Peak Community Services eNews

Kim and Kati heard her call and jumped out of bed to action. One ran for the cordless telephone and took it immediately to Tammy; the other went to the office to get the other staff person.

This was a remarkable circumstance for several reasons. The first reason is that the eight women who live there are used to staff members being up and awake all night; having someone awake in the house is typical and would not have kept anyone else awake. Because there are sometimes medical emergencies that involve more than one staff person, having one call out for assistance was also not unusual.

It was unusual for Tammy to use that phrasing. Even in a sleepy state, Kim and Kati recognized that something was amiss and were able to quickly and appropriately respond to the situation.

Second, Kim and Kati responded to the emergency very quickly, made decisions, and acted on those decisions, working in concert with one another without acknowledging one to the other what they were doing. Kim would not have been able to make a 911 call. She did what she knew to do. She went immediately to the other staff person and let her know there was an emergency in the back of the house.

Kati was taught at an early age how to dial 911 in emergency situations. Her parents knew this was a skill she might need some day, and now in her 30s, that skill was finally needed. She didn’t make the call; she didn’t know the nature of the emergency. But she got the telephone into the hands of the person who knew what to say.

The two of them could have reacted completely differently. They might have heard the call for help and done what most of us would have done: run toward the sound of the voice. This might have created some unintentional interference, and Tammy may not have been in a position to give them instructions to do what needed to be done.

Instead of doing what most of us would have done, they acted on instinct and did absolutely the right things immediately. I think that this is possibly the best definition of a “hero.”




	Bobby Knapp Bobby is one of the most talented and flexible employees at Work Services. He enjoys doing several jobs and is one of the highest production workers. He has worked here since high school graduation in the late 1980s. At first, he was very shy and hesitant, but he learned that he is very competent. He now tries anything new without hesitation. Bobby does several jobs for Total Electronics. On the day of the interview, he was working on “liquid bubbles.” He also does transmission rings for Matthew-Warren, springs for Myers Spring, shredding jobs...he works on everything. Bobby is one of the most visible employees of the agency. Every afternoon he picks up trash and recyclables. He is the only person who is in every room, every day, without fail. On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Bobby took time out of work to participate in an activity that taught inclusion to fourth grade students. Tina Foust read a book while Bobby “signed.” He allowed students to ask him questions about his life and showed many of them how to say their names in sign language. Bobby can also write, which is helpful when the person to whom he is speaking doesn’t understand sign language. It’s nice to be able to communicate using just one language, so Bobby taught everyone on his work line to speak sign language. He now participates in the agency’s monthly tour program. Bobby talks to the tour groups, using sign; one or two of his co-workers translate verbally for him. Bobby participates in Special Olympics. In April he competed in Track. He received four ribbons for a variety of competitions, including the softball toss and the long jump. During bowling season, he is hard to beat. He bowls an average of 168 and says that 200 is his high game score. Many readers know that Bobby’s mother recently passed away. Bobby’s father is doing many of the household tasks now. Bobby, with a smile, admitted that he is teaching his father how to shop. With Bobby’s brother, Jerry, they like to cook out. (Jerry does the cooking!) He also likes to go out to dinner. His favorite restaurant is Ponderosa, and his favorite meal there is the chicken fried steak. On the day of our interview, there was an early morning thunderstorm. I told Bobby my dog is afraid of thunder. Bobby said his dogs, Punky and Lucy, are also afraid of thunder. Because of that he was awake at 4:00 in the morning. I could empathize! Bobby is a very talented and caring man who gives to others before thinking about himself. Every day he confronts situations that would stymie most of us, but he is not afraid to jump right in. We could all take a lesson.	Heroes Among Us: Kim & Kati How often do we have the opportunity to be heroes? Two women at the Winamac Women’s Group Home had an opportunity recently, but they are taking it all in stride. Here’s the story. One night, when most of the residents were in bed, one had an intensive seizure. Tammy McCann, a staff member on duty that night, was assisting the woman at the time the seizure occurred, but she realized that she needed help. The other staff person was busy with another resident in another part of the house and did not hear Tammy’s cries for help. In desperation, Tammy finally called out, “Emergency! 911!” Kim and Kati heard her call and jumped out of bed to action. One ran for the cordless telephone and took it immediately to Tammy; the other went to the office to get the other staff person. This was a remarkable circumstance for several reasons. The first reason is that the eight women who live there are used to staff members being up and awake all night; having someone awake in the house is typical and would not have kept anyone else awake. Because there are sometimes medical emergencies that involve more than one staff person, having one call out for assistance was also not unusual. It was unusual for Tammy to use that phrasing. Even in a sleepy state, Kim and Kati recognized that something was amiss and were able to quickly and appropriately respond to the situation. Second, Kim and Kati responded to the emergency very quickly, made decisions, and acted on those decisions, working in concert with one another without acknowledging one to the other what they were doing. Kim would not have been able to make a 911 call. She did what she knew to do. She went immediately to the other staff person and let her know there was an emergency in the back of the house. Kati was taught at an early age how to dial 911 in emergency situations. Her parents knew this was a skill she might need some day, and now in her 30s, that skill was finally needed. She didn’t make the call; she didn’t know the nature of the emergency. But she got the telephone into the hands of the person who knew what to say. The two of them could have reacted completely differently. They might have heard the call for help and done what most of us would have done: run toward the sound of the voice. This might have created some unintentional interference, and Tammy may not have been in a position to give them instructions to do what needed to be done. Instead of doing what most of us would have done, they acted on instinct and did absolutely the right things immediately. I think that this is possibly the best definition of a “hero.”








	1416 Woodlawn Avenue Logansport, IN 46947 574-753-4104	1104 South US Highway 35 Winamac, IN 46996 574-946-6188
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