KEEPING UP WITH VISIONS!
WINTER 2022-2023 EDITION
It’s been a whirlwind of a winter season at Visions. Staff and volunteers recently completed Visions’s big move from the city of San Pablo to an elegant office space in the business district in the city of Richmond at Hilltop. The new space near the YMCA is modern with a professional touch, while offering ample room for learning and social activities.
Gwen Captain, CEO of Visions, worked tirelessly over the holidays to ensure the Hilltop office space would have new and gently used furniture and computers. There is now a sleek-looking conference room for larger meetings and a reception area at the front door with comfortable chairs. Staff members have finished the final touches so that Visions has art and other welcoming content on the walls to welcome participants when they arrive to work, learn and have an enjoyable time with others.
“This move was a labor of love, and the results, I have to say, are extraordinary,” Ms. Captain said, while touring the office space on a Friday night and ensuring it was shut down after another busy week at Visions.
In the tech section, touch screen all-in-one computers, furnished by the nonprofit Renew, will soon be set up with the latest software for consumers to safely surf the web using state-of-the-art technology. Kandea Mosley Gandhi, a newcomer to the team, helped secure the computers over the holidays while taking care of marketing, communications and other projects with Ms. Captain. Ms. Kandea's professional background is in nonprofit management and community engagement, so she was able to jump right in as a natural fit at Visions.
“It’s rewarding to work with Ms.Captain and meet the staff, as I reach out to supporters to secure resources and needed support for the community based organization,” Ms. Kandea said.
Ms. Captain said she would like to give a special shout out to other newcomers as well, including Tariq, Erica and James. Ms. Captain said she was also thankful to longtime Board member, Laura Briggin, for her generous gift that helped cover the cost of the new computers.
Upcoming events for participants and their loved ones include the annual Valentine’s Day Talent show that will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 17th. Preparations are already underway with Thursday and Friday practice sessions for the entire team. Do mark your calendars to participate in the fun. Other activities will include new ready-to-work workforce development and soft skills trainings that the staff is developing to offer fresh, stimulating experiences as the new year gets off to a roaring start!
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KEEPING UP WITH VISIONS!
SUMMER-EARLY FALL 2022
Touring Jelly Belly in Fairfield, hitting the theaters for the new Jurassic Park movie at Century Theaters at Hilltop in Richmond, and spending time with friends preparing tasty meals were among the highlights at Visions this summer as the community began to reopen with the waning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Consumers say they love being back and that it feels like things are getting back to normal,” staff member, Kim Randall, said.
Kim said the best part of being back in-person for summer was just spending time together and getting back to some of the flagship programs Visions participants know and love, like the “Kindness Project.” The project is a chance for the Visions team to serve as ambassadors, giving back to the dozens of seniors who visit the medical facility for care.
“We give bags of mint and water, granola bars, maybe a piece of fruit,” Kim began. “Each consumer gives them a bag when it's their turn to distribute the bags; the seniors can’t believe that we do this for free!”
During Thursday “Cooking for One” class, the team picks up food pantry boxes and practices meal prep that can be performed at home.
“Today we had a stir-fry and sweet potatoes; we cut up vegetables and made infused water with lemon, everyone has a job,” Kim said proudly.
Other highlights included a trip to East Bay Vivarium off Fifth Street in Berkeley that sells reptiles, including pythons and turtles. Aside from trips to new and interesting destinations, Visions introduced a new morning group session in which consumers focused on understanding new vocabulary words. Practicing new vocabulary and public speaking are critical for consumers who want to attain opportunities in the community because these skills are transferable when they are being interviewed by potential employers.
“We have a word chart and they will explain what the words mean to them. Words like equality, adversity, and peace. We wanted to see if they knew what the words meant and what they meant to them,” Kim said.
Visions also wants to recognize its new staff, as well as consumers who’ve demonstrated outstanding service or progress in their contributions to the community. They include Raven for working with Marla. Together, they made a beautiful flower on canvas with different colored rose petals that they then signed and installed on the wall at Marla house. Chris also was highlighted for outstanding participation in “Cooking for One” with the help he’s given to Ms. Tina, who leads the activity. Lastly, Jeremiah was celebrated for doing his best to keep the kitchen and dining areas nice and tidy by sweeping. New staff members welcomed aboard included Mrs. Alberta, who everyone was eager to meet.
Special events coming up in the months of October and November that will be fun and engaging include a painting/coloring contest; “Pizza in the Park” behind the old PG&E building in Richmond where folks will feed the ducks and participate in a scavenger hunt. Visions is also planning to see the movie “Till” about Mamie Till-Mobley’s empowering activism for justice for her son, Emmett Till. The woman who made allegations against Till ultimately confessed to lying, making up the entire story, and participating in a state cover-up decades later in 2017.
“Stay tuned for more from Visions,” Ms. Gwen said, “as the team ramps up with a menu of choices and possible events for the fall season!”
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
APRIL- JUNE 2019
In the month of April, our consumers sweetly participated in our new Pop-Up Kindness Project. A project created specifically to offer support and show love to our seniors. As you may know - there are a multitude of seniors who live in our surrounding community who could use the gesture of kindness extended to them; through free bottled water, hand sanitizer, snacks & treats. Check out this Youtube video for the Kindness Project.
*Meals on Wheels Luncheon Visions’ consumers and staff were honored at the Meals on Wheels annual volunteer luncheon. Visions’ does several weekly routes, delivering nutritional meals to seniors in our community. Check out this video on the event.
*Transition Fair The WCCUSD Transition Fair was on Saturday, April 27; Visions’ staff and Owen Bragg attended the fair to showcase the work Visions does with consumers when they transition from high school into adulthood. Owen introduced his new Sugar and Pepper books entitled, Shorts By Owen Bragg. The books has three short stories teaching social skills to children and disabled adults. Check out more information on the blog: www.fizzletown.biz and check out this video:
*Meet Visions Adult Day Program Staff:
A. Renee Moore,
PT Program Manager
Manager Kim Randall, Senior Vocational Counselor
Through person-centered planning, Visions consumers have been working on a “Listen To Me Booklet”, gathering self-discovery information about their strengths, challenges, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and personal skills. This information is used to support consumers, so they can become their own best advocates.