Far too often, we assume there has to be some magic pill or secret weapon we just need to find in order to reach our ideal weight. But John knows that there is no simple solution to weight loss; it takes an entire lifestyle change.

With the earnest efforts of his direct support staff, and a lot of dedication on his part, Johnathon has learned the value of portion control, healthy eating and plenty of exercise.

“Johnathon was a very picky eater, so it was difficult to find foods that he would enjoy that were good for him. He’s opened up to more foods now, and we really focus on portion control,” said Ron, who works with Johnathon.

Johnathon’s favorite foods were from McDonalds and other fast food joints in the area. He preferred to eat out, and wasn’t all that interested in cooking at home. The support staff that works with Johnathon helped him find ways to recreate healthier versions of what he had been accustomed to eating.

He was skeptical at first about his new diet, but he quickly learned that these healthier options were still just as delicious as anything he could find at a restaurant.

Through these combined efforts, Johnathon has been able to lose 172 pounds over the past three years and has almost completely eliminated many of the weight-related health issues he was facing!

In addition to changing his diet, Johnathon has also added exercise to his daily routine. Doing simple things like walking at the mall with friends makes it easier for Johnathon to stay interested in exercising. Because he is doing something he really enjoys, like talking to friends, it hardly seems like exercise.

—

When Woodhaven began serving Gary in 2009, his weight was severely impacting his quality of life. He and his support staff recognized the need for a major change to his routine.

For Gary, the key to his success was changing how he thought about taking care of himself. His attitude toward his body made it difficult for him to get excited about eating healthier or working out.

But by getting more involved in preparing and cooking his own meals (as opposed to eating out), Gary found that he could have more control over what he was eating. Because he enjoyed being involved in the process, he focused on the act of cooking instead of on the act of depriving himself of McDonalds. He, like Johnathon, also learned to focus on portion control.

Gary and his staff also worked on finding ways for him to exercise with a partner, so that the focus was on working together, instead of on the work itself. What a great lesson for the rest of us! Stay focused on the positive things you’re getting out of your life changes, instead of the changes themselves.

To help Gary stay on track, he and his staff make sure to celebrate even the smallest victories. The positive reinforcement helps him keep his head in the game.

—

For most of his life, John has been tall and lean. He has always had an active lifestyle, so weight gain didn’t seem to be as big of an issue for him when he was younger.

But as he aged and his lifestyle started to slow down, he began to struggle more with maintaining a healthy weight. While living on his own, he had gotten into the habit snacking while watching television to unwind after work. Because he spent all day on his feet at work, he wasn’t all that interested in working out in the evenings.

Years of this lifestyle took its toll on his waistline, but it wasn’t until he reached 240 lbs. that he realized something needed to change in a big way.

After moving a few years ago, John started working with his new staff toward making some positive changes in his lifestyle. Together they focused on making healthier food choices and staying active, even if only in small bursts, throughout the day.

When weather permits, John walks the short distance from his home to work every day. He’s also joined a Zumba class at a local church to add a little variety to his routine.

The small change that John says had the biggest impact on his weight was eliminating most of the snacking he had been doing throughout the day in between meals and especially at night.

He cooks all of his meals from fresh ingredients and avoids eating pre-packaged foods that are overly filled with preservatives and salt. He says the fresh foods keep him fuller longer so he doesn’t feel as inclined toward snacking.

John says the best way to lose weight is through a steady process because rapid weight loss can be bad for your health.

—

When Steve began working on losing weight, he says he started by counting every calorie. By literally watching everything he ate, he was able to get a better idea of how much he was really eating.

Now that he’s become familiar with what his portion sizes look like, he’s stopped counting, but he still pays close attention. By using strict portion control, Steve can still occasionally eat some of his old less-healthy favorites while still sticking to his calorie plan.
One important part of Steve’s diet is preparing his meals from scratch. “We eat fresh foods as much as possible, instead of making things from a box,” Steve said. Making his meals from scratch has helped him be more conscious of what he is eating.

As he’s aged, staying active has become more important than ever to maintaining his mobility.

Steve says he’s added exercise in a major way. “I do some form of exercise every day – whether it’s walking on the treadmill, playing on the Wii or walking outside. Every little bit helps.”

You don’t need to spend two hours a day at the gym to stay in shape, even just 10 minutes a day can help. Steve started small, slowly adding little things here and there to get his stamina up. Now that he can handle longer and slightly more physical exercise, he attends a Zumba class with John at a local church.

“Eating right is important,” Steve said, “But exercise is also important.”

At Woodhaven, nutrition is always at the top of our list when we think of things we need to work on – not because we are unhealthy – but because we know that to maintain our health, we need to watch what we eat and make wise choices. 2011 was a great year for a lot of us here, even the little changes we made to our diet really added up to a lot of pounds lost!

As 2012 commences, many of us plan to continue our commitment to making healthy choices.

To help reinforce what we learned in 2011 and keep us on track for 2012, Aktion Club invited Paula V., a dietitian from Hy-Vee to talk to us about nutrition.

Here are a few of the tips and tricks she shared with us:

1. 4 oz. of meat is the size of a deck of playing cards
2. 1 cup is about the size of a baseball
3. 1/2 cup is the size of a tennis ball
4. Fruits & Vegetables should take up about 1/2 of your plate
5. Proteins should be 1/4 of your plate
6. Whole grains and other starchy foods should only take up 1/4 of your plate
7. When cooking at home, use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate

For more tips and other information about healthy eating, check out Choose My Plate.

For more snapshots from the Aktion Club meeting, click on the photo below to see the slideshow
(or use the navigation buttons below).

Steve

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Sometimes when we talk about our nominees for Team of the Year, it’s easy to get caught up in describing what we have done for the individuals in that home. We like to talk about how we’ve improved their lives and given them the support they need to be successful. While these are both incredibly important pieces of our work, they are not the determining factors for Team of the Year.

What makes this year’s winning team stand out is what they have done behind the scenes to help the individuals they support improve their own lives. This amazing team has helped Afton and Fakih find new ways to connect with their community. They have helped them learn new skills so that they can be more successful in volunteering and even on the job. They acted as cheerleaders for those individuals – not doing things for them, but encouraging them to not give up on doing things for themselves.

Afton

For Afton in particular, they helped her connect with a job coach who tutored her in writing her resume and interviewing. Afton’s support staff helped her find places to plug in as a volunteer or temporary worker to gain more experience in the field she wanted to enter.

Afton shows off the pin she received at the Aktion Club Installation Dinner for her role as Past President.

Toward the end of the year, Afton found a job, which she held successfully for several months. The defining moment for this team was the way they worked with her when she lost her job. Despite the obvious disappointment everyone felt, no one dwelled on the situation. Instead, they worked together to give Afton the guidance and encouragement she needed to persevere. She didn’t waste any time, and started applying for new jobs. Ultimately, she landed another job in the community that turned out to be a much better fit than the first one.

Afton’s employment has made a huge improvement in her attitude and general feelings about herself. With increased confidence, she is taking more responsibility around the house and in the community. She has learned a lot about financial planning and budgeting. She’s finding new ways to volunteer.

With all of the work Spiros Team has done behind the scenes to help her, Afton has achieved more this year than she thought was possible.

Fakih

While he has always been pretty active in Community Connections, Fakih recognized the need to find other ways to get more involved in his community. Through the guidance and encouragement of his staff, he was able to find new volunteering opportunities. He joined Aktion Club this year and has become active in volunteering with them at the Ronald McDonald House, and Meals on Wheels.

Fakih helps sort school supplies to donate to the Voluntary Action Center

Spiros Team has focused on finding ways for Fakih to stay engaged with his friends in the community and build on his skills. Fakih is interested in working in the community some day, but in the mean time, he finds creative ways to make extra money. His staff does a great job at helping him participate on his own, while still offering support as needed.

Fakih joined the Special Olympics Bowling Team last year and has made new friends as a result. He really enjoys going to practice and tournaments out of town. His staff has been incredibly flexible to make sure he gets to do the things he wants to do.

One of the important goals of our Positive Support Program, which both of these individuals are a part of, is to help them reach greater independence in the community and in their own home. Together Spiros Team has helped Afton and Fakih reach such a high level of independence that their staff support needs have changed over the course of this year!

Please join me in congratulating such a remarkable team for all of the things they have done over the course of 2011 to help Afton and Fakih dramatically improve their own lives.

Thank you for your dedication and hard work this year, Spiros Team!

We have been incredibly blessed this year by the generosity of our friends in the community, their support made it possible for us to give the individuals we support a fantastic night out with their friends.

We are so grateful to the Columbia Cosmopolitan Club who donated the use of the Columbia Cosmopolitan Community Center for the party and to all of the others who chipped in to help us get gifts for the individuals we serve. Because of the overwhelming support we received from amazing community partners and the Woodhaven family, this year’s Christmas party was an overwhelming success.

Thanks again to all of the local businesses who helped make the night so magical: Bob Evans(catering), McDonald’s of Mid-Missouri(donated gifts), S&S DJ Solutions(musical entertainment) and to the Columbia Cosmopolitan Club for donating the use of the community center. We also want to thank all of the people who donated gift cards for the individuals we serve and our amazing staff who spent the afternoon and evening making sure everything went smoothly.

Check out the photos from the event below! (Click to see the slideshow or use the arrows to advance.)

Afton and Fakih

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“Many of the people we serve will be facing age-related mobility issues in the near future. Improving the accessibility of some of our homes now fulfills many needs for Woodhaven, the community, and most importantly, for these adults with developmental disabilities,” said Mark Palmer, Chief Executive Officer of Woodhaven.

AHAP credits allow eligible donors to claim a state tax credit of up to 55% of the donated amount. Woodhaven has been awarded $21,300 in tax credits for this project and is seeking AHAP-eligible donations totaling $38,727 between now through April 30, 2012. Credits can only be used by donors subject to Missouri tax from business activities. They may be claimed in the year the gift is made or carried forward up to 10 years, or transferred to another individual or entity upon approval by the Missouri Housing Development Commission.

If you are interested in more information about eligibility or in making a donation please contact Jaime Freidrichs by phone at 573-876-7326.

Check out the story in the Columbia Daily Tribune->>
Check out the KOMU story->>
Read the Project Fact Sheet->>

“Merry Christmas, y’all!” they called to the audience.

As the choir director welcomed the crowd, the choir warmed up their instruments and settled into place. “We’re so happy to be here to share our music with you,” she said.

“This is one of the first places we played when we first got started many years ago,” she continued, while the choir finished up. “And now we’d like to play for you again.”

The first bells rang loud and clear, and the room stopped. All eyes and ears were concentrated on the sweet melody of the bell choir. As each member rang their bell, their level of synchronization was awe-inspiring. The smiles that filled the room stood as evidence of the great power of their music.

During the concert, one of the choir members, Robert, a man served by Woodhaven, shared his talent for singing with the group through a solo. While he seemed somewhat nervous during his part, the overwhelming look of joy on his face when he finished was undeniable. Watching him enjoy doing what he loves was by itself just as moving as the song he was singing.

Toward the end of the program, the choir played “Silent Night;” and rather than ask the audience to sing along with them, as with previous songs, they invited everyone to hum the tune as the choir played. The resulting collaboration left any bystanders captivated. A nurse passing through the room stopped and watched, her lips curling into broad smile.

At the end of the concert, the choir invited the audience to join them in celebrating the season with cake and prizes. It was a sweet way to wrap up such a beautiful concert.

The Bell Choir

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Christina brought a wide variety of decorations including glitter, fake snow and confetti for us to use to decorate each ornament. The possibilities were as endless as the spread that was laid out before us, covering the table.

This was a project we hadn’t really done before, so some experimentation was necessary – but despite the glue globs and glitter explosions we ended up with some amazing art for our homes.

Check out a few of the pictures from our ornament party. We hope you feel inspired to try this at home.

Bowl of Snowflakes

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A tour guide met us enthusiastically. With his portable microphone hanging off his collar and a speaker strapped to his belt, he led us through the ornate halls. A master of the history of this building, he explained the significance of each painting and sculpture we passed.

He led us up the widest and tallest set of stairs in the world, explaining that when they were designed, an extra step was added for that purpose. At the top of those great stairs, sculptures of famous/great Missourians lined the walls. There are a lot of awesome people who called Missouri home. Actors and actresses, inventors and successful businessmen stared at us with bronze eyes.

Because the House was not in session, he let us stand on the House floor and check out where our state legislators meet to discuss bills. Wooden desks with old chairs filled the room, each outfitted with an ancient black laptop. It was quite the sight, this ornate room filled with antique furniture and century-old paintings, set off by five-year-old laptops. Though, in laptop years, that’s almost 100, right?

After our tour at the capitol and lunch, we had the extreme pleasure of making a visit to Central Dairy. For those of you who are not familiar with this place, just know that there are more flavors of homemade ice cream than you could ever name. Everyone was able to find a favorite, or try a new one.

After a delicious date with Central Dairy, we all climbed back into our vehicles and headed to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Museum. The museum was less majestic than the state capitol, but was filled with some interesting treasures from Missouri’s history. As we entered the building, the happiest police car in existence greeted us with a friendly smile.

Displays highlighting major achievements for the department, and ridiculous weapons and drug paraphernalia found on perpetrators line the walls. The center of the room showcased several more famous and notable police cruisers through history. This part of the trip was Tim’s favorite. As we approached each vintage cruiser, his smile grew and his eyes lit up. While not everyone loved the cars like Tim, there was definitely something for everyone to explore at the museum.

Check out more photos from our adventures in the state capital below.
Click on the photo to see the slideshow, or use the navigation buttons to advance.

Tour Guide

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With a relatively small budget to work with, the donation of the space for our party was a huge blessing to the individuals we serve at Woodhaven. Parkade Plaza was so gracious in donating a room, with a kitchen and accessible bathrooms for us to use for the night!

After all of the hard work put into planning, it was finally coming together. Looking out over the room, we knew it was going to be a great evening.

When the first guests arrived, we were blown away by their costumes! In walked a woodland fairy, a cowgirl, and Lucille Ball! The evening was already getting off to a great start.

As the rest of the guests slowly trickled in, a jovial glow filled the room. Old friends greeted one another as they compared costumes. They took turns decorating cupcakes and making decorative bags. Several individuals enjoyed dancing to the Halloween-themed tunes playing throughout the night.

All in all, it was a great night of fellowship for all of us at Woodhaven. Everyone seemed to find something cool to do, good food to munch on, and great friends to talk to.

Check out all of the great photos from our awesome evening of spooktacular Halloween fun!
(Click on the photo below to see the complete slideshow or use the navigation buttons below the photo to advance manually.)

Volunteer from Tri Sigma

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We got to pick out a pumpkin to take home and decorate, take turns feeding some curiously hungry goats, and take a hay ride through the fields. All in all, it was a great day of fun and fellowship with our friends.

Check out some of our favorite moments below.
(Click on the picture to start the slide show, or use the navigation buttons below to advance.)

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