Newsletter 1.pub

Ability Counts, Inc.
Issue 1
“Providing Vocational Training and Employment Opportunities
May - June
for People with Developmental Disabilities”
NEWS
TO
COUNT ON
GARNER TRAINING SITE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Garner Training Site
1
New Enclaves
1
Valentine Dance ‘09
2
Birthdays May — June
2&3
Staff spotlight
2& 4
Redlands Training Site
3
Consumer Spotlight
3
In Memory of Cesar
Gonzalez
4
AWARDS
Consumers at NYK each
won a certificate.
Daniel Baker
Akshay Joshi
Ability
Counts,
Inc.
opened its new Riverside
training
site on February 2nd 2009. Outgrowing
yet another building, the
new
training facility
has more office space to
accommodate the growing
number of consumers and
job coaches.
A
larger
conference
room,
which
doubles as a training
classroom, allows us to
provide ongoing training
to a larger number of
staff.
Also,
the
new
building has a larger
multipurpose room, used
for
hosting
consumer
events,
movie
theater,
and basketball court. We
hope
to
have
Special
Olympics training in this
multipurpose
room
as
well.
Furthermore,
the
facility has a
larger
warehouse space with two
(2) loading docks, run by
Doris Hickey. This warehouse is better equipped
with heating and cooling
systems to ensure consumer comfort. Automated
lighting and water system
throughout the facility
is a bonus.
Ability Counts Incorporated
3810 Garner Rd., Bldg. F. Riverside, CA. 92501
Manav Joshi
Davey Thomas
Stephanie Amick
A LOOK AT
THE
N E W E N C L AV E S
Michael Battista
Job Coaches
Shirley Bussola
Gabriel Villanueva
Let’s give a big
CONGRATUALTIONS
to the NYK consumers!
Along with the new
site, Ability Counts
has several new
enclaves
located
on
Main Street in Riverside.(1)Greater
Good
Outpost (E-bay) where
consumers learn
computer, marketing and
selling skills, (2)
Old School Wood Products (Woodshop), here
consumers
learn
to
make wood toys, (3)
California Automotive
Institute (Auto Shop)
teaches consumers to
maintain
our fleet,
(4) Pasadena Productions
(video-media
enclave) trains consumers on operating
software
programs
such as Publisher and
Word. Also, consumers
learn to publish newsletters, create flyers
and make videos. Camera operator trainees
are
consumers
Jason
Ausland
and
Sean
Escherich.
So
smile
when
you
see
them
walking by with their
cameras.
Page 2
Issue 1
VALENTINE DANCE 2009
On
February
21st.,
Ability Counts held
their
1st.
annual
dance, the Valentine
Dance, hosted by Case
Manager,
Jasmine
Desindes. The DJ was
Diana
Wehbe
from
99.1FM. THANK YOU for
the great music.
..
Joseph Mark & Candace Moeller
enjoying the dance.
Our
consumers danced
to
the
tunes
of
Grease,
‘Chicken
Dance’
the
‘Hokey
Pokey’, and a variety
of
hits
from
well
known artists.
Some
people
were
brave
enough to sing karaoke.
Then a rare
visit was made by
the king of rock’n
roll Elvis Presley
(consumer
Timothy
Page) who brought
the house down with
Burning Love. Later
the
guests
were
served a spaghetti
dinner with a nice
salad.
Then
they
danced and danced
the night away. ...
Photos of the loving
couples were taken,
and several raffles
were held as people
won teddy bears and
baskets full of goodies. The night wound
down as the buses,
care
providers
and
parents picked up the
energetic dancers.
Sean Escherich and Patricia Lester
enjoying each others company.
BIRTH DAY S FOR MAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!!
Douglas Schilling - Daniel Walz — Gabriel Villanueva — Lawrence D’ Arco
— Mary Ellison — Lisa Witzel — Susan White - Jimmy Hubbard — Cynthia
Unruh — Roger Wade — Tina Pak Joseph Mark — Wendy Rodriquez — Michael
Born — David Helderman — Chad Reynolds — Shari Fraser — Richard Nguyen
— Danny Clark — Zachery Caughman — Jessica Alamillo - Shirley Dupra.
S TA F F S P O T L I G H T
DEBBIE ROMERO-12 YEARS
“I feel good when a
consumer advances to the
workforce!”
We
interviewed
Debbie
Romero,
a
long time employee
of Ability Counts.
We
are
proud
to
feature her for the
spotlight.
Q.
What
is
your
current title?
A. I’m an Instructor
at the Garner Work
Activity Program.
Q. What led you to
this industry?
OF
SERVICE
A. I was waiting
for
the bus on Magnolia
and McKinley. I saw a
few individuals with
disabilities, who were
also waiting for the
bus, and I asked them
where
they
worked.
Plus my daughter has
down syndrome and I
wanted to learn more
about disabilities in
adults. The consumers
brought
me
to
the
Ability Counts work-
shop on Estelle St. in
Riverside.
I asked to
volunteer because they
weren’t hiring at the
time, then I met the
director, Al Schwerdt
and the H.R., Mo Gaji.
I was hired
part-time
and a few months I went
full time.
Story continues on page 4.
News to Count On
THE
NEW
Page 3
REDLANDS TRAINING SITE
The new Redlands site
is open. The training
facility is located on
consumers that
the hangers.
sort
451 Business Center Ct.
At the movies with
Joe Valdez.
“Last Friday,
we watched
Casino Royal w/
Daniel Craig. The
action was
incredible. What I
like about the
James Bond films,
is that they take
the adventure all
over the world,
the villain’s
hideouts are
always in exotic
places.”
Consumer Wade Lanier
logs all of the orders
and handles all of the
paperwork for e-waste
recycling.
Myron
Smith,
Justin
Kopp, Eric Harris, and
Gerard
Veldman
take
the computers and sort
out the parts.
Good
computers
are
later
shipped to our E-bay
enclave for sale. The
Redlands
site
also
process garment hangers.
Amber
Todd,
Christopher Cosand and
David Lopez are the
BIRTH DAY S FOR JUNE
Ramiro Mon – Tony Allen — Larry Warren — Winston Slack — Charles
Gray — Adrienne JonesTracy Trimble — Jeff Russell — Charlene
Boyd — Lawrence Robinson — Jose Muniz — Rudy Martinez — Jeanine
Mills — Sandra Mejia — Ora Lilly — Michael Robinson — Ernestina
Weekly — James Cude — Rose Clark — Cindy Minniefield — Harold
Higdon — Jason La Shure — Loretta Watts — Jason Warf — Judah
White — James Rundquist — James Brookhouser — Kelly Connolly —
Crystal Allen — Jeremy Pierce — Ryan Wolfe — Devin Stewart —
Fernando Pacheco — Robert Quintana — Drew Heckman — Chrishatta
Calvert.
Workers at SNS West.
CONSUMER SPOTLIGHT
PAUL LAUGHLIN
We tracked down Paul
Laughlin from his busy
cleaning schedule and
asked him a few questions.
Q. Paul were did you
grow up?
A. Indianapolis, Indiana.
Q. What High School
did you graduate from?
A. Bloomington High.
Q. Do you have any
brothers and sisters?
A. Yes, I have foster
brothers.
Q. Do you have any
hobbies?
A. No!
Q. How long have you
been
working
at
Ability Counts?
A. I started here in
1982.
Q. Do you like working here?
Workers at Teledyne.
A. Yes I do!
Q. What is your current position and who
is your job coach?
A. My current duty is
a Janitor and my job
coach is Georgina Simmons.
Q. Do you like your
work?
A. Yes I do!
Cleaning in Colton.
A b i li t y C o u n t s , I n c.
National Crime Victim’s Week.
Guy Mersereau, Blake Shimshock,
Lisa Salim, Jason Ausland, Henry
Young and Teddy Leonard marched
in honor of the victims of crimes.
In Memory of Cesar Gonzalez
April 21, 1973-February 09, 2008
On February 09, Cesar lost his life due
to a drunk driver.
Remembering…
Consumer Jason Ausland remembers Cesar as a
good customer. He would always order all kinds
of things from the Snack Bar.
Consumer Sean Escherich remembers how Cesar
would always come up to him and say nice
things. Cesar was a good friend.
Consumer Patricia Lester remembers Cesar as a very good and
friend who was a joy to be around. We miss him a lot.
honest
Consumer Lisa Salim remembers Cesar as a very sweet guy. He would
always be by my side; he would always be there when I needed
someone to talk to. I also remember him loving to play soccer.
Condolences to the family from all of us.
DEBBIE ROMERO
CONTINUED
Consumers at the Corona
Work Activity Center.
Continued from page 2.
Photos taken by Jason Ausland and
Blake Shimshock.
Q. What did you do
before
Ability
..
Counts?
A. I was on welfare
most of my life. I
wanted to get off
welfare so I worked
for a temp agency
and they sent me on
a number of odd jobs
until I discovered
Debbie Romero Instructs Doug Schilling.
Ability Counts.
Photo taken by Jason Ausland
Q. Do you have any
plans
for
the
Get
to
know
your
future?
consumers and be an
Instructor as well as
A. To continue worka
friend.
Remember
ing
at
Ability
you
are
here
for
Counts. I’m not inthem, and hopefully
terested in becoming
you will get joy out
a
Case
Manager.
I
of helping them. I
love working directly
feel
good
when
a
with
the
consumers
consumer advances in
out
on
the
work
the workforce because
floor.
That’s
were
of
the
skills
I
the action is!
thought him/her. Then
Q. Any advice for new
I
know I did someInstructors?
thing right or meanA. Have patience. …
ingful.
Consumers having a
Safety Meeting
Timothy Ryan
Alex Alvarado.