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News from the NestJanuary 2020

JP's CornerGreetings and Happy New Year. It has been another great year forCardinal of Minnesota. We have continued to grow – althoughpurposefully and slowly. We added a home in Red Wing, one inMantorville and two in Rochester.

Our workforce now numbers a bit over 500. Our satisfaction levelsamong our stakeholder groups - employees, clients, families & guardians, and casemanagers - remains strong with many folks continuing to offer personal comments on howthey love being part of the Cardinal family. Our turnover dropped a bit in 2019, and whilethe current workforce shortage is still something that continues to present challenges thatour leadership team addresses on a daily basis, we have a committed workforce that hasmade countless personal sacrifices in order to provide the supports to our clients that they,and all our stakeholders, depend on. The next time you have the opportunity, please makea special effort to thank them.

Cardinal turns 25 in 2020. We admitted our first client on March 1, 1995 and he still livesin one of our homes! As details emerge on some fun events we have planned, please joinus in celebrating this special anniversary.

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2019 saw lots of changes in our leadership team!! We have celebrated the departure ofsome long-time friends including Shelly McMahan (Director of Nursing), Heather Krpata(Accountant) and Kyle Mullen (Director of Program Services). While their contributionscannot be overstated, and we are thankful for their many years of service, like I said, wecelebrate when our colleagues move on to new, exciting and challenging stops on theirlife’s journeys. I would be remiss if I did not give a special heartfelt tip of the hat to Kylewho served as my right hand man for several years. I valued his advice, friendship andunwavering loyalty. He made me, and Cardinal, better. It isn’t the first time I have said that“he was the best among us” but once again, truer words were never spoken!!!! I love you,man!!

Lastly, I am delighted to share that we have entered into a partnership with CelesteSullivan in order to pursue a purposeful path to improved health outcomes for our clientsand our staff. Celeste is the founder and owner of The Kitchen Coach(https://thekitchencoach.net/) and has been brought on board for a six month pilotprogram with some of our homes in Winona to provide the guidance necessary for ourclients and staff to make some lifestyle changes that will lead to improved health. Whilewe are only halfway through this pilot program, most of the clients in the homes Celeste iscurrently working with have seen improvements in their bio metrics, e.g., blood pressure,cholesterol, weight. One client is excited that her weight loss has enabled her to put onher own shoes for the first time in years! My goal for everyone in the Cardinal family is foreach of us to live longer and die young at a very old age. I sincerely hope this conceptmakes sense, and resonates, with each of you and that you will support these efforts thatwill hopefully lead to better health and longevity for all of us!!!! Again, stay tuned…muchmore to come. Thank you all for being part of my life’s journey!!

My Dream VacationHi, my name is Jenni. I have lived atCardinal Circle since August 2017. InOctober 2019, my RS/PD, Lacey, and Iwent on my dream vacation to OrlandoFlorida where we got to go to twoDisney World theme parks - the MagicKingdom and Hollywood Studios. Wegot to see Cinderella’s Castle, I metMickey Mouse and he signed myMinnie Mouse hat. We met DarthVader and Chewbacca from the StarWars: Galaxy’s Edge. Chewbacca was

so nice. We also got to go on many rides and watch many of their shows. We went toUniversal Studios where we saw my most favorite place; The Wizarding World of HarryPotter, we drank butterbeer and rode the Hogwarts train. While walking around we greetedBlue the Raptor from Jurassic Park. She was hungry and almost ate us! We also got to

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see a movie set for Indiana Jones. One day we went to the Medieval Times Dinner andTournament, where we watched sword fighting and jousting and the best part we got toeat with our hands. Another day we went to Cocoa Beach. The weather was not the best,but we could dip our toes in the water, pick up seashells and relax on the beach. Wetopped off the rest of the trip with relaxation and shopping. I can’t wait to go again!

Komet KornerIn October 2019, Cardinal opened their first house inDodge County. Komet Korner is home to four young ladies.As they settle into their new home, they have shown ushow active they like to be. They enjoy spending time withtheir families, cooking, going bowling, doing art projects,and watching movies. We are so happy to welcome theseladies and their teams to the Cardinal family.

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HamptonIn December 2019, Hampton became home to three young women who are loving theirnew home. They enjoy shopping, going to the movies, playing on their phones/iPads,bowling, arts and crafts and spending time with their families.

'Tis the SeasonEvery year, Cardinalvolunteers for the SalvationArmy's Red Kettle Campaignin Rochester. Cardinal hasalways sought to be anactive, contributing memberin the communities where weoperate. This year, Cardinalstood at Hy-Vee to ring bellsand encouraged shoppers todonate money for families inneed.

Shoppers were welcomed with Cardinal smiles, season's greetings, and if they were lucky,a holiday carol.

The Kitchen CoachMy name is Celeste Sullivan, I am a CertifiedHealth Coach and creator of The Kitchen Coach!For the past three months I have been able to bring

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my passion for healthy cooking into a few Cardinalhomes!

Our focus is to establish healthy plant-strongcooking and eating habits for clients and staff.Bringing joy and inspiration back into the kitchenthrough hands-on cooking lessons. They arelearning how to make healthy food taste good! Ourtime together is FUN and the food has beenenjoyed by all eaters including picky clients andstaff! It has been great witnessing staff’s cookingskills expand, which raises the quality of life for ourclients.

Each week we discuss our food choices andcooking progress from the previous week. Then we

have a short lesson/activity, cook a healthy wholesome dinner and then enjoy our mealtogether. So far there have been major successes with over 75 pounds lost.

A client dependent on staff for personal cares has found more independence, is now ableto put on her own socks and handle her own personal cares. She is has lost over tenpounds and has less knee pain. Another client has lost 12 pounds and dropped hersystolic blood pressure by ten points. Another client has lost over seven pounds and saysshe feels more energy. Our staff have also achieved success by applying what they arelearning. One staff lost over 20 pounds and another three staff have dropped 12 pounds.

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Cardinal of Minnesota | 3008 Wellner Dr. NE, Rochester, MN 55906 Phone: (507) 281-1077

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