March 2013

Community Action

450 Syndicate Street N Saint Paul, MN 55104

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties

STRAIGHT TALK
A quarterly update to close friends of Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties

Dear Friend,

, As I look at this first quarter of the new year moment I realize that the Agency is at a watershed f in its history. First, we have hired a new Chie ways Financial Officer who will bring new ideas, new with of doing business, and a different perspective imize new eyes. Second, we have taken strides to max bringing and streamline the Agencys organization by ent. our CSBG-funded programs under one departm the Finally, and most importantly, we are entering new new year with a completed strategic plan and ities Board members. Im excited about the opportun make this presents for the future and know it will us even stronger. er, youll In the participant story included in this lett ing in see one example of the difference we are mak or peoples lives. As always, if you have thoughts at comments, please dont hesitate to contact me 651-603-5950 or at chightower@caprw.org. Sincerely,
Clarence Hightower Executive Director

STRAIGHT TALK
March 2013

IMPACTFUL DECISIONS
We are pleased to announce Dean Dalzell as the new chief financial officer. Mr. Dalzell brings over 15 years of experience working in nonprofit and corporate operations management. He comes to Community Action from the Diocese of Winona where he spent almost 10 years in financial and operations management, most recently as the director of operations. Prior to that, he was marketing operations manager at Carlson Marketing Worldwide. Dalzell holds a bachelors in international business, from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

PARTICIPANT STORY
In early 2012, Brong was accepted into the St. Paul Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Academy. At the time of his admission, Brong was employed parttime and completing his post-secondary education at a local college. From the beginning, Brong was a strong candidate. Unfortunately he suffered a medical crisis during his academy training. As a result, he fell behind in his coursework and became burdened with a substantial hospital bill. Although his case manager at Community Action helped him successfully apply for MN Care, Brong was not covered during the time of his crisis. Considering the hardships Brong now faced, our case manager contacted the hospital administration to advocate on his behalf. Due to these efforts and the assistance of a hospital social worker, the hospital agreed to forgive the bill. Brong still has one more outstanding medical bill, but he will be able to set up a payment plan should he not qualify for financial assistance through the medical clinic. In spite of all this adversity, Brong caught up with his coursework, graduated from the St. Paul EMS Academy and earned his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) National Certification in April of 2012. By June, he was working in an on-call EMS position at a local hospital and had started Phase 2 of the EMS Academy. During this time, Brong took Basic Life Support and Operations courses and gained valuable experience transporting patients in non-life threatening situations. In August, Brong was promoted by the hospital to a .7 EMS position with full benefits and is also working as a CPR Instructor.

AGENCY NEWS
Each year we set internal operating goals. In 2012, we had 27 goals and we are happy to report we reached 25, including our audit with no findings for the fourth year in a row. In January 2013, the Board approved a new strategic plan that will guide the Agency for the next three years. The full plan is on our website at www.caprw.org under About Us.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWS

Welcome new Board members: Blake Huffman, Ramsey County Commissioner Autum Lehrke, Washington County Commissioner Sam Powers, City of Saint Paul Mayors Office We thank the following members rotating off the Board, for their years of dedicated service: Since 2007 Toni Carter, Ramsey County Commissioner Ken Gilchrist, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Shar Knutson, Minnesota AFL-CIO Since 2009 Dennis Hegberg, Washington County Commissioner Congratulations to our new Board Officers: President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Kevin Myren, CommonBond Communities Julie Martignacco, Washington County Housing and Redevelopment Authority Resident Advisory Committee Lee Mehrkens, Ramsey County Director/Chief Financial Officer LeAndra Estis, Leading Individuals and Families Together to End Poverty

Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties 450 Syndicate Street N, Saint Paul, MN 55104 651-645-6445 caprw.org This document can be made available in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille or audio tape, by calling 651-603-5923 (voice) or via TTY through the Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529.