Vicki Erickson
I am one of the original 24 direct care workers selected from around the country to participate in the inaugural class of Voices Institute in 2008 . I am very proud to be a graduate of the very 1st Voices Institute.
One of the many things that has stuck with me is when we talked about the most courageous acts of our lives. For me, it was joining Iowa Caregivers Association because it brought my passion back to direct care. I was getting burned out and was ready to leave the direct care field at the time, but the Iowa Caregivers Association has taught me to have voice to talk to other CNA’s about what is going on in the health care field.
These types of discussions were unbelievably helpful, and we got into some pretty intense and hard work too. I was under the impression that the Voices Institute was going to be a retreat. When I think of a retreat, I think of relaxation and kicking back. Boy was I wrong. We started classes at 9:00 a.m. and finished at 5:00 p.m., some nights we didn’t get done until 7:00 p.m. We had two nights of optional classes at 8:00 p.m.
Despite the hard work, we also had some fun and squeezed in time for relaxation. We stayed at the DeKoven Center in Racine, WI, which is on an 11-acre wooded campus on the shores of Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago. It is a place where you can do a lot of thinking. We had a group of walkers that would get up every morning at 6:00 am to walk along Lake Michigan. It is a very beautiful sight.
It’s been a while since this experience, but not a day goes by that I don’t think of the things I learned and the people I met. Take a moment to fit some relaxation and reflection into your day, no matter where you are.
Vicki,
Thank you for being such an inspiration to all of us in the work you do. It is wonderful to know that the Voices Institute has had such a lasting effect.
Vera
Vicki,
It was a fantastic, life-changing experience! I’m so glad I am a member of that inaugural class too! Like you, I thought we were on a “retreat.” Look at the things we’ve accomplished since May of 2008! So many here in Maine, workers have a voice in revamping Maine’s Home and Community Based Care System, we’ve actually got a Direct Care Worker Taskforce set up with the Department of Health and Human Services, and at the federal level, we’re working to get rid of that “companion” classification in the Fair Labor Standards Act, that exempts home care workers from minimum wage and paid overtime when they work over time. It is incredible what we’re doing! Thanks to Voices 2008! I’m so glad we are a part of it! I am so glad that I know you!
Vicki,
Thank goodness the 2cd class had you and other 2008 graduates to tell us that “retreat” was not what VI was about. Although the grounds in Racine are relaxing and beautiful what stayed with me most was the people I met and the leaders I was inspired by.