Special Population SoftballSince April, a

few of the people we serve at Mosaic in South-east Kansas have been spending Friday mornings at the baseball fields, participat-ing in Special Population Soft-

ball. The new baseball league is a pilot program developed by the Pittsburg Parks and Recreation Department (PPRD). Three agencies were involved in the pilot program; Mosaic, Class LTD and New Hope. The idea of Special Population Softball League came about from new programming discus-sions amongst the PPRD board and office staff.

“The Special Population Softball League is designed to provide an opportunity for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in an organized sport, giving them the chance to develop physical fitness, demon-strate courage, experience joy, and be able to interact with others socially and get more involved in the community,” said Alison Dudley of the PPRD.

For more information on the Special Population Soft-ball League or to get involved as a volunteer, contact Alison Dudley at 620.231.8310.

Birthday surpriseBirthday celebrations are always a fun time for those we

serve at Mosaic. In September, one person in particular received a very big present for his birthday. On September 3, James invited some friends and family to attend his birthday party at Golden Corral in Joplin, Mo. He expected to receive some gifts, but one gift surpassed them all. Everyone began to sing ‘happy birthday’ and, at that time, a very special guest was brought out to see James, his brother.

“I used to rock him when he was little, a long time ago,” James recalls. In fact, it has been 55 years since the last time James has seen his brother. James

has always talked about wanting to see his brother, and would tell people that he lived in Tulsa. “It took a lot of work on his direct support manager’s part to set up this special day,” said Kristi McGuire, one of James’ staff members.

Christina Hatfield, James’ direct support manager, spoke to his sister. Christina was informed that Jacks, James’ brother, now lived in Claymore, Okla., which is just under two hours away from Pittsburg. The plan was hatched that James would get to see his brother on his birthday. After the birthday party, James had his Personal Outcomes Measures meeting, and during that meeting he chose to make a goal to see his brother once a month. It is always exciting when we get to see the people we serve rekindle important rela-tionships in their lives. May the next year bring lots of new memories to James and Jacks, as they begin to reconnect and reminisce about the past.

Voicesa publication of Mosaic in Southeast Kansas | 2420 South Rouse | Pittsburg, KS 66762-6610 November 2013

Southeast Kansas 1 Voices

Crystal Garrett enjoys a game of softball.

James and his brother at his birthday party.

Silent auction for a good cause“Last year I recall a man coming into my office and wait-

ing each day for the mail carrier to arrive, because he just knew that he was going to be receiving a Christmas gift from a loved one.” recalls Tara Burch, Mosaic’s receptionist and a full-time college student. Each day the mail carrier came and went and no present ever arrived. Tara felt hopeless and heartbroken as the man never received his holiday gift.

That experience gave Tara an idea to host a bake sale and silent auction to help raise money for those we serve expe-rience a happier holiday season. Each week, the people we serve are out in the community delivering Meals on Wheels, or walking a dog from the Humane Society. You will also see people ringing bells for the Salvation Army during the holiday season. Tara wanted to find a way to give back to the people we serve.

On November 12, we held our first silent auction and bake sale with more than 75 people in attendance! Tara’s vision of a silent auction brought together staff, community and people we serve to create art and baked goods in support of Mosaic. The silent auction highlighted artwork and crafts created by people supported by Mosaic, as well as many staff member’s original artwork. This event raised more than $700 to go toward our Christmas Fund, which will help an additional seven people in service celebrate the season this year.

Voices 2 Southeast Kansas

Voices by Mosaic in Southeast Kansas

2420 South Rouse | Pittsburg, KS 66762-6610 P 620.687.4203 | F 620.231.1810 www.mosaicinsoutheastkansas.org

Executive Director leslie.lackamp@mosaicinfo.org

Editor amber.sutherland@mosaicinfo.org

MissionEmbracing God’s call to serve in the world, Mosaic advocates for people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to enjoy a full life.

Integrity at MosaicIf you have a concern, call our national Confidential Reporting Hotline at 800.443.4899, or email integrity@mosaicinfo.org.

RelationshipsMosaic is an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of Lutheran Services in America.

Non-discriminationMosaic will not discriminate in matters of employment or service delivery on the basis of race, creed, age, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status or veteran status.

To be added or removed from the mailing list for Mosaic Matters, or to receive information via email, please contact Mosaic at the address given.

©2013 Mosaic. All rights reserved. Mosaic is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

City of Pittsburg receives InterHab Inclusive Community Award by Stephanie Webb, Community Relations Manager

On July 24, InterHab announced that the city of Pitts-burg will be receiving the 2013 InterHab Inclusive Community Award. Mosaic nominated the city for all the wonderful opportunities and inclusion that our commu-nity provides the people we serve. The definition of the award is: A Kansas community that has demonstrated successful community inclusion efforts. The award will be presented to a community that has initiated a program or service to promote community inclusion for persons with developmental disabilities.

Some of the wonderful things that the city of Pittsburg and surrounding communities have done are listed below:

n Pittsburg Parks and Recreation Department created a T-ball league for people with disabilities to get together and compete.n The city of Pittsburg has employed someone served by Mosaic for over 12 years. Edward Jones and Salvation Army have both hired people in service.n The Pittsburg Area Chamber is a wonderful resource and has been very supportive of all our needs.n Area churches have been gracious and inviting to those with disabilities in our community.n Pittsburg State University (PSU) has provided many educational and fun opportunities for inclusion. The Greek community at PSU have spent countless hours fundraising for people with intellectual and developmen-tal disabilities.n We are invited to every Art-Walk. n Our local businesses, such as Sweet Design Cakery, support us in every way possible.n Many businesses partner with Mosaic providing volun-teer opportunities, including Colonial Fox, Community Garden, Recycle Center and Humane Society.n More than 450 people in our community have attended our one-hour informational events called Discover the Possibilities, where people learn more about our mission and successes. n The local police and fire departments provide support through their annual Polar Plunge, raising funds for Special Olympics, in which many of the people we support participate.

The list could go on and on. All these things add up to why the city of Pittsburg deserves this award. Thank you to our wonderful and inclusive community!Ken Robertson, of the Pittsburg Parks and Recreation Department accepts

the award.

Southeast Kansas 3 Voices

Direct support professionals recognition week

On July 31, 2013, the US Senate signed S. Res. 208 into effect. With this resolution, the week of September 8 through 14 officially became National Direct Support Profession-als (DSP) Recognition Week. Mosaic in Southeast Kansas

offered a variety of activities throughout the week to cele-brate the backbone of our organization - our direct support professionals.

We kicked off this recognition week with the Paint the Town Red festivities to celebrate the first home game of Pittsburg State University’s football season. DSPs were also invited to an agency BBQ and a day of fun with the people we serve. The following Monday, a relaxed atmosphere was established with Pajama Day. DSPs participated in our first DSP chal-lenge of the week by walking around a block. Points were awarded to all the DSPs who participated.

Tuesday proved to be a very colorful day as DSPs and those we serve were encourage to wear a shirt of their favorite color. DSPs participated in an exciting challenge of Minute To Win It games. First they were chal-lenged to put together a puzzle stating the Mosaic mission statement. The second challenge they faced was the balloon

game, where contestants blew up a balloon, and then using the air released from that balloon, they were to blow a cup off a table. Lastly was the dice game, where dice was stacked on a popsicle stick held in their mouth. Points were awarded to game winners.

On Wednesday, we tested the endurance of our DSPs with a fun obstacle course. After running through a flock of flamingos, each person was challenged with hula hoops, hurdles, and their ability to bounce on an exercise ball. The obstacle course concluded with a dizzying spin around an office chair followed by the simple task of frisbee golf. Contestants were timed and received points for placing. As a bonus, time was taken off for each frisbee they got in the basket.

By Thursday, the competition between DSPs had gotten pretty fierce. Two DSPs were neck in neck for first place and three exciting events were planned for that day. Everyone was in their finest retro attire as the ‘50s dance kicked off Thurs-day afternoon. During the dance party, DSPs competed in a dance-off and a hula hoop contest. Everyone cheered for their favorite dancer and hula hooper, as points were awarded according. On Thursday evening, DSPs picked their teams to participate in the popular water balloon volleyball. The competition was fierce as team members scrambled to catch water balloons and prevent themselves from getting soaked!

Friday was a bittersweet day, as DSP recognition week drew to a close. A picnic was held at the park in Coffeyville for staff and the people we serve. The DSPs from Coffeyville

spent the afternoon doing the challenges that Pittsburg DSPs had done through-out the week. The day concluded with announcing the winners of the DSP challenge in both Pittsburg offices and Coffeyville offices. In Pittsburg, Tammy Johnson received first place, Lacie Bhor second place, Mattie Davis third place, and

Cyndie Ivey as the runner-up. In Coffeyville, Patricia Strick-land received first place, Logan Loffer second place, Gina Schille third place, and Amber Bossman as the runner-up. Great job everyone and we can’t wait to see what competition next year will bring!

Patricia, Gina, Amber and Logan were all winners in the Coffeyville challenge.

Cyndie, Mattie, Sherida, Samantha, Jodee, Tammy, Christina, Cathy and Nicole participated in the Pittsburg challenge.

First edition challenge In celebration of our first edition of the Mosaic in South-

east Kansas Voices newsletter, we are hosting a contest! The answers to the following questions can be found throughout this newsletter. Each person who correctly answers all the questions and emails them to us by January 1, 2014 will be entered into a drawing to win a small prize. To submit your answers, email amber.sutherland@mosaicinfo.org with the subject line “Voices First Edition Challenge”. Good luck!

n Where is the Mosaic Thanksgiving dinner going to be held?

n Who were the two first place winners in the Direct Support Associate Challenge (Coffeyville and Pittsburg)?

n What will the funds raised during the silent auction go toward?

n How many years had it been since James had seen his brother?

n What was the name of the award that the city of Pittsburg won?

2420 South RousePittsburg, KS 66762-6610

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A life of possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Voices 4 Southeast Kansas

Upcoming Eventsn Every Tuesday - 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Natural Ties, PSU Student Centern Every Wednesday - 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Blanket making/ quilting/sewing, St. John’s Lutheran Churchn Every Wednesday - 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Client Financial Class, Sherry’s office at Mosaic agency in Pittsburgn Every Friday - 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Softball, Lincoln Parkn November 21, 2013 - 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Thanksgiving dinner for people in service and staff in Coffeyvillen November 22, 2013 | State Special Olympicsn November 29, 2013 - 1 – 2 p.m. | November Birthday Bashn December 22, 2013 - 1 – 2 p.m. | December Birthday Bash

Call for storiesDo you know of a story that would be

great for Mosaic Voices? Did a Mosaic staff member or someone in service do something great? Let us know! Submit your stories to Amber at amber.suther-land@mosaicinfo.org and she will make sure that it gets into the next issue. We love guest writers, but can also work with you to write the story for you.