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By Steven Villareal

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5-6.”

Regina McIver’s career as a social worker has been guided by her Christian faith, and this verse from the Bible, is one that she often goes back to throughout her life.  It has been with her since she started her social work career in the military.  She was a social worker in the military for 20 years, and retired in 1997 with the rank of Major.  She then proceeded to use what she learned in the military to work for Detroit Public Schools as a school social worker until 2013.  She dedicated these years to working with children who were on the brink of being expelled from school, she then retired.

At this point she could have enjoyed life being retired spending it with her husband, but she felt that she had more to give, another career in her that was waiting to come out.  This is when she applied to be a site coordinator at River Town Assisted Living.  Now, she has had a career working with diverse populations, from people in the military to students in Detroit and so her career would not be complete without a time of working with older adults.  She took an interest of working with older adults when her mother became sick twelve years ago, as she had to learn about caregiving and dementia and even earned a certificate in care for patients with dementia.

Now, at River Town Assisted Living since fall of 2013, Regina is a social worker who helps to make sure that residents are receiving what they need to live the kind of independent life that they want.   In the brief time that she has been here she is already trying to form a resident council so that the residents can learn how to advocate for themselves. She enjoys working here and particularly likes the staff because she can tell that they enjoy their work.  She takes a creative approach to getting clients involved in residential activities and helping them to make healthy choices about their lives.

During her time off, Regina enjoys the festivals that Detroit has to offer. She and her husband are looking forward to going to “Concert of Colors”, the Jazz Festival in Hart Plaza, and the Detroit Techno Festival.  Additionally, they enjoy going to car shows and in fact, own two classic cars, a Delta 1988 and a 1978 Oldsmobile.  A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority since her college years, she is still a very active member and volunteers in community service and mentoring of the younger Deltas.  She looks forward to working at the River Town Independent Living building when it is finished.

By Dorinda Stephens

I had the pleasure of interviewing Janet Mills Service Coordinator at Belleville Co-op in the city of Belleville and Whispering Willows Co-op in Romulus.  Janet has been a Service Coordinator with Hannan since January 2014.  She works part-time at both locations.  Janet is passionate about working with vulnerable seniors, which inspired her to become a service coordinator and go back to school.  In December 2013 she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Marygrove College.  In addition, she has an Associates degree in Gerontology from Wayne County Community College.  Prior to completing her Bachelor degree, she worked at Focus Hope in Detroit for eight-years as a Senior Outreach Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator.   Janet assisted seniors who had limited resources for food by identifying and setting up miniature distributions food sites.   Also, she conducted tours, presentations about Focus Hope facility, and trained new volunteers to help serve individuals suffering from hunger within the metropolitan area.   She works closely with seniors at her church while mentoring teenage girls.  Janet implemented an intergenerational program where seniors teach the teenage girls how to sew and cook in exchange the teenage girls help the seniors operate a cell phone and computer.

Janet finds relaxation in balloon decorating for individuals celebrating a special occasion such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and kid parties.   Her favorite book is “The Shack” a Christian novel that talked about life experiences.  One of her favorite quotes from the book is “Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wings and removing its ability to fly.  Pain has a way of clipping our wings and keeping us from being able to fly.  And if left unresolved for very long, you can almost forget that you were ever created to fly in the first place.”  She enjoys spending time with her daughter who is away at Michigan State University, but the new dog Winston keeps her busy.  In the future Janet would like to continue her education by receiving a Master’s Degree in Social Work.

“Look for the good in the bad, the happy in your sad, the gain in your pain, and what makes you grateful not hateful.”

This favorite quote of Service Coordinator, Karen Baker, speaks of her optimistic and grateful attitude. After interviewing Karen, I learned what motivates and encourages her both on and off the job to notice the best in any situation.

Karen Baker was welcomed to Hannan’s Service Coordination Team in April 2012 and was appointed to serve at Washington Square Co-op in Kalamazoo, MI. A large building of over 200 residents, Washington Square distinguishes itself from other buildings due to its younger population. About half of the members are under 60 and experience some kind of disability that impairs their mobility. Karen and her partner, Matt Hamburg, share the coverage of this high rise building, with each assigned half of the alphabet.

As we begin our conversation, I ask Karen how she likes being at Washington Square Co-op. With a broad smile, Karen states, “I had a good sense from the start about this place.” She continues, sharing “what a difference it makes to finally have a job you enjoy doing.”

Prior to joining Hannan, Karen had a lengthy, rich career in human service. After graduating from Michigan State University, Karen embarked on a path that included: working in a domestic violence shelter in Detroit, where she received training in domestic violence prevention; advocating for neglected and abused girls; and serving as a Child Protective Services worker for the state of Michigan in the foster care system for eleven years.

While Karen found each of these positions rewarding in their challenges, there is a big difference between her job satisfaction then and now. Karen appreciates that her present clients are seeking, rather than being forced to receive, help. As their advocate for resources, Karen enjoys the connections she makes with her members who freely choose her services. Believing that she is getting paid to live her mission, Karen states “Everything I have done in my career so far has prepared me really well for this job.”

When asked about the gifts she brings as a Service Coordinator, Karen recalls the words of a member who affirmed her ability to “honor others’ dignity.” She also notes her non-judgmental approach. As an observer, Karen’s gentleness and kindness are additional gifts that I would imagine would be comforting and supportive for her members.

Karen credits two people as well as her faith as playing important roles in influencing her career path in human service. Her Aunt Bernie fostered about 50 children over the years. Her passion for helping people inspired Karen to also commit to a life of service. Another guide was a Sunday school teacher who was also a judge who worked with delinquent youth. Both his faith and his work instructed and encouraged Karen to become a CPS worker.  Karen’s United Methodist religious tradition has a strong commitment to social justice. The teachings and her own worshipping community have helped Karen practice the values and share the spirit in the world around her.

To know Karen is to know her son, Trent (14). A big part of who Karen is, Trent was only a toddler when his father, Art, Karen’s husband of over 20 years, died after a short bout with end-stage kidney cancer. Karen sees the best of her husband’s personality in her son with whom she spends a good deal of her time. The two like to play Kinect together and with Trent’s friends who enjoy spending time at Karen’s home.

When Art was alive, he encouraged Karen to take up stained glass making, following Karen’s gift to him of a class series. Karen pursued stained glass for about 15 years. She hopes to return to some unfinished projects when time allows.  Karen and Art also enjoyed fishing trips together.

Today, Karen’s ideas of fun include dancing with her friends and trying out new recipes on them. Karen considers her friends her “guinea pigs” for her cooking experiments.

When asked about what she would like to accomplish or share as a Service Coordinator, Karen hopes to attend in person the once-a-month professional development trainings in Detroit and be able to meet with her colleagues. She also hopes to continue to avail of educational workshops like the one she attended to receive training in Excel. Karen enjoys making flyers and is open to sharing her ideas with her colleagues. Recently, Karen hosted a service dog workshop which she described as “the most fun” of all she has planned so far. More details about this event can be found in the January 2014 edition of SCoop.

Describing Washington Square as her “favorite place,” Karen clearly declares, “I’m staying!” This kind of clarity reminds me of the quote from Howard Thurman that states “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

After spending some time with Karen, I had a sense that being a Service Coordinator brings her much life and that the community Karen serves benefits greatly from her enthusiasm.

Written by Deirdre Manning

Matthew Hamburg’s journey back to the city of his alma mater, Kalamazoo, where he is serving as the co-Service Coordinator (with Karen Baker) for Washington Square Co-op¸ has been marked with interesting twists, turns, adventure, and synchronicity. Believing that all things work out in the end and that life leads up to what one is doing now, Matt has a story replete with examples of this happening.

The seeds of his calling to social work were planted during Matt’s career experience prior to his enrollment in the BSW program at Western Michigan University. Among his employment endeavors included almost a decade in the restaurant industry as a professionally trained bar tender and floor manager of a restaurant. Both positions afforded Matt plenty of opportunity to interact with and learn about people, equipping him with insight and building on his interpersonal skills that he would eventually use as a social worker. Matt also received training in Electrocardiograph Technology (EKG) and worked as a door-to-door fundraiser for a non-profit organization.

Not satisfied with the lifestyle of the restaurant and wanting more, Matt enrolled in his local community college. It was a career counselor at the college who both educated and inspired Matt in the direction of social work. This man suggested that Matt enroll in an “introduction to social work” class. Matt’s curiosity about the counselor’s education path to his role informed Matt of the career options with a MSW. One thing led to another, and Matt decided to apply and was accepted into the BSW program at Western Michigan University.

Following graduation, Matt and his girl friend, Kate, embarked on a “6-7 month jaunt” to South America. Having planned and saved for this adventure for over a year and a half, the two covered the continent, visiting Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Patagonia, and Argentina. While overseas, Matt applied and learned of his acceptance as an advanced standing student to U-M’s Social Work program. While still overseas, Matt was in communication with Rachel Jacobsen (who held Brenda’s position as Director of Social Work at the time). He interviewed and was accepted as an intern to work with Rachel on special projects and as a case manager under Cheryl Bukoff’s direction at the Zena Baum Center.

Here’s where Matt’s story takes a key turn. One of the projects Matt was assigned was to help create the CSI Service Coordination program! From the ground up, Matt assisted with the planning, investigating, and the hiring process for the initial CSI Service Coordination Team. Little did Matt know that two weeks after graduating from U-M in August 2012, he would be offered a position as a Service Coordinator, working at Belleville Co-op, where he served for a year and a half.

Though only one month into his position at Washington Square, the easy, comfortable manner I observe in Matt in his office space and in the interactions with other residents speaks of this being the right fit, both professionally and personally.  In addition to settling into this new building, Matt also participates in the monthly licensing group with fellow SC’s, with aspirations of sitting for (and passing) the exam this summer.

When not at work, Matt has many and varied interests. A self-professed “foodie,” Matt loves everything about food – its smell, touch, taste. From his homegrown vegetable garden and open air farmer’s markets, Matt lives and appreciates his value of understanding the person in environment approach of social work. An aspiration of Matt’s is to receive formal training in cooking. When not pursuing his passion for all things food, Matt is an avid music lover of many kinds (especially Motown and Folk) and a listener of NPR. His aspirations include continuing to pursue proficiency in Spanish and to travel the world. Self-care practices for Matt include physical exercise, being in nature, and traveling. Matt identifies his favorite movie as The Intouchables, describing it as a “sweet story.”

At the close of our interview, Matt professed what might be a summation of his life philosophy: “I don’t worry too much about too much.” From all the evidence so far in his life, there seems to be no need for worry but much more cause for marvel!

Written by Deirdre Manning