Page 0: Page 1: WALLINGFORD CLUB HOUSE The World According to the Wallingford Clubhouse December 2009 Monthly Newsletter DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS Aaron Warner Annie Bunten Cassie Brophy Jacqueline Owens Steven Gibbons Holly Groat Eduardo Escarte Deborah Leslie Scott Reiber Kenneth Marshall John LeFrancois Esther McKee Vern Westfall Gloria Sherwood John Owen Anthony Fliss Lee Roy Durden Aaron Ashley Michele Corbett Annette Scaglia Scott Murray Renee Sikorra Lawrence Skoog Jerome Sonnenfeld Suzanne Sanchez Carl McCoy David Wagnon Betty Bunch Tracie Wright Cort Proctor David La May Robert Marshall Douglas Yeager Leonard Hawkins Harold Sayles Dorothy Tutson Raymond Edmonds Jason Day Craig Bohart Elizabeth Taylor Nachshon Ben Gershom Starlite Johnson Hart Miller Nguyen Thang Hong Meeting John Richey The fifty-year-old soft spoken, easy going, mild mannered John Richey has been a pleasant asset to our clubhouse for about a half year now. After being referred here by the Access Federal Agency , he started with Orientation back in May ’09 and, in my opinion, has been a valuable addition to the Business Unit. A native of the Yakima Valley, John was born in 1959 and was the middle child in a family of six brothers and sisters. Both of his parents and one of his sisters are now deceased. ployed through Stepworks as a cook at Keystone and Cascade Halls. John’s hobbies include bicycle riding and listening to rock ‘n roll music. Moviewise, John likes Star Trek and the James Bond series. John Richey John served two years in the Navy and received an honorable discharge in ‘78. He passed the GED in ’79, and in ’91, he got an Associates Degree in Science from San Juaquin Junior College in Stockton CA. These days, John is em- Here at Wallingford House, John likes the lunches and also loves having access to the computer lab—his favorite aspect of the Clubhouse. He says that “the staff here is great” and that he “really likes” his peers. —Marc Kachel Peer Counseling and Recovery Many of you have probably seen me wandering around the clubhouse talking excitedly about some training I had the opportunity to participate in. It is a topic that occupies many of my waking moments, and I tend to ramble when discussing it – so bear with me! Classes were held at NAVOS in Burien the last week of October. I walked into this thinking I was going to be learning to teach a class, and left feeling like the sky is the limit! To understand, I should define two (fairly new) concepts in the mental health community. These are Peer Counseling (consumers of mental health services who work as Peer Support Specialists) and Recovery. Peer counseling is a way for those of us with psychiatric disabilities to help each other! After taking the training (which I will get into further) there are many possible activities a Peer Support Specialist might be asked to do. Some of these are one-onone meetings with peers, home visits, and (where my (Continued on page 2) Page 2: December 2009 Page 2 Peer Counseling and Recovery (cont.) heart is) in clubhouses. The idea is that all of us have the capability to overcome our individual challenges and relate to each other – maybe even better than we do with mental health professionals who are not consumers. In the past, as many of you will recall – when we were diagnosed, it was kind of a “life sentence”. Some of us were told there was no hope of improvement, and many of us were told we probably couldn’t work anymore. One only has to look around our Clubhouse and see that that isn’t the case at all. The concepts of peer counseling and clubhouses co-exist harmoniously. By being a member of a clubhouse, each one of us is modeling Recovery. So, what is Recovery? Contrary to the “medical model” I just mentioned, new research has shown that people with psychiatric disabilities CAN work, do purposeful activities, and overcome the abject poverty that being disabled can bring. Peer counseling recognizes that none of us is “stuck” where we are. We have overcome circumstances like champs, and our lives can be full of meaning. Peer Counseling training was a full week from 8 am to 5 pm. We had many charismatic speakers – both consumers who are now working as peer counselors, (Continued from page 1) and providers who fully embrace the possibilities the growth of peer counseling could open up in the mental health community. Specifically, some of the jobs a peer counselor may do (now and in the future) are working with case managers to help peers achieve goals, coaching/volunteering in a clubhouse (yay!), facilitating groups such as a drum circle, movement group, selfcare group. You might also find a peer counselor at a residential facility. I know that Keystone has at least one peer employee. If you think about it, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and support groups – really any of the services we all use could make a place for a peer counselor. The single most important and profound skill that I have been working on following the training, is to think about the words that come out of my mouth. I am passionate about being useful and to help all of us be recognized as human beings first – not just a diagnosis. The language that is used about consumers can empower us OR stigmatize us. Peer counseling is one way that we can change our own worlds, to mirror ourselves the way that we choose, and effect change from the inside. I encourage anyone who wants to feel great about themselves, and help peers see the possibility for recovery – to look into getting this or any other training that is avail- ability. Training is given by King County a couple of times a year. I got my application from NAMI of greater Seattle when I volunteered there. You could also get the information from Terry Crain. She is the person who heads up King County’s Mental Health Recovery division. Her email is: Terry.Crain@Kingcounty.gov. Jackie gives us facts about and insights into Peer Counseling. Anyone who identifies themselves as a consumer of mental health services and who has some time in recovery (for instance, being a clubhouse member!) may apply. Applications first go to DSHS to be approved. (They are looking for some kind of leadership experience). Once approved, the application goes to Terry Crain and she puts the names on her waiting list. Once you graduate from training, you will be preparing to take an exam that is also offered throughout the year. It is a written and oral exam. I will be taking it myself Monday, Nov. 23rd. I haven’t been around the clubhouse as much as I’d like because I’ve been studying and hoping like crazy that I pass the exam. Cross your fingers for me, and if anyone has questions about peer counseling, please feel free to ask me, or email me at jacquelynwillimon@gmail.com. —Jacquelyn Willimon launched before I started “I got drifting.” —Echo Page 3: December 2009 Page 3 Janine Boyer to Have Art Exhibited at The Frye I just wanted to share that Path with Art, a non-profit organization that sponsors art programs for downtown organizations, will be presenting photography and collaborated videos along with collages in conjunction with another exhibit of artwork by young New York artists from January 22, 2010 through May 21, 2010. I am extending an invitation, for all that may be interested, to a special reception taking place at the Frye Art Museum Thursday, January 21, 2009 from 6-7pm (9th and Terry—northeast of Harborview Hospital). There will be a special lecture by a local artist Faye Jones afterwards from 7-8pm. Hope to see you there! —Janine Boyer David La May, the newsletter editor, wishes peace and joy for everyone this Holiday Season. Janine assists people in the computer lab, designs and adds content to our website, and does graphical design for the Clubhouse brochures. An excerpt taken from The Streets Become Mirrors, Images by Don Dias. The Greenhouse in Winter not bill us. Eager as beavers are the counselors Nick and Karen in their effort to keep us busy. You might even say we are hustled and bustled toward December’s main event: Christmas. Sure we are moving up into a pinnacle as we count the days to the status quo but our perception still remains untouched or unbothered. Isn’t it something that we survive by enduring and we endure because there is hope? What ever Christmas may leave behind may it be a good one and may God bless us all. We continue our selections from Don Dais’s The Streets Become Mirrors, Images. Winter has come upon us and our outside activities have been limited to indoor projects. The comradeship that develops among us creates warmth that City Light can- Everyone that lives ought to be wise; it’s as good as receiving an inheritance and will bring as much security as money can. “Hold Your Horses” by David Mullenburg When things are going well for you, be glad and when trouble comes just remember God sends both sorrow and happiness. You never know what’s going to happen next. A good many may die while another man lives on even though he is evil. So don’t be too good or too wise. But don’t be foolish or wicked either. “WHY DIE BEFORE YOU HAVE TO?” There is nobody on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake that could result in deep regret. Wisdom keeps us safe. This is the advantage knowledge. Think about what God has done. How can anybody straighten out what God has made crooked? David Mullenburg dispenses words of wisdom for our community. Page 4: December 2009 Page 4 Computer Terms Part 2 This is part two on computer terms I am hopeful that these terms will help you to understand the computer a little better. And make it a little less scary for those of us that don’t want to get there a computer. Also help us that know something about computer. The computer terms are taken from- with come from 241 Computer Terms You Need to Know by Frank W. Cawood and Associated, Inc. Please let me know if these are helpful and if you have any question I will try to find the answer. If you have any computer information to past on please drop it off for me or send it to tigger1098125@yahoo.com CD-ROM (Compact DiscRead Only Memory) – A hard, round plastic disk that holds a large amount of computer data—the equivalent of about 700 floppy disks. You can access the information on this CD, but you can’t erase or put new information on it. CD-ROM drive – A special disk drive on your computer disc you can read CDs. CD-RW (Compact DiscRewritable) – A compact disc you an put information on, erase, and reuse. Cell – A single box in a spreadsheet, found at the intersection of any row and column. You can store numbers, formulas, or text in a cell. Chat room – An area on the Internet where people type messages to each other Mary Miller shares her wisdom about computers with us. in real time. Check box – An element within a dialog box. Click in the small, square check box to either select or clear it. This turns an option on or off. You can select more than one check box at a time. Click (on) – To move your pointer to an object on your computer screen and press and release the left ouse button once. Clip art – Drawings or other images designed to be used in computer programs, like word processing and desktop publishing. Clipboard – A special memory area used to store data temporarily. Information that you cut or copy from one location automatically goes onto the behindthe-scenes clipboard until you paste it to another location. Close button – The small box with an ”X” in the upper right corner of a window. Click on the Close button to exit a document, dialog box, or other window. Command – A direction or instruction to your com- puter. Command button – One of the rectangular buttons in a dialog box that you click on to carry out an action. Examples are: OK, CANCEL, and APPLY. Compression – Formatting a file so it needs less space for storage but doesn’t lose any information. Cookie – A tiny piece of text that Web servers place on your hard drive to track information about your computer and your surfing preferences. CPU (Central Processing Unit) – The part of your computer that processes all instructions and information. Crash – A serious computer hardware or software malfunction. Usually when a program crashes it simply closes down without warning. Cursor – A symbol that indicates the place on your screen where your next mouse click or keystroke will occur. Cut and paste – Usually within a software program, to move a section of text or an object from one place to another. Cyberspace – A term for the imaginary place containing the Internet and World Wide Web. Also called virtual space. Database – A collection of information organized and stored on your computer. A database helps you search for and retrieve data quickly and easily. Default – An automatic (Continued on page 5) New Beginnings By Diane Fleming People walk from place to place in order to accomplish their goals. We all climb the ladder of life. We have sunshine and stormy weather. Our friends walk hand in hand together while expressing feelings and ideas. As each day ends, our greatest achievements will be fulfilled. We will dream of our beginnings. Page 5: December 2009 Page 5 December 2009 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Computer Terms Part 2 (cont.) (Continued from page 4) 1 Pancakes, Sau- Mac & Cheese Frittata sage, and Fruit 2 3 4 Meat Balls, Fettuccine, Marinara, Sauce, 7 Grilled Cheese Grilled KielSandwich, basa/ Warm Soup Potato Salad ICCD is here. 8 9 Tuna Noodle Casserole 10 Holiday Dinner— Baked Ham, Yams ICCD is here. 11 Italian Minestrone, Garlic Bread 14 Egg Salad Or, Meat Ball, Subs Pork Fired Tuna Salad, &Salad Rice & Egg Sandwich, soup Rolls December Birthday Celebration 15 16 17 Potato Soup w/ Ham 18 Chef’s Choice 21 Curried Chicken and Rice 22 Macaroni and Cheese 23 Mexican Casserole 24 Christmas Eve Clubhouse Closed 25 Christmas Day Open from 10am to 2pm setting on computer hardware or software. You can manually change defaults, if you choose. Defragment - To reorganize the information on your hard drive so that all the pieces of each file are stored together. This makes your system run more quickly and efficiently. Most operating systems come with a Disk Defragmenter program. This process is also known as defragging. Demoware – Software usually made by major companies that you can examine and try for a period of time before you must pay for it. When the payment deadline arrives, the software may stop functioning. Some demoware lacks the software’s full range of abilities, but you can get the full-featured package once you pay for it. Desktop – A metaphor for the background on your computer screen that appears to “hold” your icons and windows. Desktop publishing – Using specialized software on a personal computer to produce high-quality, printable documents – that books, newsletters, or brochures- that may contain both text and graphics. —Mary Miller 28 Meat Balls, Red Beans and Tuna Noodle Fettucine, Rice Casserole Marinara Sauce 29 30 31 New Years Eve Clubhouse closed Page 6: WALLINGFORD CLUB HOUSE Opening up to a new life 4120 Stone Way N. Seattle, WA 98103 Phone: 206-461-3773 Fax: 206-545-8641 Email: wallingfordhouse@hotmail.com If you wish to receive an electronic copy of this newsletter via email, please send us an email with your full name in the subject line. Marc Kachel Writes about Our Memorial Day Picnic Visit our web page at: www.wallingfordhouse.org “Wallingford House” by John Richey If in doubt, If unsure, Wallingford House Is the cure. From food to computers, Snack bar and such, Orientation on Tuesday You’ll like it much. Be a member! In December! Today is a national holiday. Many thousands of veterans are honored for their service; particularly those who sacrificed their lives. Also in memory are those who have passed away: grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren. They are not all vets but we should remember them, too. I asked some members about what does Memorial Day means to them. To answer this question, Darrel from Philadelphia, PA said: “freedom, equality, and patriotism. I had a brother that died from alcoholism after he got out of the service. I came here ‘cause I’m hungry for some barbeque.” Bruce P., a member, said: “It’s for the veterans and, mainly, for the barbeque.” Charmaine Cooley, a member, said: “my dad is a DAV (Disabled American Vet- eran) and so, to me, it is especially about remembering the people who served our country.” After lunch, Charmaine plans on visiting her family. Martin Hurt, another member, said: “it’s proving that our country is worth fighting for.” —Marc Kachel Page 7: