Sparrow Newsletter His Eye is on the Sparrow — December 2012

In 2010 our board decided to pur-

sue accreditation that would allow

us to expand our services of sup-

ported living to more than five peo-

ple. We contacted and reviewed the

two accreditation agencies that pro-

vide this service to supported-living

providers, COA and CARF. After

deciding to go with CARF Interna-

tional (Commission on Accredita-

tion of Rehabilitation Facilities),

we purchased the CARF manual,

which describes the types of docu-

mentation necessary to pass an au-

dit for accreditation.

In May of 2010 we prepared a

spreadsheet comparing the CARF-

required policies with those we al-

ready had in place. During 2011 we

wrote or revised polices and made

forms to comply with the CARF

requirements. By the end of 2011

we had 70 forms and 127 policies

written in a common format and

approved by the board. We imple-

mented the policies and wrote a

strategic plan for the next three

years.

On 9/17/11 we submitted our intent

to survey. From 2/22 through

2/24/2012 we were surveyed

(surveying is an in-depth, in-house

examination of policies, procedures

and program goals) for compliance

with the CARF requirements. On

3/31/2012, we were pleased to hear

we were accredited for a three-year

period! We have no statistics about

how many agencies get a three-year

accreditation on the first try, but we

were very gratified that we had

done so.

Considering the fact that we are an

all-volunteer board, it was a fine

accomplishment. Thanks to our

wonderful board!

—James Turek

CARF Accreditation Ensures Growth for His Eye is on the Sparrow

An appreciative parent looks back at five years of growth for her daughter, a resident of His Eye is on the Sparrow. Since first opening its doors to residents on a cold January day in 2008, His Eye is on the Sparrow has provided more than a safe and supportive environment for four young adults. HEIOTS staff have also found a way to find

and keep a dedicated group of loving, devoted, compassionate caregivers and volunteers. The sta-bility and depth of knowl-edge that comes with such a group is one of the most important things that make His Eye is on the Sparrow so successful in meeting the needs of their clients, includ-ing our daughter, Chel-sea. My husband, Rich, and I know full well that it is the people who make Sparrow House different

from so many other simi-lar enterprises. We're five years down

the road, and we can re-port that the days when Mom and Dad were

A House Becomes a Home

Continued on page 3

Page 2 Sparrow Newsletter

Reported elsewhere in this

newsletter are some of the

more public achievements

of the past year–getting

accredited at the highest

level by CARF, obtaining

a grant from the Lloyd and

Mabel Johnson Foundation, the continued

success of our golf outing. There are, how-

ever, other achievements to celebrate that

are not as public but just as important. For

example, let me cite the progress being

made by our residents in both medical and

behavioral realms—progress made possi-

ble by the dedicated work of our staff,

Carol Magill as medical monitor, and the

staff of CSTS. As a result of their com-

bined efforts, there have been substantial

improvements in the lives of those we

serve.

And once again we find God’s generos-

ity in giving people to help us. For exam-

ple, even though we experienced a loss

from the resignation of Kathy Zukowski,

who had helped us for a number of years,

we were provided with two other persons

to help out: Pat O’Connell and Annette

Fraser, both of whom have joined our

board and have provided energy and ex-

pertise to our charity. Of course we con-

tinue to benefit from His generosity in

providing us with enough money—we are

fiscally solvent again this year, with a

budget that is not out of balance. With the

human and monetary resources given to

us, we look forward with confidence to

developing and staffing our next house to

serve three or four young men.

Volunteers

His Eye is on the Sparrow is very

blessed to have a group of regular

volunteers who help with projects

around the house, yard work, special

events, music night, trips to the

movies and bowling or whatever

else we can think up. They give of

their time and their talents to enrich

our home members’ lives. We could

not do it without them.

We are also so very blessed to have volunteers who step up to help with our annual

golf fundraiser. To all those who helped in planning, obtaining raffle items, donating

raffle items, and working the actual event…..THANK YOU!

If you or someone you know has a special talent or time to share and would like to vol-

unteer at His Eye is on the Sparrow, please contact us at hiseye@comcast.net.

Whether it is helping in the garden or hanging Christmas lights outside, helping with

outings or playing games on game night, we would love to have you.

2011-2012

His Eye is on the

Sparrow

Board of Directors

President

Bob Magill

Vice President John Rolph

Secretary Carol Magill

Treasurer James Turek

Bill Champion

Sr. Fran Depuydt

Annette Fraser

Judy Greenbaum

Alice Hartman

Patrick O’Connell

Diane Turek

Advisory Board

Jill Barker

Sharon Davis

Fr. Dennis Glasgow

Larry Green

Marilyn Johnston

Joe McKeone

Mike Morrissey

John Rose

Carol Sefton

Sue Stout

Polly Wise

President’s Report by Bob Magill

Mission Statement

Disability is a natural

part of human experi-

ence; we are all created

equal in the sight of God.

Individuals with disabili-

ties deserve to lead lives

of dignity and respect in

an atmosphere that en-

courages self-

determination and per-

sonal growth.

Our homes will provide a

caring family environ-

ment based on Christian

values. Each home will

serve as a base from

which home members will

contribute to and partici-

pate in the larger commu-

nity.

Page 3 Sparrow Newsletter

2012 Special Events 2012 Special Events In June three of our four

home members graduated from

the WISD program. Two home

members gained paid employment

with local businesses, three home

members are working in the com-

munity with the CSTS Pace group,

and one gained a regular volunteer

position for a local business. Con-

gratulations to all!

Our fabulous volunteers

shared their gifts and talents

with us. Whether it be singing

Neil Diamond and the Beatles

every week or planting, sowing

and harvesting our Salsa Garden

or painting a home member’s

bedroom, our volunteers were up

for the challenge. No project

was too big or too small.

needed to read Chelsea's every fa-cial expression and intuit her every need are long gone. She is making her way in the world in large part without us--and that's as it should be. She enjoys a new kind of inde-pendence, finding her way (with the help of HEIOTS staff and her teacher and aides at the WISD young-adult program) to becoming a much-improved self-advocate and a reliable worker-in-training.

The blessings that our daughter, Chelsea, has received from living at Sparrow House are many and var-ied. Chelsea would probably want me to place particular emphasis on our gratitude that the house has supported her interest in sports with weekly bowling trips, continu-ing weekly therapeutic horseback

riding sessions, participation in Special Olym-pics, new twice-weekly fitness classes, even a day enjoying a Toledo Mud Hens minor-league baseball game from a private suite overlooking the field, and then a trip to Co-merica Park for a night with the Tigers. While at their Dexter home, Chelsea and one housemate can often be found cheering for one of Michigan's many pro or col-lege sports teams. Perhaps the highlight of our daughter's year in sports came in November 2012 when, thanks to the thoughtfulness of one of the staff, Chelsea and a housemate got to meet U of M football superstar Denard Robinson. Whatever she may think, we know that social sport-ing opportunities are far from the most important things to come to Chelsea as a result of moving into

Sparrow House. Chelsea has continued to gain mastery of her emotions. With the help of sensitive insights into the causes of Chelsea's outbursts from caring, observant staff, Chelsea's psychologist,

parents and HEIOTS management and staff collaborated to create a truly successful behavioral plan. Now, instead of dissolving into an emotional outburst when she is very sad or upset about things that are out of her control, Chelsea pours her troubles into one of two stuffed animals that serve as sounding boards, tear-wipers and agents of calm.

A House Becomes a Home

Continued from page 1

Continued on page 5

Continued on page 4

Staff is well-trained in handling the process of calming Chelsea's upset, and in anticipating the kinds of situations that could cause a meltdown. This allows them either to change the environment or to prepare Chelsea for circumstances they can-not change. They have also helped Chelsea learn to use words to express her sorrow and frustra-tion. The world is a hap-pier place! We are so deeply grateful for the compassion, patience and understanding exhibited by the board of directors as we worked through this difficult transitional period. They have defined grace in action. What Chelsea has to say is always enlightening and often entertain-ing. One evening in the middle of a recent va-cation with Rich, I grew desperate to hear her voice. We had to phone the house three times before we reached her at home--yes, she's that busy. When we called the third time we had to settle for hearing her in the back-ground, explaining to the staff exactly why she couldn't take the call: "I'm busy!" What a gift! Chel-

sea was not missing us. Her world was in order--without us--and what she needed most was to stay on track with her chores so she could earn her re-ward for getting to bed on time. The takeaway for us was something we have been feeling for a long time now: Chelsea does not just have a spot in a supported-living enter-prise. She has her "own" home, a loving home, and she is fine without us. Ahhhh. These are things that every parent yearns for, and His Eye is on the Sparrow has made these

dreams a reality, for Chel-sea and for us. Chelsea recently let me know just how happy, content and sure of her place she is at Sparrow House. For three and a

half years, each time Chelsea would come to our home to visit she would say, "This isn't my house. I don't live here. I live in Dex-ter now." Repeatedly. "I'm going back to my house on Friday." She

clearly needed reassur-ance. I believe that she thought there was a chance that someone would take her place at the house when-ever she wasn't there. About a year ago the constant questioning and re-hashing stopped. An-other breakthrough happened just a cou-ple of weeks ago. The Fri-day before Thanksgiving, I found a message from house manager Laura McKenzie, who was call-ing to inform me that Chelsea wanted to know about our plans for the holiday. The surprise: Chelsea had informed Laura that she wanted to come home... a day early! It sounds strange, but Chelsea being happy to leave her house tells me just how much she knows she belongs there. The vision of the board of directors of His Eye is on the Sparrow has been made real. As time goes

on we continue to be amazed at the endless work required to run the entire entity. And so very thankful to those who have taken on this task. The loving care and input of the Sparrow House staff and manage-ment have been critical in fostering Chelsea's contin-ued growth. We are grati-

fied that the new CARF accreditation will allow more Sparrow Houses to be built, more lives to be changed for the better. We also want to thank all those who have sup-ported His Eye is on the Sparrow in the past, be you a volunteer, a board member, a donor, or a staff member, past and present. We encourage you to continue your sup-port. I can attest to the excellence this organiza-tion has achieved. I liter-ally trust them with my child's life. What more proof can a parent offer? —Suzanne Ceppos

A House Becomes a Home

Continued from page 3

Sparrow Newsletter Page 4

Thank you to all of you who make His

Eye is on the Sparrow

possible. We could not

do this without your

generous contributions,

which covered twenty-

two percent of our op-

erating expenses in the

last year. If you are able to continue

to support us financially,

please send a check pay-

able to:

His Eye is on the Sparrow

473 Preston Circle

Dexter MI 48130.

This

year our

staff had

some great

training op-

portunities

and bonding

time. We

were

trained in CPI by board member Pat-

rick O'Connell. He did a wonderful

job not only training us in this physi-

cal management piece but also brain-

storming ideas with staff on how to

maintain a calm and peaceful home.

Just recently our managers attended

a Gentleness Training, which focuses

on the four pillars of feeling safe,

loved, loving and engaged in order to

help others be active participants in

community living. It was wonderful

to give a name to the technique our

awesome staff naturally applies to

daily life.

We welcomed a

visitor from Russia this

year as well. Father

Vladimir Klimzo from the

village of Davydo, Russia,

is from one of four par-

ishes in Russia working

with people with disabilities. He was

in Michigan to visit organizations

that serve those with dis-

abilities. He hopes to model

some of what he saw when

he is back in Russia.

On any given day in

Dexter one can find this

energized house on the go

or enjoying our beautiful

yard and home. This is just

a snap-

shot of

all the

good

hap-

pening

at

Spar-

row

House. Many of these opportunities

have been made possible through

grants received, fund-

raisers such as the

golf outing or individ-

ual contributions.

Thank you for helping

make these wonderful

events and memories a

possibility.

2012 Special Events

Continued from page 3

Sparrow Newsletter Page 5

Save the Date

3rd Annual Golf Outing

Saturday May 11, 2013

Lake Forest Golf Club

For more information contact

John Rolph johnrolph@comcast.net

or

Laura McKenzie hiseye@comcast.net

Looking for:

Hole Sponsors

Raffle Donations

Volunteers

Golfers looking to have a great time

www.hiseyeisonthesparrow.org

His Eye is on the Sparrow 6440 Merkel Dexter, MI 48130