ABA NEWS

ABA Appreciates - New Take on Existing Tool to Recognize Staff

Recently, ABA rebranded the "Thank-You blog" and has launched the new "ABA Appreciation Blog." This blog is meant as a way for staff to recognize employees for their outstanding contributions, teamwork, or other noteworthy effort. Whether a colleague helped you with a difficult project, or just made your day more positive, the ABA Appreciation Blog is a great way to let those employees know that you appreciate their efforts.

Your kind words spread far! Every submission to the Appreciation Blog is forwarded to the recipient to let them know how much they are appreciated. Visit the ABA Appreciation Blog!

Josh's Heart Update

Don Nahhas, administrative support coordinator II for the Environmental Health & Safety office, provided The FOCUS with the following update to his earlier piece regarding the charity named after his son.

Since we began Josh’s Heart, Inc. in October 2016, we have continued our Blessing Backpack drive for the summer of 2017. With the help of so many people, we have successfully created 100 Blessing Backpacks for our community. We will not stop there! Our goal is 200 for the summer - only 100 more to go.

Some of the highlights for this year so far have been, Sacramento State’s United Staff Assembly giving us an opportunity to have a table at the staff picnic in June, and sending out an email for people to donate. We received several bags of goodies and supplies, cash donations and PayPal donations.  Herky even showed us some love!.

Rex Moore Electrical Contractors and Engineers provided their work/classroom for our assembly night as well as around 15 of their employees. With help from them and other volunteers, we were able to assemble 100 Blessing Backpacks in record time, just one and a half hours!

Several families came out to distribute the Blessed Backpacks to our community. Here is what a couple of our volunteers had to say about their experience, “We just gave away two of the backpacks. Maya and Elijah, her children, are so happy. Maya said she has never felt so happy. By giving us those backpacks to bless homeless you have really blessed our family. The kids definitely want to go to the next backpack give away.”   

“I struggled to get through today, just being tired and wanting to get home. After work, I had committed a week ago to volunteer for a charity, Josh's Heart, putting together Blessing Backpacks for the homeless, and suddenly all those feelings of being tired and not wanting to do anything went away. This lifted my spirit and brought life in me knowing I was doing something good for others when all I wanted to do was go home and rest. It was great being able to help.”

Without the help of our friends, family and community, we would not be able to bless those less fortunate. Thank you Hornet family for your gifts and donations to help us keep our son’s memory alive.

Future projects: Once we complete the summer drive, we will continue to work on our Fall Blessing Backpack drive. Our goal is 200 blessing backpacks.  We are also working with two couples and our church to put together Blessing Lunches to be distributed on Thanksgiving morning.

Blue Lamp is planning a benefit concert, as well as a Comedy Night with the proceeds going to Josh’s Heart.  Details will be posted on our website http://joshsheart.org and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/joshmooresheart.

My wife, Dawn and my older daughter, Brittany are working on two educational components for the fall. The first, by Brittany, is to speak to high school and college students about the effects of “the first” drink and binge drinking, and how it can lead to addiction and how that addiction affects your body, life choices, friends and family. The second, by Dawn, is to speak to those who are addicted, as well as their families, on the how it is to watch someone you love go through the addiction and ultimately lose their life to it.  She will also offer resources for those who want to get out of this vicious cycle.

Family Feud Win Results in Pizza Party

We hope you heard about all of the fun we had at our last All Staff Professionals meeting on April 4, 2017. We played a fun game of Family Feud and the table with the most points received a special prize. The fine men of the grounds team celebrated their victory with a pizza party. Thank you for participating!

Grounds Keeping Team: Dale Knorr, Johnathan Davis, Luis Sanchez, Larry Rich, Doug Edens, Matt Perrin, Edward Woodbury, Chardik Teves