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~In This Issue~June 2013
Plastic Recycling Celebrates 200th Truckload to Trex!
18th Annual Golf Schamble
Honoring a Merrick Founder | Richard Flesher
Warners' Stellian and Merrick
Client Spotlight | Betsy W.
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We partner with:
Lucy Coffee Cafe
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Lucy Coffee Cafe is a locally owned cafe in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul that employs a client at Merrick. Located in the Griggs Midway Building at 540 Fairview Avenue North, their menu includes fresh daily pastries, soup, salad and sandwiches and they have freshly brewed coffee and numerous espresso drinks to choose from, as well as a full list of frappes, smoothies and other refreshing cold drinks.
 
Please support our business partners with your spending dollars! 
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We value your feedback. Please let us know how we can improve this newsletter, or if you have suggestions for future articles or content, contact our marketing & communications coordinator via email at [email protected] or 
by phone at 651-789-6216. 
We seek your referrals! 
Help us continue to find meaningful work for the clients of Merrick by suggesting business partners who might be interested in hiring a client or a work crew. Send referrals to Executive Director John Wayne Barker at: [email protected]
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Bring on Summer! 
Greetings!
  
Staff and clients at Merrick have been eager to spend more time outdoors and those wishes are finally starting to come true! Eating lunch outdoors, trips to local parks. planning visits to summer attractions like the State Fair, and just sitting outside in some of our beautifully landscaped areas are all ways we are embracing the warmer weather. 
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Clients enjoy fun and games at an outdoor picnic

In this issue: 

  • we celebrate a milestone for the plastic recycling crew, 
  • share a recap - with link to photos - of the annual Golf Schamble, 
  • remember founder Dick Flesher
  • thank partner Warners' Stellian, and 
  • wrap up with a spotlight story on client Betsy W., who puts her heart and soul into bettering her community. 

Thank you for your continued support and may the sun continue to shine!  

Plastic Recycling Celebrates 200th Truckload to Trex! 

Last month Merrick hosted a reception to celebrate the plastic recycling crew's accomplishment of sending the 200th truckload of plastic to Trex Company for recycling into composite lumber. The crew has diverted 7.9 million pounds of plastic from our landfills over the last ten years. Way to go!

plastic recycling crew-onsite
The onsite plastic recycling crew load the trucks that go to
Trex Company 
Click here to view the commemorative poster created for the reception. 

Learn more about our plastic recycling program and how you can get involved.  
18th Annual Golf Schamble 
Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, especially presenting sponsors Lake Area Bank and SevenHills Benefit Partners, supporters, and this year's golfers, the 2013 Merrick Charity Golf Schamble raised almost $35,000 to help fund our mission to empower adults with disabilities. 
JWB at Beat the Boss hole
JWB as Rich Uncle Pennybags on the  "Beat the Boss" hole brought in an additional $1,800 earmarked for self-advocacy
Highlights include:
  • First place team: Kim Trenary, Joe Trenary, John 
    Vanderaarde
    , & Tom Iaria taking the top honor.
  • Dr. Jeff Norsted winning the Golfer's Dream Raffle.
  • Troy Burne staff, especially Golf Pro Dave Tentiswere well prepared & friendly as can be.
  • Great weather for the set-up and shotgun start with two memorable rain delays that allowed for merriment in the clubhouse, canopied areas, and the good old great outdoors.

View the complete list of sponsorsView photos from the event. View team photos

Honoring A Merrick Founder | Richard "Dick" Flesher

We honor the passing of one of our founders and friends, Mr. Richard "Dick" Flesher. Merrick is but one of a great many extraordinary legacies he has left on this earth. There are no words that may be expressed to show our truest gratitude and sympathy to his family. 

Mr. Flesher
Dick Flesher:
Merrick Founder and Friend

 

Born in St. Paul, MN he graduated from St. Thomas Academy in 1949 and from the College of St. Thomas in 1953. A loving husband to wife Loretta for 56 years and father to three children. He was an avid sports fan, especially of those that his children and grandchildren played. He had a fulfilling career as a social worker with Merrick and Catholic Charities where he was instrumental in developing the program for Meals on Wheels and curb cuts for the handicapped in St. Paul. Nominated by his son, Greg, Dick was the recipient of the 1991 Humanitarian of the Year Award at the University of St. Thomas. He retired in 1995 from Catholic Charities. In retirement he enjoyed golf, fishing and gardening. He is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Click here to view the full online obituary. 

Warners' Stellian Partnership Provides Jobs 
Warners' Stellian crew
Warners' Stellian employs four clients at Merrick 
In a partnership spanning six years, Warners' Stellian, a Minnesota family-owned home and kitchen appliance store, provides jobs to four clients at Merrick. Support Service Staff Tara Ungar provides support to the crew that covers three locations of the local chain. The crew perform tasks such as cleaning appliances, cleaning and stocking restrooms and breakrooms, dusting, vacuuming, emptying garbages and collecting plastic waste that is bagged and brought back to Merrick to be recycled. 
 
Said client Melissa M., who has been on the Warners' Stellian crew since April 2007, "I like my job. My job coach, Tara, is funny and makes me laugh. I feel appreciated by Warners' Stellian because they celebrate my birthday and have potlucks and give us tickets to sporting events. I like working so that I can earn money. I make good money and I like to spend it on vacations."

In addition to being an employer, the Warners' Stellian management team supports Merrick through actively participating in our fundraisers as a sponsor, donator, and as guests.

Thank you Warners' Stellian for choosing to empower adults with disabilities! 
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
Betsy W. | Individual Services

Betsy W. came to Merrick two and a half years ago and has been impressing staff and peers alike with her independence, giving spirit, and self-confidence. Betsy is part of the Individual Services or "I-team" at Merrick that supports job development, job placement, community integration, expanding social networks, and participation in self-advocacy activities. Betsy's full schedule of working, volunteering in her community, and self-advocacy demonstrate the focus of the I-team perfectly.

 

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Betsy shows others  
what is possible

Along with living in her own apartment, Betsy takes care of her own needs by independently scheduling her transportation with Metro Mobility. She is self-sufficient in all housekeeping, bill paying, and shopping. She even manages her own health needs requesting refills when needed and picking up her medication from her local pharmacy.

 

On the job front, Betsy works two days a week on the work floor at Merrick doing piece-rate jobs. She also has two weekly volunteer gigs, one at The Cathedral of St. Paul where she irons, folds, and puts away cloths for Mass; organizes and cleans the supplies in the pews; and does general tidying in the sanctuary. In February, she took on a second volunteer opportunity at United Hospital. At the hospital, she works on special projects like putting together informational packets for various areas within the hospital. She loves giving back and being involved in her community. She hosts a weekly prayer group in her own home, sings in the choir at church, and attends Mass every Sunday.

Betsy in St. Paul Cathedral
Betsy is active in her community and volunteers weekly at The Cathedral of St. Paul and United Hospital

Betsy attends weekly self-advocacy meetings at Merrick and went to the State Self-Advocacy Conference in April. She is a shining example of someone who believes in herself showing others what is possible and is a true role model for those seeking independence and involvement in their community. 

 

Get to know more clients at Merrick with the client spotlight stories on our website: 
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Thank you for your continued support of Merrick, Inc.