JUNE 2009
Kathy Frankland joins the board:
Kathy Frankland joined
the board of LSA in
January. She brings a
wealth of experience
and skills she developed
building a successful career as a senior executive
in several high tech companies. She has served
in leadership roles in finance, client services and
marketing, and in startup
and high growth organiNew board member
zations where she was
Kathy Frankland
able to bring her broadbased business expertise
to build and reengineer diverse organizations, implement creative solutions in rapidly changing environments and streamline operations. Most recently Kathy
served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President
of Operations at Spoke Software, a business networking site. Kathy lives in Mountain View where she has
resided for 25 years. She and her husband Gary are avid
golfers, skiers and sailors. They also have two orange
marbled tabby cats, Sasquatch and the Dalai Lama, who
love to help her work on the computer or race through
the house, while her rescued greyhound Silver waits patiently sacked out on the sofa, to be taken on his favorite
walk around Cuesta Park. Kathy is delighted to have
joined the LSA family and help LSA grow to be the premier provider of caring, lifelong services to the developmentally disabled in our community.
LSA would like to further expand its Board and we need
your help- please let us know if you are interested or
know someone who we should contact. Help us continue to grow and serve.
Message from the Executive Director:
By Dana Hooper , LSA Executive Director
The past couple of months
have brought a number of
significant milestones. We
have witnessed our new residents move into their new
homes. All are doing exceptionally well. We have celebrated the closing on Agnews
and met with legislators and
families. Here are some of
the highlights.
Legislative Breakfast on April 24th:
Many of our residents attended the 14th Annual Legislative Breakfast sponsored by the San Andreas Regional
Center. This event is a great opportunity to meet with
our legislative representatives and to let them know the
importance of their support. This years theme was “we
are here to speak for justice” and I had the opportunity
to speak on behalf of our community.
Agnews Appreciation Event on April 24th:
We’ve Moved:
LSA’s administrative office moved April 1st from its Wyatt Dr. location to a new location. Our new address is:
1922 The Alameda, Suite 400
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 727-3493
A Day in the Life of the Women in
Rivermark Home 1
By Susan LeRitz, Rivermark Program Director
This past month marked the end of an era. On April
24th an event was held to recognize and appreciate the
Agnews Developmental Center (1888-2009) which recently closed.
LSA Family meeting on May 16.
Thanks to the family members who completed the satisfaction survey. Your feedback helps us know how we’re
doing and where we need to focus our attention. On
May 16th we held a family meeting in the Rivermark
Community room. It was a great opportunity for the
Board and staff to get to know the families of our newest
residents. We learned that you would like to be kept current on the impact of California’s budget crisis, liked the
ideas of making a pictorial directory of Board members,
staff and residents and their families available, and that
you like the idea of a quarterly meeting.
Please mark your calendars for upcoming Family
meetings on September 12, 2009, December 5, 2009,
March 13, 2010 and June 12, 2010 at 10:00am at the
Rivermark Community Center.
It’s 6am, time for a visit to LSA Rivermark Home 1
where five senior women reside.
As I walk into the house, I see Tina is busy setting the
table for breakfast. She stops what she is doing and
quickly approaches me with baby doll, Conchita, in tow.
She offers Conchita to me to which I respond by saying
to Conchita, “Where is your hair baby?” which always
generates a smile from Tina. Patsy is sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. She looks up and says
to me,“Did you know my mother died?” I reply with
a slight variation from my usual response, by saying,
“I’m so sorry to hear that. I bet you miss your mother
very much.” “Mmhhhmm” she replies as she continues
to read the morning news. At 6:30 am, another resident,
Wilma, ventures out of her room. “No school, no school
today.” She is reminded that she doesn’t have to go to the
day program if she doesn’t want to. “The school burned
down,” she says. She goes back to bed for a while. Jenny
is perusing the morning adds in anticipation of her next
shopping trip.
Get Acquainted With the Dedicated Team at Life Services Alternatives
Timi Warikoru
Africa Garlejo, RN – PM shift at McKendrie
Timi is the Team Leader
in Home 1 at Rivermark.
She has been with LSA
since August of 2007.
She is originally from Nigeria and has been in the
States for nine years. She
is number 5 of 8 siblings.
Timi resides in San Jose
with her nephew.
Africa’s Philosophy on life:
We must live our lives to the
fullest extent, enjoying every
moment with our family. Treat
people fairly, with respect and
dignity. Live simple.
Philosophy on life: I believe in the Golden Rule of
treat others as you want to be treated.
Favorite pastimes: I love to shop and watch entertainment channels on television. I also like to
increase my knowledge in life through education.
Things Timi enjoys most about her job: I get excited and receive satisfaction when I see improvements in my resident’s day-to-day activities and
their ability to overcome challenges.
We value Timi because: Timi’s presence in Home
1 has brought many positive changes. Her experience and creativity are reflective in the day-to-day
lives of the women that live there. Timi is a quick
learner and is always ready to try something new
or to mentor staff.
She points to several pictures in the adds and I understand through her gestures that on payday she intends to purchase a dress, a handbag, and it took me
a minute, but, also a pair of nylons. She also informs
me that Julie, who is not present this morning, is at a
council meeting in Sacramento. She is sad that Julie
isn’t here. Hmmm, I remember last week when she
said she didn’t like Julie. Time for breakfast and off
to day program.
I return in the PM to find some of the women sitting
around the kitchen table making May Day baskets.
Favorite pastimes: My favorite pastime is hanging out with
my family every time I have
days off. It’s not often that I
get to enjoy watching, cooking, or laughing with my children. (I work pms that’s why). I didn’t want to miss the precious moments I have with my children before they mature
and go off to college.
The things that I enjoy most about my job: are taking
care of our clients, seeing them grow up from childhood
to adulthood which gives me satisfaction in life and self
fulfillment. I also enjoy the friendliness of my co-workers, clients, families, friends, and the management as
well.We appreciate life because it has been very good to
us. Despite the economic uncertainty that we are experiencing right now, the more we appreciate how good life
is, the better. We strive to be better and keep trying. We
learn to be simple and appreciate what we have. Above
all we give thanks to God for everything that we have.
Why we appreciate Africa: Africa is amazing. She volunteers for extra shifts, acts as a resource person and is
always kind and caring as she educates and heals.
My nose picks up a whiff of something sweet cooking in the oven (my lucky day). Next, it’s time for
afternoon exercise where taking a walk earns a diet
coke, dinner preparation, clean up, feeding the birds,
a little relaxation and a shower.
As I leave Home 1, I smile and think to myself how
much in common this household has with many others. Lots of us would rather be retired, we reward
ourselves for doing unfavorable things like exercise,
loved ones are cherished, and shopping is the motivation for working.
LSA Board Members
Jeanette McNeely
President
Fred Francisco
Treasurer
1922 The Alameda, Suite 400
San Jose, CA 95126
Ron Ketelsen
Member
Doriann Shreve
Member
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Dennis Brown
Member
Michael Riordan
Member
Kathy Frankland
Member
Laura Hofstadter
Member
LSA Staff Members
Dana Hooper
Executive Director
[email protected]
Phone - (650) 533-6556
Charlotte McLachlan
Director of Finance and
Administration
[email protected]
Phone - (408) 727-3493
Angie Speulda
962 Homes Program Director
[email protected]
Phone - (408) 674-9797
Meet Frances:
Frances has mostly resided at Agnew Developmental Center, since 1965, living at
Napa State Hospital 1972-1981.
Susan LeRitz
Rivermark Program Director
[email protected]
Phone - (408) 438-0439
Frances can play Chopin on the
keyboard, and will often provide
music for staff and other residents.
She has an infectious laugh and has
surprised staff with her observations
and comments.
Mark your calendar:
Contact Us
Let us know what you think
about our newsletter. Send
your comments to:
[email protected]
adjusted to living in the community.
She knows and greets staff by name,
and has been known to give staff instructions on how to answer the door
when she hears the doorbell, saying
“Open the door and say hello”.
She moved into the Milton home on
Feb. 11, 2009. Frances has quickly
LSA’s Annual Board meeting is scheduled on June 24th. The annual report will
be available in July. Please contact the
office at 408-727-3493 for a copy.