Pilot Program in Rock Valley

Hope Haven Ambassadors: Changing the Narrative

By 7017444915 • June 26, 2026
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…” 1 Peter 4:10 At Hope Haven, we believe every person has God-given gifts to share. That belief is at the heart of the Hope Haven Ambassadors, a group of individuals served through Hope Haven’s My Day program who are learning to use their voices, share their stories, and advocate for themselves and others. The Ambassadors were formed in January 2025 after a community experience sparked a bigger conversation about inclusion, dignity, and the way individuals with disabilities are perceived. Since then, the group has been working to help change that narrative. The Ambassadors have presented to community groups, attended advocacy trainings, traveled to the Capitol, and spoken about issues that matter. Along the way, they are building confidence, developing leadership skills, and helping others understand that every person deserves to be included and respected. For Maggie, being an Ambassador is about helping her community see people with disabilities as equals. “I want individuals with disabilities to be treated as equal to everybody else,” she shared. “I want my community to know it’s okay to be different.” For Lori, the message is simple but powerful. “We are regular people who have different challenges,” she said. “I want to help my community understand that people with disabilities are not less of a person because of their disabilities.” For Octavio, advocacy means using his voice not only for himself, but also for others who may struggle to speak up for what they need. Through his experience with the Ambassadors, he has learned something important: “Our voice matters.” Programs like My Day are about so much more than daily activities. They are about friendship, confidence, purpose, community, and belonging. They create opportunities for people to discover their strengths, build relationships, serve others, and take part in the world around them. Your support helps us continue creating opportunities like the Hope Haven Ambassadors, where individuals can build confidence, share their stories, and discover the power of their voice. Your gift allows us to keep growing alongside those we serve, making an impact that lasts. If you wish to contribute, plea se CLICK HERE to donate today. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and partnership in Hope Haven’s mission .
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Thanks to a creative partnership, Hope Haven will soon launch an innovative staffing strategy for its Direct Support Professional Staff. Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disability Serves and GreatLife based in Kansas are partnering with Hope Haven to offer a strategy that will enough DSP staff to have greater work/life balance while providing the people it serves with more consistency in their daily lives.

The 12-week pilot program will begin in Rock Valley’s adult services programs in January, with agency-wide implementation to follow sometime in the future.

In the summer of 2021, LeAnn Blau, Hope Haven’s Director of Community Living Services, heard representatives of GreatLife Innovations present its staffing model at an ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and Resources) event. One of their seminars covered managing the workforce crisis. “They’ve been looking at different strategies to help manage that and continue to build quality service delivery for the persons with disabilities receiving services,” she said.

After sharing what she learned from that seminar with others at Hope Haven, the leadership staff became familiar with GreatLife’s scheduling model and began a partnership with GreatLife to plan for implementation at Hope Haven. The scheduling model is based on management and retention strategies tested by the University of Kansas. “These are tested systems and different scheduling strategies that have worked for organizations across the United States,” said Blau.

The pilot program’s shift schedule will be based on a front half/back half model, a 12-hour shift structure with consistently scheduled shifts for each staff member. Some staff members will consistently work on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday one week and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the following week. Other staff members will consistently work Thursday, Friday, Saturday one week, and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the next week. “By working this type of schedule, staff will have over half of the year off. So that’s a big win-win,” said Blau.

“This staffing model will provide the people we support with greater continuity of care. Research shows that this staffing model creates happier staff that stay with the agency longer, resulting in consistent care and better outcomes for the people we support,” explained Carla Kieft, Hope Haven’s Director of Day Habilitation Services.

Doug Smit, Hope Haven’s Director of Mental Health and Family Services, said GreatLife has used this scheduling model for over 15 years and has proven effective. “They have a very low turnover rate,” he said. It’s also been beneficial for the people that they serve because they know who will be working on what day.”

In addition to providing the current staff with a better work-life balance, the team at Hope Haven hopes that this new model of scheduling will attract new staff. Including Double HH Manufacturing, Hope Haven’s staff sits at 608, leaving about 35 open positions at the organization.

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