Knock, Knock... It's the Holidays!

By: Tonya Bryant, CBIS
Residential Manager
Webster Court

This year the staff at Webster Court wanted to do something fun with our clients to get them in the holiday spirit.  We decided to have a Holiday door decorating contest.  All week long we have encouraged any visitors at Webster Court to take a walk through and vote for the most creative and festive door. Tom had a box of Godiva chocolates set outside his door to share with all of those who stopped by to vote.  This afternoon we tallied up our votes and we have our winners.  In first place we have Tom, known at Webster Court as “The Mayor.”  He won a $20 gift certificate to Fanatic U. In second place we have Shanay, who a $10 gift certificate to Dots.  In third place we have Bill who took home a $5 gift certificate to Fanatic U.  Staff also decorated the office door to join in on the fun.  Everyone enjoyed this contest and we plan to make a holiday tradition at Webster Court.

Tom, "The Mayor" who's festive door was awarded 1st place

Shanay's door adorned in red and green and got her the number 2 spot 

Humble, yet festive Bill was awarded 3rd in the contest

Happy Holidays!

Gingerbread, trees and trains, oh my!

By: Jessica Bahny, Activities Assistant 

The annual Festival of Trees at the Dearborn Community Center is truly a feast for the eyes!  Each year, it seems that the holiday season starts earlier and earlier.  When client Bradly and I found ourselves in the mood for some holiday cheer, we headed out to the Festival of Trees.  The festival benefits Children’s Hospital, which makes it wonderful from the start. 

Families, corporate groups and organizations decorate and donate trees for the display.  There are too many trees to count, each different in their own way.  It’s hard to choose a favorite, but both Bradly and I were partial to the Dr. Seuss tree.  It was too cool with pink, green, and purple lights.  Stuffed characters from all of Dr. Seuss’ most famous books sat in the branches.  Before you ask, of course the Grinch was there!  There were wreaths decorated as well. 

There was also an amazing display of handmade gingerbread houses.  We kind of giggled, because our houses we build every year at NCC don’t turn out that well.  Bradly enjoyed looking at the trains, and people watching.  There was an arts and crafts table, where we were able to make an ornament together to commemorate our special outing.  I say this so much, but I really do love my job- especially the outings.  This time of year always brings so many wonderful chances to bond with my clients and make great memories.  We’ll be going next to the Wayne County  festival of lights, so stay tuned for more holiday happenings in the wild world of this activities assistant!

Thankful for a Good Harvest

This year when the clients from Moravian West sit down for their Thanksgiving dinner they’ll be thankful in a new way.  The vegetables that accompany the turkey will taste fresher, and the pumpkin pie will be a little more sweet.  That’s just one of the many beautiful things that has come from a harvest season following a summer of gardening in their backyard. 

This summer the residents rolled up their sleeves and got down to gardening when a new garden box was built behind their house. Clients Violet L. and Darin H. had previously been master gardeners and were excited to exercise their green thumbs.  It didn’t take long before the soil filled box was full of sprouts that soon turned into a plentiful garden of tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, green peppers and pumpkins. The clients were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor when they picked the vegetables and turned them into delicious treats like fried zucchini, zucchini bread and crisp, fresh vegetables.  

At 85 years old and in a wheelchair, Violet will tell you that gardening is ‘more interesting’ now than it may have been in the past, but she still loves everything about it and was grateful to return to one of her favorite pastimes. She’ll tell you she has a great appreciation for her Thanksgiving dinner and the vegetables that are on the table because she knows the time involved to grow them. Violet and the other clients at Moravian West are excited for the arrival of next spring and a new gardening season, but for now their thankful for a good harvest.

We Did It Again!

Special Tree is thrilled to once again be named a Top Workplace in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press. To make the list, employees fill out an independent survey conducted by the Detroit Free Press on factors that contribute to a great work environment – Direction, Execution, Career, Conditions, Managers and Pay & Benefits.  Thanks to our staff’s  honest feedback and positive written comments, our high survey score put Special Tree on the Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row.  Special Tree also made an impressive showing in several categories.   According to Lynn Slevin, Chief Quality Officer who handles the Top Workplace nomination and survey process, out of the 77 companies in the mid-sized category, Special Tree ranked 7th overall, only two places below Google (5th),  2nd in the “Career” category, and 4th in the “Direction” category.   “The creativity and talents of our staff help our clients shine and make Special Tree a truly exceptional place to work,” said Lynn.  Read more about Top Workplaces results by clicking on the links below from the Freep’s Sunday, November 13th edition.

2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces Winners
2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces National Standards
2011 Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces: Worker’s Feedback
Best Workplaces Put Priority on Satisfaction of Their Employees

Fried Green Tomatoes Anyone?

This is the prime time of the year for green tomatoes and no one is happier than the many fans of RST Lisia Cisero’s fried green tomatoes, which she cooks up in big batches for clients and staff at Webster Court. Lisia gets her green tomatoes from Webster Court’s vegetable garden and also from the gardens of her coworkers who know they won't go to waste.  “Everyone loves them,” says Lisia, who modified her grandma’s recipe to make it her own.   “It’s always a little get together on tomatoe day!”  Thanks for sharing, Lisia.

Lisia's Fried Green Tomatoes

4-6 large green tomatoes

3 eggs


1 cup all-purpose flour


1 cup yellow cornmeal


2 teaspoons salt


1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


1 quart vegetable oil for frying


Directions


1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.


2. Whisk eggs in a medium-size bowl with salt and pepper. Mix flour and cornmeal in a medium-sized bowl and scoop onto a plate. Dip tomatoes into flour mixture to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into the egg mixture.


3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels, sprinkle with hot sauce and enjoy!

Life's Too Short

Many thanks to our client Jasper who shared this inspiring post from his personal blog at http://www.godknowsjasper.blogspot.com/

September 1, 2011

My name is Jasper and although I'm a quad I attended my high school reunion.  It was a beautiful day and also it was a beautiful reunion, getting to see people I hadn't seen in years.  My daughters were there along with my grandchildren and it just made for a beautiful family day.  I really want to send out this message that if you're disabled, or you are going through some type of rehab and you're thinking that your life is over because you can't do the things you used to do - think again.  Life is too short to cut yourself out just because you have a set back.  And that's all that is, a set back, because with the technology they have today you can still live a full life but there are some things you have to do.  First of all, take an attitude check.  Make sure you have a positive, uplifting attitude about yourself, and then surround yourself with positive people, doing positive things.  The worst thing you could do is be around a bunch of negative, stand still people, never doing anything different.  I had a wonderful time at that reunion and two weeks before that I went to a church picnic and I had a wonderful time there and I have no control over my body, but I have tons of support.  These are the things you have to do if you can't do things for yourself.  You can still live a joyful life.  Put yourself in the hands of God and go on living your life.  He'll make a way for you.  So don't be discouraged.  It's not the end of the world, not yet.  Put a big smile on your face, take an attitude check and live your life. 

Client's Got Game

After a year of rehabilitation, Josh is back at college and working hard to conquer the court once again.

Special Tree client Josh E. knows hard work. As a student at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), he puts in long study hours as an Occupational Therapy student. But Josh’s work ethic is deeper than that. With a passion for basketball, Josh made the Cardinals as a walk-on, started five games, and was awarded an athletic scholarship his sophomore year. Josh’s future looked bright, but his life took an unexpected turn when he sustained a TBI in a serious car accident in the fall of 2010, leaving his life forever changed and his future uncertain.

After his discharge from the hospital, Josh came to Special Tree in Midland for outpatient therapy and to live in a semi-independent apartment. Josh’s circumstances had changed, but not his steadfast determination to achieve his goals; return to SVSU as a student athlete and ultimately become an OT. “I’m not afraid of a little sweat,” he said. Josh’s therapy team incorporated his goals into a treatment plan to get him back to school and on-the-court ready. PT built up Josh’s endurance to competitive levels with long hours on the treadmill and running cones, while OT addressed Josh’s vision and fine motor challenges. To get Josh ready for school, Mike Dodman, Speech Language Pathologist, worked with him on organizational and compensatory strategies and found high-tech adaptive devices, such as the Livescribe pen to help with note taking and compression in class.

Josh now lives in an apartment with college friends and has returned to SVSU as a full-time student, driving himself to and from class. Still using the strategies he learned with the clinical team, Josh is a successful student. With his physical endurance increasing, Josh now works with a physical/sports trainer to focus on returning to basketball shape and continues outpatient therapy at Special Tree.

Moving forward, it’s easy to wonder how Josh will use his experience to help his own clients when he becomes an OT. “I’ll be a better OT because I’ve seen the other side,” he said. “I know that kind of pain first-hand — both physically and emotionally.”