July 2010

HILLSGROVE HOUSE
H I L L SG ROV E
H O U SE
H A P PE N I N G S
J U LY 2 0 1 0
S H E N A N I G A N S AT T H E S T E A K F R Y
With an MP3 player in my hand, I
waited outside Hillsgrove House
for the Steak Fry activity to start.
It was a damp, muggy morning
and the forecast called for showers in the early afternoon. As
Sonic Youth serenaded my ears,
I contemplated the cow that had
to be sacrificed in order for our
delicious feast to be possible. I
imagined her name was Betsy
and that she lived a graceful life
on the farm, calmly grazing in
the grassy fields. I assume she
was best friends with one of the
horses and that she lived a reasonably long, happy life. It’s unfortunate that it had to come to
such an abrupt end, but at least
it was for a purpose.
Soon enough, members and
vans started appearing, their
stomachs empty and yearning
for food. They could probably see
my tongue hanging out, saliva
dripping off my lips and desperate for the savory, tender meat
that was soon to be had. It was
a situation that was almost pitiful, my eager anticipation barely
being contained by the virtue of
patience. I could not help but
suspect that they were looking at
me as if I were a zombie, stum-
bling around aimlessly in a
never-ending quest for brains to
devour. It was a scene straight
out of a horror movie, except the
plot was better.
Eventually Darlene and her lovely
partner Marlene arrived with
food and supplies in hand. Everyone rejoiced with a cheer and
were eager to assist in bringing
the provisions inside the club. All
in attendance contributed in preparing the meal. I for one
learned the fine art of preparing
corn. The less said about my
efforts, the better.
As the food was being prepared,
Ben Sullivan and I went on the
internet to look at the potential
clothing deals to be had. After
much deliberation, we decided
to each buy a T-Shirt. Being fashion aficionados, I feel we both
made quality choices in our acquisitions. We are sure to get
envious looks wherever we may
stroll. The economy will likely recover as a result of our purchases.
It was then that the steak was
finished. The steak was even
better than I thought it would be,
cooked medium-rare to perfec-
BY: JOSH MOORE
Table of Contents
Shenanigans at the Steak Fry: Page 1
Newsletter Appreciation: Page 2
Emerald Square Mall: Page 2
The Case of a Missing Moon: Page 3
My GED Experience: Page 4
Environmental Unit News: Page 4
Learning Unit News: Page 5
Kitchen Unit News: Page 5
Favorite Summer Time Activities: Page 6
Pulaski Park: Page 6
Happening In Detail: Page 7
Business Unit News: Page 7
Dinner and Alice in Wonderland: Page 7
Employment Page: Page 8
July Calendar: Page 9
tion, it’s pink center resembling
the lips of a beautiful woman. Or
Pepto Bismal. Both are good.
Of course, not everyone had
steak. Some people chose to
have a seafood casserole. It received rave reviews from all who
had it. Our steak and seafood
were accompanied by corn on
the cob and potato salad.
Marlene assured me that the
(continued on page 2)
Page 2
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
S H E N A N I G A N S AT T H E S T E A K F R Y
potato salad was not
poisoned but to this
day I am still suspicious.
install a net on
top of the door
frame leading to
Darlene’s office.
Also, there are
After the delicious
little squishy
meal I was full but still
basketballs next
capable of eating even
to it. I have
more steaks if they
taken advanwere available. After
tage of this
all, I work hard for this
situation many
body.
times since,
RIP Betsy: NEVER FORGET
A few weeks back
much to the sacsomeone felt it was imperative to rifice of my work productivity. It
N E W S L E T T E R A P P R E C I AT I O N
I really like getting the monthly
newsletter being mailed to my
house. It helps me keep in touch
with what’s going on at
Hillsgrove, since I can’t be here
every day due to health reasons.
The newsletter continues to get
better and better. I really liked
the June 2010 issue. I read it
from cover to cover, when members share their stories, you can
was no different after I was done
eating. I made every shot I took
and even did a 360 back-flip
corkscrew dunk, the likes of
which has never been seen.. No
one was there to see my incredible feat, which was a shame.
You can take my word for it
though.
Much too quickly, the activity
was over. All good things eventually come to an end and this article is no different.
BY: MARGARET BRATEN
relate to it. They do it with such
honesty and you are touched. It
is interesting to read about the
units and it is fun to read about
the activities I missed. The interviews with a member are very
interesting. To read their answers to the questions is letting
you know what another person
thinks. Of course, a sense of humor comes through, so you even
EMERALD SQUARE MALL
BY: JOSH MOORE
(CONTINUED)
get a few laughs. You can’t take
yourself too seriously. All in all, I
thoroughly enjoyed the June
2010 issue and want to congratulate the newsletter staff for
a job well done. It was an honest, touching, challenging, inspiring, interesting, funny and informative. Keep up the good work!!
We appreciate it. Thank you.
BY: DIANRA MONTECALVO AND RICKY ARLEN
Diandra:
Ricky:
On Saturday I went to Emerald
Square Mall. It was my first time
going to this mall. It was huge. It
had 3 floors, and a long stretch.
Kevin joined me and we did a lot
of walking throughout the mall
for exercising, as we stopped in
stores in between our excursion.
I was very surprised that I didn’t
buy anything. We had a great
time.
We went to Emerald
Square Mall. I ate at
Bertucci’s Italian
Restaurant. I had
lasagna, a cup of
Minestrone soup,
and a salad. Then I
had an iced tea. I
Hysterical Screaming
walked around the Child Doll: Available at
mall and met every- malls nationwide!
body at the food
court. I went to CVS to
look for a calendar for
next year and into a
video store. When we
came back to H.H., I
played the piano for a
half hour. After the activity I went to Friendly’s
Restaurant and had free
ice cream.
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
THE CASE OF A MISSING MOON
On June 2nd, Wednesday evening we were scheduled to have
a movie, New Moon. However as
Mary Garrison discovered the
video store rental industry has been a diminishing business.
We only have ONE
local DVD store in the
Warwick area
now...and that happens to be RedBox.
The choices run about
fifty or sixty titles, and
only current movies to
boot. Thus, Mary had
to hire a talented detective to solve the
case of a missing
vampire film. Well?
Sherlock Holmes was
Sherlock Holmes laughs at Bella Swan as she
hired! There was
struggles to find New Moon to rent.
plenty of non-stop ac-
IT WAS WONDERFUL
On Saturday, we went to the
Hometown Buffet! We ate a lot,
but we didn’t overeat. If you overeat you get sick. I drank 3 sodas
and 1 slushy. They should make
that slushy everywhere. The food
was excellent. Compliments to
the chef. I ate a full plate of
pasta with chicken on top. It had
a cream sauce on top. It wasn’t
dry like the food I ate yesterday.
That food was so dry I almost
choked on it. And that was the
end of that. I love pasta, any kind
of pasta. But the best kind of
pasta is Barillo pasta, which is 5
for 5 dollars, but it’s worth it. At
the Buffet, I ate so much food I
was full. After I went home I saw
I lost 5 pounds from doing a
bunch of household chores.
Page 3
BY: BOB WALKER
tion, a little humor, and for the
most part satisfied H.H. members watching. The classic Conan Doyle tale of a London detective may not have been a
vampire film, yet this reviewer
thanks Mary for the replacement. Mary came up with the
idea of a DVD pool of members’
stock for activity events to be
listed for reference. Hmmm. We
had chicken patty sandwiches
with fries and beans for supper,
thanks to Mary, and Greg for the
most part on that. Thanks to
Kevin for a clean sweep on
clean-up. And, of course thanks
to Dennis for the ride home!
BY: BEVERLY RAPHAEL
At WalMart, I bought some men’s
thermals and two 4th of July Tshirt.. I’m giving my grandfather
the thermals for Father’s Day
and I’m proud to be an American. I wanted to buy more shirts,
but I didn’t because I try to
stretch every dollar. I’m tight with
my money since I’m not rich. I
get everything on sale.
On the van, Peter bought a big
plant of lilacs. It was so big it
was awkward. Thank goodness
we had an extra seatbelt for the
bush.
I told the woman I’m a senior citizen, so I only had to pay one dollar to eat.
Beverly Raphael: Well preserved and
proud to be an American!
I had a good time. I hope a lot of
people sign up for the next time
at the Buffet. I love them all. I’m
very proud of what I wrote.
Page 4
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
MY GED EXPERIENCE
I just started my GED, and I’m
very happy going to classes. I
am learning a lot. My first professor was Carrie. She taught
reading, and she was so exciting
to see. She was just a joy to
learn from. I love doing the essay and math part of the classes.
Because I quilt, they assume I
use fractions a lot, but I usually
don't. However, fractions are
coming back to me now. The
BY: ANN BROWN
material is very interesting to
me. I can’t wait to finally receive my GED. I would like to
thank Dee and Darlene for
helping me get started. I
look forward to the possibility
of starting the TE program,
and I hope to do a good job.
Again, I want to thank
Hillsgrove House for helping
me stay strong throughout
Ann Brown: Continuing her journey!
my journey.
INVICTUS
BY: BOB WALKER
On Wednesday,
June 16th, the
Hillsgrove House
opened its doors for
a night of Joanna’s
cooking, and a DVD
showing of Invictus.
The kitchen was
abuzz with the production of turkeyburgers (garnished Let’s be thankful Ben Affleck
with lettuce, tomahad nothing to do with this!
toes and spinach)
and pasta-salad.
Ben Sullivan was
instrumental to the
cooking effort. How
was it received?
There wasn’t a single complaint, that’s
for sure! The movie
was a long one,
thus it was
screened during
food preparation
and supper. Invictus
has three icons of
film, Clint Eastwood
E N V I R O N M E N TA L U N I T N E W S
June saw the Environmental Unit
continuing to work hard and
have fun. Brad Burke and Mike
Desmarais continue to set an
excellent example for the group
by working tirelessly throughout
the day. Jim Frazier has done a
fine job with a variety of tasks,
and is always willing to lend a
hand. Paul Lanni, Allyn Beliveau,
and Peter Medieros continue to
pitch in daily, and Pat Delayo
and Andrew Ede have really
directing, Morgan Freeman as
Nelson Mandela and Matt
Damon as the South African captain of the springboks, the South
African national rugby team. It
was informative about the great
role Nelson Mandela played in
the reconciliation of a divided
nation. I recommend this movie
to others, for its historical value,
as well as the quality acting and
directing.
BY: CRAIG & MIKE LAHIFF
stepped up their game! We look
forward to carrying all the hard
work over into the summer! Nice
job Environmental Unit!
Why hello
there!
Craig: Leading Lady of the Unit!
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
LEARNING UNIT NEWS
Welcome back Diandra, Barbara,
Ed, and Joe! Alexis continues her
T.E. at MHRH. Congratulations
Ben, who just started his first
T.E. at MHRH! Way to go! Joe
continues his job at St. Rita’s
church. Tina is currently taking
classes at RIC and Jessica F. is
taking classes at CCRI. Happy
Birthday Tina! The Unit is planning for the Student Celebration
Dinner and the ICCD certification. The club had a good time at
Pulaski Park. The weather turned
out perfect, and everyone had a
lot of fun Our unit misses Ann,
Colleen and Liz. Alex is planning
on moving into his own apart-
BY: THE LEARNING UNIT
ment in Providence. He will be
at Providence Place Mall! Good
missed. Alfred recently learned
going and best of luck!
how to put out the News at
Noon. Josh learned
how to format the
Newsletter and discovered a new technique that will allow
Newsletter editors to
save time. Great job
to everyone in the
unit learning new
tasks in the unit and
helping other members develop new
skills. And finally, con- Learning Unit member Josh Moore learns the
gratulation to Diandra
hard way never to mess with a hippo.
who scored a new job
KITCHEN UNIT NEWS
In the month of June, the
Kitchen Unit prepared new recipes. We also planned the menu
(hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta
salad, potato chips, and water-
Page 5
BY: RALPH PELLICANO
melon) for the picnic at Pulaski
Park on June 18th.We would like
to welcome back Jill Turner as
she is returning to the Kitchen
Unit. Bravo Jill! Presently, Sue
Next on FOX: When Renegade Salads Attack!
Cousineau is working at Shaw’
on Bald Hill Road in Warwick.
She must be very busy as we
have not seen her lately. Members celebrating birthdays are
Joan Call (June 5th), and Beverly
Raphael (June 17th). We are
looking forward to Jean Nelson
and Diane Walsh’s return. We
hope they get well soon. Beverly,
Carolyn S. and Ralph went to
Hometown Buffet and shopping
with Joanna. We enjoyed ourselves and the camaraderie.
Ralph is moving from West Warwick to Warwick after a 5 year
absence. He will still be attending Hillsgrove House twice a
week. At the activity on the 19th,
we had a big surprise - Peter M.
bought a bush. It was so big, we
didn’t know if we would be able
to fit in the van! Well, that is all
for now! See you next month!
Page 6
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
FAVOR IT E SUMM ER T IM E ACTI V IT I ES
Hillsgrove House members were
surveyed on their favorite summer activities. These are their
answers:
Cookouts - Ben Sullivan
Rock Climbing and skydiving Joe Belleville
Eating ice cream - Christin Rose
Bowling - Benvinda
Hometown Buffet - Jim McKenna
Floating at the beach - Deanne
Bowling and pizza - Jessica Crowley
The beach - Diandra Montecalvo
Swimming in the pool - Bonnie
Zavalia
Swimming - Amelia Whitford
Cookouts with family - Mary Sangas
Swinging on a hammock - Christina Guy
Tennis - Jean Kirko
Flea Markets - Mike Jenson
Lounging in the sunshine Norma Lovegreen
Alligator wrestling - Josh Moore
We had reservations for the
park’s open pavilion, so there
was shade and open air with picnic tables available for lounging.
Even though some people got a
good game of Yahtzee going, the
natural beauty of Pulaski Park
encouraged me to take advantage of the hiking trail around
Swimming, fishing and cookouts
- Al Soucy
Cookouts - Jim Tidwell
Baseball - Bob Walker
The beach - Tom Cantrell
Going to the beach, putting my
chair by the shore and looking at
the depths of the ocean - Marie
Ingarro
Bocce Ball - Beverly Raphael
Lying out in the sun - Joanna Izzo
Eating Watermelon and bike riding - Kevin Ouimette
Lying on the beach reading and
listening to the radio - Deb Lemoi
P U LASK I PA RK
The weather was unusually nice,
if you had tried to have a nicer
spring day for a visit to the
woods, I don’t think it could have
been arranged. It was warm and
sunny with a slight breeze. We
loaded up the vans as well as
Tom’s pickup truck at Hillsgrove
House. Charcoal, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, chicken
salad, chips, chairs, sun-tan lotion, all these things and close to
forty people started out around
9:30 a.m. for Pulaski Park.
BY:SUE DESIMONE
BY: BOB WALKER
the perimeter of the park’s
ponds. I was not alone in this as
more than a half-dozen set out
on the trail as
well. Everyone
who did this
walked interstate
from Rhode Island
to Connecticut as
Pulaski Park directly borders
Connecticut!
by 3:00 p.m. and I tell you, I look
forward to a return visit!
Four or five members braved the
cool water for a
splash, and some
sun tanning was
in order too.
Lunch was had by
all, and how the
Luckily we were gone when an uninvited guest
time flew! We
shows up to Pulaski Park and he looks hungry.
were back to
Thankfully, bears nowadays have such good manHillsgrove House
ners...
Page 7
HILLSGROVE HOUSE HAPPENINGS
H A P P E N I N G S I N D E TA I L
•
•
•
Congratulations to Ben Sullivan who recently started his
TE position at MHRH.
to seeing them back at the
club soon.
•
Melanie Langlois successfully
completed her TE at MHRH
as the data entry clerk.
Darlene and Bonnie are currently on medical leave. We
wish them both a speedy recovery, and we look forward
BY: JOANNA IZZO
•
Hillsgrove House purchased
two new vans for transportation. We hope to get them on
the road soon.
Hillsgrove House held its annual picnic at Pulaski Park.
Over 40 members attended,
and everyone enjoyed the
company!
•
Betty will return to the club
on July 12. We look forward
to her return.
•
Welcome back Diane Walsh
to the club.
•
The Learning Unit is currently
working on the ICCD report
for an upcoming certification.
BUSINESS UNIT NEWS BY: JESSICA CROWLEY AND NORMA LOVEGREEN
In the month of June we welcomed Mark to the unit. We also
welcomed Fatima Yu back.
Melanie has completed her TE at
MHRH. Great job Melanie! She
also celebrated her birthday on
the 22nd of June. Jackie Eastman’s TE has been extended for
three more months. Also, Maintenance is working on our A.C. as
well. Thank you Fay Baker and
Ed for the fans and getting maintenance for the A.C. This month,
Mary G. is in charge while Darlene recuperates from leg surgery. Ann Brown has been working for her GED. Sue L. is recov-
ering from health problems. We miss you Sue.
When we outreach
members it makes
them feel better mostly
and they come back to
the club. Jean Callaway
has had health problems but, when outreached, she came
back. Norma, Mary S.,
and Jessica C. attended
social activities this
month. John W. has an
appointment with possiAn Air Conditioner: The Business Unit could
bly moving to Robert St.
probably use one of these...
Good luck John!
DINNER AND ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Wednesday night, June 23rd
was a fun night. We started
with a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs. Craig
made the meal and his meatballs were out of his world. People took the extra meatballs
home with them. Then we
watched the movie “Alice in
Wonderland”, and everyone
Rabbits are not to be trusted...
enjoyed it very much. While we
BY: KAREN COSTA
were watching the movie
we received a surprise
visit from Michelle,
Craig’s beautiful wife and
their two adorable sons.
We enjoyed their company and watching the
movie with them.
Job Site
Type
Member
Name
Job Site
Type
Alexis F.
M.H.R.H. PASRR Clerk
T.E.
Brad B.
Papa Gino’s
S.E.
Benjamin S.
M.H.R.H . Data Entry
Clerk
T.E.
Melissa F.
Musician,
S.E.
Jackie E.
TKC Copy Clerk
T.E.
Adam A.
CCRI
Education
Tina U.
RIC
Education
Brown
Education
Pam S.
CCRI
Education
Jessica F.
CCRI
Education
Member
Name
Colleen Z.
Norma L.
Mary S.
ICCD Faculty
TKC Board
Volunteering
HH Advisory Board
Volunteering
Jessica F.
HH Advisory Board
Volunteering
Melissa F.
The Corliss Institute
Volunteering
Ann Marie B.
Shaw’s
I.E.
Supermarket
Suzy C.
Shaw’s
I.E.
Supermarket
Richard F.
ORS Driver
I.E.
Melanie L.
Jewelry, Self
I.E.
Employed
Ron D.
Registry of
I.E.
Motor Vehicles
Emily O.
Joe V.
Cathy C.
Pam S.
Westbay
Volunteering
Thrifty Car Rental
S.E.
TJ Maxx Stock Clerk
S.E.
TJ Maxx Fitting Room
S.E.
Josef B.
St. Rita’s Church
I.E.
Lori F.
Greenwich Village Security
I.E.
J ULY 2010
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
Policy 2:30.
2
3
No Activity.
7
8
Admin. 2:30. Policy 2:30.
Movie Night
w/ Craig.
9
10
Chinese Buffet w/ Craig.
4
5
6
July Holiday Orientation
w/ Dee.
10:30 to
12:30.
*
11
12
13
14
15
Advisory
Admin. 2:30. Policy 2:30.
Board 12:30. Movie Night
w/ Betty?
16
17
In-House
Pizza Party
w/ Dee.
18
19
20
Orientation
10:30 to
12:30.
21
22
Admin. 2:30. Policy 2:30.
23
24
Activity w/
Craig.
27
28
29
Admin. 2:30. Policy 2:30.
30
31
Activity w/
Rosaria.
25
26
Movie Night
w/ TBD.
Movie Night
w/ TBD.
* Bus Fare
Hearing w/
Dee (July
6th).
HILLSGROVE HOUSE
70 Minnesota Ave
Warwick R.I. 02888
Phone:401-732-0970
Fax:401-738-7265
EDITORS
Joshua Moore
Benjamin Sullivan
Bob Walker
Amelia Whitford
Joanna Izzo