The Common Thread: The Official newsletter of Community House
Vol. 3, Issue 9, Fall 2022
Read the official newsletter of Community House Fall 2022. This month’s newsletter features include staff and member profiles, upcoming events, an organization schedule, and so much more!
Staff Interview: Cat
Catriana (Cat) joined the staff of Community House recently, working as an Outpatient Case Manager. She grew up in San Francisco. Cat says “it was pretty cool to grow up in a big city and being exposed to the culture there”. Cat misses San Francisco but she’s not sure when she’s going back there. Cat moved to Seattle in 2017 to attend Seattle University, where she got her degree in social work, and has been here ever since. She chose mental health as her career
because “I have a personal connection to the field, plus there just needs to be more people working in the mental health field in general. I’m happy to participate in it and help in that way.”
Cat chose Community House for her next job because Samantha was really nice in the interview, and the pay here is a little bit better than where she was working previously. Also, her office has windows! Her goal with Community House is “to be able to do this job and do it well, to be a helpful support to my clients and mostly just to help out and hopefully make positive changes.” I asked her if there is a specific person at Community House who’s had a positive
effect on her, and she replied “everybody, for the most part, but I recently took Paul O. out to lunch for his 70th birthday” and remarked that “he was awesome and a delight to be around!” As far as the staff goes, Cat stated that Samantha “is a great supervisor and I love all the case managers; Michelle, Alejandra and Jason are all great, but I’m sad Alejandra and Jason are leaving.”
“I am inspired by good weather and am trying to enjoy the summer here as much as possible”, Cat commented. She loves having access to lakes and swimming there when there isn’t a sewage burst and it is safe to swim. When she is not enjoying the great outdoors, she likes arts and crafts, and has recently been creating jewelry and making her own
rug. When I asked Cat if there is anything else she’d like to share with us, she replied, “Just in case anyone is wondering, I dye my hair – this isn’t my natural color!” Cat is very fun and animated when talking, and has a good sense of humor as well. She is happy to be here, and I think she’s a delightful addition to the case manager team.
Welcome, Cat!
By Elizabeth C.
Member Interview: Bruce H
On the third Thursday of every month, you may have the pleasure of hearing Bruce belt out some oldie goldies for karaoke. What you may not know is that he also bell rings and sings for donations for the Salvation Army during the winter holidays (usually the starting the Friday before Thanksgiving). He is a lover of making art in his free time and you may have seen his pieces on the art board in the common area.
In 1982, when lunch at Community House was $0.25 Bruce officially enrolled in Community House. Community House has helped Bruce “thrive, grow and sustain”, he claims that it would be hard to imagine where he would be without Community House. Bruce enjoys stimulating conversation with fellow clients, and learning better social skills. Bruce grew up in Los Angeles, and was born in Chicago. He came to Seattle in 1973 and thought that it was a “beautiful city”. Bruce did try to live in Portland but it didn’t agree with him. He didn’t have any family in Seattle and believed his pioneering spirit made him want to live in Seattle officially in 1981.
Bruce is constantly inspired by his big collection of vinyl, CDs, and cassettes. He believes that the best sound comes from his iPod. He loves his daughters and tries to keep in contact with them on a weekly basis and visit them as much as possible.
A typical day for Bruce means climbing out of bed before 8 o’clock, brews his coffee while shaving, listens to music and reads, then gathers his belongings to conquer the day. Bruce’s love of music came from his mother. His mother would play the radio, and rock and roll music was constantly on. Bruce is a Beatles and a Rolling Stones fan. Bruce used to find joy in drawing pictures as a kid and his passion only grew into adulthood. Now, Bruce tries to make all new Community House Members feel welcomed.
by Rosina P
