Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About Dignity (Salem, OR) 200?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2004)
Stories from Oregon’s homecare workers... Meet Randy Dolezal: Heart, Pride, & Participation by Debra Davis, Homecare District Director, Coos Bay Caregiving comes from the heart and when I met Randy Dolezal, a caregiver in Myrtle Point, I saw the real heart and soul of caregiving at it’s . finest. Mentally handicapped from birth in 1956, he could not speak until he was? 12. His mother, Barbara “Little Birdie” fought fiercely to help him reach his full potential. He is involved in Special Olympics, in his community and his church. In 1982, he began caring for his grandmother and in4'999, after careful evaluation by SPD, he began providing care to his sweet mother who had taught him well about caring and giving. Randy is very proud to be a union member, arid loves to attend our meetings. It gives him a chance to meet and interact with other providers. He always participates. He is also a CAPE contributor. And feels veiy strongly about our issues. A registered voter, he proudly supports John Kerry because "Kerry will protect the people. Kerry will help the people and lower gas prices.” He benefited from job training under President Carter’s Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) and supports candidates based on how they will stand up for the issues of real people. I’m proud to call him a friend Randy Dolezal and I am inspired by his dedication to his work. Efforts Result in Solution to Payment for Time Off “After taking care of my mother.for four years as a live-in without taking a day off, I volunteered to go on a women’s mission to Mexico with my church for two weeks this summer,” said Linda Brennan, a homecare Worker in Klamath Falls. “I arranged for family members to take care of , Mom. Then I talked to her case manager about getting the paid time off I’ve earned under my union contract They were fine about the time off, but they couldn’t figure out how to pay me.”: At first SPD wanted Linda’s relatives to sign up as CEP providers to make the computer happy, but Linda objected. After a few discussions between SEIU representatives and the SPD ceh- tral office in Salem, SPD found a satisfactory way to get Linda paid AND have her family take care of Dahlia. “I am very pleased with the help I got from SEIU,” said Linda, “and really looking Linda Brennan and her mother-Dahlia Jackson- forward to this trip.” Page 2 STRONGER TOGETHER
