California Budget Freeze Comes to an End
 After bitter negotiations and a record-breaking 80 days late, legislators in Sacramento and Governor Schwarzenegger appear to have reached a compromise budget. Many thanks to all who made calls to your lawmakers to urge them to end the budget impasse. Some of the legislative phone lines were jammed on Thursday thanks to concerned voters letting their voices be heard, and it definitely helped put the heat on. Thank you! Starting August 1, the state paid Hillside House 30% of its usual reimbursement, and nothing so far in September. Despite earlier threats by the governor to veto it, the current budget is expected to be signed and payments may resume as early as Monday, September 22. They will be retroactive, and by the end of the year we should be caught up.
Supporters of Hillside House should know that the reserves we have relied on during August and September were the result of donations made in previous years. These donations allowed life to go on uninterrupted for our residents - no layoffs and no program reductions - thanks to your generosity and your belief in the importance of our mission.
We are also grateful to the California Association of Health Facilities, which kept up constant pressure on the legislature to ratify a budget.
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Hillside House Keglers Go for the Gold (and the kisses)
 On Saturday, September 4 the intrepid Hillside House bowling team loaded up in our vans and made their way to Zodo's Bar, Grill and Bowling Alley to participate in an open bowling tournament. With the use of adaptive equipment, our bowlers demonstrated great skill in aiming the balls, and even greater enthusiasm for the competition. They had not anticipated the presence of cheerleaders, who rewarded every strike with a kiss on the cheek. Among the residents who participated were Nancy, Lorne, Brian, Mark, David, Preston and Frank, who also did a great job coaching his friends. Thanks to Cesar, Katrina and all the other staff and volunteers who helped to make this afternoon a memorable one. Too bad there is not an Olympic bowling team!
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Hillside House Staff Take the Commuter Challenge
 Hillside House staff members Susan Bradford, Gail Metzger, Romma Padilla, Jeyson Arevalo-Lopez, and Dan Flores (pictured in left-to-right order here) joined the 2008 Commute Challenge put on by Traffic Solutions in Santa Barbara county. Teams of five people compete by earning points for each day a member of the team avoids driving alone during August and September. They can carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, take a bus or train, telecommute, rollerblade or skateboard to earn points for the team. But here's the real catch: each team must include at least two "converts," people who who normally use qualifying sustainable transportation less than once a week. We won't tell you who the converts were, but one of them has earned the most points for the team! The "Hillside Commuters" ranked 51 so far out of 334 teams competing. They have logged a total of 181 trips and a total of 3186 miles. Go team! And the top 101 teams will receive prizes. To learn more, visit www.trafficsolutions.info
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Welcome New Staff Members!
Hillside House welcomes new employees Maxima Kahn, Cara Moore and Brenda Ponce.
Development Associate Maxima Kahn (left photo below) joins Curt Lauber in our ongoing efforts to raise funds to provide the best possible care and enrichment for our residents. Maxima has worked for non-profits since 1995, including providing consulting services and graphic design to Hillside House since 2002.
Cara has returned to Hillside House after working as a physical activities assistant between April, 2006 and April, 2007. She has a BA degree in art from UCSB and will hold the Skills Development Specialist position at Hillside House working directly with our residents.
Brenda (right photo below, with Greg) is a new Certified Nurse Assistant. She graduated from Santa Barbara High School and from the CNA program at Santa Barbara City College. Brenda worked previously at Cottage Hospital.
We are excited about each of these three new employees and know that each, in her own way, will make a positive impact on the lives of residents.
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