On Track - Lifetrack Resources

On Track
with
Lifetrack
Putting Hope Within Reach
Celebrating over 65 Years
Donate online at Lifetrack-MN.org/Donate
Spring 2014
Toppin, Vice President of Programs to Retire; Interim Directors Named
After an impressive
35-year legacy of
passionate service
to our community,
Vice President
of Programs
Cindy Toppin has
announced her
retirement for the
end of February.
Cindy is a respected advocate for public policy
change for low-income families who face multiple
challenges. Her work on behalf of the most
vulnerable in our community earned her the 2012
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Commissioner’s Award in recognition of her tireless
work to promote system change that positively
impacts the most at-risk population of infants and
children in our community.
Lifetrack has announced interim leadership
appointments to transition the agency through
Toppin’s retirement. Michele McNearney and
Diane Heldt will assume oversight for Lifetrack’s
strategic focus areas: Children & Family Healthy
Development and Employment and Economic
Opportunity.
Michele has been a part of the
Lifetrack team for 13 years as
a Speech Pathologist working
with Adults with neurogenic and
respiratory-related disorders
and healthcare administration.
She earned her Masters Degree
in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the
University of MN-Duluth.
Diane joined Lifetrack in 2001.
She earned her Bachelor of
Arts in Social Work from Bethel
College and her Mini-Master of
Business Administration from
the University of St. Thomas.
Diane has been nationally
recognized by The Aspen Institute as a member of
the Fellow of Sector Skills Academy.
Save the Date! Toast to Hope
An evening to benefit the children and families served by Lifetrack
Thursday, May 22, 2014
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Minnesota History Center
Lifetrack-MN.org/Toast
Sponsorship opportunities available contact 651-265-2343
Board of Directors Spotlight: David Kadrie
of service to our community.
Lifetrack’s strategic
work is led by a
dedicated group
of volunteers who
serve as our Board
of Directors. Each
member brings
unique perspective
and expertise
which has guided
Lifetrack’s 65 years
David Kadrie joined Lifetrack’s Board of Directors in
2010 and currently serves as Vice Chair. David has
been in marketing with 3M for 21 years and is the
We are honored to celebrate
the dedication of our volunteers
in honor of National Volunteer
Week (April 6th-12th).
Together we put hope within
reach and help make Minnesota
top in the country:
•
•
38% of MN residents
volunteer, ranking us 2nd in
the country.
1.5 million Minnesotans
volunteer and share 165
million hours of service
each year!
www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/MN
Vice President, Business Services for 3M Health Care
Business Group.
“There are so many organizations that ask for our
time or money. What is truly unique about Lifetrack
is they make a difference in our community. They
have a fantastic return on investment and they can
really drive impact in a measurable way,” shared
David when asked about why he volunteers his time.
“In joining Lifetrack’s board David quickly grasped
the immediate value of our work in moving
individuals and families forward to new levels of
independence, healthy development and stability. ”
shared Lifetrack’s President TrixieAnn Girtz Golberg.
Celebrating our Volunteers
“Coming together is a beginning...working together is success.” -H. Ford
AmeriCorps
Cearah Hamilton
Tamas Racz
Volunteers
Carolyn Anderson
Kathy Anderson
Gina Armada
Sharon Bass
Mary Bauer
AnnMarie Becker
John Bennett
Brian Bittman
Suzie Bjork
Chelsea Blom
Ellie Bonin
Kelly Braafladt
Julie Borgoyne
Michael Burgoyne
Mary CashmanBakken
Judith Cavazos-Beal
Anna Chan
Donna Chicone
Concordia University
students
Natalie Coninx
Deanne Curran
Diane Cushman
Kelsey Dahl
Luke Davies
Morgan Davies
Ron Davies
Emory Dively
Suzy Downs
Deborah Dreher
Denice Dudero
Faegre Baker Daniels
Employees
Melissa Ferrello
Emma Field
Janet Figueroa
Jedidiah Figueroa
Mary Fortman
Jessalyn Frank
Rosemary Frazel
Barb Friedman
Caleb Goldberg
Nick Goldberg
Mary Hartnett
Sarah Hollensteiner
Jennifer Hume
Jessica Huntington
Molly Illes
Shereen Jensen
Lisa Johnson
Phyllip Johnson
Natalie Jones
Mary Kaase
Kathy Kacher
Erica King
Marie Koehler
Rachel Kruzel
Shauna Kurtz
Lydia Laird
Kathy Lamp
Anne Larson
Emily Laukkanen
Tom Laukkanen
Robert Lee
Peg Lindlof
Kevin Lindow
Mary Beth Lindow
Marti Little
Katherine Manlapas
Alisa Manni
Sarah Maschka
Melissa McNamer
Melissa Miller
Jessica Mollema
Linda Murrans
Deborah Nerburn
Bridget Pennington
Jodi Aronson Prohofsky
Sally Prouty
Marcie Rein
Jenny Rin
Kelly Ripley
Sari Rosenfield
Deanna Rothbauer
Doug Ruiz
Tyler Sadek
Kyllie Sandor
Philomena Morrissey
Satre
Chelsey Schwartz
B. Chan Slettehaugh
Emily Sockness
Erica Standal
Lisa Standal
Rachel Standal
Holly Stoerker
Caroline Stone
Julie Storck
Carissa Titus
Marnie Wilson
Mark Winholtz
Annabelle Wiseman
Board of
Directors
Lori Bonin
Colleen Crawford
JR Croston
Susan Lunseth Ebertz
Kathy Engesser
Tony Fulco
Jonathon Hatch
Renee Heinbuch
David Kadrie
Debra Kerrigan
Jacob Laabs
Tony Maniaci
Lezlie Paulus
Robert Pfotenhauer
Daniel Prokott
Bonnie Russ
Mark Thorkildson
TC Tong
Michele Vaillancourt
Jeffrey Vigil
Tsippi Wray
Committee
Members
Patrick Engesser
Garrett Gleason
Isaac Graham
Steve Hopkins
Joshua Laabs
Tom Olsen
Ron Sandquist
Brian Singer
Business Partner Spotlight: Quality Pork Products
Lifetrack’s Refugee
and Immigrant
Services go
beyond successful
employment for
the people we
serve. We develop
partnerships with
businesses in
Greater Minnesota
to assist refugees in
making a successful
transition into their
new communities.
To assist the refugees with the transition into their
new job and community, Lifetrack partners with the
Welcome Center in Austin to provide community
resources for education, housing, childcare and
healthcare information.
QPP’s Hiring Manager and Lifetrack’s
Manager of Immigrant and Refugee
Services.
Lifetrack has built a strong partnership with
Quality Pork Processing (QPP). Since 2011, 260
program participants have been placed for full-time
employment with benefits at the Austin-based meat
packing plant.
Every month QPP’s hiring personnel host a
recruitment event at Lifetrack. These events help the
employer save time and money while meeting with
Lifetrack’s pre-screened, qualified job candidates.
At the February event, 29 job seekers applied for a
position with QPP and 23 received a job offer.
As an employer, QPP
hired bilingual staff
members to assist
with new employee
orientation training
and started on site
English as a Second
Language courses to
help overcome the
language barrier.
Recent group of job seekers at a Lifetrack/
QPP Recruitment Event.
QPP’s hiring manager recently shared what Lifetrack
means to their business: “Quality Candidates.
Partnering with Lifetrack helps increase employee
retention and reduces staff turnover significantly.”
Lifetrack’s partnerships with QPP and the Austin
community is a win-win for both the business
community and the job seeker. The partnership
helps the Austin business community draw new
employees while Lifetrack’s job-seekers continue on
the path to self-sufficiency.
From Our Staff: The Job Search
As an employment counselor
for Lifetrack, Lee Weiland has
had the opportunity to help
hundreds of people over the
past five years on their road to
employment. Job hunting can
be a daunting task for anyone,
but learning how to present
yourself—and your skills—can
make the search a little less
overwhelming and can make
all the difference in landing that perfect job.
The Search
Everyone knows that your resume is a key way to
communicate your top skills and experience to
potential employers, but many people write a final
copy and think they’re done. It’s really important to
take a fresh look at your resume each time you apply
for a new job to make sure it’s tailored specifically to
the job in question, highlighting relevant skills and
experience.
There are a number of resources available for people
with disabilities who are entering the professional
world. Workforce centers and assistance from nonprofit organizations like Lifetrack are available across
the country and are dedicated to helping people
with disabilities tackle misconceptions and breakdown barriers. Often these centers have public access computer labs and employment counselors on
hand to assist with resumes, research and job search
advice. You can find the nearest workforce center by
going to www.servicelocator.com.
Minnesota Hands & Voices Expands to Reach More Families
2013 was a successful legislative year that included
bills for increased funding and support for children
who are deaf or hard of hearing. The children
and families served through Lifetrack’s
program Minnesota Hands & Voices (MNHV)
are benefiting with expanded services.
MNHV provides a variety of support
services to families of children who have
been recently identified as deaf or hard of
hearing, as well as families further along in
their journey here in the Metro and Greater
Minnesota through Parent Guides, who themselves
are parents of a child who are deaf, deaf/blind or
hard of hearing.
With the increase in funding MNHV has added
Parent Guides specifically for the Somali, SE Asia and
Spanish-speaking communities, two Parent
Education Guides and increased capacity to
the services available in the metro area.
Program Director, Candace Lindow-Davies
believes expanded MNHV services are
essential, “In the past MNHV needed to
use interpreters to call families. By hiring
culturally specific Parent Guides, they can
directly explain the role of special education,
medical professionals, technology and child
development to the parents.”
For more information about MNHV go to www.mnhandsandvoices.org
Meet our New Parent Guides
Sahara, Parent Guide
Somali Community
Sahara was born in Somali,
but grew up in Kenya before
moving to America and is
fluent in three languages;
Somali, Swahili and English.
When her middle child was born, he did not pass the
newborn hearing screening and by two months old
he was identified with a bilateral hearing loss and
fitted with hearing aids in both ears.
“I love working here, because I will help other
families that are in the situation I was,” shared
Sahara.
Judy, Parent Guide
Spanish-Speaking
Community
Judy was born in Monterrey,
Mexico and came to
Minnesota when she was 18.
Her oldest son has moderate
to severe bilateral hearing loss.
Judy says she loves her job and adds, “Talking with
parents, getting to know their child, as well as,
sharing my experience and information with them,
are moments that I truly appreciate.”
Kou Vang, Parent Guide
SE Asia Community
Kou was born in Laos, but
spend the majority of his
life in America. His youngest
daughter passed newborn
screening, but at age 5 she
was identified with a unilateral hearing loss by the
school nurse shortly after starting preschool.
“It is an awesome privilege to be on the team of
Minnesota Hands & Voices, because this allows me
to continue helping and supporting those around
me as well expand my knowledge in this ‘niche’ in
our world, “ said Kou.
The three cultural guides also join our two new
Parent Education Guides Laura Libby and Emily
Burke along with Anne Barlow our new Metro Parent
Guide.
Lifetrack is now a Thrivent Choice option for Thrivent members.
8 Habits for a Healthy Family
A healthy family starts
with the creation of good
nutrition and lifestyle
habits. People who
live a healthy lifestyle
have a decreased risk of
chronic diseases such as
obesity, heart disease,
and diabetes. Here are
some tips for laying the
foundation for a healthy
and happy family.
Eat breakfast.
People who eat a healthy breakfast are more
mentally alert, perform better at work, at school, and
on the field, as well as have an easier time managing
their weight than non-breakfast eaters.
Set a regular grocery date.
A regular grocery date will help ensure your fridge
will always be stocked with healthy food for those
very hectic days.
Prepare meals in advance.
Spend a little time over the weekend prepping food
for the week and use a system that works for you.
For example, Monday is a vegetarian dish, Tuesday is
poultry or fish night, Wednesday is soup or chili.
Involve the whole family in meal planning.
Let young children pick pictures of foods that look
good in cookbooks or magazines. Give adolescents
the responsibility of planning one meal a week.
Eat at the table.
Eating together helps people connect and share
what is going on in one’s life. It also helps create the
habit of mindful eating.
Snack on fruits and vegetables.
We have the ability to transform children’s snack
habits by simply having more fruits and vegetables
readily available on a regular basis.
Make water the go-to beverage.
Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning,
serve water with meals, keep homemade fruit
flavored water in the fridge, order water when
dining out.
Pack food the night before.
Having your meals and snacks in a convenient
location, such as a lunch bag or cooler, will prevent a
mid-afternoon fast food drive thru, helping everyone
eat healthier as well as saving time and money.
Source: “8 Habits for a Healthy Family,” Lynda Binius
Enright, MS, RD, LD, www.bewellconsulting.com,
©2013 Customized Nutrition Newsletters.
Lynda Binius Enright is an instructor for
Lifetrack’s Employee & Family Education
Services (EFES). EFES helps employees selfmanage issues that interfere with work and
inhibit growth by providing easy-access, low-cost
webinars and seminars at the worksite.
For more information, contact us at
[email protected].
Pull-Up Drive
Pull-ups sizes: 3T - 5T
Wipes are also welcome!
Your donation to Lifetrack helps
children and the adults who care
for them gain the healthy development and life skills that foster
learning and positive parenting,
and prepare them for success in
school, work and life.
We’re accepting donations at
Lifetrack, 709 University Ave. W., St.
Paul through the end of March.
Starting April, Lifetrack will be
seeking partners to host a hygiene
items drive.
Please contact Mary-Jean at
[email protected] or
652-265-2358 for information.
Lifetrack
709 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55104
Lifetrack-MN.org
Our Mission:
Work together to develop the strengths
within children, families, and adults facing the
greatest life challenges.
Locations:
Main Office
709 University Avenue W.
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-227-8471
Fax: 651-227-0621
Lifetrack-mn.org
/lifetrackmn
@lifetrackmn
Minneapolis Office
2218 Central Avenue NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: 612-788-8855
Fax: 612-788-8577
Innovative Packaging
Solutions
341 Chester Street
St. Paul, MN 55107
Phone: 651-290-0567
Fax: 651-290-0625
Chooseips.org
Faces of Hope: Dax
Lifetrack serves many who
face barriers that require
specialized support. An
uncertain economic recovery
is an additional obstacle to
sustainable employment. We
put hope within reach, even
in challenging times.
Dax, 21, graduated in 2011 from Lionsgate Academy,
a charter school in Crystal for autistic students.
During high school, Dax worked as a busboy at
Outback Steakhouse. While working, he earned
enough money to purchase a used car and gained
the freedom to drive himself to and from work.
Unfortunately, Dax was released from his position at
the restaurant after business slowed.
During his transition from high school to the
workforce, Dax completed the Practical Assessment
Exploration System workplace orientation program,
which attempts to match the jobs he was capable of
performing with those that also match his interests.
Restaurant operation was at the top of Dax’s list.
Dax’s Lifetrack employment specialist Lee supported
Dax in obtaining a server position at the new
Culver’s in St. Paul. He has been working there for
over a year, and enjoys his supervisors, co-workers,
customers, and the quality of the food. Over time,
he has assumed more responsibilities like working
as a drive through attendant, and learning how to
operate the cash register. Dax continues to meet
with Lee periodically to problem solve any concerns
he faces.
Dax aspires to learn how to “close” the restaurant at
the end of the day and to become a cashier. With
his exceptional work ethic, determination, and help
from Lifetrack, Dax will overcome any obstacle he
encounters.

Download Report