Making Holiday Wishes Come True- My Dynamic Duo

Two women who get things done for the good of others are Val Carver and Jennifer Montillino.  This amazing power house duo lead the “Cargill Holiday Adopt -A –Family Gift Program” for Perspectives’ Supportive Housing residents.  This is the third annual gift program from Cargill employees! It is not an easy job coordinating gifts for 52 women and over 120 children during the holidays.  However, Val & Jennifer made it look so easy…all of our families were adopted by Thanksgiving.

They were able to secure a pod that was housed in Perspectives’ parking lot throughout the holiday season. What a sight to behold, watching Cargill employees dropping off gifts and Laura Rogers, Director of Volunteers at Perspectives’, effortlessly loading them into the pod.  Each year the process of gift coordination and gift delivery becomes easier.  Val & Jennifer’s passion, organizational skills and patience are greatly used and help to make this program sail.

Laura Rogers, who manages this partnership each year said, “Val and Jennifer,your hard work has put so much joy into the lives of our families living in our housing program. I have personally had clients here at Perspectives tell me that they could not believe the fantastic gifts they received over the holidays.  One client said, ““Laura, every gift I put on my wish-list was wrapped and given to my family and even ones I had not asked for.   We are so very grateful.””

Cargill employees were also touched by their experience and here is what some Cargill employees had to say after the gift program experience.

“This was a rewarding experience. I was humbled by the simple gifts requested by the family member that I adopted and more than happy to purchase the things.  I nearly cried when I read her list because so often the world is filled with elaborate “wants” and her wish list was quite simple. I welcome the opportunity to participate in the Adopt-a-Family again next year.”

“My group used the “Adopt-A-Family” program as an opportunity for a team building event.  In the face of growing economic concern and instability in the world around us, it was very grounding to be able to pull to together as a team and make the holidays a little better for some local families.   It reminded us of the spirit of holiday giving and the gift you get in return.”

“At a time when Cargill was faced with lots of changes related to the economy, we were able to support a fellow team in helping them fulfill their commitment to ‘Adopt a Family’ by providing them with money; based on us exceeding our fundraising goal/need. This was a testament to the Cargill family helping out one another in fulfilling our commitments.”

Val and Jennifer are a testament of how hope and love survive in the lives of at risk families. It is because of their strong passion and commitment that Perspectives’ families can say, “I had Christmas for my family.”

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Cahill Gabran

Laura Rogers

Director of Volunteers

Perspectives, Inc.

Sunrise On January 9, 2012

Lunar Lunacy Effect

Tonight in Minnesota, the news casters' relish in our full moon. I had to take pictures of it of course. Lunar lunacy, that's what they call the syndrome. Fact or fiction? You be the judge, but I for one believe. The "lunar lunacy effect" is how the moon and it's cycle, effects human behavior in a negative way. The term lunatic comes from the latin word Luna, meaning moon. Wikipeda states, that insanity or temporal insomnia can occur monthly when the moon is full.

Let me take you back to my externship I fulfilled at a place called Crisis Connection. Crisis Connection is a short term phone counseling service. All of us working at mental health agencies saw a definite correlation to the full moon and our phone call percentage taking a big hike. In fact, you ask anyone in the mental health field  the difference in behavior in patients when there is a full moon. Most likely you will get a stuttering giggle because it is eerie. Suicide rates attempted and accomplished sky rocket when the moon is full.

Do you believe that the full moon can create accentuated negative behavior?  I want to know if you believe.

Hostility Poem-History of Violence

Your Mind Games No Lack
Fills The Soul With Dark,Sterile rubbish
Are you filled with black shame
I think not, since no empathy within
I feel pity for you
Mostly for your kids that wonder why
The charade lives on daily
you pretend your alive, understand love
The animal you symbolize
A wolf in sheep's clothing you are
Playing the actor role
Shame on you for who You've become
A terrible actor lies
The debauchery sadistic evil and mud thick
Clouds of black hover
Evil energy abounds in your perilled wake
Automatons are devoid, non-human
Pretending to heal; fake
Doth slumber abandon with whispers and moans
Grinding teeth loudly heard

On low energy frequencies black hole deep
Repent I say Repent
Leave us alone forever, no more deceit
Women are dime a dozen
You think we are cheap, like cars?
May God Help You
Gems you don't see in your world
May God's Love Heal You

How To Make 2012 Count

I love new beginnings. I am so looking forward to a new year. I have had many joys in 2011, but also plenty of  stress. I am sure most of us can point to the good, the bad and the ugly back in 2011.  Cheers to a great new year and many great healthy changes. Let me list some of the ways that we can make changes stick in the new year. Researchers say to:

• Make Change Doable & Realistic- Perhaps you pick MWF to work out and the rest of the week do other activities.  Park farther away and walk into the mall. Take the stairs not the elevator.
• Self Care/Self-Love- Treat Your self and Pamper yourself once in a while. I did today and got my nails, toes and hair done. 
• Stay Consistent
• Be gentle with yourself. Try to stay away from black and white thinking. I failed my diet because..... Instead say " Today I made a choice that I don't like, but I chose it and will keep trying."
• Try To Make Your motivation intrinsic not extrinsic. " I want to feel healthy" Not," I want to lose twenty pounds in four weeks."
• List Out Your Goals and Put a picture of you that you like on the Fridge with a motivational or spiritual quote.  
• Do it for health so you can hang around your family for years and years to come.
• Motivation is: The act or process of motivating. The state of being motivated and something that motivates or incentive.

" The state of being and staying healthy is about listening to your heart, body, mind and soul. We need to be in balance and feed our souls with whatever it is that brings you peace and happiness."   Laura Mary Rogers

New Years Eve

What a lovely way to bring in the new year. Let me take you through my day and night.  Ok, so I am a single lady, but what does that have to do with the equation?  One can have a fun New Years Eve celebrating with a friend or twin sister and or kids or a Fake Fireplace.....Bahhh.

The day starts out as my children, Auntie and I, go to a consignment shop to look at an electric gas fireplace that is 50 percent off. I want it sooooooooo bad.  My daughter pulls me away from it saying " Mom, we have everything we need, and Aunt would kill you if you bought it." I try to appeal to her sense of fiscal discounting and tell her it is on sale and Jacob and I have been talking about having an electric fireplace for about three years now. I tell her it is only $141 dollars. She pleads with me as auntie Linda and Jacob approach the scene.  I say, "Jacob, this is THE fireplace, plug it in and lets see what this baby can do." Jacob plugs it in as we watch the blazing fire on the fake logs light up. We also feel and enjoy the warm heat that it gives off.  Linda says, "No way Laura, we are not getting it, we don't need it.  Ellie is right, we have everything we need."  I say "Jacob what do you think of it?"  He loves it just as I do and we do our best to make valid arguments of why we need this classic fireplace in our upper living room. OK, I am digressing at a rapid pace.

We leave this store called TurnStyle without this beautiful oak engraved  masterpiece.  We all go to Ridgedale mall to eat at Chipotle.  I drop Ellie off at the door as she insists that her friend is waiting at the door for her. I tell her we will all be in after we park and then we will take in lunch. I park the car and half way into the mall, I notice I forgot my purse in the car. I stroll out to the car and discover, I left my purse at TurnStyle. Wow, this day is not going the way I planned. Ok, now aunt says "can you drop me off then at Target while you go back for your purse"?  Sure I say, so Jacob and I toddle off to TurnStyle. "Oh no, will I be able to go in there and not purchase my dream fake fireplace????  "Its' Ok Laura, just breathe, you can do it, just act as if...... I walk in the doorway of TurnStyle with powerful confidence. I see my purse behind the counter.  The cashier walks up and says..... Here is your purse, it was sitting on the chair next to the fireplace. Oh No!!!!!!!! How could she say that word, FIREPLACE.........I grab my purse and run out....

Now the day gets better. We pick up Auntie at Target, drive right on over to the mall and take in a great lunch at Chipotle. A great gift indeed, we see my nephew, my children's cousin. My nephew is the store manager and even comps some of the food for us.  Now things are looking up. We end up seeing many acquaintances and have a nice time.

After lunch my daughter leaves to go to her buddies house for New Years. My fifteen year old son says "mom, Kevin wants me at a movie that started ten minutes ago."  OK, lets just run you to your friend my dear boy." This is my life and I am here to say it. I get Jacob to the theatre and go in and pay for him. Now, Linda, my twin sister and I are free for the night. My kids are both getting picked up by their dad later from said movie and said friend's house.

At home, we breathe and say, wow, another day at the Loud Families House. We call our home the loud family because well..... were loud. Now Linda and I go to our respective corners of the house and or bathrooms and shower and freshen up for the night. We know we have food to buffet for later on but what to do now, what to do???

Linda I say, "You know that gift card you received at Christmas from our brother? Perhaps we can use that and enjoy a fabulous evening out at Redstone." Hmmmmm.... Thats a great Idea Laura, lets do that and then later in the night we pull out our buffet fixin's and watch Dick Clark like we do every year since I moved in."

To sum up my New Years Eve, great eats, great company, my first ever Cosmopolitan, and snow that started before midnight. .....and then, Dick Clark, beautiful Dick Clark brings us into the new year with his rockin' eve special. For a single mother, this was my idea of a  perfect New Years Eve.  Happy New Year To All.

Work

Well, Christmas Holiday and New Years Eve is now over. It is January 1, 2012.  I have been on vacation from work since December 20th.  A two week vacation was very much needed and appreciated. I am now refreshed and ready to go back to work tomorrow. I love and am so very passionate about the work I do at Perspectives. I am a Director at a human service agency serving at risk families and children. Our social issues we address is not limited to:  poverty, homelessness, abuse, Chemical Dependency, education, mental health, employment.

I have been so fortunate to be an employee at Perspectives since the 1990's. I actually started at Perspectives as a student pursuing my Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. I was a student working on my internship. I fell in love with Perspectives' mission: To help at Risk Families Break Negative Cycles. I did short term counseling at Perspectives working with clients who I then referred on to other agencies who offered long term therapy. We did more crisis phone counseling, short term counseling sessions and groups like Women and Self Esteem.

Once my internship was over, I was brought on as a part time staff member. I supervised the volunteers that did the short term therapy, processed with each volunteer making sure all referrals were given out due to the issues that the client presented. I enjoyed this very much but it was only part time so I also volunteered at the Crisis Connection in the Minneapolis area as a counselor.

Later, Perspectives'  hired me on as a group facilitator coordinator. I led groups on parenting topics that came from the University of Minnesota. The curriculum was called Positive Parenting I and II.  Topics included:  How to Catch Your Child Being Good, Discipline, Rules and Boundaries, Tools of Prevention and more. I also supervised volunteers who co-led the groups with me. I met some amazing people and trained them in group facilitation.

As human service agencies or non-profits change rapidly, the grant money was no longer supporting community parenting education classes. That is when I ended up leaving for about five years working as a hands on healer, teacher and speaker.

I was then told about an opening at Perspectives in 2004 looking for a Community Affairs Associate. I interviewed for the position and secured it. I did volunteer hiring, marketing and public relations work. One year later I was promoted to Director of Volunteers.

So that is my Perspectives story and I am still here. I truly feel honored to work with those that just need a little help getting back on track.