Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Dear Families & Friends,

Many of you have probably heard that our 2012 legislative session has started and are wondering what this might mean to your loved ones receiving supports through TURN. Now is the time to let your voice be heard. You can make a huge impact by contacting your local representatives in the House and Senate by email, letter, or phone calls. To locate the names and contact information for your State Senator and House of Representatives member, go to http://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp, enter your address, and click on the links provided.

What information do you need to share with legislators? Here are some key points you might share:

• Ask legislators to protect the most vulnerable. Share with them how State funding helps you care for a loved one with disabilities. Explain what would happen to your family if funding were cut.
• Remind legislators that current levels of funding are wisely and carefully used and have positive impacts in our community. State programs help individuals with disabilities be more independent. State funding actually helps individuals give back by working in the community, where they are taxpayers and consumers who support local business. State funding keeps people with disabilities out of institutions.
• Help your legislator understand that people are involved, and they are working on a “human budget” that protects our most vulnerable citizens. These are our families, friends and neighbors, not just a line item in a budget.
• Ask legislators to support the Governor’s Budget.

Please share your personal story with legislators. If you would like to be more involved, please contact me at 801-524-8603.

Thank you for your involvement that will benefit all Utahns with disabilities.

Sincerely,

Phil Shumway
Executive Director

Civil Rights Remembrance at TURN

On Monday, January 16th, nearly 50 volunteers visited TURN’s four Utah County Day Programs to provide service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Prior to the event, TURN staff and participants taught each other about the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, and about the lesser-known disability rights movement that ultimately impacted so many of our friends and colleagues. We learned about our rights as human beings and about periods in history where rights were denied. Some of our individuals could describe situations where their own lives and choices were restricted. It was a day of learning and understanding, and a day of service.

The United Way of Utah County provided the funds to buy art supplies and 75 12×12 inch wooden tiles. Each individual in the Day Programs were assisted by staff and volunteers to produce a multi-media piece that reflected their understanding of human rights and Martin Luther King, Jr. New friendships were formed, and many volunteers asked if they could come back and take part in future activities.

The volunteers were organized by the United Way of Utah County as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Outreach Day, and Day of Service. Hundreds of volunteers were dispatched on that day to over 30 service projects in the area, and TURN is grateful to have been part of that “army for good”.

Our thanks go out to Brandon Boulton, TURN’s resident artist volunteer who helped United Way staff in their purchase of supplies. Thanks also to Lauren Carlile and Lisa Hammon from the United Way for funding the project, for working with us in preparation for the activity, and for pointing so many good people our way on that day.

Volunteers bring strength to our agency!

Meet Our Community Partner: Hincklease

Just in time for Christmas, Hincklease Leasing Manager, Brian Baker (pictured left), delivered a check for TURN, along with a company hat, to Phil Shumway, TURN Executive Director. For more than 25 years, Hincklease, the commercial lending arm of Hinckley, Inc., has fulfilled a vital service for TURN by offering reasonable leasing and purchasing options for the agency’s transportation system. Today, TURN operates a fleet of 45 vehicles, nearly half of which are leased. The vehicles provide transportation for many of the more than 600 TURN clients in programs throughout the state.

In addition to the monetary donation, Hincklease employees contributed hundreds of in-kind gifts for TURN’s Labor of Love, which served 133 low-income individuals with disabilities this past season. TURN extends expressions of appreciation to Hincklease and to its generous employees.

Passing of a Good Friend

Laurie (Lorie) Stephens was 58 when she passed away on January 15, 2012 after a short illness. Lorie was one of the first Iron Parke (now TURN) individuals to be served residentially when she moved into the first Cedar City apartment program in 1985.

Lorie enjoyed community living until 2006, when she moved to TURN’s Harps Cottage for 24-hour support. Lorie loved living at “The Happy House,” and enjoyed many activities, especially bowling. When Lorie became ill, she had been practicing twice a week in preparation for the upcoming Winter Games. The morning of the games (the day before she passed away), Lorie’s Program Coordinator presented her with an Olympic “participation medal” in honor of her dedication to bowling and to her teammates. Lorie was so proud that she repeatedly showed her medal to doctors and nurses, as well as family and staff members.

Meet Our Board: Jeff Cline

Jeff Cline, past-president and five-year trustee of Salt Lake Advocacy and Community Training (ACT), is passionate about continuing his advocacy of people with disabilities.  Following the merger of ACT with TURN in June 2011, Jeff, an Investment Advisor and President of Responsible Asset Management, LLC, brought to the Board his extensive experience in conscientious investing and fiscal management. In his role as Development Committee Chair, Jeff is enthusiastic about helping the Board with fundraising efforts, planned giving, marketing, and other opportunities that will enhance the lives of the individuals who have chosen to receive services through TURN.

Honoring TURN’s Own Stars

While Hollywood’s award season is in full swing, TURN is also gearing up for our own celebration of excellence. The Exemplar Program is now accepting nominations to induct 2012’s Exemplar Staff into the program.

The Exemplar Program comprises a group of Direct Support Professionals who go above and beyond the regular duties of their jobs. They serve as role models for other Direct Support Professionals in how they support people receiving TURN’s services, and in how they demonstrate effective teamwork with the other staff. Exemplars are nominated and selected for the program by their peers. Once employees have been selected and have agreed to participate in the program, they remain in the Direct Support Professional position. However, they have additional expectations and duties and, while they don’t receive a gold statuette, they are paid at a higher hourly rate for their work.

Exemplar Staff will attend program staff meetings in February and March to explain the selection criteria and nomination process, and Direct Support Professionals will be getting the nomination form as an S-comm on Therap. Memo to Direct Support Professionals: Look around you and be prepared to nominate a peer who performs like a star! The envelope please…..

eBay Foundation’s GIVE Team Supports Summer Camps

eBay Foundation’s GIVE Team in Salt Lake City, under the championship of employee Matthew Waite, granted tuition support for TURN’s summer camp program for school-aged youth with disabilities. Camps are offered in Salt Lake and Utah Counties for the 9 weeks between school terms. This grant will serve as the basis of leveraging additional funds to enable participation by youth whose families cannot afford the fees. The program has a two-fold mission of providing respite to families who work while serving as the primary caregiver and to provide integrated community activities to keep the youth involved and current with social and academic skills.

Charitable Hearts in Our Community

In the spirit of giving and cooperation, TURN programs worked with the Zions Bank branch in the new Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) Building in Salt Lake City to decorate the tree that stood in the bank lobby through the holiday season. TURN program participants joyfully created unique and “full of character” ornaments and decorations that were then hung on the tree at the bank. Zions Bank, in turn, donated money to TURN for each ornament that was contributed. Thanks go to Kade Walton, Branch Manager at the Zions IMC branch, for his support of TURN and its mission. Kade was formerly a U of U Service Learning student who chose TURN for his service project, and has been involved ever since! We are glad that Kade has found a home (TURN) for his charitable heart. Thanks also to the TURN program participants and their staff from the following programs who were generous with their creativity: Woods Cross, Wilmington, and Clearfield Day Programs, Ogden Hourly Services, and Salt Lake Saturday Camp.

A New Year’s Message: You Can Make a Difference!

Dear TURN Advocates,

Welcome to 2012! A new year, with its new delights and challenges, are upon all of us. Also, each January begins a short period of lawmaking: the Utah State Legislature convenes its 45-day session on January 23. 2012. I am asking each of you, the people TURN works for, their families, advocates, and employees, to contact your state representatives and senators and ask for full funding of Governor Herbert’s budget for the Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD).

Full funding will help to ensure continued support services for people with disabilities and sufficient revenues for the agencies such as TURN who provide those services. It may also permit DSPD to fund people who have spent years on the Waiting List.

It is easy to become cynical or impatient with the current political situation in Washington. Many of us feel powerless to advocate for change or affect the course of this country. However, you can make a difference at state and local levels. Experience has shown that your direct input to your Utah legislators can have a dramatic impact on their votes.

You can find out the names and addresses of your elected officials by calling your county clerk or by going online to the Utah State legislature’s website, http://le.utah.gov/.
When you call, write, or visit them, give personal stories about your needs and expectations. Remember: Be Polite, Be Specific, and Be Personal. You can make a difference in your life and in the lives of people you care about!

Mary Grace Miner
TURN Board Chair

Thanksgiving and Christmas Events are Important TURN Traditions

For many years, TURN has helped the individuals and families we serve gather together at the holidays for delicious meals, music and laughter, and maintaining long-lasting friendships.

On November 22, the Salt Lake Hourly Services Program Coordinators held their annual Thanksgiving dinner for clients who do not go home for the holiday, and those who want to just spend an evening with friends. Together, Peggy Laursen and Shirley Barnes prepared three, 25-pound turkeys with stuffing, potatoes, yams, vegetables, green bean casserole, and five pies. This year, approximately fifty clients attended, along with a great number of TURN employees.

The next day, 25 Wasatch Front area residential clients from Weber, Davis, and Salt Lake, and their support staff, gathered at the West Valley Country Inn and Suites for the 2-day annual Thanksgiving retreat. The first evening, everyone enjoyed turkey sandwiches and left-over side dishes from the previous dinner, and another traditional Thanksgiving meal served by the Cracker Barrel Restaurant.

Throughout December, TURN programs celebrated Christmas with parties from Ogden to St. George. On December 9, TURN held separate parties for Wasatch Front day programs and Salt Lake area residential programs at the historical Organ Loft in South Salt Lake. On December 21, Northern area residential and hourly services clients attended a TURN party at the Ogden Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Entertainment included pipe organ music and Christmas carols led by Lydia Roberts at the Organ Loft, and dance music and videos by DJ, Henry Neville and video and still photographer, Dave Brooke. Baked ham dinners were served at each event.

Twenty individuals participated in the Christmas retreat at the Country Inn and Suites, December 24th and 25th. They had dinner at Chili’s on Christmas Eve (a tradition!), and on Christmas night, Santa came after dinner and gave everyone a gift.

Utah County’s annual Christmas Dinner for our service recipients, their families, and our staff has been a tradition for 25 years. Over 250 people gathered at the Orem Senior Friendship Center on the evening of December 13th, to enjoy a traditional holiday meal, an exciting raffle of donated items, and fine local entertainment. Donna Brayton played a Christmas Carol on her accordion, the PALS group sang and danced through several Christmas numbers, and photos with Santa wrapped up the evening.

TURN holiday retreats are made possible through donations and funds raised each year at the agency’s Annual “Pastabilities Extravaganza” Dinner.

Thanksgiving for clients.	Pass the potatoes.
Homer opening present.	Lydia leads carols.
Phil Shumway and Board members Susie Miner and Jim Witherspoon enjoy entertainment at Orem party.	Donna Brayton performs Christmas songs on her accordion.
The PALS group performs Christmas songs in Orem.

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