Program Support

Medical/Behavioral Care

Oversight

24-HourSupport

On-CallCrisis Support

SupportCoordination

Mentor Family

ProfessionalServices

CommunityIntegration

ReliefSupport

Support for MentorsCalifornia MENTOR provides all the ongoing support you need to be successful as a Mentor.

You have access to 24 hour assistance from our experienced team of human services professionals as well as:

• A pre-service overview of our family home programs and innovative support model• Continuing educational opportunities related to an individual’s service plan• Emergency and scheduled relief support• A competitive and generous rate of reimbursement for services you provide

Mentors are our greatest resource! If you become a family home provider with California MENTOR you’ll never go it alone.

MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY

The mission of California MENTOR is to offer adults innovative, quality services and supports that lead to growth and independence, regardless of the physical, intellectual or behavioralchallenges they face.

Our philosophy emphasizes partnerships – with those we serve, their families, our employees, Mentors, payors and the communities in which we work – in an effort to help people shape the direction of their own lives in community-based settings.

What is California MENTOR? California MENTOR is the state’s most experienced Family Home Agency (FHA), providing shared living experiences for hundreds of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in neighborhood homes like yours. Our nurturing caregivers, called Mentors, deliver personalized services in their private homes where individuals feel safe, supported and surrounded by the people and places they love.

Who are Mentors?Mentors are men and women who are dedicated caregivers providing individualized supports and services in their own homes and communities.They represent a wide range of backgrounds, but one constant among Mentors is their commitment to the well-being and personal growth of the individuals they support.

Become a MentorYou can make it possible for an adult with an intellectual or developmental disability to live a richer, more meaningful life. As a Mentor, you become a teacher, caregiver, advocate and friend to an individual who needs you, your home and your heart.

With your help, we can make the dream of living in a family home become a reality for many more individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities throughout California. We invite you to become a Mentor and embark on an experience that is both challenging and rewarding.

* Source: 2010 Client and Mentor Satisfaction Survey

PROFILE

Gary — Makes a Splash

PROFILE

Michael — Going the Distance

10

PROFILE

Cindy — Helping Others

12

PROFILE

Lynda — Sparkling Diva

PROFILE

Jené — Art with a Heart

8

Dear Readers,

Welcome to our inaugural edition of Journeys magazine, a collaborative effort by our talented staff to share the life-changing impact the Family Home Agency is having in the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities throughout California. Here at California MENTOR, we believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to live in a family home. As these seven stories illustrate, the Family Home Agency model meets the needs of each individual served and their unique challenges regardless of their history, age, gender, and lifestyle interests.

Many of these individuals have never known what it’s like to have their own bedroom; others don’t know what it’s like to participate in family activities. There are thousands of individuals whose lives would be changed by living in a natural family home setting.

If you’re ready to open your home to an individual with a developmental disability, California MENTOR will provide the skill development resources for you to be successful, from initial placement to ongoing support you and the individual living in your home. Additionally, we offer generous stipends to help make your Mentor commitment a possibility.

Give us a call or visit us online atwww.camentorfha.com. We look forward to you becoming a part of our family at California MENTOR.

Sincerely,

Robert EffordExecutive Director

In this issue

6

4

14PROFILE

Clifford — Dealt a Winning Hand

PROFILE

Donald — Plays a New Tune

16

6

PROFILE

Joy — Living in Paradise

18

Playsa New TuneDonald:

4

hen Donald suddenly lost his mother, he was ripped from the only world

he knew. He had lived with her in seclusion his entire life and it was

apparent that he did not have the living skills necessary for a successful

placement in traditional housing options.

Sheryll and Angel came to California MENTOR as a quiet couple interested in hosting

adults with disabilities. The Francisco’s calm demeanor spoke to their maturity and

strength of character. As Mentors, Sheryll and Angel’s determination, caring, teaching,

humor, love and a deep devotion to Donald has given him a new lease on life.

While Donald has good verbal skills and is extremely talented with art and music,

he needed guidance with everyday social interaction that we often take for granted.

With Sheryll and Angel’s support, he has become a polite and social man who enjoys

a variety of community activities such as singing and playing his guitar for audiences,

and showcasing his paintings at art shows.

a New TuneW

5

Angel and Sheryll, 2010 Ripple of Hope Award winners. The awards are given to employees and Mentors whose passion, energy and skill have created a positive

impact in the lives of others.

ary came to California

MENTOR’s Family Home

Agency program in hopes

that he would be more successful

in a family environment.

Previously, he received 24-hour

supervision from group home

staff. It was a special bond with

one of the staff members which

helped Gary into a family home

setting.

While Gary experienced behavioral

challenges at his group home and

in the community, he was most

successful with his favorite staff,

Reather Wilson.

G

Gary6

Makesa SplashGary:

When California Mentor and the planning

team began to work with Gary on his

transition to a family home environment,

Reather made the decision to become a

certified Mentor. Gary moved into her

family home where he has thrived with

the love and attention of Reather's entire

family.

He enjoys dancing with the family and

playing games. He also enjoys doing

cannonballs into the pool.

7

with California MENTORa Splash

Jené:

n 2008, Jené was matched with a California

MENTOR family home directly out of a

psychiatric hospital. Supported by a dedicated

and Mentor and a patient planning team, Jené

attends a day program and has developed a wide

range of interests and capabilities, most notably a

talent for art. Jené recently hosted her very own art

show in the San Diego community.

Remarkably, Jené has broken her pattern of

hospitalizations and is stable in a Mentor family

home. She enjoys social events with her friends and

continues to find new ways to connect and express

herself through her artwork.

I

8

Art witha Heart

9

10

Going the DistanceMichael:

11

ichael moved into a Mentor

family home in mid-April

of 2009. Like any major life

decision, he was initially reluctant to

make the move yet his decision has not

only given him a healthy family life, but a

reassurance of his cultural identity.

His Mentor family shares Michael’s

Hispanic culture and Spanish language.

They attend cultural and social gatherings

together and monthly out-of-town trips

give him the chance to see new and

different parts of California. Michael

enjoys living close to his church as well as

his mother’s home, so it makes it easy to

visit those places.

During the past couple of months,

Michael has expressed the desire to learn

how to read and write English. He is

M currently enrolled in an English class at

Cesar Chavez Adult School in Fresno. His

California MENTOR Program Coordinator

frequently checks in with Michael in class

where his emerging language skills are

opening doors to new friendships and

opportunities.

with California MENTORGoing the Distance

12

Helping OthersCindy:

indy has participated in

California MENTOR’s Family

Home Agency program since

May of 2003. Her Mentor, Karen, really

enjoys her company and the life they

share as a family.

For the last 3 years, Cindy has dedicated

herself to making hats and blankets that

she donates to the homeless. Cindy makes

one blanket and 50 hats per month for

homeless men and women at the Martin

Luther King Park in Bakersfield, the

Jameson Center, Covenant Center, San

Joaquin Hospice, nursing homes and

for chemotherapy patients at the CBCC

Cancer Society.

C Cindy enjoys making hats and blankets

for others because it makes her feel good

to give back to her community.

13

within the Community

Helping Others

hen you first meet Clifford, you can’t help but notice his infectious smile and

expressive eyes. He is quick to laugh and rarely meets someone he doesn’t like. In fact, after introductions, he is likely to suggest a friendly game of blackjack, or even poker for nickels. Though his speech can be difficult to understand, if you listen attentively, Clifford will tell his story and, in an instant, it is obvious that his life has been transformed.

For years, Clifford lived in Napa State Hospital. When he was referred to California MENTOR, he visited several homes over many weeks until he made a decision to live with Philip and Eugenia, immigrants from Sierra Leone, and their son, Phil. As Certified

W

14

Dealt aClifford:

Winning Hand

Nursing Assistants, they were perfectly suited to support Clifford in his activities of daily living. Welcomed as a member of their family, Clifford’s behavioral challenges began to subside.

While Clifford still needs reassurance that life in the institution is a thing of the past, he is settling in and forging bonds that he

has not enjoyed since his youth. During the week, Clifford attends a day program and enjoys shopping and trips to the local Indian gaming casinos. He raves about Eugenia’s cooking and can often be found sitting in the sunshine, singing along to his favorite country music, usually with a brand new deck of playing cards close at hand.

15

Winning Hand

ynda lived at Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) for years before she moved

into her new family home with Alicia, her Mentor. Having spent the past 20

years in a state institution, Lynda’s transition into her home was slow and

calculated, allowing ample time to adjust from a large living environment to a family

home in the community.

Due to Lynda’s behavioral challenges, California MENTOR ensured that the family

supporting her was knowledgeable, patient and had all the resources they needed to be

successful.

Lynda enjoys her active yet peaceful life in the community, which includes a dynamic

day program, walks along the waterfront, shopping and family social events. She

enjoys applying nail polish and makeup, wearing sparkly silver shoes and singing

along with Lady Gaga on the radio. Lynda’s happiness and success in her new life

with her Mentor Alicia illustrate that life in the community cannot possibly be defined

simply as moving out of an institution; it is defined by the family that is created in the

process.

L

16

Sparkling DivaLynda:

17

Sparkling Diva

18

f you’re homeless, living in a shelter certainly is better than living on the street. But according to Joy it doesn’t

begin to compare to how she feels about living in her Mentor home with her Mentor, Heidi. “I have my own room. I don’t have to worry about my stuff going missing and I can pick out the food I eat.Everything is cool.”

Oh, there’s one more thing, and it’s a very big thing. Since Joy moved into Heidi’s home in Paradise, California, her four-year-old daughter, Angela also gets to live with her.

Joy and Heidi appreciate the role California MENTOR plays in making all this possible. “California MENTOR provides a system and structure that makes this successful,” says, Heidi. California MENTOR is unique in providing a home and individualized supports for both a parent and child. Licensing regulations do not allow such arrangements in licensed facilities.

I

18

Living in ParadiseJoy:

“Long before the California MENTOR office opened locally, I dreamed of having someone like Joy living with me,” said Heidi, who also works for a local day program serving adults with developmental disabilities. “With my own daughters now grown, and plenty of space, I wanted to share my home and my life.”

Joy, Angela and Heidi also enjoy spending time with Joy’s biological family. “Sometimes we go to the beach and have campfires. We roast marsh mellows and my mom plays guitar while we all sing,” Joy said.

How could things not be great, when you live in a placed named Paradise?

1915

Living in Paradise