Anna's Blog

Our newest Oregon agency to join the nearly 55 other agencies in the State is The Ron Wilson Center. The Ron Wilson Center is a private non-profit agencyfounded in 1974 by a group of parents and concerned citizens.  The agency provides quality residential care, life skills training and vocational services for adults with developmental disabilities.

At the heart of Ron Wilson Center’s mission is the belief that persons with developmental challenges deserve the same opportunities to lead normal lives as every other citizen. At Therap…we LOVE that kind of belief!

Welcome Paul Steed, Executive Director, and the entire Ron Wilson Center staff to our family of quality providers!

Well Therapites, day one of my re-location to Austin, TX. ended near the northern tip of California close to the Redwood Forest. What a place to travel through!  If you ever get the opportunity to visit the Redwood Forest…GO. As one of our Nation’s oldest scenic landmarks, the Redwoods are an awesome sight to behold. It was amazing to me that some of the tree trunks were actually bigger than the width of our car. CRAZY HUGE trees!  If only they could talk and tell their story. Wouldn’t that be something to hear?!

Day two of my trip has us resting at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I have never seen this part of the state and I was taken with how beautiful the mountains and valleys are. I watched the sunset tonight as it went down behind the lake. Breath-taking!

Enjoy the pics! They don’t do the locations justice but it does give you a little idea of where I’ve been…so far.

Where’s this Therapite headed this week??? If you guessed “Colorado” you would be correct!

Yep, I am headed into mid-70 degree temperatures to visit with a CCB…that would be Community Center Board…that is anxious to take a close look at Therap and decide if they want to join the many other CCB organizations in the State that have moved over to electronic documentation. Whoo Hoo!!! I love getting new agencies aboard this amazing bus we call THERAP!

Hello Colorado!!!! I’ve missed you lately…wait, I was just there…well, I miss you when I leave.

To all of our Therap Agencies – May you have a very happy and blessed Easter!

See you next week!

As if raising four boys wasn’t expensive enough…birth, childhood, braces, sports, proms, cars, college…whoo!…and then you catch a break…they begin to grow up, leave the nest, and you feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. You might actually get to start putting away some of that cash for a rainy day. Well, it was a nice thought…for about a minute. Out newest child seems to be taking a firm grip to my wallet as of late. Burton Kersey, our 10 week old Labrador, has introduced me to an entirely different kind of indulgence… Puppy Shopping!

Yes, it is not a surprise that you can find boutique after cute doggie boutique  just about anywhere you go, and we too have become victims to this consumer phenomena.  Beyond Science Diet and the new Vet bills to assure that he is physically healthy, there is a plethora of emotional wellness items that have required our purchase. Lets see, to get us through his puppy chewing phase, the vet recommended lots and lots of toys (can’t have to many she told us…yeah, we got that covered), a fluffy pillow bed (because the floor is way too hard), the crate (that he will eventually learn to like when he eventually goes into it), traveling water bottle (because he HAD to have the cool lid that makes into a bowl), a chuck it ball (even puppies want to play fetch), treats for learning tricks (obviously dogs have WIFM requirements too), puppy school (yes, young Mr. Kersey MUST be mannerly), doggie toothbrushes with special toothpaste (dental hygiene is important…just sayin’), Oregon Ducks collar and matching leash (his U of O Dad’s requirement), special waste bags for walks (because responsible pet owners are appreciated by everyone), and the list goes on and on! I gotta say, College is beginning to seem reasonable compared to puppy ownership!

Wait…just when I thought I had all the basics covered and I was shaping up to be a good puppy parent, I find that there is even a magazine that is dedicated to dogs…AND their “modern owners” (because there must be some periodical that manipulates my puppy spending habits and Modern Dog magazine seems to be the tool. From 10 Things you MUST have at the Doggie Park to Baking the Perfect Cupcake for your Pooch…its all there.

The things you do for love! Geez!!!

Therap is very proud to announce the addition of our newest Therap family member, Goodwill Colorado Springs!

Throughout the country you can find Goodwill Industries helping people from all walks of life. It is their mission to help people reach their highest level of personal and economic independence.

In Colorado Springs, Goodwill is doing some amazing work with people that have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through their day and residential programs, Goodwill is getting it done to help individuals to reach their highest potential and we are excited to have Therap be a part of the great service that Goodwill Colorado Springs provides.

Brent and I look forward to working with Denise, Tamara, Jessica and all of the Goodwill staff to help them achieve their goal of becoming paperless!

When I was out and about this weekend I had the chance to go to Moonstruck and gather treats in preparation for Easter. Here are just a few of my goodies I brought home. The egg is Salted Chocolate. It has a very distinctive taste but a bit more salty than I prefer. Its a favorite one of my friends and they are going to L-O-V-E it. Then there were the truffle Easter Eggs. YUMMY! Lastly, I had to get a truffle labrador. He is just too cute to eat!

Burton’s newest adventure was a trip to Newport, OR. for his first ocean experience. At first we thought he might be a little frightened of all the dogs and the water…uhhh…we were SOOO wrong!

It took us about 5 minutes to realize that Burton quickly had re-defined the term “Rock Star”. We literally could not walk 10 feet without someone wanting to pet him or have a puppy talk conversation with him. Nick and I…we were NOTHING but the dog walker for Sir Burton the Rock Star. It was unbelievable and he LOVED every second of the attention. As for the water…not even a hint of trepidation. He went right up to the edge of the water…got his feet wet in the frigid NW ocean temperatures and pranced back out awaiting the next victim to happen by and be drawn to his aura.  Ahhh…puppies. Who can resist them??? Its impossible!

Most of this week was spent in Central Oregon. I had SOOOO wished that Spring would be popping its head into this part of the Nation and shining its warm and sunny smile across Eugene and Bend. Not to be the case, as I woke up Wednesday and enjoyed cold…cold…cold…and wet…wet…wet throughout the rest of the week through Saturday WHEN….by late afternoon the sun poked its head out for a couple hours and reminded me that winter here in Oregon is nearly over.

Below are a couple pics from Cascade Park. Its located between Bend, OR and Newport, OR. I didn’t do anything to the pics. I think it gives a pretty good idea of what the territory looked like for the days I was over that way. Beautiful…a little eerie…and wet…but hey, Oregon would not be the gorgeous place that it is without the wet.

Where will you find this Therapite the rest of the week??? Easy Parcheesi…I will be spreading sunshine in Monmouth, Eugene, and Bend, Oregon as three new agencies make their final decision to join the 50+ Oregon agencies that are already using Therap to improve quality, efficiency, and to save money!

Keep an eye out for updates to our Oregon Users…I’m feeling pretty confident that at least one of the agencies I’m visiting will climb on board before the week is over. Why not??? It’s THERAP!!!!