DIALOG WITH DORIS
Doris Illies, MRA President
I want to start this edition of Dialog with Doris with a BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS thank you to the MRA board and conference committee. Together you made the fall conference a success, not to mention a whole lot of fun! You are a very dedicated professional group and it has been my pleasure to work with you. This has been a busy year but I will take much with me as I hand over the duties to Kari Olson. The friendships and memories are priceless. I guess it is true: “the more you put into something the more you get out”. Again, I invite all MRA members to become involved in committees and on the board.
Now that the weather is turning and the snow is falling I would like to wish everyone a safe and joyous season – no matter how you chose to celebrate it. Keep up the good work. And always remember to Laugh, Sing and Dance!
2003 rCAM Counselor of the Year
rCAM is proud to award the 2003 Counselor of the Year to Sharon Johnson. Sharon has been employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor with the State of Minnesota-Rehabilitation Services for over 20 years. Ms. Johnson has won national recognition for her work in providing rehabilitation services to American Indians, both on and off the reservation. She has also developed a special expertise in the area of serving individuals with cancer, or with a history of cancer.
Sharon has recently completed her Masters of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Her academic advisor wrote “her academic work always far exceeded expectations and reflected her knowledge and wisdom gained from many years as a counseling practitioner.” A co-worker wrote “Sharon’s strengths lie in her professionalism, her ethics, and most importantly, in her commitment to serving consumers of Rehabilitation Services.”
Stephen Larson, Sharon’s supervisor wrote “Sharon has extraordinary insight into the vocational implications of impairments, excellent counseling skills, a talent in coordinating needed services to effect consumers’ rehabilitation and expertise in serving consumers with extraordinary needs.”
Sharon currently serves on the Minnesota State Independent Living Council and Fond Du Lac Reservation Human Service Advisory Board. She has been the co-author of numerous publications, including manuscripts, book chapters, and manuals published by the American Indian Rehabilitation and Trainer Center at Northern Arizona University, Rehabilitation Education, and also in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation.
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******************************************************************************************************************* I would like to recognize all of our award winners and nominees for 2003! Each individual and company has demonstrated outstanding effort in employment of people with disabilities. We received many outstanding nominations this year. JPD is honored to recognize placement specialist and employers on an annual basis. We strongly encourage you to start thinking about nomination for next year and submit them to Sara Sundeen (sara.sundeen@courage.org). Congratulations everyone and thank you for your outstanding contributions! Large Metro Employer of the Year:
North Memorial Medical Center – Sue Brost
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MRA Dress for Success For Crying Out Load The MRA Players were recently out in full force at the Fall 2003 MRA conference in Moorhead, MN. Ken Lundquist, Master of Ceremonies for "Dress For Success-For Crying Out Loud" described the various eclectic ensembles of the models while Karl Kuester, Colleen Andresen, and Jim Broderick tore each participant's outfit apart as the evenings judges. Wayne Whitmore was also on board and provided a rockin-soundtrack for the evening. Kari Olson was an "abomination" in her leather bomber jacket and sea foam inspired chiffon evening gown. Stacey Pick literally "sported" a cheerleader warm-up outfit complete with pom-poms and a cartwheel. Don Jensen provided professional chauffeur service to the first audience participant, Jay Hancock. Jay=s outfit represented his love for casual chic, and he wore a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. The next crop of models included Stephanie Logue as a depressed gothic chick trying to connect with the darker side of rehab, while Kevin Bye swam in as Frog Man decked out in his very useful scuba gear. Erin Bruntlett represented the "colorful side" of rehab and stated her outfit was attractive yet practical. It was then time for Don Jensen to randomly choose another audience member who the judges could openly insult. Vickie Lubitz captured this honor and wore all black complimented by a magenta top. This outfit warranted several Oooo's from the judges, and it was clear that the competition was going to be fierce. The final models took center stage, and LaNay Koralesky showed of her rock star style in shiny black pants and a long red wig. Robert Reedy displayed his renaissance flavor in a Henry the VIII ensemble. Don=s third and final choice for audience member participation was Doreen Hoffman and Peggy Anderson. They appeared to have a difficult time sharing the spotlight, however they both looked professional and fun in their blue jeans and boots. Third place honors went to Peggy and Doreen, who shared a bouquet of dead, I mean, "dried" flowers. Jay Hancock took home the 2nd place sash, however this occurred after he made one last ditch effort to win some sympathy votes from the judges by shaking his "booty." 1st place went to the lovely Vickie Lubitz, and she took home a golden crown as her prize. The audience members appeared to learn a very important lesson that night: you never know who is watching and what impression you may be giving with your wardrobe at work, so “dress for success-for crying out loud!!”
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Election Results President Elect (will serve as President in 2005) Annette Sobek Treasurer Kathy Buker District Representatives District A: Susanne Strack-Smith Linda Dockter District B: Teri Shannon District C: Stephanie Logue District E: Ken Lundquist Don Jensen District F: Christine Paul
Congratulations to everyone!!!
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Fall 2003 Conference Evaluation Results Respondents used the following rating scale to evaluate the questions: 1 = Poor 2 = Fair 3 = Average 4 = Very Good 5 = Excellent 1.) Conference Facility (meeting rooms, serving staff, accessibility, etc.): Average rating 4.4 Poor – 3% Fair – 1.5% Average – 6% Very Good – 35.8% Excellent – 53.7% 2.) Quality of lodging facilities: Average rating 4.5 Poor – 1.5% Fair – 1.5% Average – 9% Very Good – 22.4% Excellent – 61.2% 3.) Location of conference: Average rating 3.5 Poor – 3% Fair – 16.4% Average – 31.3% Very Good – 25.4% Excellent – 23.9% 4.) Quality of meals: Average rating 3.9 Poor – 2.2% Fair – 6.7% Average – 20.1% Very Good – 33.6% Excellent – 31.3% 5.) Overall conference session topics and content: Average rating 4.2 Poor – 0% Fair – 7.5% Average – 11.2% Very Good – 39.6% Excellent – 41.8% 6.) Conference value – cost: Average rating 4.1 Poor – 0% Fair – 1.5% Average – 22.4% Very Good – 37.3% Excellent – 38.8% 7.) Conference was organized: Average rating 4.5 Poor – 0% Fair – 3% Average – 9.7% Very Good – 25.4% Excellent – 60.4% 8.) Was the layout and design of the Agenda and Session Information helpful in determining the sessions you wanted to attend? 100% responded yes 9.) Would you like to be able to register on the website with a credit card? 27 [40.3%] responded yes - 32 [47.8%] responded no - 8 [11.9%] did not respond
Unedited Conference Comments “Rick Gubash is a God and would like to be the program chair again.” [in re question 7] “I was impressed!” [in re question 3] “Long drive!” “The cheesecake on Thursday night was worth 105$!!! Really appreciated the experiences and knowledge that Bill Santos, Cary Griffin, and Tom Modahl shared with us.” “Good time had by all!!!” “Would have liked to get names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of attendees.” “Nice job, everyone!” “All in all, another successful conference. Annette did a great job despite some problems on Awards night. Her quick thinking and organizational skills is to be commended. Custom night was fun with a lot of participation!” “Great conference. Would prefer a more central location.” “Okie Dokie” [?] “I’d like to see an attendee list included in the conference packet. Also might include a summary page of CDC/ Rehab code of ethics in conference materials, as a reminder that it’s important to us as professionals to know and adhere to our code of ethics. Thanks!!! This was a fabulous conference and introduction to MRA.” [in re question 4] “I miss desserts at meals.” “Great Conference!” “Cary Griffin was excellent speaker with new ideas and Bill Santos was good too. Good conference overall!!” “Nice job Annette & Co. Had an MRA blast” [in re question 2] “Good except the bathroom floor hairs that weren’t ours! Ick!! I think Tawnya took them home to make a wall hanging! “Not enough room in sessions – standing room only is ridiculous for 1 ¼ hours… In fact, I was able to attend only one of the sessions I wanted based on seating capacity.” “Excellent conference! Thanks for all the hard work!” [in re question 7] “Seemed good to me J” “I would like to see these issues addressed in the future: Cultural diversity in job development; Self care: how to re-energize for CRP and clients.” “Suggest motivational or inspirational speakers for lunch and dinner keynote address. Suggest a cultural diversity session.” [in re question 1] “Needed more chairs at Thursday session” “Loved the pictures on the meal tickets! Hotel staff was very helpful! Great selection of speakers – for lunch speaker, it would be helpful to have a copy of the power point. Would like to see more vendors – or skip vendors all together – with 15 minute breaks – not many people stop by” “I like getting a copy of the registration list in the folder for networking” “The food was not very good. The hotel and location was very good. A list of conference attendees would have been nice.” “Thursday morning breakout rooms were out of room for attendees. I think the occupant capacity numbers on the rooms is overstated. Terrific conference. Good motivational speakers Bill Santos, Wally Waranka and Cary Griffin.” “Conference center did not have accessible outside doors – no power assist.” “Overall, it was a hoot!” “The conference is excellent. Guest speakers were very knowledgeable. “Great conference – However, our bathrooms along with the general restrooms were disgusting. Amy Kelly is now weaving a rug with all of the ‘private’ hair that was on our bathroom floor. P.S. the hair was not ours.” “Cary Griffin and Tom Modahl’s presentations were FABULOUS! Thanks for bringing them both in.” “Have more upbeat speakers at the meals. Suggestion : Dan Reed – Midway Training Services, St. Paul, MN” “Another terrific job!!J I do plan to come to another conf. as soon as I can! Thanks to everyone who worked on the conf.” “The chubby, yet handsome, redheaded guy was excellent. I would wake up with him any time!” “Thank you to all who organized the conference. A job well done!!” “Medical Stuff” “Great job Annette and committee” “Have list of attendees available if people want it.” “How to market – specifics – How to sell things – How [illegible] affects disability. Basic job development. Bring back Bill Santos – more sessions.” [in re question 5] “Good placement focus.” “Thank you for all of your hard work!! Maybe consider the ethics training during either a evening or noon meal, so that it doesn’t compete with other sessions – It’s great to get the needed ethics training through MRA to meet CRC requirements!” “The ‘big’ meal was wonderful! Great steak. Could have done without the chicken.” “Faculties were excellent. Chairs could have been more comfortable for the amount of sitting required. Overall I believe the conference was well done.” “Thank you!” |
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MRA
Welcomes the following
Angie Capra
EVER WONDER........ ....why doctors call what they do a "practice" ....why you don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery?" ....why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? ....why you have to click on "Start" to stop Windows 98? ....why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor, while dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons? ....why the man who invests all your money is called a broker? ....why they call the airport a terminal if flying is so safe? ....why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with? ....why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one? ....what hair color do they put on the drivers license of bald men? 2004 Due Dates for the Spotlight March Issue February 2, 2004
(conference
issue) June Issue
May 3, 2004 September Issue August 27, 2004
(conference
issue) December Issue November 5, 2004
LOOKIN' BACKThe theme of the 1996 Spring Conference was “The Magic of Rehab”
1996 Board Officers: Mary Hammer, President Linda Cazette and Diane Gohl were Spotlight editors
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