Friendship, Inc.

Supporting People with
Developmental Disabilities

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Cashing in on a Mint
By: Craig Aldrich, Director Supported Employment/Extended Services,
Fargo, Park River & Grafton ND
December 31, 2002

Darwin is hoping to rake in a mint (money that is). Darwin, the latest entrepreneur, has purchased six vending machines. These machines, which distribute individually packaged mints, offer customers more of a choice when they are looking to spend that quarter that is jingling in their pocket.

Darwin has been employed in several capacities from a packager for Take 2 Video, Fargo, ND to cleaning at Dakota Natural Foods, West Fargo, ND and even as a production worker for a contract that Friendship had with Mr. Spindle. When approached about owning his own business, Darwin was reserved but had many questions as to what it meant to own your own business and

what kind of business would he do. After discussing a variety of options and the amount of time
and money it would take to start his own business, Darwin decided he would like to operate his
own vending route. Darwin had an opportunity to take a look at six machines that were for sale
and what type of condition they were in. Darwin decided then that this is what he would like to do.
One machine is located at Friendship, Inc. administrative offices, and at Kelly Inn, Best Western
Fargo, ND. Other businesses in our community are being approached as well. Stay tuned for future
updates on Darwin's exciting venture. Congratulations Darwin!

Oh, The Things I've Accomplished
By: Cynthia & Michelle Jimenez, Fargo, ND
December 31, 2002

Hi, my name is Cynthia. I have been involved with Friendship, Inc. since December 5, 1981
when I moved into Friendship, Inc.'s ICF/MR group home and attended Friendship's Vocational
program. On February 8, 1988 I moved into my own apartment and received services through
Friendship, Inc.'s Family and Community Living (FCL) program. This was my first opportunity to
live with my peers in an apartment of my own. I lived with two roommates in a three bedroom
apartment. It was my first opportunity to buy personal possessions such as a T.V., furniture, kitchen
items, etc. and I learned more about the life so many others have taken for granted: opening and
maintaining a checking account, paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking meals, cleaning the apartment,
washing clothes, etc. There is a lot more to living in a place of your own than I expected and
Friendship was myself. I have learned a lot with the help of Friendship's staff.

There are many things I may never learn how to do but that is no big deal, I have Friendship's staff to help me where needed. Like most people, I have moved many times from a three bedroom apartment (with staff there 24 hours a day), to a four bedroom house where I had three other roommates and a dog, to living with my best friend and a cat in a two bedroom
apartment. My best friend had some complications with her health a few years ago and she had to move to a facility with
a higher level of care so that meant that I was in search of a new roommate again. Unfortunately, Friendship, Inc. could not find a suitable roommate within their agency so they contacted other agencies and found me a roommate through a different

agency. I like that Friendship, Inc. cared enough about me not to limit their search to just their agency. They worked with the other agency and successfully arranged for my new roommate to move in. Sadly, my mother died; however, she left me an inheritance. I learned that due to Social Security and Medicare guidelines I was not able to keep this amount of money so again, with Friendship Inc. and my brother's help, we began to look for the best way to use the money. We investigated many options and after much deliberation we decided the best thing for me would be to purchase a home. Again Friendship, Inc. was there every step of the way: helping me find a Realtor, look at homes, arrange and sign necessary paperwork; to locating someone to mow the lawn in the summer and blow the snow in the winter. I am proud to say, I now have my own twin home! It is a goal I never thought I would be able to accomplish.

Friendship, Inc. is still involved with me and always will be in some way, but now I don't need as much help. I have also taken many steps with my employment, going from a sheltered work area to working as a dishwasher in a family restaurant. I enjoy my job and with the help of my job coach I am learning to become more independent every day. I think I have come a long way since 1988 and I appreciate all the help Friendship, Inc. continues to give me. I know they really care about me.

Thank You Friendship, Inc.!


Friendship, Inc. Celebrates our Open House By Michelle Jimenez, Office Administrator September 10, 2003
	Friendship, Inc. in it's work with people with developmental disabilities, has been in existence now since 1974. Much growth and many changes have occured in those 29 years. We are now at numerous sites in Grafton, Park River and Fargo, ND. One of our latest moves was in June 2003, when Friendship, Inc.’s Administrative Office moved to 801 Page Drive, Fargo, ND.
On September 4, 2003 we marked the culmination of a year that has involved a lot of change for all of us by hosting a ribbon cutting with the Fargo Moorhead Chamber of Commerce and holding an open house. We have three new vocational sites in the community, Gateway, Westfield, River's Bend and our new MSLA residential site.
	During our ribbon cutting ceremony we named each of our 22 departments and asked a representative to step forward and present a flower in a vase that symbolizes our one mission to provide excellent service to people with disabilities in a spirit of Reverence, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence. We blessed our new Administrative Office location and extended the blessing by symbolically cutting the ribbon for the Gateway, Westfield, River's Bend and MSLA locations.
We had many visitors throughout the event, including over 45 members of the Fargo Moorhead Chamber of Commerce, 150 members of the community, parents and guardians, employees and people we serve. Everyone toured the building and joined us for cake and coffee in our Heritage Center. We would like to extend a great thank you to the Fargo Moorhead Chamber of Commerce for assisting us with the ribbon cutting and helping us create such a memoriable day.
If you were unable to stop by and tour our new administrative office during our open house, feel free to visit us anytime and we would be glad to show you around!

Flooded With Opportunity
By Don Brunette, Chief Operating Officer
Friendship, Inc.
December 31, 2003

The floodwaters came and created within us the vision for unlimited opportunity. But we had no way of knowing it at the time. It was May 4, 2002. My phone rang bright and early that morning. "We have problems, 801 has flooded!" I arrived at 801, our vocational workshop in Fargo, to the sight of fire trucks, flashing lights and firemen. Maintenance staff was busy attempting to squeegee water from the building while vocational staff rescued files and supplies. I was soon to find out first hand that a water main located under our vocational workshop had burst sometime over the weekend and water and mud had filled the building.

My heart sank as I walked through the water and mud that had spread throughout 90% of the building. There will be no vocational services this week, I thought. Little did I realize it at the time, but we would be without a building for over a year. As time passed the news of the damage turned from bad to worse. Apparently the force of the gushing water had washed out sand from under the cement slab of the building. We had no way of knowing how big the void was under the slab. Even worse, the steel beams were beginning to sink causing structural damage to the building.

Throughout Friendship, Inc. there was a real sense of urgency to get back to business as usual, yet doubts about returning to our vocational services building started to emerge. We had been exploring vocational service options for some time prior to the flood so it seemed timely to explore service alternatives to traditional sheltered work. We have always wanted to duplicate the success of our supported employment services for the people served within our sheltered workshop. A moment of truth had arrived. We decided to begin the internal discussion. Our focus eventually centered around one central issue. Should we continue to provide traditional day support services within our sheltered workshop or should we redirect our focus towards community-based employment? Through an intensive process of reflection and discussion, we arrived at some common values and themes important to all stakeholders.

. We felt that any change should focus upon the following themes:
1. Work would be our priority and expectation for all people we serve of working age.
2. Everyone should have access to work regardless of disability.
3. When people served define meaningful activity as something other than work, it would be because we have learned this through significant experience and exposure to a variety of work options.
4. Our focus would be on community-based services.

We started looking for supporting evidence and information that might reaffirm a commitment towards community-based employment and community-based day supports. With the nation's unemployment rate for people with disabilities at over 75%, we have always felt that somehow we need to do better for people with significant barriers to employment. Approximately 70% of the individuals served in rehabilitation programs are still in either sheltered workshops or segregated non-work day programs. In fact, the number of people in segregated settings has remained steady or risen in the past decade. We were also concerned that we were sending a mixed message to our community employers. Our message to employers has always emphasized the importance of people with disabilities being an inclusive part of their communities yet we served a large number of people in sheltered settings. This seemed to contradict the message we wanted employers to have.

When looking at national trends it is clearly evident that more than ever before in history, community rehabilitation programs are interested in focusing on outcomes leading to community presence and participation. Federal legal and legislative trends (Olmstead, IDEA, WIA, Rehab Act, ADA, TWWIIA) are strongly promoting community-based employment, community access and self-determination. There seemed to be enough justification to begin to move our services in a different direction.

The plan to move towards community-based services led us down a path of identifying potential interim service alternatives. The service model we studied and eventually implemented came from SECOH (Supporting Exceptional Citizens Of Hawaii) Services in Hawaii. This service model is a move towards smaller community centers located throughout the community. The community centers function as a jumping off point as people served travel from jobs to community activities. The centers are not intended to be a place where people will spend their entire day and, over time, the centers will eventually lose their necessity. The success of this approach will be determined by our ability to connect people to their surrounding community through creating employment opportunities and meaningful community activities.

One of the biggest barriers we faced throughout our planning was the belief that people with the most significant disabilities can't succeed in community-based employment. We found ourselves watching old Marc Gold instructional videos and rediscovering the unlimited possibilities for the people we serve. It soon became evident we would need additional expertise within the organization. Grant dollars would need to be part of this equation. We decided that our first efforts would focus on creating better, more effective teachers throughout the vocational program. Grant dollars were eventually received from CTAT (The Center for Technical Assistance and Training) to allow us to partner with the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities in the development of a curriculum of systematic instruction. We wanted all vocational staff confident in their teaching/job coaching abilities.

Other grants soon followed. A grant received from the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities has allowed us to enhance our job development expertise to more people within the agency. We also defined specific outcomes for 20 people served regarding community-based employment and community-based day support wrap-around services.

Part of this project involved monthly conference calls with a consultant to plan activities and address barriers for these twenty people. Recently, we have developed a mentor relationship with an agency in Florida that has succeeded in transitioning to community-based services. This relationship will replace the role of the consultant as we meet monthly to plan for success of the people we serve. We know that success will need to be defined by the people we serve and that any measure of success will be defined one person at a time.

10,000 Friends Dinner a Huge Success

By: Marisa Bengston
Coordinator, ISLA Dept.
January 9, 2004

If you weren't at 801 on the night of January 8th, you missed a roaring good time. The building was transformed into one of NASCAR's most exciting racetracks; such as Martinsville or Atlanta Motor Speedway. The crowd went wild for the delicious lasagna and scrumptious fresh bread served at this fundraising event for 10,000 Friends. The ISLA department hosted the evening, which included an appearance by the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser car.

We would like to thank everybody who attended the dinner. Over 100 people came out to support the cause. We would also like to thank the many businesses who contributed their goods and services. Without their help this event would not have been possible. A BIG thank you goes to Breadsmith, Sunmart, Sam's Club, Cash Wise, Olive Garden, and Budweiser (see page 16 for the full list of donors). Because of everyone's generosity, we were able to raise over $1,000!!

The money will be used by 10,000 Friends to assist individuals to achieve their goals and dreams. One of the individuals will be attending a race in Michigan on June 20, 2004. His entire life he has dreamed of attending a race and he is so excited to go! With continued support from the community, we will continue to be able to help many more individuals!

Many Connections to Friendship, Inc.
Recognized at the Metro Area Mayors Committee Luncheon
April 16, 2004
By Rachel Larson, Administrative Secretary

The Metro Area Mayor's Committee for People With Disabilities held its annual awards luncheon on April 16, 2004 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead to recognize area businesses and individuals for their contribution to increase opportunities for people with disabilities. Several awards were presented with Mayor Mark Voxland of Moorhead and Mayor Keith Coalwell of Dilworth in attendance.

The Employer of the Year Award was presented to employers in the private and public sectors for outstanding achievements in improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse took home one of the awards in this category for taking a lead as an equal opportunity employer. Friendship, Inc. introduced three people to Lowe's this past year and they were all direct hires. Lowe's ahs provided ongoing education, training, and support for team members.

One employee received a glowing evaluation and was told they were eligible to try a new department. This person felt it was not possible because of disabilities, but the department manager encouraged the employee and said, "you can do anything if you really want it." Lowe's strives for a diverse work environment that reflects the community they serve. Their program of inclusion, fairness, respect, and productivity sets them apart as an employer. The focus of Lowe's is possibilities, not disabilities.

The Olive Garden was also the recipient of the Employer of the Year award. They have employed individuals who receive services from Friendship, Inc. since July of 1995. The silverware rolling crew currently is made up of four individuals. Just as the commercial for the Olive Garden states, "When you're here, you're family." The management treats all staff with the same amount of respect. This characteristic makes the Olive Garden stand out as an employer. People with disabilities who work there feel like part of the team.

Another team player that was recognized was Paulette Ness, Job Coach at Friendship, Inc.

Paulette received the award for Outstanding Placement Specialist of the Year. This award was given to a person who has displayed professionalism to the consumer and employer, has an understanding of appropriate job matching, and increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Paulette can be described as an advocate. All of the individuals she serves have nothing but praise for this dedicated employee who volunteers her time and talents at many fundraisers throughout the year that benefit the lives of others. Paulette graciously accepted the award and said that working as a job coach is "her passion" and she just loves this type of work.

With tears in her eyes, Carol Jones accepted the award for Entrepreneur of the Year for a self-employed individual with a disability. In 2002, Carol filled in for a person who cleaned two homes and realized she liked this kind of work.

She investigated what it would take to start her own cleaning business and Carol's Cleaning was born. She started the business off gradually, but now cleans the Arc of Cass County and the Presentation Center as well as five private homes. Carol has grown more independent because of the business and has developed wonderful friendships with the homeowners she cleans for as well as their four-footed friends who anticipate her arrival. In her acceptance speech Carol said she was "so happy" to receive the award with her dad, brother and sister-in-law in attendance. Her cordial attitude was evident when she ended her speech by saying, "Thank you and take care."

The Impact of One Life
April 20, 2006
By Rachel Larson, Administrative Secretary

"O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." 2 Chronicles 20:12

This verse comes to mind when I think of the Hmong village that I visited this past January in Thailand with a group from my church. We went there to see what we could do to help these refugees who have such great faith in God, yet have no might to defend themselves against those who have the power to deport them back to Laos.

These people, who have virtually no possessions except for the clothes on their backs and the bamboo huts that they call home, have been living in the northern Petchabun province of Thailand since the summer of 2005. Eventually the Thai government will need to make some sort of decision about these people who have no country to call their home. Deportation for some may mean separation from families and for others it could even mean death. Yet while in the village I observed that the Hmong people don't live as if they have no hope. Their strength lies in the Lord and they trust that He knows what is best for them.

Shortly after arriving, one of the men in our group said, "I feel like the President." Each one of us was greeted with a little bow as we walked the narrow pathway between huts to the home of the Pastor of the Nam Khao Baptist Church. As over 20 of us gathered inside the one room hut, crowds of people hovered near the door wanting us to come out and enjoy the meal that they had prepared with the minuscule amount of food they had. The smiles and excitement on their faces caught my attention and brought tears to my eyes as they waited with anticipation. Knowing that our presence could touch their life that much was a very humbling experience.

Looking back, the smile of the Hmong people in a way reminds me of the smile of the people we serve at Friendship. Several weeks ago while eating at a restaurant, one of the people we serve walked in with his parents. When he saw me, he rushed over to my table to say hello. We chatted for a minute and then he went back to his table. I could overhear him telling his parents about me and I just knew that my presence there made his day.

This same gentleman sometimes stops by my desk at the administration office to say hello to me and is very excited each time he does so. He sometimes even tells me to smile. To know that my life has such an impact on his helps me to put things back into perspective. When I'm having a stressful day, it is very refreshing to see the smile of the people we serve. They don't worry when computers crash, when the phones go haywire, or when the copy machine has jammed for the third time in one day. They just enjoy the basic blessings of each day. Like the Hmong people, those Friendship serves would most likely trade places with us even on our worst day. Both groups of people find so much joy in simply knowing someone who they believe can help them. It is our job to support them to communicate their needs to those who don't understand and also to try to be the bright spot in their day as so many times they are exactly that in ours.

Main Offices Located at:

801 Page Drive
Fargo, ND 58103

554 W. 12th St.
Grafton, ND 58237