Bost, Inc. Progress Report

June 2014

On Friday, March 7, Bost held its 12th Annual Grape Escapes at the EpiCenter by MovieLounge. This new venue was all the buzz as a record number of patrons came out to show their support. Raising much needed funds for Bost, our cocktail style, signature fund‐raiser delighted wine enthusiasts and novices alike. “This event is so much fun and a great way to help create Bost awareness in our community,” said Shannon Fawcett, AED Bost Foundation. The revenue from Grape Escapes helps fund classroom supplies, the fleet of vans, and facilities maintenance , which are essential things the government doesn’t subsidize.  Bost serves over 1,000 indi‐viduals with mental, physical, and developmental disabilities in 34 counties in Arkansas, but the majority of the individuals served are in Sebastian and Crawford Counties.  This event would not be possible without the support of our fantastic sponsors and a bevy of wonderful volun‐

teers!  Therefore, we are very grateful to the following individuals and businesses for their commitment to and support of Bost:  Premiere Partners: Alpha Packaging, Inc., Sparks Health System, Sykes, BKD Foundation   Corporate Partners:  BHC (Brown Hiller Clark), Gallagher Benefit Ser‐vices, Regions Bank,  Mercy Hospital Fort Smith, Junior Civic League, New Prospect Company  Community Partners: AT&T, Merrill Lynch/The Donaubauer Group, Trotter Electric, C & J Forms 

and Labels, WORKSOURCE  Family Partners: Little Shaneyfelt Marshall, Cosby & Pat Hodges, First National Bank, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Regions Insurance, Yaffe Iron and Metal  Friends of Bost: AOG, ABF, Arvest Bank, Myra and Jim Dennis, Williams‐Crawford and Associates, Architecture Plus, Bob & Jan Cooper, Johnson Dermatology, US Bank, Preferred Office Products, The Swaim Family, Janie Glover, Valley Behavioral Health Systems, Center for Hearing, LTD.   In‐kind Donors: John Mays Jewelers, EpiCenter by MovieLounge, Baldor Electric Co, Marvin Altman Fitness Center, SWBC Mortgage, KFSM Channel 5, Golden Corral, Elaine Watson, Debbie Hall, Sandy & Ken Pyle, Shelly 

Grape Escapes 2014—A Vine Affair

Continued on page 2

Tabatha Graves, Vocalist

Shannon Fawcett, Donna Bragg, Roy Thompson, Maggie Malloy: Past Grape Escapes Leaders

Rachel Russell, Shannon Fawcett, Ashley Roush, Caroline Cooper, & Guest

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Bost, Inc. First Annual Job Fair Bost, Inc., was excited to hold its First Annual Bost Job Fair, Wednesday, April 30 for the greater Fort Smith area.  Hiring markets included Sebastian, Craw‐ford, and Scott counties.  Bost sought to fill 100 positions, both full‐time and part‐time.  Positions available included assisting both children and adults with disabilities in areas of daily living.  A variety of schedules were available, includ‐

ing second and third shifts, weekends, and some first shift weekdays.  Full‐time positions included excellent benefits packages.  Part‐time positions included some benefits.  The First Annual Bost Job Fair was held at the Courtyard by Marriot downtown at 900 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith.  The Job Fair gave applicants the opportunity to complete a full application, an on‐line assessment, and, if qualified, an on‐site interview.  Ap‐proximately 80 individuals attended the job fair, and nearly 40 were hired from this event!  The job fair was coordinate by  Laura Lewis, Waiver Director and Laura Golden, Assis‐

tant Executive Director for DD Services. 

Blaylock, Anthony & Brenda Altman, Greg & Kathy Nichols, Chuck Fawcett Realty, Tim Dunn, Shamrock Liquor Warehouse, C & J Forms and Label, Inc., WORKSOURCE, Daren Bobb, Allen & Shareen Pruitt, Jim & Peggy Had‐ley, Russ Bragg, Clear Channel Outdoor, Ashley & John Rausch, Caroline & Bob Cooper, Collections Floral, Charles Blaschke, Davis Iron and Metal, FFO Home, Fort Smith Athletic Club, Funky Memories Photobooth, Hardscrabble Country Club, Jeff & Kerri Taake, Jerry Simmons, Kathy Long, LeeAnna Hicklin & Steve Cox, Liquor Mart, Allyn & Janice Donaubauer,  Mercy Fitness Center, Momentum Dance Concepts, Virgilia Dale’s Photogra‐phy, Rachel & James Russell, Rob Coleman, Shelly Blaylock/River City Realty, Chris Melton, Susan Johns, Suzy’s Art and Custom Frames,  SWBC Mortgage/Rose Catalano, Tim Dunn, The Vineyard Wine & Spirits, Tracy Marino & Larry Zigerelli, Michelle Cernak, Mary Ann Arnold, Shirley Yeager, Jennifer Ledezma, Kitty Calvert, BK Spruell, Jeanne Montgomery, Kim Weigel, Clint Sands, Sara Christian, Kelly Swaim, Mic Griffith   Participating Restaurants: Papa's Pub & Pizzaria, Beland Manor, Kopper Kettle Candies, Hooters, Shorty's Ta‐males, Neumeier's Rib Room, Outback Steakhouse, Confectionately Yours, MovieLounge, Harps, Chili's, Golden Corral, Red Lobster   Wine Distributors:  Glazer's, Central Distributors, Mount Bethel Winery, Shamrock Liquor Warehouse, Keels Creek Winery, Post Familie Vineyards & Winery, Custom Beverage, Wiederhker Wine Cellars, Moon Distribu‐tors, Glidewell Distributing, Natural State Distributing, Burford Distributing Co, Inc. 

 

Save the date: We look forward to seeing you at Bost’s 13th Annual Grape Escapes on Friday, March 6, 2015, 

Grape Escapes 2014 - Continued

Christina Ponsetta - DSP of the Year Christina Ponsetta has been an employee of Bost, Inc. in the Russellville Waiver Department with Sharon for over 5 years. Christina has been a positive role model for Sharon's behaviors and actions. Prior to Christina's work with her, Sharon displayed behaviors which could have been detrimental to her health and the health of others. Christina is very detail oriented and has helped Sharon adopt a healthy lifestyle full of organic foods, ex-ercise, and timely medications. Sharon enjoys Christina taking her to the health food store for snacks. Sharon wasn't always excited about the changes, but she now likes to report to office staff how excited she is about walking and some of the foods she and Christina cook. Sharon's health has significantly improved, as a result of Christina's dedication and caring. Christina has been a true mentor to Sharon, by modeling the appropriate responses to adverse situations. Sharon historically has had some inappropriate social behaviors, but with Christina modeling appropriate behaviors, Sharon has improved in those areas. Christina is an advocate of people with disabilities. Christina and her husband encourage Sharon to volunteer in the Physical Therapy clinic that they own, which displays to the public that there are opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities within the work-place. Christina has proven that patience, repetition, and caring can have a positive impact on the lives of others. Christina has worked with Sharon for well over a decade, and their relationship has become more of a sisterly one. Christina and her family truly view and accept Sharon as part of their family. Sharon has a history of issues, and Christina wondered if she was going to be able to help Sharon at all. Sharon, with Christina's help, switched to an organic, sugar-free diet and be-gan exercising regularly, which greatly reduced her issues and helped her to feel better. Sharon will let anyone know that Christina is her family. Christina has adapted her entire life to fit consumer direct needs and desires. Sharon lives with Christina, and when Christina has looked for a new home in the past she has always kept Sharon's needs in mind. Sharon loves to eat with the family and she helps feed and collect eggs from the chickens, helps with yard work and helps with the cats and dogs, and helps with the miniature donkeys. Though Sharon may never become fully inde-pendent, Christina has enhanced Sharon's abilities allowing for day to day tasks to be much easier. Christina is an outstanding staff member. She is very timely with legible, detailed paperwork, and she never misses a staff meeting. Her training is up to date, without any reminders from office staff. She is always polite, well-spoken and communicates very well with her supervisor. There is never a worry about the health and safety of people in her care. "When I envision what Direct Service Professional of the year should encompass, Christina immediately comes mind. The care, compassion, and genuine drive that she has to assure others’ needs are met are beyond any expectations I could ever have," said Jennifer Paterak, SouthCentral Waiver Di-rector. Because of all these attributes and many more, Christina Ponsetta has been selected as DSP of the Year for Ar-kansas. Christina will be recognized at the national American Network of Community Resources and Options (ANCOR) conference in Miami, FL, as well as through a national publication distributed by ANCOR. ANCOR’s Direct Support Professional Recognition Award is given to those who personify the values of AN-COR’s National Advocacy Campaign, which works to ensure that the direct support workforce is well-trained and sustainable. Nominees are judged on the work they’ve done to build social networks, substantive commu-nity participation, and advocating for the people they serve.

Sharon & Christina

Wellness in the Workplace! In the last few months, several individuals working in our Russellville Waiver office have made the decision to get healthier! Here are their stories.

Jennifer Paterak's mother was the catalyst for her to get healthier. Her mother recently lost 80 lbs by working hard on her own. Listening to her made Jennifer realized that she wasn't happy in the body she had. Jennifer began walking and attending training classes with her dog, Ruger. They began learning how to walk on a leash and watch traffic as a training tool for Ruger, and it ended up benefiting Jennifer. She still eats everything she always has, because her motto is "If you alter your lifestyle to the extreme, when you stop, you gain it all back." For Jenni-fer, it's more about cutting the portions of the things she loves and still enjoying life. Jennifer's personal motivation started as way to burn the energy of her big puppy, but it has since become a goal for her. She doesn't openly share her results, because it's not about other's opinions; it's about how

she feels at the end of the day. Jennifer held off weighing herself, for fear it might discourage her, until a friend mentioned that she looked smaller. To date, Jennifer has lost about 20 pounds over a 6 month period. She would like to lose about 40 more pounds, for a total of 60 pounds lost. Jennifer tries very hard not to compare her journey with anyone else's simply because each journey is unique. It's no longer about how fast her journey is; it's about the fact that she is taking it at all.

Ashley Hubbard made a choice to get healthier with a couple of other co-workers. They keep each other on track, by talking about what they eat. A few in the office have also started to do a daily squat challenge. Ashley was further motivated, due to her young age and impending health problems. Her cardiologist warned her that if changes weren't made, she would likely have a heart attack in the next 10 years. Ashley wanted to stick around for her family. Ashley now tries to eat under 1200 calories a day and has traded soft drinks for lots of water. She walks daily and does strength exercises. Ashley has lost 28 pounds so far and is now in the normal weight category. Her cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate are all lower!

Matt Perry's goal was only to start eating healthier to improve his overall heath. In doing so, he has lost a to-tal of 25 pounds.

Matt was very fit and was incredibly strict in what foods he consumed throughout his 20's. Over the past few years, he became more apathetic toward diet and exer-cise. This, coupled with turning 30 a couple of years ago, lead to some rapid changes in his body that weren't very positive. He knew he needed to get back to a healthier mindset and took action!

For the past several months, Matt has kept non-healthy foods to a minimum, while beginning to exercise at least four times per week. Matt has also chosen healthier options when eating out. He and a few co-workers started taking breaks to incorporate 15 minutes of exercise into their work days.

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The Jolene LeRoy Independence Scholarship is awarded to one individual annually who seeks greater independence. We are proud to announce this year's recipient is Jeff Wages! Jeff Wages lives in the Harrison, Arkansas area, where he is very involved in his community. He volun-teers with the local fire department to warn of the dangers of smoke inhalation. He has counted it a privilege to assist the Fire Department in the distribution of back-to-school back-packs once a year to families who can't afford school supplies. Jeff has battled with weight loss and has had some pretty serious health prob-lems over the years. He strives to keep his spirits lifted, by working out 3-4 times a week. He has begun to see the weight drop some, and this has encour-aged him to keep going. Jeff lives in his own apartment and has staff 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, but he is able to stay alone at night. His staff encourages his working out by taking walks, playing basketball, and bowling. Jeff enjoys participating in Special Olympics and has received several medals for Bocce. A big part of Jeff's life is wrestling. He enjoys attending all of the local wrestling events and knows all of the wrestlers by name. He becomes very excited when events are coming up for wrestling. He has re-ceived several autographed pictures from the wrestlers and even a T-shirt signed by all of them for his birthday! Jeff has been talking of a trip to see family in south Arkansas for a while now. He plans to use the Inde-pendence Scholarship to make this trip a reality.  

Jolene LeRoy Scholarship Winner!

Thank you to our wonderful donors!

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Norma D. Gibbs

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Staff Appreciation Cookout! The Bost, Inc. administrative staff annually plans and holds a dinner or lunch to recognize some key staff and show appreciation for the work of the past year. For the year ending June 30, 2014, an informal cookout held at the Elvin and Sally Frick Community Center was the plan. Despite all the planning for the event to be held outside, the weather did not hold. When the time came to light the grill, the rain and wind started, and the event was moved inside to the training room. Kent Jones, Jeff Lambert, Rhonda Jones, Ramon Gayle, and Jim Harris braved the wind and rain to work the grill. Roy Thompson couldn't keep the rain off him as he brought cooked burgers and hotdogs from outside. After a slight delay, everyone was served, and the burgers and hot dogs were delicious! Roy Thompson, Director of Children's services, noted that he saw amazing team work on behalf of our employees from the Administrative Team. It was a true testament of our ability to work together, even through a crisis like that torrential weather! Roy stated, "I was proud of us and think it was a team-building and team-bonding experience we shall not forget! Whatever it takes, we get it done!" Individuals recognized are listed below. School of Leadership: Antonio Contreras, Kendall Frazier, Lesa Fuller, Jannia Green, Cindy Hardgrave, Shirley Hatley, Mildred Henley, Brenda Heydenreich, Ashley Hubbard, Barbara Jackson, Jan Jonson, Rhonda Jones, Ashley Lentz, Debbie Mann, Dustin McClellan, Felicia McLeod, Stephanie Mealer, Matt Mills, Ferba O’Kelley, Carla Owenby, Jennifer Paterak, Jeff Plum, Terri Sanders, Jackie Scarborough, Renee Self, Kim Tucker, Denelta Tyler, Kim Yarbrough, Reba Denton, Amanda Keck, Sandy Chamberlain, Matthew Perry, Dallena Yager Community Service: Randy Sanders, Linda Kovalck, Ramon Gayle, Laura Golden, Jim Harris, Jackie Scarborough, Jeff Lambert, Christina Fontaine, Liliana Sierra, Alexsia Bernhardt, Kristen Henderson, Dustin McClellan, Gwen Scamardo, Elizabeth Sweeden, Sara Frazier, Holly Smith, Deborah Braboy Employees of the Year: Bost CARES - Shara Kang, Children’s Services - Linda Stoufer, Clinical Services - Danny Harper, NWA Waiver Services - Jennifer Cheek, ADC/WD Services - Kathy Howard, SC Waiver Services - Brenda Morgan, Support Services - Jan Johnson, FSM Waiver Services - Joe Stout CARF Leaders: Jeff Lambert, Laura Golden, Jeanne Montgomery, Rhonda Jones, Laura Lewis, Jennifer Paterak, Jackie Scarborough, Kim Weigel

Long Term Employees: 28 Years - Kent Jones; 27 Years - Randy Sanders; 25 Years - Maggie Gann, Karen Hor-ton; 24 Years - Roy Thompson, Michael Torres; 22 Years - David Taylor, Rhonda Bruso, Delois Hamm; 21 Years -

John Post, Susie Post; 20 Years - Danny Harper; 19 Years - Charles McDaniel, Judy Moulton, Vickie Sharp; 18 Years - Lisa Johnson, Charolette Little, Brian Shaw; 17 Years - Susan Weaver, Linda Shamblin, Mary Casey; 16 Years - Mary Decker, Mariko Clifton, Jeff Lambert; 15 Years - Reba Denton, Rhonda Jones, Cathy Webb, Lisa Favela, Felicia Mcleod, Jeanne Montgomery; 14 Years - Willie Garrett, Carlene Adams, Marcia Kwiecinsky, Sue Bell, Linda Stoufer, Yadira Martinez, Luann Wise, Sadie Crosby, Cheryl Knight; 13 Years - Gatha Pierini, Mark Hise, Sandra Chamberlain, Jannia Green, Frances Howard, Laura Smith, Angelisa Lambert, Kellie Thompson, Rebecca Gregory, Gwendolyn Jowers, Bessie Travis, Beth Raines, Ann Button, Kathy Kastendick; 12 Years - Michele Welch, Angela

Jackson, Talikwa Scott, Dana Martin, Madelyn Roderick, Roxana King, Rebecca Hansel, Dallena Yager, Shirley Gar-rison; 11 Years - Betty Benge, Kelly Krigbaum, Liliana Sierra, Angela Crosby, Christi Feimster, Shelia Webster, Amanda Keck, Barbara Jackson, Kimberly Weigel, Shirley McDaniel; 10 Years - Patricia Goff, Larry Hammond, Amanda Leftwich, Sheila Fry, Benjamin Valentine, Carolyn Cravens, Kham Keosleumsack, Brenda Heydenreich, Shanna Esquivel, Grace Ahne, Sue Hart, Cynthia Jordan, Bridget Blake, Nolvia Llamas, Edward Lowry, James Kwiecinsky, Pamela Mumphrey, Denise Coleman, Kenneth McDaniel, Katherine Barnes, Angelica Stout, Patricia Smith, Nancy LeBrun, Jennifer Padgett, Detra Pearcy, Patricia Stafford, Dyann Hancock

Kent Jones, Executive Director & Jeff Lambert, Associate Executive Director

Kent Jones, Executive Director; Jeff Lambert, Asso-ciate Executive Director; Ramon Gayle, Staff Devel-

opment Specialist

Bost Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees:

Charles Blaschke - President, Eric Pendergrass - Vice President, Marilyn Foster - Secretary, LeeAnn Neidecker -

Treasurer, Fred Williams, Ex Officio, Mary Ann Arnold, Janice Beran, Rob Coleman, Ricky Cross, Don DeSoto, Al-

lyn Donaubauer, Chuck Fawcett, Susan Johns, Don Keesee, Chester Koprovic, George McGill, Chris Melton, Sandy

Pyle, Scott Taylor, Sharon Wright, Caleb Yerton, Roger Young, Kent Jones - Executive Director, Shannon Fawcett -

Assistant Executive Director

Bost Board of Directors: Tammy Chase - Board President, Roger Young - Vice President, Stephanie Riffle - Treasurer, Andre Good - Secre-

tary, Teresa Armer, Dr. Erica Horn, Dr. Lee Johnson, Diana Jones, Marilyn McGehee, Charlie Needham, Stephanie

Riffle, Joanne Swafford, Cecilia Tu, Ken Turner, Kent Jones - Executive Director

www.bost.org

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Newsletter Produced & Edited by the Bost, Inc. Marketing Team

479-478-5554 or 479-478-5466

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