Wallowa County Chieftain
News/Community
wallowa.com
March 4, 2015
A3
Wellness Center provides mental
health services and employment
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Randy Morgan, director
of the Wallowa Valley
Chorale, is looking forward
to the March 8 concert at
the Lostine Presbyterian
Church.
Chorale
gears
up for
eclectic
concert
By Steve Tool
Wallowa Valley Chieftain
The Wallowa Valley Cho-
rale is scheduled to perform
Sunday, March 8, at 4 p.m.
at the Lostine Presbyterian
Church and conductor Ran-
dy Morgan said he expected
a great performance from
the longtime vocal group.
“The chorale was already
going strong when I moved
here in the 70s. I became
very active in it in the early
2000s,” Morgan said.
The upcoming concert
features a solo performance
by Stephen Kliewer on the
song “Thy Will be Done.”
Morgan said the song is
dedicated to chorale mem-
ber Joyce Terry, who re-
cently passed away. Joseph
postmaster Denny Kolb is
also slated for a solo.
The chorale does not
specialize in any particular
genre of music. “We try not
to limit our performances to
sacred music or popular mu-
sic. We try and use an eclec-
tic approach where we have
a good variety of music,”
Morgan said.
The chorale receives
strong community support,
according to Morgan. “In
fact, we could do a better
job of advertising ourselves.
It’s just a big job to do ev-
erything you need to do to
get the maximum amount
of people to come and see
you,” Morgan said.
The program for the per-
formance features sacred
music, pop music, including
a ’50s medley and a rework-
ing of “The Lion Sleeps
Tonight.” The performance
also includes a selection
from the movie “The Sound
of Music,” Handel’s “Praise
the Lord” and other selec-
tions.
Morgan said he picked
out the music for the last
two performances. “What
I’d like to do, is get the
members together to talk
about music and what we’d
like to do and go from there.
That way, everyone has in-
put,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the 25-mem-
ber chorale started practic-
ing for the upcoming per-
formance in January. “It’s
a fluid membership because
all of our members are busy,
and sometimes things are
going on where members
can’t sing this season with
us, but can sing for next fall.
We try to put on one concert
for the fall and one in the
spring,” Morgan said.
People interested in join-
ing the chorale can contact
any of the members or Mor-
gan himself at 541-426-
3593. “This chorale is a true
team effort. Some people
help with public relations,
getting posters or rehearsal
venues. One person can’t do
it all.” Morgan said.
The Lostine Presbyteri-
an Church is located at 132
Hwy 82 in Lostine.
Wallowa County’s wildly
swinging employment levels
and lack of an employment
office make tough work for
job seekers. Adding mental
illness to the mix can make
job-seeking a real uphill bat-
tle. Wallowa Valley Center
for Wellness employment
specialist Lem McBurney
helps those struggling with
mental illness to find mean-
ingful employment.
“What we do here is try
to help people who need
mental health services. My
category is called support-
ed employment, which is a
Dartmouth-supported pro-
gram. We wrap around peo-
ple to help them find em-
ployment that suits them,”
McBurney said.
The program helps cli-
ents find jobs they want
to perform, he added. “We
help them find those jobs,
and we help them keep
those jobs. The kind of peo-
ple we’re helping are your
friends, neighbors and rel-
atives. I have people with
master’s degrees and people
who have lived all over the
world,” McBurney said.
Client challenges range
from developmental dis-
abilities to post-traumatic
stress disorder. Anyone who
receives services from the
center is eligible for the pro-
gram. The program’s success
rate is approximately one in
three. “We look at success
as both getting and keeping
a job. ... It’s a cool program,
and until I worked it for a
year, I didn’t realize how
it changed people’s lives,”
McBurney said.
Employment helps peo-
ple feel valuable and enrich-
es their lives, according to
McBurney. “I’ve had peo-
ple who didn’t know if they
wanted to live until tomor-
row decide that they have
value. It’s not something I
create, it’s something they
create,” McBurney said.
Clients can feel like
they’ve lost control. Gainful
employment can restore a
feeling of control. “You can
get your hopes and dreams
back. These are things you
can lose when you don’t un-
derstand what’s happening.
The stability you can regain
with employment helps with
recovery,” McBurney said.
The program follows a
strict set of guidelines set by
the state and the Dartmouth
program. State oversight in-
cludes sending out review-
ers who check the financial
books along with how and
to whom the program of-
fers services. “The tenets of
supported employment are
supports offered for an un-
limited time afterwards, and
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Lem McBurney is employment specialist with the Wellness Center, which serves clients dealing with mental health challenges.
services are offered to every-
one, not just people I think
are ready,” McBurney said.
Many employers in Wal-
lowa County do not need full-
time employees, McBurney
said. “The beauty of this pro-
gram is that we have people
who are willing and happy to
work one or two days a week
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jobs suited for those people,
and employers are happy be-
cause they have someone with
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one day in two weeks,” Mc-
Burney said.
Whether it’s the biggest
or smallest job, people who
face developmental or mental
health challenges often have
a strong work ethic because
having a job is so important
to their recovery, McBurney
says. “Their work ethic is
often greater than someone
who’s just looking for the next
big thing. I have someone
who holds what some might
describe as a very menial job,
but they do that job like it’s
the most important job in the
world. They’re proud of it,
and it’s an important part of
their life.”
The program uses as many
state resources as possible,
including vocational rehabil-
itation and Worksource Ore-
gon in both training and em-
ployment. Since the shutdown
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Enterprise, McBurney occa-
sionally ferries clients to La
Grande to utilize employment
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Because of inter-county re-
lationships, clients also have
the option to relocate to Union
or Baker counties. “If we can
help them get to another place
where they want to work or
live, we will help them seek
work there and hand them
over to our counterparts there
to continue the support,” Mc-
Burney said.
The program does not at-
tempt to place people in jobs
unsuited to their skills. “I’m
there for the employer and for
my people. I’m held account-
able too,” McBurney said.
The program avoids seek-
ing charitable jobs because it
doesn’t view charitable jobs
as qualifying jobs. “We can
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for regular things,” McBur-
ney said.
The people who run the
center deserve much credit,
according to McBurney. “The
level of care people receive
here is an example throughout
the state, and it’s all because
of people like Stephen Kliew-
er, Bridget Brown, Chantay
Jett and Stephanie Williams.
Their professional and per-
sonal standards are remark-
able.”
As for McBurney, he ap-
preciates the role he plays
in helping his people find
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COLE
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recently won competing at the
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second in the 12-14 age group’s
Youth Male Bowhunter
Freestyle Division.
The 13-year-old son of Ed and
Julie Gomes tallied 511 points
among a perfect score of 600.
This past fall, Gomes bagged
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Gomes is a “fanatical” soccer
player and plans to turn out for
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meaningful jobs. I’m some-
one in their corner saying
‘You can,’ when they live in
a world of ‘You can’t,’” Mc-
Burney said.

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