The Friday Finish – July 12, 2024
Rackin’ em up!
Work Camp teams are easily identified in the Red Bird communities as they shuttle back and forth doing home repairs, or as they tackle needed building maintenance on the Red Bird Mission campus. But, it’s the long term volunteers, or Work Camp team members that do valuable service to help in the Mission’s programs that are often unseen by the public. Dozens of long term volunteers come for a week, or more, to help in Community Outreach, the Community Store, and in Work Camp every year.
This week, Bill and Alice, at ages 92 and 85, came again to help the Community Store hang clothes for stocking. Bill served on the Red Bird Mission Board of Directors a number of years in the 1990’s and his love for Red Bird led him to volunteer after board service. Bill and Alice united in marriage late in life and are now united in their dedication and service to Red Bird.
Betty Mosley, Community Store Supervisor, said that the volunteers are key to the staff’s ability to sort through the thousands of bags and boxes delivered each year. Every volunteer is welcomed and made to feel a part of the staff even if it’s for a few hours or days, but it’s a family reunion each time the long term volunteers come back to serve.
Community Health Workers Ready to Open Doors
Certification by the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) as a Community Health Care Worker (CCHW) is a process requiring 144 hours of instruction, internship and shadowing that takes months to complete. Red Bird will soon have four CCHW’s available to educate, mediate, advocate and assist vulnerable individuals navigate health and social service systems to obtain care and services that address their health concerns. Kayla Collett, Office Manager and Dental Assistant for Red Bird Dental Clinic, was the first to be certified. Candace Collins, Family Ministries Coordinator in Community Outreach, recently gained official approval to begin work. Colleen Sturgill, Community Health Outreach Coordinator, and Maci Grey, Community Aid Coordinator, are awaiting approvals from DPH.
All four work with individuals needing assistance, but have been limited in their ability to actually assist people with making application to beneficial programs such as the prescription assistance, eyeglass assistance, health insurance enrollment, and even networking with veteran assistance programs. Candace was excited to report that she’s currently working through her first case with an application to the Kentucky Prescription Assistance Program, whereas previously the client would have been referred to a worker living outside of their home community.
Dr. Bill Collins, Red Bird Dental Director, has been working as a member of the Kentucky Board of Dentistry, to develop regulations that will expand on the established CCHW roles for dental workers allowing Kayla to also perform oral screenings and risk assessments for chronic dental conditions once approved by the Kentucky General Assembly.
Colleen said,
“This certification now gives us the credentials that opens doors for us to assist people here at Red Bird and in our community.”
Red Bird Valley Kitchen – An Option for Grow Appalachia Members
Produce is now rolling in for the more than 50 households participating in the Red Bird Grow Appalachia Program this year. This month’s informational meeting held Tuesday focused on improved techniques of preserving their high quality food for consumption after the harvest in the months ahead. Members took home canning jars to help store the abundant harvests so many are experiencing.
They also took a “field trip” across the parking lot to see the Red Bird Valley Kitchen facilities and equipment available at no charge for canning and freezing larger quantities. Chris Hamlin, Red Bird Grow Appalachia Coordinator, said,
“We wanted to let people see the commercial kitchen so that they know they can also use it to produce canned and baked goods for sale at our weekly farmers markets.”
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