...changing lives

Grace prepares for school
On Wheels Learning Mobile
United Way Success By 6

Rachelle Wheatley knows about the importance about early childhood development. She’s one of 10 family home child care providers in the greater Pocatello area who received training and mentoring from United Way Success By 6 to obtain their national accreditation.

The training helped Rachelle recognize the importance of ensuring that her daughter Grace was ready for kindergarten. Rachelle had Grace tested at the Lincoln Early Childhood Center for Head Start and found out she was not eligible. “Grace barely missed the testing requirements to be eligible for the program. That’s when I knew I needed to do something,” said Rachelle.

Rachelle contacted United Way Success By 6 (UWSB6) about the On Wheels Learning Mobile and Grace was screened for the preschool program by the UWSB6 instructor. Rachelle, Grace and two other children and their parents met up with the learning mobile every Tuesday from 9 to 10 a.m. at Alameda Park to learn and play together while helping the children prepare for kindergarten.

“Grace is picking up on letters and developing her fine motor skills,” said Rachelle. “But mostly she’s building up her confidence. I can see that she’s growing and learning what she needs for kindergarten.”

A side benefit for Rachelle has been to carry back what she’s learned to children attending her home day care, Miracles in Motion. She recognizes the importance of having children participate in language rich activities like hearing stories and describing objects and by providing activities that enable them to learn through touching, tasting, smelling, seeing, and hearing everything around them.

 “Our model is to support families by providing ideas and ways for parents, guardians, and caregivers to be actively involved in their child's experience by participating and learning with them,” said Cathy Brey, UWSB6 director.

If you have any further questions about the On Wheels Learning Mobile or other United Way Success By 6 early learning activities, please call Cathy at 232-1389.

Unexpected need
Seniors enjoy daily hot meals
Meals on Wheels

Prior to retirement, Julia Bishop processed the payroll deduction forms of employees giving to the United Way. It never dawned on her that she and her husband might one day need the services of a United Way partner agency to get by. 

Two years ago, Julia and Vernon Bishop packed up their belongings and moved from Blackfoot to Pocatello at the recommendation of Vernon’s doctor so that he could be closer to his dialysis treatments. They found a cute one-bedroom apartment at St. Anthony Place and were even allowed to keep their cat and dog.   

Last year, Julia’s right rotator cuff had to be removed and she developed a tear in her left arm. She was told by her doctor to avoid lifting anything until she went in for some more surgery.  “Even a little fry pan is difficult for me to carry,” said Julia. She stopped cooking regular meals for her and Vernon and they started snacking a lot and relying on TV dinners. 

Julia’s daughter commented that she was losing weight and asked if her and Vernon were eating right. “She was concerned that I wasn’t eating when I should because it was hard for me to fix meals,” said Julia. 

At St. Anthony Place, Julia and Vernon met Dorothy, a former delivery person for Meals on Wheels. She told them that they could have a hot meal delivered every weekday and meals they could warm up on the weekend.  

“Because of our prescription costs and bills we’re still paying on our old house in Blackfoot, we didn’t even have the $4 or $5 I thought I would have to pay for each home-delivered meal,” said Julia. 

Dorothy told the Bishops that they could pay what they could afford and the Bishops began having meals delivered last December. The hot meals and daily visits by the Meals on Wheels delivery person been a godsend for the Bishops. They are eating better and still able to maintain their independence.

 “We might have starved to death,” joked Vernon. “Those TV dinners aren’t much to live off of and we got to the point we didn’t feel like eating them and we were just snacking around here and there. Now, we’re eating good and we’re so much better off now.”

The move from Blackfoot to Pocatello wasn’t easy for the Bishops, but they are grateful to have found an apartment at St. Anthony place where they have made new friends and Meals on Wheels so they can have a hot, nourishing meal every day. 

“I never thought we’d be at the helping end of United Way,” said Julia. “Meals on Wheels has been a lifesaver for us.”

In her own words
A Senior Stays Independent
Meals on Wheels

Ms. W is blind. She lived in her own home for 43 years. She and her husband were homebound and began Meals on Wheels in 1983. After he passed away, she stopped her Meals on Wheels and tried to prepare her own meals. After she burned herself, she went back on the program. She has received Meals on Wheels for 17 years

Ms W. states, "I give Meals on Wheels all the praise in the world. The food is very good and I would advise anyone to try it. Meals on Wheels are so dependable and wonderful. I really appreciated the kind drivers. Having the meals and my driver telling me what my menu was and where it was on my plate is a blessing. This program let me stay in my own home much longer."

Ms. W. recently had physical problems walking and just moved into an assisted living center.

Lucinda Morris
United Way Plays a Big Part in Her Life
Family Services Alliance of Southeast Idaho

Lucinda and her husband had always contributed to United Way through employee contributions. Lucinda never thought that she and her children would be in need of the help provided by a United Way agency.

Home was not often a quiet place. Although Lucinda’s husband seldom hit her or the children, he constantly told them how stupid or lazy they were. His screaming and verbal abuse finally went too far. In 1996, Lucinda left her husband and gained custody of their two sons. Curtis and Edward, although only 5 and 8 years old, had already begun acting violently toward one another and toward Lucinda. Over the next few months, there were repeated incidents of violence at school and in the child care center. Edward, in particular, was developing severe behavioral problems. Lucinda knew that getting out of the abusive relationship had not been enough. Now, she had to deal with the children who had witnessed the abuse all their lives.

Lucinda had enrolled at ISU, and was pursuing a degree in engineering. While working full time all summer in order to be able to attend classes in the fall and spring semesters, she relied upon child care services to assist with the boys. But, the child care center could not manage Edward’s attacks on other children. She was repeatedly asked to leave work to help calm him or to take him home. Lucinda made the commitment to focus on healing her family. "I was afraid that Edward would wind up like the kids you see on TV, having hurt or killed someone because he couldn’t deal with his own anger," Lucinda said.

It is difficult to reach out to your community for help, but Lucinda did not hesitate. She contacted the Family Services to begin working on how the violence at home had affected her, and wound up finding help for her whole family. Initially, Lucinda contacted the Family Services in order to attend a support group. Soon, she found herself talking about the difficulties of managing two children who were becoming more and more violent.

A Family Services counselor works with Edward each week to address his behavior problems, and a social worker from Family Services Lifeskills meets with him several times each week to monitor how he responds at school, home and child care.

In addition to her work with the Advocate Program, Lucinda enrolled in the Family Services Youth & Family Services program. A Family Support Worker meets with her weekly in her home to discuss family rules, communication, and to support her in her roles as breadwinner, parent, student and teacher. Lucinda accepts the responsibility of providing a healthy environment for her family. "The Family Services has made it possible for me to keep going with the kids, work and school. It’s still hard, but at least I don’t feel like I’m struggling all alone. My Family Support Worker and my Counselor help keep me on the right track."

During the last few months, both Curtis and Edward have continued counseling at the Family Services, and are slowly changing their behavior. With increased self-esteem and non-violent problem solving skills, the boys are doing better in school, with friends and with their child care provider.

Manuel and Gary
A Positive Example
Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Gary and Manuel came from two very different worlds.

Manuel was born into a two parent family, however, that was all about to change. About two years ago, he left for school as normal. When he returned home that evening he discovered his father had left and returned to Mexico. He was wanted on drug charges in the United States. Manuel never even had a chance to say goodbye. He now lived with his mother and two older sisters on the west side of town. The only male contact he had besides his grandfather was with the gang members who frequently sought refuge at his house. His mother was very willing to open her door to them because she felt she could help them. However, at times Manuel sort of got lost in the shuffle.

Gary was raised in a two parent family and had every opportunity he could expect in life. He excelled in sports and was quite popular. Yet his life was not perfect. He felt that he had made some choices in his life which he learned from and through which he felt he could help others. Gary became interested in being a Big Brother because he felt that he had a lot to offer through his experiences, skills, and knowledge.

Gary and Manuel’s Big Brother/Little Brother relationship began in February of 1998. They have been matched for over a year now. Gary spends time on a weekly basis with Manuel doing activities such as rock climbing, camping, basketball, and canoeing. Gary is quite active in the outdoors and has spent a lot of time teaching Manuel these skills. This activities are opportunities for Manuel that he would never otherwise be able to participate in. Gary and Manuel get along very well. It is evident that Manuel looks up to Gary as a positive role model in his life. He teaches Manuel many different things beside the physical activities. He teaches him how to communicate and to be respectful among other things.

During one conversation with Gary, Manuel said, "You are my best friend. How long do I have you for? Gary was a little surprised but realized that most things in Manuel’s life are not stable. People come and go and he doesn’t have much to depend on.

Since their match Manuel has improved in school and in his relationships with his sisters. Although Gary feels that he is a long way from the culture that Manuel lives in he is an important part of Manuel’s life and has already made a big difference.

Big Brothers is a unique service in our area as we are strictly a preventative program. We try to intervene in a child’s life when they are young and provide them with a positive role model. The absence of a father in a child’s life can make a big impact on how they view themselves and by providing a positive male example the child’s life can be drastically changed.

Danuel Wigington
Solution in Trying Times
Compassionate Friends

Our only child Danuel Wigington died on March 9, 1996. Our lives changed totally that day. We wondered where would we go, what would we do and how could we keep on living our lives. There wasn’t a reason to stay around and keep on going without our son. What was the quickest way out of this life for me.

A couple of weeks after Danny died we received a telephone call from Val Mason the chapter leader of Compassionate Friends. A personal friend had recommended that she call us to let us know about her group that we could go to and talk to others that had lost a child or children.

It was very hard to plan on going and wondered if we really should go at all. We didn’t go to the April meeting but thought we would try and make the May meeting and ever since this time have not missed a meeting since this time.

We felt nobody cared about us as time went on because our family and friends stopped coming by and calling. We were shunned when we would go places as people were afraid to talk to us. It was like we had a contagious disease. We carried a lot of anger, hate, depression, not believing this really happened to us and it was a bad dream. The person who did this to us got a slap on the wrist. What happened to the people who were to have helped us by punishing the person who killed our child. We were not advised of anything that was going on with this person.

Compassionate Friends made us understand that at times things like this happen, it was okay to feel the way we were feeling and not be ashamed of our feeling we were having and the flood of tears we cried everyday.

Later on we felt that maybe we could help others by helping with the Compassionate Friends group. We sent out letters, helped with the newsletter and later on became the Chapter Leaders. I feel if it was not for this group I would not be here right now to see the reason to keep living not only for my son but for myself.

This group is a great group to be with and help others. We all need someone to talk to that has experienced the grief we all have.

Tammy and Sally, elementary school students
Meaningful Activities
Girl Scouts

When asked if Girl Scouting has affected Tammy and Sally, their mother, Cheryl, smiles. Tammy and Sally live in Flamingo Park, a trailer park where many low income families live. Both girls attend the Girl Scout program at the activity center there. The activities are offered after school; before children can participate in the "fun stuff," they must work on their homework. The program assistants offer individual tutoring.

Cheryl explains that before her daughters joined the program, there was no one at home to make sure that they did their homework, and there certainly wasn’t anyone available to help them with their studies. Now, school grades have improved for both Tammy and Sally. They are even reading for fun. They tell mom about the fun science projects they do in Girl Scouts. Cheryl laughs and says, "Even better is that they are getting along better at home…not near as much fighting. Girl Scouts is a good thing."

Without United Way support for the activities at Flamingo Park, the girls there would not be able to join a Girl Scout program. United Way funding pays for program supplies, handbooks, registration fees, and even the snacks. JoAnn Brooks, staff coordinator for the program says, "when I look at all the happy faces and see the successes at the center, I am so grateful we have United Way helping us to provide a safe place and meaningful activities for these children."

Nicole Hansen
Help Though Tough Times
The Salvation Army

When Nicole came to The Salvation Army for help, she was out of a job and alone, with two children to support, ages 7 and 5 years old. She was just coming out of a family crisis.

With no income and none coming in for the near future, Nicole was desperately trying to pay rent, utilities and buy food and other necessities for herself and her children.

Nicole just needed immediate relief from the financial and emotional burden in order to be able to look for work and get back on her feet.

After interviewing Nicole, and verifying her circumstances, The Salvation Army was able to help her with her rent due to United Way funds, help pay her past due utilities with Project Share funds, and give her food and toiletries from The Salvation Army Food Pantry.

As a result of the assistance that Nicole and her children received, Nicole was able to look for and secure employment with a reputable local company within a month of receiving our services. She was able to keep herself and her children from becoming homeless.

One year later Nicole is with the same company and has many company benefits, such as health insurance and a savings plan. Nicole and her children are in a stable environment now and doing well.

In emergency situations like Nicole’s and many others United Way funds have helped many times over.

Nicole lives in Pocatello, Idaho and volunteers frequently at The Salvation Army.

Bill, a first grader
Ensuring Children Succeed
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

United Way provided the first tutoring mini-grant for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program in September of 1997. With United Way funding, the RSVP Program was to take on an America Reads program in the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District #25. This program provides a one-on-one tutor for these students in grades 1-3 who have difficulty in reading.

Bill is a first grader who originally tested as a pre-reader, or below 1.0. When post tested after four months, Bill identified four more of the sight words; he was able to sound out one word on the word attack list; and he was able to figure out one of the comprehension questions. The last two scores are the most significant because they suggest Bill is beginning to understand two huge fundamental concepts. Letter sounds can be blended together to make words, and print should convey meaning.

Bill still has a long way to go, but in three months he achieved seven months of development, reading at a 1.2 grade level. (Only shown a .2 gain in grade level because the standards base all pre-readers at grade 1.0). It is possible that if Bill joins the summer school reading program and continues to work with a tutor he may be able to achieve grade level by the end of summer school.

If Bill had not had the advantage of an individual tutor he would still be struggling to reach the grade level and would probably remain below grade level for many school years. His teacher says that Bill is beginning to read independently and has experienced a noticeable increase in self esteem.

Bill is only one example of achieved success.

Letters from a teenager
Lifesaving Appreciation
Bannock Youth Foundation

"I wanted to thank you for coming to see me. Out of all the classes I've been to about anger management and drugs, I found your class the best because you did not treat me like I was a little kid but as a young adult. I found it easy to talk to you because you always had a good answer. You were always very calm not wanting to rush through things and helping me to solve a problem."

"I still use the anger management skills you taught me. In my family there's lots of anger and you can't always get away from it."

"I just wanted to let you know that you were the coolest counselor I ever had and I would like to come and see you again and talk to you about stuff that has happened. Is that okay?"

S.
Temporary Health Care
Pocatello Free Clinic

Newly arrived in Pocatello, interviewing for paralegal positions and temporarily without health insurance or income, S., a diabetic, came to the Pocatello Free Clinic for short-term assistance to replenish a dwindling insulin supply. One year later, employed and on her feet financially, S. volunteered for a day to help with the annual fundraiser as a way of saying thanks for a helping hand when she needed it most.