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Renowned Athlete Roger Crawford Inspires Resilience
 Inspirational speaker, author and former tennis champion Roger Crawford will be the featured speaker for Hillside House's 7th annual Women of Purpose luncheon, a benefit for the residents of Hillside House. The event will be held on May 20 in the beautiful gardens of El Mirador Estate in Montecito, made possible through the generosity of owner Tita Lanning.
Roger Crawford is truly a remarkable person. Born with a rare disease that left all four limbs severely impaired, he nonetheless developed his own unique way of holding a tennis racket, and, despite his prosthetic leg, went on to play on the Loyola Marymount University team in Los Angeles with 22 wins and only 11 losses during his career there. Sports Illustrated calls Roger one of the most accomplished physically challenged athletes in the world.
Roger's warm, humorous style and positive message have inspired more than 3,000 audiences. He has been interviewed on CNBC, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, and in USA Today. The National Speakers Association awarded Roger the distinguished CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame designation, acknowledging his speaking excellence. In recognition of Roger's extraordinary achievements, he has been inducted into the National Hall of Fame for people with disabilities, joining fellow honorees such as Christopher Reeve and Helen Keller.
Roger is a leading authority on developing human potential and breaking through self imposed limitations. At our Women of Purpose benefit luncheon, he will speak on "How High Can You Bounce?"--developing resilience in the face of change and obstacles.
Join us for a remarkable afternoon. Women and men are encouraged to attend and help make a difference for Hillside House. There will be a charitable auction as part of the luncheon, including such tantalizing items as a 4-night stay in a 5-star apartment in New York City overlooking Central Park; a gourmet dinner for 6 at an estate in Montecito; and a framed original painting by an award-winning artist.
We would love to share this lunch with you! Register now!
Special thanks to our Major Sponsors for this event: Marborg Industries and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.
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Meet Jim Wolfe, Our New Board President
 Jim Wolfe joined the Board of Directors of Hillside House in 2003 and has been a major supporter ever since. In January, he became our new Board President, when Earl Armstrong stepped down after 8 years in that role. We are grateful for Earl's leadership, and we welcome Jim in this new capacity.
Jim writes: "When I joined the Board of Hillside House in 2003, I did not yet know what an exceptional place Hillside House is. It is only by visiting, by talking to the parents, residents and staff, by hearing the inspiring and moving stories over the years, and by seeing the level of care and compassion that is fostered, that one can truly appreciate the importance of what goes on here. After six years of service on the Board of Directors, I was honored to be elected President. I am committed to helping this remarkable organization carry out its mission of creating an optimum life for each of its residents."
Jim Wolfe held executive level positions in Marketing and Sales with Welch's, Coca-Cola, and Seven-Up Foods. He was President/CEO of the Balance Bar Company, leading the company's growth from $1 million in sales in 1995 to $100 million in 1999. The company sold to Kraft Foods for $268 million in 2000.
Jim has also worked with businesses on a volunteer basis, both as an international consultant in Poland, the Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Siberia and Kenya, and locally, as well as throughout California, with small businesses through SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). He is also a member of the board of the Fighting Back Mentor Program and has served on the boards of United Way, Girl Scouts and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
With his wife, Marcia, Jim has four children and seven grandchildren.
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 Residents Meet Fairies, Cowboys and Mountain Goats
Thanks to the wonderful women of Get Out! Travel, quite a few of our residents have been enjoying some lovely adventures in the past several months.
Liz traveled with Get Out! to New Jersey to see her family for a five-day visit, which included a trip to see a great show in Philadelphia, a visit to the Liberty Bell and a horse and carriage ride around the old town.
Mark and Preston went to Kauai for a fun-filled vacation, which included a luau, botanical gardens, lots of great food, making ceramic gifts in the Gaylord Plantation and driving to the end of every road on the island! And they even saw mountain goats in Waimea Canyon.
And most recently, David, Valerie and Ruben visited Disneyland. David was enchanted by the characters (like Tinkerbell and many others) at the character breakfast, and Valerie spent the whole day very engaged with all of the colorful surroundings and the fun rides. Jeff M, David S and Marybeth will take a 3-day trip, the highlight of which is a visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Zoo in just a few days.
http://getouttravel.biz/
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Nikki Comes to Hillside House
 There are two case managers (or QMRPs, as we call them) who work at Hillside House. Each case manager works with half of the residents, helping each resident to have the optimum health, well-being, independence and access to stimulating, varied life experiences that we can make possible for them.
Six months ago Nikki joined us as a case manager. Recently graduated with a masters degree in clinical psychology, she was drawn to working with people with developmental disabilities, and wherever she asked, she kept hearing great things about Hillside House. Now that's she joined our team, she says, "I love this population and I love this facility. Because it's a residential facility you really become part of the residents' families and that family feeling extends to the staff too. This place is run really well, and it's a very comfortable place to be."
Nikki had trained in working with people with persistent mental illness, but this group "is just so much fun to be around. I get really happy being here. The other day we played baseball, and all of us had so much fun." She loves doing all sorts of activities with the residents from sports to arts to trivia and just spending time with them. "They are so loving, open and welcoming, and they take each day as a new day."
She says the residents have taught her to be more patient in her life outside of Hillside House and also more appreciative of everything she has. She is passionate about bringing them as many experiences that others get to have as possible. Her current focus is to help all of her clients be able to take vacations and day trips, to get out of their regular routines and see and do new things. She is working with the Development Department to find funding for those whose families cannot afford to help them take vacations, because she sees what a difference it makes for the residents, and also she feels strongly that they deserve to have vacations and outings like anyone. She says, "I just want to make a difference in their lives and be there for them however I can."
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Community Partner: PathPoint
 PathPoint in Santa Barbara has been providing
services to people with developmental disabilities
since 1964. Many of our residents attend PathPoint's Community Access Project (CAP) as their day program. Led by Program Coordinator Tasha Donovan, who also works as a one-on-one aid at Hillside House, CAP takes participants on outings, provides classes, relaxation time, social activities and a model of self-advocacy. Residents go on a monthly trip to the bowling alley, which they requested in their Participant Council, as well as seeing such local sights at the Botanical Gardens and the Natural History Museum. Here some of them are shown on a trip to the local fire station.
In whatever way they are able to make their interests and pleasures known, participants are encouraged and supported in pursuing their own choices. One participant wanted to learn about volcanoes, so CAP purchased a kit for making a model volcano that then erupted, much to the delight of those watching.
Weekly classes include a popular music class, where residents are helped to play the keyboard and learn about different kinds of music. In nutrition class, participants get to cook while learning about healthy food choices. During the relaxation time, participants are able to get out of their chairs into comfy massage chairs, receive massage and aromatherapy (which has been a big hit lately), and listen to guided meditations.
By guiding those who need extra help with hand-over-hand activities, participants can try painting, planting and watering herbs in the adaptive garden, playing the piano and drums and other sensory stimulating experiences. By spending time together in groups, participants benefit from each other's abilities and are able to support one another.
To learn more about PathPoint, you can visit www.pathpoint.org. |
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1235 Veronica Springs Rd.
Santa Barbara, California 93105
(805) 687-0788
www.hillsidehousesb.org
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