Ginger Thuemler
Ginger goes above and beyond every day to make sure the clients she serves are living their best lives. She is someone clients and staff at Lighthouse Living Services look up to and have learned to count on.
Recently, she was driving on Antelope Blvd in Red Bluff when she saw a fire truck with lights and siren turn onto a street where several ILS clients live. Ginger didn’t hesitate to change her plan/route and follow the fire truck to Mc Donalds (as that was the closest she could park to the excitement). She walked to the nearby apartment complex searching for two ILS clients that live there. She found the first one who informed her that they had been evacuated. This person didn’t even take time to put on shoes. Ginger asked her to stay there where it was safe while she found the second person. Once she had them both, she walked them both to her car, loaned the first person a pair of her shoes that were in the car and waited with them for ILS workers to come pick each of them up. Ginger kept them safe, comfortable, and helped reduce some of their stress and anxiety. She is a true example of someone who would give you the shirt off of her back, or in this case, the extra shoes in her car!
Ginger’s enthusiasm and excitement when clients succeed is unmistakable and contagious. She leads by example every single day. Ginger has the ability to see past someone’s short-comings so she can find their true potential. She doesn’t just see potential; she finds ways to tap into it for each unique individual. She encourages everyone to strive to reach their hopes and dreams in life. She is willing to walk beside them, behind them, or ahead of them – whatever they need to succeed. Ginger is a super hero who should be acknowledged for all the good she does in the world.
Holiday Market
Holiday Market works diligently in our region to recruit and hire our people. Beginning with high schoolers, Holiday Market has a proven record of providing quality work training to our students. From there they also welcome and train our college students and our adult Paid Interns. If successful, each adult intern also has the opportunity to be hired on in competitive integrated employment. They are welcoming of all diversities; provide excellent skill and experience building opportunities; and foster independence and a sense of team for our student, intern and employee clients.
Janet Hope
I would like to nominate Janet. I feel that her quality of work has been overlooked by many due to the remoteness of the Mt. Shasta office.
I have often seen her go above the call of duty in order to assist a client or the client’s family by thinking outside the box. She has spent many hours on the phone with clients helping them explore different avenues for services. She has been able to get the clients the necessary assistance needed for their safety. She has had to console many clients when they are having a crisis or a serious health problem.
Not only does Janet go all out for her clients, but she has also shown leadership skills by taking on the responsibility of dealing with vendors, other non-FNRC agencies such as Social Security and IHSS. She makes sure that our vendors have the updated information to serve our clients, makes the outreach efforts to have quarterly meetings (before COVID) or other necessary duties to make sure vendors are paid and still serving the clients.
Janet is also what you would call a team player. She contacts other SC’s within the Redding and Chico agency to make sure her co-workers are doing all right. She reaches out to co-workers who are having a difficult time with a case and offer her knowledge to guide them for a good outcome. She takes on covering for a co worker when they are out sick, or just overwhelmed with their caseload.
She will dislike the attention from being a HERO, but I feel she is truly worth the nomination for the acknowledgement.
Keith French
Keith acted quickly to ensure clients could use their voices to communicate with Service Coordinators and during the pandemic and frequent natural disasters (fires, dam breaks). During the pandemic, he acted quickly to reimagine the Regional Center’s communications, technology and the way employees worked. These tasks required an extensive and lengthy time commitment and highlighted his excellent character and values. If he had not acted quickly and decisively, the Regional Center would not have been able to operate. His selflessness and dedication to clients, providers, and employees helped ensure clients were not isolated during a time of crisis and change.
Very shortly after the Camp Fire started, Keith included clients, families, and providers in voice messages alerting them to evacuate quickly. Some clients said this call was lifesaving. If Keith had waited to notify families, they may have been unable to evacuate safely. Keith also trained employees to access emergency information and send important mailings and alerts to clients and providers during the pandemic. If this support were not provided, the Regional Center would not have been able to locate and help clients.
Keith is an advocate of client employment and has supported clients working at the Regional Center with computer technology.
Keith originated data and reports to help track the progress of diversity objectives.
Keith is responsible for maintaining the Regional Center’s website. The website has articles written by clients as well as areas for them to explore access information on COVID-19 as advocacy.
Kristen Ferreira
When in a crunch, the first person I think to call is Kristen Ferreira. No matter how busy she is, Kristen will often drop what she is doing to help someone out. Whether it’s taking time to interview and provide a job or providing housing support, she literally does it all. Kristen has become a great resource because she has made so many connections in the community. Each time I have worked with Kristen, she has gone out of her way for others, exceeding expectations, to ensure people do not lose their housing, provide jobs where people feel value and a sense of pride in their work, and have a place to live. Kristen is an everyday superhero because she has dedicated her life to providing opportunities and helping others find strength to push through barriers. – Shasta County Community Member
Kristen has created two programs to meet the needs of our clients and provide unique opportunities to enrich and enhance their lives. Between creating NorCal Pets to offer employment opportunities and NorCal Residential to find and maintain housing, Kristen has a knack for seeing a need and creating a solution. She has gone above and beyond to support our clients with excellence, even in the most challenging circumstances. Kristen continues to build connections in the community that support our clients well beyond the services NorCal Pets and NorCal Residential provide. She is creating and fostering a framework of sustainable support to enhance our clients lives and offer new opportunities for skill building and independence. Kristen goes the extra mile for our clients, making connections and helping maintain those connections. She is a Superhero provider that serves our clients with determination, creativity, tenacity and excellence. – Community Member
Laurie Schlottman & Mendee Harong
I am nominating Laurie Schlottman and Mendee Harong who work at Puckett Residential Services as Every Day Hero’s because they serve others with an extraordinary ability and humble acts of kindness. They conduct themselves as every day hero’s by sharing seeds of kindness wherever they go. They humbly serve, assist and mentor with no expectations. Most recently, they quickly responded to an emergency to shield and protect someone by directing traffic on a busy thoroughfare until Emergency Services arrived. They have sat with those who are dying as they take their last breath. Supporting, comforting and reassuring the dying is the ultimate and selfless gift. They see the positive in any given situation and serve individuals who others will not. They are champions and defenders of inclusion by promoting People First and diversity. They are flexible and open to possibilities, which is an example of a servant’s heart. Having a servant’s heart is the true sign of an everyday hero. Last year with Covid 19, Puckett Residential Services was the first residential provider to participate in facility monitoring using Zoom. All of us were new to conducting business remotely and via Zoom, but Laurie and Mendee said, “Let’s get it done”! The dictionary describes a hero as a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements and noble qualities. In my opinion, Laurie Schlottman and Mendee Harong model the attributes of a hero. They conduct themselves in an exemplary fashion – true every day heroes.
”A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the size of his heart.” – Zeus
Mike Mintline
Mike has been a leader among his regional center Chief Financial Officer peers statewide for many years. He notably has shared his experiences and lessons learned following Far Northern Regional Center’s response to recent wildfires.
Mike is consistently mindful regarding systemic improvements that are needed to enable the service system to function more optimally, such as more equitable, predictable, sustainable, and transparent funding structures for regional centers and service providers alike. He encourages his peers to focus on identification of solutions to these challenges, which if resolved, would greatly enhance service delivery to those served by regional centers.
Mike is an extraordinary steward of public funds. He is diligent and committed to ensuring that each dollar spent is to the benefit of those served by regional centers. He is ethical above all else, the value of which cannot be overstated.
Finally, over the last few years Mike has provided training to incoming regional center Executive Directors from around the state. He highlights for new Executive Directors regional center fiscal processes and key dates and tasks to keep track of to ensure the uninterrupted flow of funding to their centers and their communities.
Mike’s willingness to go above and beyond makes a significant difference well beyond the boundaries of Far Northern Regional Center’s geographic area. He is a tremendous resource to the regional center system and the hundreds of thousands of people it supports statewide. – Community Member
Mike Mintline recognizes the importance of inclusion as demonstrated by acknowledging the value of providers and the services provided. He is able to see the importance of delivery of services to those served by the Regional Center and ensure that providers’ needs are not overlooked, He is often putting his staff needs, and provider needs before his own, so that the delivery of services are seamless. His commitment to the Regional Center system ensures that individuals are given an opportunity to live life to the fullest and they included in their community. – Shasta County Community Member
Rachel Critchfield-Ferrone
During the pandemic, there has been a numerous shortage of staff; however, Rachel has shown to overcome these challenges and has tried every possible way to meet all the clients needs and wants. Rachel provides face mask, sanitizer, and COVID safety supplies to clients and staff during the pandemic. Additionally, Rachel also goes to food banks to make sure every client has food at Day Program, Social Program, and ILS. Rachel has a heart of gold and always makes sure everyone is safe and being taken care of during this difficult time. Rachel also makes sure to listen to her clients/staff concerns, as well as providing a helping hand to them. Rachel is a true hero who doesn’t expect anything in return. Her kindness and passion to help others, makes her my hero
Veronica Velazquez
During the pandemic, there has been a numerous shortage of staff; however, Rachel has shown to overcome these challenges and has tried every possible way to meet all the clients needs and wants. Rachel provides face mask, sanitizer, and COVID safety supplies to clients and staff during the pandemic. Additionally, Rachel also goes to food banks to make sure every client has food at Day Program, Social Program, and ILS. Rachel has a heart of gold and always makes sure everyone is safe and being taken care of during this difficult time. Rachel also makes sure to listen to her clients/staff concerns, as well as providing a helping hand to them. Rachel is a true hero who doesn’t expect anything in return. Her kindness and passion to help others, makes her my hero
Jeannie Schroeder
Jeannie is the supervisor of the Mains’l Bus Guide program and is a wonderfully fierce advocate for not only her employees, but all people with varying abilities. She embodies inclusion in all areas of her life, on the job, and even at the pool at In Motion Fitness where she can often be found playing catch or striking up a friendly conversation with those she’s just met; when people meet Jeannie, she is welcoming, approachable and makes them feel comfortable. That’s just who she is. Jeannie encourages others to stand up for themselves and go after their goals. She empowers, supports, and encourages. Everyone needs someone like Jeannie in their corner.