Smooth Swimming

Dear Imagine friends and family,

There is big board of directors news below but I can't start except by celebrating Jessa's accomplishments at the Special Olympics in Minneapolis. Our friend took two gold medals (50 m and 100 m Freestyle) and one Silver medal (50 m Butterfly.) Check this out: she broke the Special Olympics record in the 50 m Freestyle by three quarters of a second. Way to go, Jessa! All of your extremely athletic friends at Imagine are proud of you.

This would have been the headline if Jessa hadn't popped off at the Special Olympics: Big changes on Imagine's board.

After almost a decade as President, Janine reached the term limit and completed her time on the board (for now.) Janine led Imagine from poverty, a time when we struggled to sustainably compensate caregivers above the minimum wage to prosperity such as it is found in the human services.

She led us through one successful strategic plan into the next. And she was our President through COVID and its aftershocks.

Janine was meticulous about monitoring, measuring, planning and holding management to account. She was also meticulous about policing the line between accountability and micromanagement. She was scrupulous with regard to monitoring and naming whether she was wearing her "Board hat" or her "Parent hat."

One of Janine's core beliefs was that the most important thing to our clients was that engaged, person-centered care was delivered by people who loved their jobs.

Speaking as a member of the management team she oversaw, that meant that we always felt supported, encouraged and aided whenever we tried to make life better for clients, wages higher for caregivers and the culture more nourishing for everyone. When we wanted to expand our infrastucture or add to the management team, we needed to think it all the way through from how to make improvements possible to how to deliver results to how to keep the management team lean and effective.

Her values will be familiar to our community because they are ours. Her diligence, intelligence and integrity were critical to how much better Imagine lives those values than we used to. I have appreciated her leadership very much and know the senior leadership at Imagine has as well.

Which brings us to the poor sonofagun who has to follow her performance. Raul Rekow, Jr. was elected president by the board of directors. Raul has prepared differently for the role. A former special education teacher, he moved to Santa Cruz following a pupil, Thomas who was moving to Coastal Havens with support from Santa Cruz Supported Living.

Raul joined SCSL and now serves there as Associate Director. He joined Imagine's board two years ago on his way to the Presidency and "Mr. SLS, Santa Cruz." Among the people in our field locally, Raul is notoriously polite, positive and kind.

As a board member, Raul has been humble but also firm. He's been willing to ask hard questions and raise challenging topics of management and the rest of the board, always politely and a little bit humbly. Imagine is in a new place now, at the start of Raul's leadership.

We added two new members to our board: Lyric Kadir is a professional nonprofit accountant and was elected as Treasurer of Imagine. I first encoutered Lyric through her resumé which could have been lab designed for Imagine's needs. The next step in joining the board is to do visits and see our services in action and can I tell you something? Lyric isn't only professionally ideal for her position, she is kind. She enjoys seeing challenged people well. I do want to share, though, that one of the people on her tour was Daniel whose staff on duty were Franky and Berenise, making five natural introverts trying to associate. Good thing Daniel broke the ice.

Patty Hidalgo is also a new member of the board and our community. She is the mother of our client, Julia, who started services through Imagine's SDP program on June 1. Patty is passionate about the care that Julia receives and shared plans to be demanding on every individual's behalf. She is friendly and funny and energetic which are all good things to bring to Imagine's leadership. I think she has the skills to be exacting in the way that Janine did. You also might encounter her in a fundraising role and/or Community Connections.

Jenny Hernandez remains in her role on the board but has a new baby! Will deDiego remains as our long-suffering Secretary and Greg Gonzalez and Mark Tracy are sticking around for more support.

Right now, Imagine has more capacity, quality, innovative skills and resources than we have since I arrived. It's a good time for a new board who may be less cautious to lead the agency ambitiously. I look forward to seeing all the new good we can do in partnership with a board under our new leadership.

Finally, thank you to all who helped organize or attended our Family Reunion/Barbecue. I was there for set up and at the end of clean-up and missed the rest so I am also enjoying all the pictures.

Further down, you'll find the following articles.

Transparency at Imagine: our next board meeting is Saturday, August 29. The regular board meeting will take place at 10am and be followed by our Strategic Planning Retreat.

In the Year of Sharing column, we are planning two new educational events in Monterey County.

In the HR Corner, Patty has notes on photos and a reminder about the fourth of July holiday.

In the Person-Centered Evolution column, celebration.

In the Supported Living Servings column, Jessica struggles with you in regard to maintaining ambitions while avoiding expectations.

Raul's provides a small note in Community Connections.

The Self-Determination column covers the usual.

The Advocacy Corner this month includes a gratefully brief and mundane update on the California budget.

This month we have our Client Spotlight on Jessa, naturally. The Staff Spotlight this month appreciates Victor. The Spotlight on Change shows how someone we serve made himself through accountability and support.

Finally, I want to remind everyone of the upcoming Independence Day holiday. This year, Imagine recognizes both the 3rd and 4th. That means:

• The office will be closed on Friday
• Caregivers working will receive time and a half during non-sleep shifts.
• This is a "blackout" day meaning that people who call out or fail to arrive to shift will receive extra scrutiny.

As ever, I am at your service. If you have any questions, feedback or a nice long story, you can write me here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Gratefully yours,

Doug

The Year of Sharing

Following our Year of The Caregiver, Year of The Facilitator and Year of Person-Centered Planning, we found ourselves in a good place and getting better. We decided this year to focus on "Sharing," by prioritizing the ways we can support the community beyond our services through education and mentorship. This column chronicles what has happened.

Following up on our two education events in March and April on self-determination, we are partnering with our friends at Special Kids Connect to offer similar events in Salinas on September 17 in English and September 24th in Spanish. Stand by for details.

-Submitted by Doug

***Registration link attached to event flyer***

or contact Andrea

Human Resources Corner

Photos, Recordings and Personal Devices at Imagine

At Imagine Supported Living Services, we know our employees work hard every day to provide thoughtful, responsive, and compassionate support. We are incredibly grateful for the work you do and for the professionalism you bring to the individuals we serve.

As technology continues to evolve, including smartphones, smart watches, and wearable devices such as smart glasses, we want to provide some clarity around expectations involving photos, recordings, and personal devices in the workplace.

Over time, you may receive different forms, acknowledgments, or policy reminders related to these topics. While they may seem similar, they each serve a different purpose.

In general, these guidelines exist for three important reasons:

To protect client privacy and confidentiality

Because we work closely with sensitive personal and health-related information, protecting client dignity, privacy, and confidentiality is essential. This includes maintaining compliance with HIPAA and agency confidentiality standards.

To protect employees and maintain professional boundaries

Clear expectations help protect employees from misunderstandings while supporting a safe and professional work environment.

To allow appropriate documentation when truly needed

There may be limited situations where photos or recordings are appropriate for legitimate work-related reasons, such as documenting a medical concern, visible injury, or urgent health or safety issue. In these situations, documentation must be authorized, necessary, and handled according to agency expectations.

As a general reminder, personal photos, videos, or recordings taken during work hours, in client homes, or involving clients, coworkers, or work environments are not permitted unless there is a clear, authorized work-related reason.

This includes personal devices such as:

• Cell phones
• Smart watches
• Smart glasses or similar wearable technology
• Other devices capable of capturing photos, audio, or video

Our goal is not to create unnecessary restrictions. These expectations are in place to support a respectful, safe, and professional environment for everyone, while protecting both the individuals we serve and the employees who support them.

As always, if you are ever unsure whether taking a photo, recording, or using a personal device for documentation is appropriate, please reach out to your supervisor before proceeding.

Thank you for all you do to support our clients and uphold Imagine’s standards of care.

Best, 

Patty Lopez

Assistant Director of Human Resources

Imagine Supported Living Services

Office: 831-464-8355 ext. 112

Cell: (831) 325-7760

Fax: (831) 612-6384

Supported Living Servings

Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing was necessarily wrong, but you just didn't feel like yourself?

Maybe you didn't sleep well. Maybe you're feeling run down, distracted, or grumpy. You aren't sick and you aren't upset. You just need a little extra patience and compassion.

We've all been there. The people we support have those days, too.

Sometimes our expectations get in the way of seeing the person in front of us. We expect them to enjoy an activity because they usually do. We expect them to follow their routine, be talkative, or participate because that's what we're used to seeing.

But what if today is just different?

Instead of trying to bring someone back to where we expected them to be, what if we met them where they are?

Maybe today they need a little more quiet. Maybe they need encouragement instead of direction. Maybe they need more space. Or maybe they simply need someone to sit beside them without trying to fix anything.

It's also important not to take these moments personally. A client who seems withdrawn, frustrated, or unmotivated isn't necessarily responding to you. Just like us, they can have days when they're tired, overwhelmed, distracted, or simply in their own thoughts.

When those moments happen, try replacing expectations with curiosity. Instead of asking, "Why aren't they acting like themselves?" ask, "What might they need from me right now?"

That simple shift can change everything.

Meeting someone where they are doesn't mean lowering expectations or giving up on goals. It means recognizing that every person has changing needs from one day to the next and adjusting our support with empathy and flexibility.



This is what person-centered support truly looks like. It isn't just a support plan or a list of goals. It's recognizing that the person standing in front of us today may need something different than they needed yesterday.

At Imagine, we strive to support the whole person. When we choose compassion over frustration, curiosity over assumption, and understanding over expectation, we create an environment where people feel safe, respected, and valued.

After all, isn't that what each of us hopes for on the days when we're not at our best? That someone will simply meet us where we are.

Thank you,

Jessica Ortiz

SLS Program Manager

Imagine Supported Living Services

Person Centered Evolution

As I write this, I'm in an uncharacteristic cheerful mood. Here's why: I got to go for a walk with Zachary and spend time with Ian. Jessa made me only one degree of separation from greatness and we had a barbecue on Friday where a whole bunch of wonderful people got together and made each other wholer.

The beating heart of person-centered thinking isn't problem solving. It's celebration. We have extraordinary friends at work and good people we spend time with.

One reason person-centered thinking tools are cherished is because they are efficient ways to introduce new people to the individuals we serve. Another is that they discipline us to consider the needs, preferences and talents of our clients. But most especially, it is because they give us the opportunity to document how magnificent the people are that we dedicate ourselves to.

Self-Determination is now available for any regional center client who chooses it.

This month, the regularly scheduled Independent Facilitator Roundtable is scheduled for today, July 1, at 11AM. The Zoom link is here. If you want to attend and the link doesn't open into a zoom, text me.

We also want to extend our offer of mentoring new services to anyone who wants to be an Independent Facilitator.

If I can be of any help, please feel free to contact me.

-Submitted by Doug

The next board meeting is scheduled for August 29 at ten at the Family Home Agency office, 10707 Soquel Drive in Aptos (and downstairs.) Our board meetings are open to all. If you email Andrea, she'll make sure you get in, fed, and heard.

We moved this meeting to a Saturday in order to accomodate our strategic planning retreat. We plan to post the reports around which our strategic plan will be built in next month's newsletter.

We have room for several more on the board. An attorney wouldn't be bad. Anyone who is a leader in the community would be swell. If you know someone with a passion for our mission who might be interested in volunteering, please let me know.

-Submitted by Doug

Greetings to our Community Connections friends and family!

We are planning our next Community Connections meeting for July 16 at 1pm. If there are topics of interest, please let us know. You can write to Andrea with your ideas.

Raul/dp

Raul Rekow - Associate Director

Santa Cruz Supported Living Services

(925)768-0515

raul@scsls.com