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horizons unlimited

fall-winter

2015-2016

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calendar

Super Sunday Pancake Breakfast

Emmetsburg VFW

8 am—12:30 pm, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Tablescapes theme table gala

Wild Rose Ballroom

Wild Rose Casino, Emmetsburg

5—8 pm, Thursday, Apr. 28, 2016

Wine Tasting fundraiser

Time and location to be announced

Fall 2016

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horizons-unlimited.net

an exceptional employee lauren’s success story

“We were lucky enough to be placed with Lauren and she’s been

awesome. Lauren has a special place in everybody’s heart around

here,” says Julie Olson, hotel manager at the Wild Rose Casino &

Resort in Emmetsburg.

Wild Rose’s hospitality department hired Lauren Ketelsen in the

summer of 2015. She now works six-hour shifts in the laundry room,

five days a week. Lauren begins her work day by putting on her name

tag, clocking herself in on the computer, and then she heads back to

her department.

“The first thing I do is to get the cart that’s full of clean pillow

cases, sheets, and shower curtains,” says Lauren. “I fold them in neat

squares and pile them up on the table.”

One by one, Lauren works quickly and diligently through the

seemingly endless pile of unfolded laundry, transforming the heap

into tidy stacks organized according to size. As coworkers walk by her

or work alongside her, Lauren grins and chats about weekend plans

with them. She never compromises the speed or quality of her work,

which she performs effortlessly as if she’d been doing it all her life.

Lauren sees a coworker and jokes: “Where have you been lately?

Have you been skipping work?” They share a laugh.

“Lauren is like our glue back there. She insists some days on

having ‘family pictures’ when they’re having lunch. She’s just

wonderful, wonderful. She has a great attitude,” says Olson.

Lauren not only folds laundry, she also runs the washing machines

and dryers, transports the laundry, and runs any other errands

A Small Business Owner’s

Experience

page 3

A Very Good Fit

page 4

Message from the CEO

page 7

3826 460th Ave., PO Box 567

Emmetsburg, IA 50536

(712) 852-2211

www.horizons-unlimited.net

Board of Directors

Cindy Magee, President

Kevin Banwart, Vice President

Karen Brown

Cindy Chapman

Robert Cozine

Bill Frevert

Jane Hoyman

Sue Joynt

Sean Solberg

Aaron Steffen

Jeremy Ward

Wish List 15th St. & Pleasant St. Homes

New A/C units

21st St. Home

New windows

New baseboards

Front landscaping

Kitchen utensils

2 new computers

King St. Apartments

New gutters & downspouts

New paint

New windows

Upgraded breaker panels

New boiler

Monroe St. Duplex

New kitchen flooring

Shelving in garage

New front screen door

Laptop computer

Office equipment

Copy machine

Horizons Office Building

Van

iPads for members

Wooden benches, tables,

or chairs for painting art

projects with the members

If you have something you

would like to donate to

Horizons, please call us at

(712) 852-2211 and let us

know what you have, its age,

and its condition. You can

also donate money via mailed

check or our website:

www.horizons-unlimited.net

Make a Difference — Be Their Hero

horizons unlimited of palo alto county 3826 460th Avenue, PO Box 567

Highway 4 South

Emmetsburg, IA 50536

Horizons Unlimited is a 501(c)(3) organization

Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Emmetsburg, IA 50536

PERMIT NO. 4

throughout the hotel that are asked of her.

“I was excited because, honestly, finding employees these days can be very difficult, especially for certain

areas,” says Katrina Williams, Human Resources manager at Wild Rose Casino & Resort. “I was excited at

the possibility of growing our base of employees. Hiring Lauren was really not different from hiring other

employees. She came in, she got the same orientation, she did the same interview process, she got the same

training as anyone else.”

“I really like this job. It’s awesome,” says Lauren. “It feels good to do something I enjoy and to make

money doing it.”

“Employers who don’t think outside the box, I feel like they’re missing out on some really great

employees,” says Williams. “I cannot speak enough about how great Lauren has been as an addition to our

team. Each and every employee comes with some sort of disability. Everyone has their own issues. I don’t

think that anybody should be branded out of a job just because of that.”

“I would say to other businesses who might have qualms about hiring individuals with disabilities: try it,”

recommends Olson. “It’s just like hiring someone else. You just have to see what type of personality would

fit in with your group. Lauren has been a great, great fit.”

Lauren hasn’t only been a good employee, she’s been exceptional. “Lauren recently won Employee of

the Month,” says Williams. Out of a staff of 275 employees, this is no small feat. “Lauren is reliable, and

she consistently goes above and beyond. She was nominated for the award because of her exceptional

performance, along with several other employees, and she won. She earned it.”

“I got a gift certificate along with the award,” Lauren mentions, but it’s the honor of the award that

makes her face light up more than any prize. “It feels good to work, and to do a good job.”

Your tax deductible donations to Horizons Unlimited support our goal of helping individuals with

disabilities prepare for, attain, and be successful in employment in the community.

We have much to celebrate at the end of 2015. Thanks to your support, the support of the

community at large, and the hard work of our board of directors, our members enjoy better

services, more independence, and more successful lives than ever before.

The number of members served at the Horizons Work Activity Center continues to decline,

due to our close partnership with Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the relentless

work of our staff in helping members to find jobs out in the community. Sixty one percent of

our members have expressed a desire to work in the community, and 56% actually do so. Our

members work at places as diverse as the Wild Rose Resort Hotel, West Elementary School,

Hughes Pharmacy, Dyno’s Oil Company, JimGlo, Pizza Ranch, Pizza Hut, and Kirby’s Diner,

just to name a few.

Horizons also works with Emmetsburg and West Bend high school students with disabilities,

to help them acquire valuable work experience at places like the Lost Island Nature Center,

Addy Mae’s Café, Homestead Country Store, and the West Bend Public Library.

Of the parents and guardians of our community-employed members, 100% feel well

informed about what’s happening with their family member and 100% have a “very good”

impression of the job placement program.

Horizons Unlimited has a stable number of members living in our group homes, with only

one bed currently empty. Our Supported Community Living services have 100% occupancy.

The majority of our members are between 28-59 years old, and the number of our members

aged 18-27 is growing.

In surveys conducted this year, our members expressed great satisfaction with the quality of

the services they receive and with their quality of life. Between 95%-100% of members feel

happy with our staff’s help, feel financially secure, and feel they have the freedom to make their

own friends, have their own visitors, and make their own lifestyle decisions.

Our staff expresses overwhelming satisfaction with their jobs at Horizons. One hundred

percent of Horizons employees feel proud of their work here, 100% feel that their supervisor

treats them with respect and as part of the team, and 99% of employees feel satisfied with the

compensation they earn. Horizons Unlimited boasts the highest employee satisfaction rate in

many years, with consistent progress made on this front year after year.

Horizons Unlimited is well positioned to provide better services and more opportunities to

our members in a positive atmosphere. I personally thank you for your support and look

forward to a successful 2016.

Ron Askland

CEO, Horizons Unlimited

D E A R F R I E N D

On the warm Friday afternoon of August 14th, the

Horizons Unlimited day habilitation members

donned their sharp green uniforms to become the

“Horizons Hurricanes”.

In the first inning Jim F. (pictured, left) hit a triple,

and scored the first point of the game. Leonard S.

was a regular Babe Ruth, power-hitting every

chance he got. Ed B. managed to hit a home run,

his first time at bat. Greg J. managed to round the

bases in every single inning. Paige the pitcher (and

day hab instructor) did her best not to get hit!

On Friday, September 25th, the Horizons

Unlimited day habilitation members took

part in Safety Training Day.

Day Hab members went to a series of 5

interactive classes taught by Horizons staff

on: slips, trips and falls; the right way and the

wrong way to do things safely; ladder and

electricity safety; social skills, personal space,

and hygiene; and preparing for physical

mobility / strength capacity exams required

when getting a job in the community.

Pictured (right): Deb Davis engaging the

members on Safety Day.

Horizons Unlimited day habilitation members

regularly volunteer their time and energy for worthy

causes. This not only makes a positive impact on other

people’s lives, it also broadens members’ perspectives

and can help them eventually find paying jobs in the

community.

On Thursday, November 5th, Horizons day hab

members volunteered at the Humane Society!

Pictured (left): Orland B. and Alice D. are walking a

grateful dog on a beautiful fall day.

a small business owner’s experience working with horizons unlimited

West Bend, Iowa may only have a population of 700-and-some, but West Bend-Mallard High School is

on the cutting edge of a program that is being pioneered here in Iowa, and that is soon to be increasingly

more common nationwide. Horizons Unlimited is partnering with WBM to help high school students who

are in their last years of schooling transition into the real world of working in the community.

At the frontier of this new approach are businesses like Addy Mae’s café in West Bend, Iowa, a trendy

new coffee shop & diner that is quickly becoming famous in the area for its hot & fresh Panini, diversely

flavored coffees, and (during the warm season) a veritable smorgasbord of ice creams. Emily Laubenthal, the

owner of Addy Mae’s, says: “We here at Addy Mae’s like to think of this as a home in environment. You will

get great home cooked food!”

When Horizons started working with WBM junior Haley Wirtz, Addy Mae’s was at the top of her wish

list for where she’d like to do a work experience (essentially a job tryout). Emily enthusiastically agreed to

take Haley on for the semester. “Haley has learned how to make scotcharoos, sugar cookies, decorate, mix

batter, take orders, clean dishes, sweep, mop, restock, make sundaes, and prepare coffee bags,” says Emily.

“She is a fantastic help. If dishes need to be done, I don’t even have to ask her. She just does them, and that

is a huge thing in itself for an employer to have an employee just do something without having to be asked.”

Horizons works with several students in the Emmetsburg and West Bend school districts, with plans to

expand the program. So far, it is a resounding success for everyone involved.

“These kids are a blessing to work with,” says Emily. “It teaches you to love your job again. I am so glad to

be a part of this program!”

a very good fit donald’s success story

“This is what I wanted to do for a long time,” says Donald Bordwell, kitchen staff member at West

Elementary School in Emmetsburg, as he arrives to work on his bike and parks it near the front of the

school. “I enjoy this job, and I work hard every day. I intend to keep this job for a long time.

You’re not going to catch me talking about retirement.”

“Donald’s duties at West include dish washing and mopping of floors,” says Deb Goeders, kitchen

manager for the Emmetsburg Community School System. “He handles his responsibilities very well, and this

allows my kitchen staff to focus on serving the students in a timely manner.”

“I’m in charge of washing all the dishes and trays and pans,” explains Donald with a big smile. “I also

clean and sanitize the dish washing area here, and I clean the floors in the kitchen and the storage room. I

come to work every school-day at 10:45, and we get everything ready so the kids can go through the lunch

line. When the kids finish their lunches, they come up to my window and hand me their trays, and I get them

clean as quick as I can.”

Donald works tirelessly for three to four hours, as hundreds of used trays and

many serving pans and utensils arrive at his station.

“The dish washing can be a very physical job. My staff certainly appreciates

his efforts,” says Goeders. “Donald interacts with the staff and students

extremely well and I believe he really enjoys this aspect of his job!”

Almost every student grins at Donald as they hand him their finished lunch

tray. Many of them shout, “Thank you, Donald!” Donald smiles warmly and

replies, “You’re welcome! Have a good day!”

After the kids are gone, Donald sprays down the metal surfaces with sanitiz-

ing fluid and wipes them clean. He sweeps up any crumbs or dirt he finds and

then gets the mop and mop bucket. Donald has developed his own system for

getting a perfectly clean floor. He has mapped out the kitchen area and planned

his route around all of the prep tables and appliances so that he never risks

walking through the already-mopped areas and leaving footprints.

The kitchen floor is covered in large, black, rubber mats, which can easily trap

debris underneath. Donald will fold each mat in half, taking care to scrub the

floor under the left side of the mat, and then he will fold the mat back over in the

opposite direction, so he can scrub the floor under the right side of the mat.

“The process of hiring Donald was not a difficult one,” says Goeders. “I

contacted Horizons and they put me in touch with their job development

specialist, who was extremely helpful! I relayed the type of job we were looking to

fill and they were very good at matching job requirements to a capable person.

They followed up on Donald’s progress in person and by phone communication

with me.”

“Horizons Unlimited provided Donald with job coaching services in the

beginning,” says Horizons job developer Josiah Schmidt. “Donald mastered his

job responsibilities quickly, and Donald is now working completely independently

without any job coaches needed. Our coaches only check in with Donald

occasionally so he can talk to us about how work has been going.”

“We have been very pleased with Donald’s work, and we would recommend to

any employer to give individuals with disabilities a chance,” says Goeders. “It has

been a very good fit for us!”

Having worked a full shift at West Elementary School, Donald clocks himself

out on his time sheet and rides his bike to his apartment on King Street.

“What I like to do with my free time is to watch Walker Texas Ranger or holi-

day movies,” says Donald. “My favorite thing to do is bake.

I learned it from my mom when I was growing up. Sometimes I bake every-

thing from scratch, and sometimes…” Donald pauses and smirks. “Sometimes

I just ‘cheat’ by going to the grocery store and buying a box of mix.”

Donald’s day does not end here, however. In the evening, Donald rides his

bike downtown to Main Street, where he works in the kitchen at Kirby’s

Restaurant, a popular Emmetsburg diner that attracts customers of all ages.

On weekends, Donald will work three-hour evening shifts at Kirby’s during

the supper rush. After each shift, Donald enjoys ordering supper off the menu

for himself. Lately, Donald has also been picking up double shifts on the

weekend, so he can build up his savings.

“You know what I’m going to do with all this money?” says Donald. “I’m

going to buy myself a Ford F150 pickup truck. With heated seats! I’ve been

studying the driver’s

manual every night so I

can take my test and

earn my driver’s license.

I like riding my bike, but

what I really want more

than anything is to be

able to drive myself. My

favorite part about

working and earning

money is being able to

do the things I always

wanted to do.”

“We have been very pleased with Donald’s work. … [He] allows my kitchen staff to focus on serving the students in a timely manner.”

Deb Goeders

Kitchen Manager

West Elementary

“My favorite part about working and earning money is being able to do the things I always wanted to do.”

Donald Bordwell

Employee

West Elementary &

Kirby’s Diner