Duane grew up in Rushford, MN. He is one of six children, alongside siblings: Terry, Kenny, Dennis, Nancy, and Sheila. His oldest brother, Terry, lives in Boston.  Duane recalls that his first airplane trip occurred on a visit to see Terry, where he also took in a Red Sox game and visited the zoo.  Kenny lives in Rushford, where the family still spends their holidays. Duane’s twin brother, Dennis, lives in Fountain City, and Nancy lives in Winona. Their youngest sister, Sheila, passed away in 2016.

Growing up, he and his siblings had a dog, three cats, and twelve rabbits. Duane remembers his father buying two rabbits, a male and a female, and pretty soon there were fifteen baby rabbits, which soon evened out to twelve. He has a picture of himself with his brothers, Kenny and Dennis, each of them with a cat. When asked their names, he said, “Steve, Mike, and Jeff.”

Duane played sports growing up, and physical education was his favorite time of the school day. He liked playing basketball, and once played on a baseball team that went 20 games without a loss! Though he says he’s too old to play sports now, he is still an avid fan and follows the Twins and the Vikings closely. He enjoys collecting memorabilia, has been to numerous Twins games, and is planning another trip there soon. He also likes to watch the Super Bowl and then order the DVD to watch it again.

But as much as he likes sports, there is something he likes even more. In fact, “like” might be too tame a word. Duane loves country music and especially is a fan of Elvis Presley. He has traveled to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee 17 times, and sports Elvis shirts, pins, bracelets, and rings. His favorite Elvis tune is “Blue Hawaii.” He has also been to Nashville, where he has seen Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, George Strait, and more recently, Kenny Chesney.

Closer to home, Duane has been to Country Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin, and Ashley for the Arts in Arcadia. Another Wisconsin draw is The Dells, where he likes to go on the duck boats.

He has lived at Iverson Court since 1989. He’s trying to do more of his own cooking and can make a mean tuna noodle hot dish, but he also likes TV dinners and is part of a meal prep program once a week. His HCO staff member, Victoria, jokes that if bubble gum could be considered food, it would be his first choice. His favorite brand of bubble gum is not carried at Kwik Trip any longer, he says, so he will have to go to Walmart.

He has quite a few friends at Iverson, some of whom work with him at ORC. Duane takes the bus to ORC, where he works in shredding papers and folding towels, the number of which he keeps track of with a hand counter.

In his free time, he likes to watch sports events, the Country Channel, and the news. He and his friends go out to dinner, his favorite being Bub’s and Jefferson’s, and then to the movies. He also participates in fun events sponsored by HCO.

He is quite religious and was raised in the Catholic Church. He has a photo he took out the window of the plane on his way to Boston. It shows God the Father, he says, walking on the clouds, hand upraised in a friendly wave.

Duane says that he will be retiring from ORC next year, and he is looking forward to having more free time.

Iverson Court recently celebrated its 35th year in the Winona Community.

What happens when an individual living in a HCO home is dying? As you would expect, HCO honors the wishes of the individual and family. And, as you would also expect, the process is upsetting to all of the individuals who live in the home, and also to the staff who work there.

Last summer, Sue became ill. It soon became clear that she was not recovering. She was diagnosed with kidney failure and the doctor prescribed hospice care. Sue rebelled against the entire idea of any sort of treatment and did not want anything to do with hospice. She went through the classic stages of grief, denial being the first. However, when her disease began to be more debilitating, she became frustrated and angry, swore at staff and deliberately rammed them with her walker.

This was not the Sue that staff and her housemates were used to dealing with. Before she became ill, Sue had a real love of life, had a broad smile, was independent-minded, and loved socializing and going out in the community. Staff say that wherever they went, Sue would run into someone she knew. She never forgot a face or a name. She loved cats and the color pink, which she nearly always wore.

When Sue’s illness worsened and she was too weak to go out and see people and do the things she loved, she became terribly depressed, saying she hated her life. Finally, she had to accept that she was dying and entered the hospice program.

Most of the DSPs (Direct Support Professionals) that worked with Sue are between 18 and 21 years old. Most had never experienced a person they knew facing death, and had certainly not had experience with the personal care of the dying. A hospice social worker and nurse came to the house and met with staff to help them understand what to expect, and Sue’s care was the topic of conversation in staff meetings. Staff were also offered the opportunity to have two counseling sessions, which would be paid for by HCO. Staff members were also going through the stages of grief.

Sue wanted to be at home with people she knew and loved, which HCO accommodated. So, when she was confined to bed, it was in her familiar floor-to-ceiling pink bedroom with her favorite cat pictures adorning the walls, in the home she had been living in for over five years. She had been with HCO since 1994.

As much as staff were concentrating on Sue’s care, which was a 24-hour-a-day endeavor, the other individuals in the house also needed their care and support. Sue’s housemates were confused as to what to do and how to accept that Sue was dying, and they were losing a good friend. They also needed staff to pay attention to those needs. Senior staff were aware that satisfying these needs in a caring, professional manner was a lot to ask of young staffers, but that they were up to the task, even as the work took an emotional toll. Staff and the individuals in the home definitely bonded over the experience. Sue’s large family made the staff’s job easier, too, because they treated staff as treasured members of Sue’s world, and included them in memorial and burial plans.

Earlier in the year, HCO employee, Bretta Thomas, spoke before the Minnesota legislature about Sue’s illness and death. HCO and other providers asked the legislature restore funding cuts impacting the care of those they serve. Bretta wanted the legislators to know what DSPs are called upon to do. She wanted them to know that even though these young people could go elsewhere and get a job paying much more, they chose to be at HCO. They chose to care for Sue, to change her soiled clothing and bedding, to wash her, turning her every two hours so that she would not develop bed sores, and give her emotional support. Staff were also willing to take on the added work of accounting for Sue’s medication, which included many controlled substances that had to be administered sometimes as often as every hour.

After Sue passed away on October 12, 2018, surrounded by her immediate and HCO family, there was more work to be done. The remaining controlled substances had to be taken to the police department to be destroyed. Staff had to account for each pill. They also dealt with the funeral home and paid the final balance. HCO contacted the county and Social Security offices and filled out the paperwork. These extra jobs are not reimbursed.

However, the staff who cared for Sue knew that they were granting her final wishes. The woman they had enjoyed so much during her life received the same loving care in death, all part of the mission of HCO and its dedicated staff.

A hospice social worker who worked with Sue and HCO remarked after Sue’s death, “This is not easy work caring for a person at the end of life, and your staff have been doing that beautifully! Yet in addition, they are very articulate in their work, they are caring for one another and the other residents, who are all losing a good friend and infectious smile. Then they are managing a large, sad, and amazing family who are losing their sister. The responsibility on the staff in this home is huge and I am so impressed!! Kudos to HCO for having the finest people doing the most important work.”

Bryce and Brady Bosteter were born on Halloween of 1996, weighing only a little over two pounds each, after only 26 1/2 weeks in the womb. They spent the next three months in the NICU in La Crosse and came home in January with many medical issues yet to be addressed.

Once home, they were on constant monitors. As preemies, they had trouble with their suck-swallow-breathe sequence and sometimes had to be tube fed if they tired while feeding from the bottle and couldn’t get enough nutrition. As you can imagine, their care was a time and energy intensive undertaking.

Brady was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at the age of one. It affects him mainly from the waist down, and doctors told his mother, Denise Herber, that he would never walk. Doctors underestimated both Brady and his mother, however, and he now walks with a walker and also uses a wheelchair.

Accompanying Brady’s CP was spasticity in his lower extremities, causing severe muscle tightness. Denise, who says she is the kind of person who has to know all about a problem and then looks for a solution, read about a Dr. Park at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis who was relieving spasticity with a rhizotomy, a neurological surgery that selectively turns off the nerve roots causing the problem. Denise and her mother, Dawn Singer, drove Brady to St. Louis and stayed there for the surgery and care, while Denise’s husband cared for Bryce at home. The surgery was successful and allows Brady more mobility.

His twin brother, Bryce, was born with hydrocephalus and developed seizures. Doctors told Denise that he would never walk, talk, or see. His hydrocephalus had to be relieved with a shunt, and his seizures have been successfully treated with medication. According to Denise, once he started talking “he never stopped,” and he is very social. He wears thick glasses and is legally blind, but is able to see enough to lead a fairly active life, shooting baskets, and golfing with his parents at Westfield, where he has a membership and is a favorite of some of the older golfers.

Denise’s life was a cycle of caring for the twins at home, addressing their medical issues with myriad doctor appointments and therapies, as well as being an advocate for the boys. She was divorced in the twins’ first year and was fortunate to have her mother living nearby. Her job as the Senior Accounting Officer for the City of Goodview allowed her to make up hours on nights and weekends. Childcare was a perennial and vexing nightmare because so few child care providers were able to successfully care for the twins and their many challenges. Denise says she always thought she was so busy with the twins that she didn’t take time to enjoy them, a common thought among mothers of kids with all levels of abilities, but magnified in her situation. However, she describes the boys as being very affectionate and loving.

Help came when the boys were about three years old, when Brady was diagnosed with autism. Because of the boys’ many medical issues, Winona County Human Services assessed their needs on a quarterly basis. It was through the county that Denise became aware of the services offered through HCO. At first, HCO provided staff who could go to Denise’s house and watch the twins so Denise could do laundry or work one on one with a twin. Shortly thereafter, Brady began to receive respite care at HCO’s house on Broadway.

It was there that Denise and Brady met Sarah Haines, who worked on autism issues with Brady and fed Denise’s appetite to know everything she could find out about autism and the other problems her twins were facing. Denise also did research herself, needing to “know what it means” to have autism and what to do about it. She mentions, gratefully, the help she received in that regard from Mary Jansen and Denny Theede at HCO and from ARC Minnesota.

At about the same time, the twins entered preschool at Lincoln Elementary, and Bryce was able to go to Key Kids after school.

Denise remarried when the boys were four, and her husband, Dave, was willing to share responsibility for their care.

Brady spent three years in preschool and Bryce two years. They then went on to kindergarten and elementary school at Madison Elementary, where they were mainstreamed in music, art, and physical education. They continued on at the Middle School and then Winona Senior High, where they graduated. Denise expresses her appreciation for the Winona community and their acceptance of Brady and Bryce. “They were never picked on,” she says, and credits HCO for educating the entire community on the issue of disabilities.

At one point, Denise and her mother looked into a facility for Brady who was experiencing many behavioral problems. They toured a place in Red Wing, and both felt overwhelmed with the thought of the boys in such a place, and they never returned.

When Denise was no longer able to lift him out of his wheelchair, Brady, at age 17, moved to a residential home in La Crescent, where he stayed for three years. Denise hated having him so far away, so when there was an opening, he moved to an HCO home where he is really thriving.

Bryce also moved to an HCO home earlier this year.  Since the two homes get together frequently for dinner and activities, the boys see each other often. They like their independence, their housemates, and their activities. “It’s a joy to be with them,” says Denise, and they live only a matter of blocks away from their parents.

Brady, in addition to swimming, participates in adaptive bowling. He loves music, Keith Urban being a favorite. Denise says that is a great improvement over his affection as a child for Barney! (She even took the boys to a Barney concert!) He also likes to draw and watch movies. Denise says she is continually amazed that Brady is now so laid back, when “it took me three years to teach him how to use a fork, and he would be so frustrated with foods he didn’t like that he would throw his food.”

Bryce also swims, bowls, goes to movies, and has been involved in the HCO musical.  He has also been invited to sing the National Anthem at all sorts of events:  WSU Homecoming, Rollingstone Days, Special Olympics, and the WSU Holiday Basketball Tournament. He likes to help out with Brady, hang out with housemates, and is noticing girls.

Denise is an avid advocate for HCO and has had the opportunity to talk to legislators about the work that HCO does in supporting the disabled in the community. Her affection for HCO is many-fold, but she cites the fact that they are located in the community, near to families, are so well-managed, and are able to help families keep their loved ones close, while giving them the structure and services they need to lead healthy, happy lives.

It takes many hearts and hands to give Brady and Bryce a good life, and Denise credits HCO, as well as her mother and husband (her “sounding boards”) with giving the twins, and her, the help they need.

Brittany is a self-described good girl, but she jokes that sometimes she can be a little contrary. “Pisces is always feisty!” she laughs.

For the past year-and-a-half, she has lived in her one-bedroom apartment at Winhaven Court, with her rescue cat, Zoey. She and Zoey, who was mistreated before she was taken to the shelter and then adopted by Brittany, have a mutual admiration for each other. When Brittany comes home from work, she taps lightly on the door to her apartment and softly calls Zoey’s name. From the other side of the door, Zoey meows quietly at her, and Brittany opens the door to a happy cat. Brittany is glad that she is able to offer Zoey a loving and stable home and that Zoey is good company. Brittany likes cooking, and her favorite meal to prepare when staff come is ham and cheese crescent rolls that she makes from scratch, with BBQ dipping sauce. She also likes fresh and frozen veggies. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she walks a mile route from her apartment to WSU and back.

Brittany grew up near Dakota with her mother, father, and younger brother. Her mom is a bus aide, and her dad is an over-the-road truck driver. When she lived at home, her dad would often take her on trips with him, so she has traveled all over the United States. She spends holidays with her parents and since she owns her own car, she can visit them any time. She takes good care of her car, which she says is due for an oil change and probably a new muffler soon. She also admits that she has had to pay a few tickets for alternate side parking violations. “I hate alternate side parking!” she says emphatically.

She graduated from Winona Senior High School. Her favorite subjects were math and history, and she would have liked to take advanced classes in those subjects. She still studies math in her spare time online at Khan Academy, working on algebra to keep her math skills fresh and keeping a detailed notebook of her progress. She is also an avid student of genealogy and enjoys studying the history of her maternal grandfather, Noel Ehlenfeldt’s, family. She was very close to him and still mourns his passing in May of 2005.

Brittany would love to go to college to study either math or history, but isn’t sure what she would like to do with either of those majors. She’s also interested in research, archeology, and accounting. She’d like to be a mechanic, too, or since she loves animals, perhaps a job working with them. She has so many interests it’s hard to choose.

She and her best friend, Chelsea, have been friends since middle school and have a great time together. Both Brittany and Chelsea are involved in Grassroots, and they have a blast taking a bus to the capitol to rally with HCO and meet legislators. Brittany also has plans to go bowling with friends very soon.

She has worked at ORC for seven years in the laundry area. She irons sheets and loads the machines, doing laundry for Saint Anne’s, Winona Health, Callista Court, WSU, Sauer Heath, Sport-n-Spine, and the Winona County Jail. She is very good at her job, but feels like she could use more of a challenge. The best part of the job at ORC is working with her friends. If she’s having a bad day at work, she says that two of her good friends always save the day: they can’t help but make her smile and forget her problems. She admits that her impatience can sometimes hold her back, but she works hard to keep her composure and be professional. She tries to set daily goals for herself at work. If she doesn’t make them, she lets it go and tries to do better the next day.

Brittany has a lot of interests that keep her occupied on her break at work and in her off time. She especially enjoys music and her tastes range from country, such as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Kenny Rogers, to Whitney Houston, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Carrie Underwood. She always has her ear buds and phone with her, so music is always available. Some of her television favorites are Judge Judy, Jerry Springer, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Dead Files, Ghostly Adventures, and Family Matters. She also likes to read.

Right now, Brittany says, she has to focus on trying to better herself and plan for her future. People can’t help but believe that she will accomplish a lot in her life, she is so full of energy and drive.

Mandi is an upbeat, warm woman who seems to be happy and fulfilled. She is a graduate of Winona Senior High School, where her favorite subjects were Math and English. Though her parents live in Rollingstone, Mandi enjoys living with three of her friends at a home in Winona.

Mandi also has a sister who lives in Sioux Falls with her family, and Mandi likes to visit them as often as she can. Her brother-in-law is coach of a basketball team there, so they often go to watch the games. She also adores her niece and nephew in Sioux Falls, who are 4 and 2 years old.

She works at DAC doing a variety of jobs. She does some assembly and also works at community job sites doing cleaning, which she enjoys because she likes spending time with her friends at each location. Some places she works are St. Mary’s Press and Behren’s Manufacturing. After work, the DAC bus drops Mandi off at a local fitness center, where she works out on the elliptical, bike, treadmill, and any other machine that is open.

At home, she helps with cooking on Sundays and likes to look up recipes on her iPod Touch. Her favorite meal is hamburger over mashed potatoes, and she is a big fan of vegetables, particularly broccoli and green beans. For dessert, she loves chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. She and her housemates are fans of the Vikings and the Twins. Her favorite players have been Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer. Now that Joe Mauer is retired, though, she says she’ll have to wait and see who she’ll be cheering on.

Mandi likes to take walks around her neighborhood. In the evenings and on weekends, she enjoys playing bowling on her Wii. She likes to watch movies and hang out with her friends. Her favorite television shows are Fixer Upper and The Voice.  Her bedroom is decorated with violet walls and a dark purple bedspread. She also enjoys painting her nails and her favorite polish color is pink. She has done finger knitting in the past, but says she is taking a break for now. If they go for ice cream at the Dairy Queen, she always orders a cookie dough blizzard.

She is always busy having fun at the activities she goes to and has a smile ready for everyone she meets.

Kathy should have gotten a job at a newspaper. She is in her fifties (though she looks much younger), and she loves getting to know people. She is legally blind and walks with a white cane, but that doesn’t slow her down a bit.

Kathy was adopted as a baby at the age of six months. Her family also adopted another girl, which resulted in Katherine having two sisters named Barb. Because they have the same name, she often uses their last names when she talks about them so people know which sister she is talking about. She has an older brother who is deceased, as are her parents. She has several nieces, nephews and grandnieces and –nephews, too, of whom she is very fond. Her smile reaches all the way to her ears when she shares stories about them.

Kathy works in the laundry department at ORC Monday through Friday, where she folds napkins and protectors for cooks. She was even named Employee of the Year and was very proud to receive a plaque as an award! She enjoys her work and she usually carpools in a van with two of her three roommates.

Outside of work, Kathy has a lot of hobbies. She plays numerous card games, “War” being one of her favorites. She also goes bowling often through Project COMPASS. She even has her own ball, shoes, and a bag with wheels so she doesn’t have to lug around a heavy bowling ball. On the weekends, she enjoys getting to see one of her sisters regularly at mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

When she runs into people she knows around town, she always asks them questions about their lives. She wants to hear about what’s new, share about her upcoming plans for the week, or ask how things are going.

Kathy is active and engaging, enjoys having fun, and she puts a smile on the face of everyone she meets.

Greg Theis was in his garage working on the restoration of a Barracuda when he took time out to talk to us about his little sister, Julie.

When Julie was born on February 27, 1958, she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and also had a hole in her heart. Her parents, Jim and Rosella, had long been wishing for a little girl, so the news that she was not expected to live long was devastating. Julie never let herself be restricted by her doctor’s expectations, however.

Like all parents, Jim and Rosella hoped for as normal a life as possible for her. Julie loved her family. She was cared for by her parents growing up, with help from her four brothers. Her brothers were always quick to defend her when unkind kids teased her. She loved to play with them, and would often sneak up on them and try to “scare” them. Her parents enrolled her in the public school system, but schooling then for special needs children just wasn’t a fit for Julie, so they brought her home and continued to teach her what they could.

As Julie neared her teen years, however, caring for her at home became nearly impossible. Rosella had been diagnosed with diabetes. There was no funding available from government agencies, and she needed 24-hour care. Both Jim and Rosella were working full-time to be able to afford her care, which at the time was a daily babysitter. In addition to her full-time job, Rosella also did typing at night for the courts.

Caring for Julie continued to become more difficult, so her parents enrolled her in a residential program in Faribault. They visited her every weekend, but it was still a financial and emotional struggle for the family. From there, she was transferred to a residential program in Rochester. In the 1980s, they were told of a residential program opening in Winona, and they were thrilled at the possibility of Julie being able to come home. The first group home that Julie stayed in had nearly a dozen residents, as Greg remembers, and the family was very happy when HCO changed the program to have fewer people in each home.

Julie was a long-term resident of the 1031 program, and Greg feels that she was happy there, as well as safe and cared for very well.

Though Julie was non-verbal, she did use sign language. When one of her brothers would come to visit her, she was excited about it all day. She liked to dress up in anticipation of their visits. She was what Greg calls a “typical girl”.

Until a few years ago, Julie worked and took the bus to and from her job. She liked riding in a vehicle so much that she didn’t want to exit the bus at the end of the day.

As her health started to decline, hospice began visiting on a regular basis to monitor her condition. Her brothers no longer got to take her out when they came to visit or to McDonalds (her favorite food was hamburgers). Taking her places often required some planning. When she got tired, Greg said, she would just sit down wherever she was. “It could be the middle of Broadway!” he laughed.

One of Greg’s favorite memories is about a birthday party for one of Julie’s housemates. Julie found where the birthday cake was stashed before the big party and got into it. “She liked to eat,” says Greg. She made such a mess of the cake, another one had to be purchased in a hurry for the birthday party.

Another time, someone from a government agency called and asked to speak with Julie. The person was advised that Julie was non-verbal, but they asked to speak to her nonetheless. Julie was called to the phone, looked at it disinterestedly, and dropped it on the floor. So much for phone calls from the government!

Julie defied doctor’s expectations. She lived a long life with the support of her parents, brothers, and HCO family. Julie Ann Theis died on November 7, 2018, at her home. She has left Greg, as well as many others, with many lasting memories that they will continue to cherish for a lifetime.

Katrina is a charming 24-year-old with medium-length brown hair and a bright smile. She likes bracelets – especially the ones she makes herself. 

Katrina lives with her parents and shares a room with her younger sister, Kylie. Kylie is home temporarily until her college program begins and is working at Fleet Farm. Katrina loves her family, but can’t wait to have her own place and her own bedroom!

Her immediate goal is to move from home to her own apartment. She has already applied at Iverson Court, but she knows there is a lot to do before she can make the move. She wants to be able to adopt a kitten. She doesn’t have a pet now – not even a fish – and is looking forward to possibly living with a cat.

She currently works at Steak Shop Catering, where she fills and covers cups of cut fruit, pudding, and Jell-O for Meals on Wheels. She also cuts bread and sometimes makes cookies, but admits that is NOT her favorite task. She is planning to ask for more hours so she will be able to move into her own place.

Katrina has been going camping a few times a year for the past 3 years at Prairie Island Campground. Her only experience with camping prior to this was staying in a pop-up camper owned by some friends of her family. That was like a “real house on wheels,” she says. Prairie Island is a little more rustic, and this past summer Katrina discovered she wasn’t as much of a fan of “roughing it.” There were a lot of spiders that they had to clear out of the camper before they moved in. “There were a lot of mosquitos too,” she says. She did like making pancakes and s’mores and walking along the river, though.

Katrina enjoyed traveling to St. Paul this past year with the HCO Grassroots group to meet with legislators. She took the day off of work and spent her time there carrying a sign encouraging the legislators to support providers like HCO, which need help funding critical services and attracting good staff members.

Katrina is a regular at Saehler Drive, which she likes a lot. She loves celebrations and is the party planner at the house. They make food and punch, and they have a great time. She likes the Compass dances, and she was part of a costume contest on Halloween where she took third place. “I got beat out by a monkey and a witch!” she says. She went as a Skeleton Bride. 

Katrina’s energies continue to be spent on preparing to live independently. She is working on saving more money and needs to try for her driver’s license. She dreams of living on her own, being able to invite friends over, relaxing, and enjoying her kitty.

Rosanne

Rosanne Kubicek joined the Board of Home and Community Options around 1977, when the organization was still called Group Homes of Winona. Though there were several events in her life that directed her path to the non-profit, it was Rosanne’s niece, Joanne, who became the final catalyst that brought Rosanne to HCO.

Rosanne’s sister, Florence, gave birth to Joanne (and her twin sister, Jan, who passed away 9 years ago) in August of 1944. Joanne’s father was in the service, so Florence and her twins lived with Rosanne and their parents. Joanne has developmental challenges, and it became evident fairly shortly after her birth that her life was to be different from her sister’s.  Rosanne has always felt that the Lord blessed her by giving her Joanne to love and care for since Joanne has added so much joy and happiness to her life.

At that time, Rosanne recalls that expectations for Joanne’s future were not rosy. In many families, Joanne would have been institutionalized. Florence was adamant, however, that she would be kept at home and cared for by the family. When Joanne was about 14 years old, the public schools began offering programs for people with moderate disabilities. Joanne attended school until she was 18 before graduating to the Developmental Achievement Center.

Florence and Joanne

Rosanne’s professional career began shortly after high school when she became secretary to the Academic Dean at the College of Saint Teresa, and it was there that she met Sister Yvonne Elskamp. Sister Yvonne was on the faculty of the Education Department, which was training women to teach special education. In addition to teaching, Sister Yvonne was also the first executive director of Group Homes of Winona. The organization had one group home established at the time; they were in the process of choosing residents for a second and were meeting with the neighbors to ease the transition of new residents to the neighborhood. After becoming familiar with Rosanne’s family, Sister Yvonne encouraged Rosanne to use her experience and talents on the organization’s Board of Directors. Rosanne and Florence had been very involved with the Winona County Association for Retarded Citizens, which at the time had a chapter in Winona, and it seemed natural to Rosanne that she should become involved with Group Homes, even though Joanne was not involved in the program at the time.

During the 1980s, Group Homes continued to grow and add services. Individual homes housed fewer people, giving them a more family-like feel.  In 1987, the name was changed to Home and Community Options to better reflect its expanding mission. Since then, Joanne has been served by HCO’s various programs over the years while still living with Florence and Rosanne.  Over the years, Florence has commented that she never thought Joanne would have the opportunities that HCO has given her to make her life so meaningful.

After the death of her mother, Joanne continues to live with Rosanne who is her legal guardian.  The home consists of Joanne, Rosanne and their two dogs–Ava (a 4 year old Scottish Terrier) and Lovey (a 15 year old Poodle who came to live with them when Rosanne’s brother, Charlie, passed away two years ago).  Joanne loves the dogs and helps taking care of them.  She also helps Rosanne with a lot of household chores. “Joanne is very good at putting things away,” says Rosanne. “Charlie used to come over to fix things. He’d lay a hammer down, and when he turned around to pick it up again, Joanne would have already put it away.”

Jan, Florence, Joanne, and Uncle Charlie (left to right)

These days, Joanne attends the Benedictine Adult Day Center, which she loves. She attends Monday through Friday, and she enjoys the van rides to and from the Day Center so much that she is usually the last one dropped off each day so she can ride around town. On Wednesday afternoons, Joanne also works one-on-one with an HCO counselor at home. At the Benedictine Day Center, she enjoys trips to the casino and lunch at area restaurants. “She has a better social life than I do!” says Rosanne.

Rosanne has been an ambassador for HCO for many years, even recruiting other longtime board members like the late Stewart Shaw, whom she worked with at Winona State University. “It’s a working board!” she says. She held every office possible on the board except for treasurer. Though Rosanne has since retired from the board, she still serves on the Human Rights Committee, which meets quarterly and is a member of the HCO Production Committee. She also volunteers her time working on mailings for the organization and assisting with ticket reservations for the annual musical.  “Before the musical,” she recalls, “we tried selling chocolates at the mall as a fund raiser. We didn’t do very well with that attempt.” Now, of course, the musical is a tremendous success.

Rosanne has seen many changes over the years, not only in the way the organization raises funds, but also in the way they’ve provided services. “People in Winona County don’t know how lucky we are to have an agency like HCO,” says Rosanne. She says when she tells people from other areas about Home and Community Options, they are amazed at the scope of the agency. She has great admiration for HCO employees and is always impressed with the organization’s phenomenal growth. “The staff is tremendous, very caring, and you can tell they love their work.”

40 years later, there is no need to ask Rosanne why she continues to volunteer at HCO. “What HCO has done for my family,” she says, “there is no way I can ever possibly repay them.”