on a farm but the experience will never be forgotten, at least by the residents and Kaya!

I SMELL HOMEMADE FRY BREAD

We started our summer kick off with homemade fry bread. This has always been a favorite at the facility and it was cooked outside with all the fixings. The residents enjoyed the bread along with visiting with staff while everyone enjoyed the spring sunshine. They even made "moose poop" out of some of the bread. Now I know that sounds a little scary but it is delicious. Just unwrap a Hershey's kiss and put it inside a ball of fry bread. Deep fry it and then roll in powder sugar. It is a favorite way to fix the fry bread!

DBT SKILLS CORNER

How many times do we feel like we give so much, that we neglect ourselves in the process? One of the DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills is Cheerleading Statements. We need to learn that if we are not taking care of ourselves, then we are not as effective at assisting others. Cheerleading statements can help us get perspective and make good choices. Here are a few examples:

1. I Can stand it if I don't get what I want or need.

2. There is no law that says other people's opinions are more valid than mine.

3. Giving, giving, giving is not the be-all of life. I am an important person in this world, too.

4. I am under no obligation to say yes to people simply because they ask a favor of me.

5. The fact that I say no to someone does not make me a selfish person.

So the next time you feel you are stretched to the limit, that there is not one more thing you can do in your busy schedule, try these out! You are only one person. One very important person, but still only able to do so much!