The Members’ Perspective
April 2006
Getting Things Done:
Hats off to Executive Director of Humboldt Housing Authority:
I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Ms. Dorothy Armour, Executive Director of Humboldt Housing Authority for working with the T.C.A.C. AmeriCorps program for Seniors Community Cares. For the past six months, Ms. Armour has opened her office door as well as her heart to see that the program became a success.
The care she has for the Seniors in her housing unit is seen throughout the time she has spent listening and helping me get the things they need to improve their quality of life.
We are “Springing into Spring,” a joint project with the site supervisor, Ms. Pankey and youth program to beautify the Seniors’ housing unit. Our goal is to plant flowers and place park benches so they can enjoy feeding the squirrels and watching the birds together. We are looking forward to our youth joining in on this wonderful project.
Sincerely,
Ms. Pat Kelly
Community Cares AmeriCorps
H.H.A. West Tennessee
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Hello! We are excited here at Fort Shelby and Edgemont Towers about the community cares program. Outside of our regular activities such as shopping, mopping, laundry, and doing the dishes we have pledged to get out of the house sometimes and take a walk to shake off winter depression.
Some of the residents are excited about the talking book sponsored by the Tennessee Library For The Blind And Physically Handicapped.
The residents are very talented people. We have business people, piano players, artists, seamstress, and more. They also like to sit down to a game of checkers or bingo!
Community Cares is just what the residents need to help them to accomplish the things that they want to do most!
Go Community Cares!!!
Jacqui
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Thought
I would let you know about our great volunteers, which helped with the delivery
of commodities. We had some maintenance guys and a couple of residents, and my
husband. We delivered 82 to the elderly and disabled.
Joyce Rickard
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Special thanks to Karen Berry and Selena Jackson serving with SCHAS in Grainger and Hamblen Counties for the "Awesome" gait/mobility and personal care training. Way to go Karen and Selena!!! Special thanks to Joyce, Teresa and Charlotte for hosting our March regional meeting. Hats off to MHA!
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During February Liberty Hill United Methodist Church's 4th and 5th grade Sunday School Class under the supervision of Julie Wilbur assembled 17 disaster kits. This was not only as volunteers for Community Cares, but to fulfill their Community Outreach goal for the class. High Five to future AmeriCorps members in the waiting.
Ben Wilbur
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Thanks for all the great service stories, everyone. Go Team Tennessee!
Ask your P.D. (Program Director)
Questions that have been submitted during the month:
Q. What should AmeriCorps members do if they want to take a vacation during the program year?
A. First, Call Evonne at TCAC to see if you are current on service hours. Only members who are current and built up enough service time can take off for vacation. Members are required to make up missed time for personal days or vacation days. Second, request the time off and get dates approved with your host site supervisor. Vacation days, personal days and Holidays must be approved and scheduled at the host site level first. Lastly, the week before you take the vacation submit a "ZERO" hours time sheets to your supervisor and then have them sign it. Then FAX it to TCAC attn: Evonne and you will be paid for the missed week. AmeriCorps living allowance covers service, training and fundraising time. Members are permitted to take vacation during the program year if they are current on hours and the host site approves the leave.
Q. This is my second term serving in the Community Cares program. If I want to continue my AmeriCorps service what should I do next?
A. Congrats to you if you are finishing up your second year of national service. According to the Corporation guidelines, AmeriCorps members serving two years in an AmeriCorps State program like Community Cares will need to "flip" to a cross stream of service program. For example, you can continue your national service in one of TCAC's other two AmeriCorps VISTA programs. For information on "flipping" to one of our other programs at the end of two terms in CC simply contact: Jawanna Chapman, Kathy Coffey or Gary Guinn at TCAC for information on VISTA. Or go to www.tcac1.org to read about the programs online and submit an application to them. You also can go to www.americorps.org to check out other national service programs in your area.
Q. Do the Monthly Assistance Plans have to be signed every month by the clients we serve?
A. YES!!! Reports mailed in without clients signature will be returned to you for signatures.
Q. Can I fax in my time sheet on Monday if my supervisor doesn’t have time to sign it on Monday?
A. NO. You must let your supervisor review the time sheet and all paperwork. Once they have reviewed it they will sign it and give it back to you to fax or mail in weekly. You can also talk to the host site supervisor about who has permission to sign in their absence if they are on vacation or things like that. Copies of all AmeriCorps paperwork should be retained at the host site. Copies can be mailed or faxed to TCAC to Evonne. Members who turn in incomplete paperwork without proper signatures will get it returned to them from TCAC for resubmission.
Member Thoughts
Good times w/ my clients
I have learned a lot from my residents up at NHA. I have experienced hard times with many of them. However, there are a few good times that took place.
Many of my clients have treated me like family and many have been friends.
Every now and then one of them will either prepare lunch for me and Joyce or will buy my lunch. At least 2 to 3 months ago, while helping "Ms. A" clean her apartment and after running to the store, she cooked me and Joyce some tacos and we had lunch together.
Another time, I had come to help one of my clients "Mr. H" clean and serve as a companion. We had lunch together by him sending me to Long John Silver's to get some food. He of course wanted to pay for my lunch, so I agreed.
Today, after taking some items to the roadside for the sanitation department to pick up for 'Mr. B", he thanked me, by buying me and him some milkshakes from a local drive-in in Newport. I told him that was a treat. Many of them have had hard lives, but these provide learning opportunities that can not be learned in a classroom. Lastly, I can tell that a lot of them like to eat, especially when it comes to the pot luck meal at the Rhea Mims Hotel.
-Ben Schlecter
Special Thanks
Dawn Morris, serving SCHAS Campbell County, had her surgery on April 3. She wanted everyone to know in the Corps that she is doing fine. She says she will be up and running again her normal "million miles an hour" in no time. She asks that we keep her in our thoughts.
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Hello Community Care Members-Thank you so much for the kindness I have been shown by everyone during my pregnancy and the birth of my son. He is anxious to see everyone. He is doing well. I now have an email address colinbeason@yahoo.com please feel free to email me. I need all the baby advice I can get, it has been 7 years since the last baby boy.
Thanks again,
Amy Crawford
Community Cares
Johnson City Housing Authority
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And especially, thanks to everyone for the great baby shower and for your thoughts during my pregnancy, too. We had a huge, healthy baby and are so proud of him.
Thanks,
Ely Farrey
Community Cares
Johnson City Housing Authority
Happy Birthday!
April: Denise Springer 4/11, Paris Public Housing
Crystal Watson 4/14, SCHAS in Sweetwater
May: Bernice Austin 5/2
Ben Schlechter 5/21
Did you know TCAC has a birthday coming up? Yes its true, although we once operated and were called TAHRA VISTA under KCDC, TCAC became an official 501(c)3 non profit back in 1999. June 7, 2006 marks 7 years of national service programs in Tennessee with our "Superwanna" Jawanna Chapman, TCAC executive director. Hats off to Jawanna, staff and those awesome AmeriCorps VISTAs and AmeriCorps members that make it happen in Tennessee for others in the communities we serve.
When is the next TEAM TCAC AmeriCorps meeting? June 6, 2006 9-12 (cst time) at Crossville Housing Authority. The dynamic AmeriCorps team Becky, Jan, Kimber, Mary, Maria and leading the pack the one and only Cyndie Dyal will be hosting this special meeting. Agenda and directions coming to you in the mail soon in May. This special meeting will be a state wide event that will include East and West Tennessee TCAC AmeriCorps programs. This is the TEAM TCAC meeting you will not want to miss. Please make prior arangements with your host site to attend. Buddy up and ride with other members/VISTAs or call Evonne/Mary/Kathy/Gary to ride down with us in the TCAC vans. Kathy Coffey has lined up one fantabulous speaker for this event. Lunch will be provided.
Mary’s Nook & Cranny
It’s springtime in the Smokies!! And what a beautiful spring it is.
Just got back from “road trippin” with Evonne to West TN. And what a trip it was!! It was a great way to diet as we tried to eat healthy. We found the healthiest cheesecake at Shoneys! Yum!! Yum!!! I got to meet Christine Barrett, our new member in Dickson. She’s a little whirl wind and will probably do really good things for her seniors there. From Dickson, we met with other Corps Council members and their Program Directors at Natchez Trace State Park to discuss some of the following ideas:
1. Are MLK gatherings better regionally or one mass meeting in Memphis.
2. Volunteer Recruitment ideas.
3. How to retain AmeriCorps members (90% retention is the goal to strive for).
4. Communication ideas.
What are your thoughts on these issues? If you have thoughts you would like to share with other Corps members about these issues or any other issues, jot your thoughts in an e-mail or snail mail a note to us. We’ll present your ideas at the next council meeting.
And now, here is a thought for the day:
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
--Norman MacFinan
Mary Young is starting a new section for the TCAC Newsletter for her section. We are calling it "SPIRIT FINGERS" we want to feature "great stories of service". Please share them with us. You could be the next edition of SPIRIT FINGERS.
Letter from the editor and disclaimer:
Thank you so much to everyone who has participated in the newsletter. I will try to always include whatever you send me. Hot topics such as politics and religion are not allowed. If I have overlooked any submissions or not included everyone in the Welcome list, please send me the additional information and I will correct it next month. Submission deadline for March newsletter is the 15th and release date is the 20th. Hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. Have a great month!
Elly Farrey, Editor