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Greetings!
It is hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us. As we enter the final months of the year, there is much to do at Hillside House, reviewing the past year and paving the way for the next, so that we can do even more for our residents in 2014. At the year's end I promise we'll share with you our successes and learnings from 2013, but for now I have a happy invitation for you.
Amidst all the busyness that the year's end brings, let us not forget about celebrating! Celebrating is something our residents excel at and each holiday--whether Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas--brings us welcome opportunities to make special arts and crafts, try new recipes in our weekly cooking class, help the residents get dressed up in all their finest regalia, bring in performers and special events, and have a party!
One of our favorite parties of the year is our annual Holiday Open House. I heartily invite you to join us for this truly warm-hearted event, as friends and family come to Hillside House to celebrate with our residents with holiday music, delicious treats and plenty of holiday spirit.
This year's Holiday Open House takes place on Saturday, December 7 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at Hillside House. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please join us and contribute to the holiday cheer for our residents.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday season,
Craig Olson
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 Girls Afternoon Out
Once every couple of months we take several of our female residents to town for a special Girls Afternoon Out to encourage them that they are able to try new things, broaden their horizons, use their skills and navigate the world. This past month, Nancy, Moselle, Patty, accompanied by Nikki, went to the Paul Mitchell student salon and got their hair done. The staff at the salon were amazing and very helpful accommodating the wheelchairs  Joanne joined the others for lunch at Pierre Lafond, where they all ordered from the menu themselves and enjoyed a wonderful meal of appetizers, sandwiches or flat-bread pizzas, cookies and banana bread pudding. Patty and Joann then stayed downtown to shop on their own and ride the bus home.
Fostering more independence, self-confidence and integration with others for our residents are important to us at Hillside House. And of course, having fun! Judging from the smiles and laughs, it seems we did a good job. This kind of staff-intensive, special programming is one of the ways donations help provide our residents with a higher quality of life. Thanks to all who contribute to make this possible. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Halloween is Great Fun at Hillside House
 Halloween at Hillside House was celebrated with our residents' usual flair for fun and silliness. Being a weekday, the morning was a bit hectic as we helped everyone who wanted to be in costume to sort through our box of costume supplies, put on face paint, wigs and/or other accessories. Some had also bought their own costumes and we helped them put them on. All this before getting out the door to their day programs. Halloween evening we had a party with special snacks and cupcakes and danced to spooky music. There were parties at the day programs too. In the same week, the Assistance League came over with a local Brownie troupe and hosted Halloween Bingo, which was great fun. And in advance of Halloween, we had many craft projects, decorated the bulletin boards, set out pumpkins carved by volunteers and some painted by residents, made masks with glitter and, in our cooking class, made pumpkin cake. Happy Halloween! _______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Our Newest Resident, Jon, Settles In
Jon came to us from the Lanternman Regional Center at the very end of August. After a couple months at Hillside House, we are really starting to get to know him and he is settling in well. His sister and brother-in-law visit him often. Jon is 51 years old and quite physically able, including being able to walk. He will be getting a customized physical therapy plan soon and starting at the day program at Devereux this week. He enjoys being an observer of life at Hillside House and will sit in on many of the weekly classes and events. He loves food and going for rides in our van. He also enjoys going to watch the residents who do therapeutic horseback riding. Jon is helpful and good natured. He is often to be found hanging out with the staff in their offices and helping to straighten things up. He likes to listen to music. Welcome Jon!
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Meet Juan Diaz, Our New Director of Facilities
 Juan Diaz has lived in Santa Barbara for 35 years and knew of Hillside House before he came to work here as our new Director of Facilities a month and a half ago. He says it's our mission, and particularly the words about "an environment where people are treated with dignity and respect" that inspired him to apply for the job. He says of Hillside House, "I am blessed to be here. It's one of the best places to be to make a difference in people's lives."
Juan brings nearly 20 years of team management, staff training and facilities maintenance experience to the position. He says his #1 goal at Hillside House is to ensure that everything in the facility in terms of preventative maintenance and safety, as well as special projects and repairs, are accomplished at the highest level. That's what he sees as his part in taking care of the residents. He also aims to help the other staff who work with him to feel good about themselves and their work and do the best job they can.
The biggest challenge he and his facilities team face at Hillside House is the amount of work that needs to be done. In order to keep track of it all and make the best use of time, he has created a calendar of the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks, and that allows his team to also find pockets of time to accomplish extra projects. His gift for being organized and attending to details is evident in how clean and tidy the facilities shop is kept.
Juan is impressed by the spirit of the staff at Hillside House, the care they bring to working with the residents and to all they do. He says it's a very positive environment and gives him the extra fuel he needs to get everything done. As he and his staff go about their work, the residents often thank them for cleaning up and taking care of their house, and this also inspires the staff to do their best for the residents.
Outside of Hillside House, Juan loves to spend time with his wife, his 7-year-old daughter and his three sons, ages 11, 13, and 15. He enjoys playing basketball and hiking.
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Do you know Hillside House's Mission?
To provide a home that supports our residents' efforts to maximize their physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities so that they can attain their highest level of independence in an environment where people are treated with dignity and respect.
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1235 Veronica Springs Rd.
Santa Barbara, California 93105
(805) 687-0788
www.hillsidehousesb.org
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