When COVID-19 first came on the scene, not many dreamed that it would still be curtailing our lives and routines when Christmas 2020 rolled around.

At Iverson Court, staff and tenants experienced a lot of anxiety at first but they were able to adapt relatively quickly to a new way of life. They all wear masks in common areas and only one person uses the elevator and laundry room at a time. Hand washing is a frequent fact of life, and people know to keep their distance from each other.

Megan Hanson, Program Coordinator, says that staff held a quick meeting when COVID hit to examine the new reality at Iverson. There would be fewer available staff members at Iverson, a new one-on-one schedule for supporting tenants, and the realization that life as they knew it was going to be totally different. Staff had to focus on providing essential services and education about sanitary precautions. Early on, little was was known about the virus and how it was passed, so Iverson staff took up doing all the grocery shopping for those they supported. Since then, tenants have resumed getting their own groceries, albeit with a number of additional safety precautions. “When tenants were suddenly out of work because of closures and program changes,” Megan says “they were disappointed, but everyone still got up in the morning and looked for ways to keep busy.” Now, most are back at work and they are very good at following safety protocols.

When summer came, staff added more lawn chairs outside so tenants could enjoy the weather and socialize with each other from a distance. They set up fun activities outdoors like tie-dying where tenants could sign up for individual sessions. When colder weather forced people back inside, tenants and staff used technology to keep in touch. HCO secured grants that paid for some iPads for individuals, and everyone became very tech savvy in a hurry. Video calls became the new way to keep in touch with each other. HCO began to offer Zoom Bingo across programs, and Iverson also had their own Christmas Bingo games with tenants. It has been so popular that they are considering Valentine Bingo, too.

Celebrating the Holidays

But how would people still find ways to celebrate the holidays? Staff and tenants knew that their traditions would have to change to accommodate the virus. State recommendations discouraged family gatherings, so they decided to bring the Christmas spirit to the Iverson community instead. They held a door-decorating contest, which brought out the artist in many of them. They voted on the best ones, with prizes for the winners. Everyone liked the contest so much that they plan to make it a yearly tradition. They did ornament making crafts with staff sanitizing equipment between sessions. The ornaments were hung in the community room. They had Secret Santas and intend to continue that tradition, too. Steak Shop catered holiday meals that were delivered to each apartment. They played “guess the Christmas carol line,” and had a photo booth in the hallway that people could take turns using. They did drawings for prizes, announcing contest winners to tenants throughout the day.  Staff got into the spirit, too, and everyone had a great time.

Everyone at Iverson is looking forward to the day that they can resume their normal lives doing things like going to movies, shopping, and going out to eat. Even though they’ve missed some of their normal holiday traditions like Christmas parties and going to see the Rotary Lights together, on the bright side, they have found new talents, created new traditions, and continued to weather the pandemic – together.

Many people have been unable to work since the start of the pandemic, and Nikki Mosher is eager to share how glad she is to be back at work at DAC. “Money is good!” she says.

Nikki is currently working at DAC five mornings a week. She and her husband, Brock, are replenishing their checkbook and saving some money for the future. Nikki and Brock have been married for eleven years. Brock is working one day a week at Ocean Sushi, but is hoping to get more hours. After work, she and Brock like to hang out outside. If the weather is bad, they stay home in their duplex at Iverson, where they watch television, read, and catch up on housework, like laundry. On Thursdays, Brock does the grocery shopping for the week with support from staff.

With her return to work, Nikki has enjoyed being able to see some of her friends again, which has been a problem during the pandemic. She says there are fewer people at work these days, whereas there used to be a lot more. There are also extra steps to help them stay safe, like wearing masks and keeping six feet apart.

Though she is glad to be back, she is hoping that the pandemic will be over soon too. She is eager for her family’s schedule to go back to normal and is looking forward to seeing more of her friends again.

After quite a long break staying home due to the pandemic, David Beck is happy to be back at his job at Watlow. He says that Watlow was glad to see him back, too. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, he and his wife, Laura, take a transit bus to ORC before heading to Watlow in the ORC van. David and his friends have ORC job coaches with them at work.

Things have certainly changed at work because of the pandemic, Dave shares. Fewer people can be at a work table at the same time, and the tables are wiped down often. When they arrive at work, they have their temperatures taken and they have to wear a mask or shield. He typically goes to the company cafeteria for break and lunch. It has four TVs, pop, and snack machines, but David brings his own lunch. Dave and his wife work until the early afternoon, then they take the transit bus downtown before heading home.

When at home, Dave and Laura like to hang out outside when the weather is nice. If they are inside, they enjoy watching TV. David’s favorite programs are Adam-12 and Andy Griffith. Laura likes 90 Day Fiancé and Love After Lockup, but they will watch each other’s favorites.

David and Laura have a black cat named Salem. Salem has a checkered past, having stolen a donut from his previous owner, and then hiding under the Christmas tree. When his former owner got two dogs, Salem suddenly didn’t fit into the picture, so he happily moved in with David and Laura.

They take turns cooking. Laura might make pizza one night, and David might make spaghetti and meatballs the next. Early on during the pandemic, HCO handled the grocery shopping, however, David has now resumed making up the list and doing the shopping himself like he used to, with support from staff.

David and Laura are really looking forward to the end of the pandemic when they can go out to restaurants again. They used to like to go to Winona Family Restaurant for dinner and HyVee for breakfast, where David likes the French toast and Laura likes the eggs and hash browns. They also really miss walking to the Bar in Goodview for dancing to their favorite band, Troubleshooter.

David hopes that the pandemic will be over by next year. When there is a vaccine, he says he will gladly stand in line to get a shot if it means going back to normal life.

Hunger is a deterrent to learning for children. The National School Lunch Program has been providing free or low-cost, nutritional lunches to school children whose families are in need since 1946. However, teachers and school administrators have noticed that kids are lethargic or will say they are hungry. This led to the conclusion that certain children haven’t had enough to eat over the weekend.

To alleviate the problem of children not getting the food they need when school is not in session, many communities have begun the Backpack Project. Nondescript backpacks are filled with nutritious, child-friendly, easy-to-prepare food, then picked up by children in the program on Fridays as they leave school. The bags are returned empty on Monday mornings.

It was estimated that there are 300 or so children in the Lewiston-Altura area who are eligible to receive the backpacks, including children from L-A Elementary School, L-A Middle School, St. John’s Lutheran School, and Immanuel Lutheran – Silo School. Planning for the Backpack Project in had started in June, with help from Channel One Regional Food Bank and HCO individuals.

HCO’s Lewiston program loves to support their friends and fellow community members, so all are excited about the project. Staff members Rhiannon and Derek, along with program resident, Donna, attended a preliminary planning meeting with the team working on the Backpack Project. Donna listened intently to the discussion, but was silent until the Crossings Center groundskeeper mentioned that the only bathrooms at the Center are porta potties, with one composting toilet. That elicited a response from Donna, who said, “Geez!” Everyone laughed, probably thinking the same thing!

The program started the first weekend in October. Donna has been filling the backpacks each Wednesday at the Crossings Center, a historic farm site in the heart of Lewiston that has been turned into a community and youth center. After the bags are packed, they are delivered to the elementary school, which is in charge of getting them to the children whose families have chosen to be a part of the program. During the holidays or long weekends such as MEA, there are potential plans for a Kwik Trip voucher to be added to each bag for a gallon of milk.

Since the Crossings Center driveway and parking lots are entirely gravel, Rhiannon asked the team if it would work for HCO to fill the backpacks at home once winter comes and snow will make navigating gravel walks very difficult. The plan was approved.

Now that the backpack program has already started, there are hopes that more kids will sign up once the word gets out about it more. Any family who qualifies for free lunches with a district Educational Benefits (Free and Reduced Lunch) form also qualifies for this program.

Ross (right) with Iverson Court Staff, Trent (left)

Congratulations to Ross Horstman for being acknowledged as the 2019 Iverson Court Tenant of the Year! Ross’ time at Iverson has helped him grow tremendously. He often spends time in the community room in the evenings, engaging with building management and fellow tenants alike. If someone ever has a bad day, Ross has a way of lifting up their spirit and making them laugh. His incredible sense of humor, knowledge of a wide variety of subject areas, delicious baked treats, and genuine interest in family history, are things he is always willing to share with others.

When Ross wanted to increase his knowledge, he worked to secure a new job based on his education and studies at the technical college. Ross’ desire to be as independent as possible is demonstrated by his strong work ethic, attention to detail, willingness to make connections with other tenants, and the confidence to speak from the heart with building staff on a variety of issues.

An exceptional tenant in 2019, Ross routinely kept his apartment clean without assistance, followed lease rules, met with Iverson Court management to complete necessary paperwork, and utilized support staff routinely when needed. Congratulations, Ross, on being named Iverson Court’s 2019 Tenant of the Year!

Fisher Family: Josh, Pam, Sarah, Kevin (left to right), and youngest, Zach (center front)

Zach Fisher turned eleven in May and has been receiving services from HCO for a little over 2 years. Zach is the youngest of three children of Pam and Kevin Fisher. His siblings are quite a bit older. Josh is 20, and Sarah, 18, just graduated from high school.

Zach was a healthy baby, progressing in all areas until he began to regress at the age of about fifteen months and lost all of his speech. Pam and Kevin felt lost as to what to do for him. Pam began to research his symptoms and talk to other parents. Eventually, she found a group of parents to connect with and began to learn about options for Zach. She and Kevin became friends with the other and have also found help from Facebook groups dedicated to parents of children with autism.

Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse offered diagnostic services, but didn’t have a program for Zach. Pam researched many agencies looking for help for Zach’s autism and ADHD. The Fishers found Partners in Excellence, an autism therapy center in La Crosse that offered treatment programs for children with autism from ages 1 – 10 on an outpatient basis. Zach was there from about the age of 2 until 8.

At the same time that they were adjusting to his autism diagnosis, Zach was showing signs of food sensitivities and reflux. It was trial and error for a while until they discovered he was sensitive to gluten, dairy, and certain dyes used in foods. To simplify their meal times, the rest of the family adapted to Zach’s food restrictions.

Even with the outpatient program and school services that Zach received, the Fishers were still on 24/7 duty in the evenings and weekends to care for their son. Pam and Kevin both work full-time, so they learned to rely on and support each other, taking turns caring for Zach. Their families both live further away in Chicago and Prairie du Chien, but their daughter was able to help out, and Kevin’s sister from Chicago came to watch Zach so they could go on a family vacation.

Zach receives special education services from the La Crescent-Hokah School System, where the program is centered around the individual child. In the summer, he attends summer school 3 times a week in June, July, and August. School helps to fill Zach’s sensory needs, and Pam and Kevin have seen much progress over the years. He is good at physical things (he loves to swim and go to the park) and engages at school. His para at school uses sign language, and Zach also communicates through picture exchange.

When the county finally assessed Zach, they told the Fishers about HCO, and they found that the organization could fill almost all their needs. Now, Zach receives support from Home and Community Options staff at HCO’s Children’s Resource Home. Pam and Kevin are able to go on mini-vacations while staff help Zach with activities of daily living and takes him to swim and swing at the park. “We know he’s in good hands,” Pam and Kevin shared.

All of the Fishers are thrilled that they discovered HCO. Staff always greet Zach with a smile when he arrives, and work with him on his communication skills. They’ve noticed that repetition is the key for Zach, and Pam says Program Supervisor, Abby Jackson, is amazing. Zach’s receptive speech has improved. They also like that with HCO, everyone is on the same page. They can communicate by phone or email, have an annual meeting with HCO, or meet any time something may come up.

Zach has become more independent and plays computer games, watches YouTube, listens to music, and can find Sesame Street on TV. Pam also suspects that Zach can read the subtitles on movies. She is hoping that typing and typewritten material will open up a whole new world for him.

“We are so fortunate to have found HCO,” Pam says.

Hannah (center), with parents Kim and Pete

Parents know that they need to be hyper-vigilant with their young children. It only takes a second for a child to get into trouble. Kim and Pete Schwab understand more about hypervigilance than most parents.

Kim and Pete have two children. Their oldest, Katie, is a social worker who is married with a daughter. Their youngest is Hannah, who is 27 years old. Hannah has been living in an HCO home with three housemates since August of 2018. She is generally happy, willing to go anywhere, has an infectious laugh, and is very loving. Her ability to be affectionate with people she is familiar with developed when she was about 11 years old, when she unexpectedly began to recognize certain people as ones she loves.

Hannah has been diagnosed with chronic encephalopathy. She was declared healthy at birth, but her mother noticed early on that Hannah couldn’t hold her head up by herself. Feeding her was difficult and time-consuming since she had limited sucking reflex. At three months old, Hannah was referred to Gundersen Clinic for further observation and testing. Her feet and legs were not growing normally, so she began years of physical therapy. Many medical professionals predicted that Hannah would always be on a feeding tube and would never walk.

When she was around six years old, Hannah’s parents hired caretakers for Hannah to come into their home. For many years, she had the same caretaker, Susan Sagan, who was a godsend, Kim says. After that, the Schwab’s found wonderful help from nursing students at Winona State University, and from Viterbo in Brownsville. Nursing students loved working with Hannah’s easy-going personality.

Hannah, although in her late twenties, has the comprehension of a 1 ½- to 2-year-old girl. It is largely due to the Schwabs’ determination that Hannah is not on a feeding tube and can walk with a little help. One doctor, Dr. Wintersteen, believed what Kim and Pete believed, that Hannah would learn to walk. She helped them work towards that goal, and she did learn to walk at age 11.

When Kim and Pete moved the family to Brownsville, Hannah worked with ABLE (A Brighter Living Environment) and moved into an ABLE home in Caledonia at the age of 21. They, too, were determined to see Hannah’s abilities grow.

Hannah has had six orthopedic surgeries, requiring casts on both legs and feet that had to be kept on for 6-8 weeks. She has received extensive occupational therapy, as well as therapy for feeding issues and helping her to use her hands.   She also received equine-assisted therapy at Winona’s Big Valley Ranch. A horse’s gait moves the rider’s hips and pelvis in the same way humans move to walk, promoting strength, balance, and flexibility in the rider, as well as a sense of how to move oneself forward.

Kim and Pete have always kept Hannah active, pulling her in a cart behind their bikes or putting her in a backpack on hikes. She loves the outdoors and especially loves going out on the river. She revels in the noise, speed, and wind of the moving boat, which she likes to be driven fast! The family also goes on short and long vacations. They have been to Florida many times, as well as San Antonio and Albuquerque, and are planning a trip to New Orleans.

The only restrictions to Hannah’s activities have to do with weather. Cold weather is off limits, as Hannah refuses to wear a hat or mittens. She likes to have her hands free. In hot weather, she can become overheated and ill.

These days, Hannah can walk for thirty minutes by herself at her own pace. She likes to ride her bike, play catch, and swing on swings. She needs someone with her at all times, however, due to poor balance on uneven surfaces, such as changes to and from carpeting, thresholds, and turns. Hannah has cortical blindness that renders her almost totally blind at times and gives her limited vision at others. She has to be helped up and down curbs and steps. Sometimes she walks with a walker or pushes her wheelchair or a shopping cart. She does not have a developed sense to catch herself when she falls, so caretakers must be vigilant.

Now the Schwab’s are moving back to Winona, and Hannah is living in an HCO home. She is learning to eat more things. Continued problems with chewing and swallowing, plus reflux, as well as having no pincher grasp means that she has to be spoon-fed. She likes salty things, especially chips, which is something she can feed herself if they are bite size.  She can pick up food using her whole palm of her hand.  Her reflux is under control, but she needs to be encouraged to be hydrated and will only eat and drink if seated at a table. Up until the age of 15, she didn’t seem to register either hunger or thirst.

Hannah’s sense of hearing is sharp. She enjoys listening to television and playing with toys that make noise. She also likes her radio, which she can operate by herself by pressing a switch in her room, giving her independence and choice. Her favorite music is country, which Kim says was introduced to Hannah by a caregiver. Kim says she and Pete weren’t country music lovers before, “but we sure are now!” Hannah’s favorite country artist is Shania Twain.

She still attends a day program in La Crescent at ABC Works. In April of 2018, she fell and broke her leg and ankle, which required a full cast on her right leg for 6-8 weeks, followed by a boot for 3-4 weeks. She then somehow broke the plate in her leg and had to go back to a full cast for two months. She has just recently begun walking again.

It can be difficult for parents to make the transition to a less hands-on life that have been on a journey like the one the Schwab’s have been on with Hannah. Hannah has adjusted well to her HCO home, while still spending time with her family each week and on vacations. In order to plan for all possible situations, Kim and Pete developed “Hannah’s Life Plan” – a three-ring binder that contains all the information, down to the smallest detail, that a new caretaker would need to keep Hannah happy and safe.

In a section entitled, “Hopes and wishes for Hannah,” they wrote:

“Even though Hannah is in an adult body, she will always be a young child. As Hannah’s parents, we have learned to accept this fact. However, Hannah is still a special person. It is sometimes said that the simplest things in life are what are most important. In Hannah’s case, the simple things in life are all that matter to her and this isn’t a bad thing. Hannah is always happy and willing to go along with pretty much anything. She has an easy-going personality and doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. Hannah never cares what she looks like, and she never worries about money. She leaves most of life’s problems up to others, and she starts every day with the idea that it will be a good day.”

The Schwabs, generous contributors to HCO in the past, recently donated an accessible swing set and concrete walking path to Hannah’s house, which Hannah and her housemates are now enjoying.

by Katelyn Keller, Marketing Intern

Ballet Hispánico’s four-day residency in Winona included an adaptive dance workshop for Home and Community Options’ clients and support staff on October 2nd in the Blackbox of Saint Mary’s University Page Theatre.

Eduardo Vilaro, the artistic director of the company and former dancer himself, led the session with overflowing enthusiasm from the center of the room. He spoke with an upbeat voice that filled the black-walled space with evident passion. The session began with warm-ups, then simple movements such as lifting the left hand up, then “hiding” it, then the right, and “hiding.” This progressed to combining the movements of the hands, then to standing up and learning more moves such as the shimmy. Combinations of these movements led to dances such as the cha-cha.

Applause was abundant throughout, while learning a new movement, during combinations, and at the end of a dance. At one point, when everyone else had stopped, one lady was still going. Everyone was clapping for her as Vilaro noted her enthusiasm. This lady became Vilaro’s partner for demonstrations later on, and he often asked to more applause “Isn’t she great!”

The other dancers of the company also paired up with certain clients or danced with a group, interspersed throughout the room, with evident joy. A couple of the dancers interviewed after, Gabrielle Sprauve and Omar Rivera, both expressed their love for these sorts of interactions.

Rivera shared that one of the highlights of the touring experience is “going into communities and teaching and sharing the art of dance and especially Latin dance. It’s fun; they get to move their hips. They get to shimmy and just feel good. So it’s always good to make people feel good.”

Sprauve also expressed enthusiasm about such workshops. She described this one as a “treat.” and said that the company “appreciate[s] being able to do classes like this, and they’re so much fun.” She repeated, “They’re so much fun. Everyone that came had a blast and had an amazing partner. It was just a great time.” She thinks that one of the best parts of being in the company is the community outreach work, bringing people “some excitement, something different.”

A diverse age range participated, younger kids of middle-school age, as well as middle-aged and older people, some of whom were able to participate while seated in chairs, as well as a couple of others in wheelchairs. HCO staff pushed a young gentleman in a wheelchair so that he could fully participate in the spin. Other staff were guiding people through the movements. A total of at least thirty individuals supported by HCO attended, along with a number of HCO staff.

There was a refreshing lack of self-consciousness and awkwardness. As Rivera summarized, the experience was “really enthusiastic and [it was] fulfilling to see the community come together and just dance and enjoy the energy from each other.”

Mikayla Jonsgaard, one of the younger participants, said that she would do this again and that she had come because it’s fun. She likes dancing at home with music, having a preference for the pop genre. A current favorite of hers is “Panini” by Lil Nas X. Her favorite part of the class was learning the dance moves, and her favorite move being the shimmy, which she demonstrated.

One of the older middle-aged participants, William Arrick, also expressed his excitement about the session. He described the workshop as “the perfect dance” and mentioned that his favorite part of the class was the cha-cha. He then launched into a discussion about Elvis with various demonstrations. He regularly attends HCO’s Monday Adaptive Dance sessions.

In answer to the question of whether this class was much different from what his company usually does, Vilaro emphasized with enthusiasm, “No, no. No, we are,” and he gave a slight pause, then emphasized with further passion, “we are blessed to have the ability to do community work.”

Vilaro went on to give a brief background about the foundation of the company. During the ‘70s, Tina Ramirez had started the company for kids in the inner city of New York who wanted to avoid drugs and gang life. Ramirez trained these young people to become professional dancers. And so, Vilaro describes, “we are always focused on community and community interactions. So we do everything from this type of class to, you know, training dancers. It’s a wide, diverse amount of community service work.”

There is an immense cultural significance to the company as well, being deeply rooted in the Latino culture. The company’s purpose involves bringing individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino culture through dance. The company aims to be a role model in and for the Latino community, inspiring creativity and social awareness. Vilaro said that everything he taught during this class had to do with the Latino culture.

Sprauve and Rivera made it clear how this heritage played a significant role in what drew them to the company. Sprauve said that she saw the company perform at the Joyce Theater and “fell in love,” and then auditioned in her senior year. She explained that she “really wanted to join the company just because for years [she had] been trying to find a place where [she] could connect with [her] culture but also could dance.” And, she concludes, “the best place was Ballet Hispánico.”

Rivera shared a similar story. He “fell in love with the company when [he] first heard of them.” A number of his friends who were students in New York City had seen the company perform at the Joyce and the Apollo. They told Rivera to look into the company. And so, Rivera dug for information about the company and “fell in love with the overall theme and aesthetic.”

The cultural aspect plays a major role in this class’ connection to Saint Mary’s. Theresa Remick, Managing Director of Saint Mary’s Performance Center, describes Saint Mary’s Page Series as something “really here to be able to connect the community, which we consider to be Winona and Saint Mary’s, to cultural experiences that aren’t here otherwise…. We’ve looked for things you wouldn’t otherwise see…. And frequently, that takes the lens of a company or artist who works in a cultural specific way.” She said that the department “really look[s] for ways to help Winonans and Saint Mary’s students have experiences that will expose them to other cultures, other lifestyles, as well as just really high-quality art.”

Remick met Vilaro many years ago when she was working for National Arts Strategies when Vilaro was in the chief executive program. She “remembered how wonderful [his company’s] work was and that was a lot of the reason why [Saint Mary’s] decided to bring [his company Ballet Hispánico] in.”

HCO has already partnered a number of times with Saint Mary’s, and Remick thought that Ballet Hispánico would be another good opportunity to do so. Remick said that ever since she’s been at Saint Mary’s (four and a half years, to date), she’s been working with HCO’s Events Coordinator, Lynette Johnson, and Communication Coordinator, Ashly Bissen, to develop additional ways to partner.

For this experience with Ballet Hispánico, Christine Martin, Saint Mary’s Dance Residency Coordinator, had contacted Johnson at the end of June about Ballet Hispánico coming to Saint Mary’s. Martin had asked if such a workshop would be something of interest to HCO. And this idea became a room overflowing with positive energy and community connecting through dance, which, Arrick said, “can change the whole world.”