The idea for the YAYA! began back in 2019 when the Intensive Services Supervisors at the time were looking for a way to acknowledge the work the people of Intensive Services were doing daily. I spoke with each of our staff to see the type of acknowledgement they like to receive, what they think the award should look like (trophy, certificate, etc.), and what should be included in the award. The staff at the time voted overwhelmingly for a trophy and mentioned they would like some small monetary prize or gift card when they get awarded the trophy. With further input from one of our Child and Family Specialists, they voted for her suggestion for the name of the award: the YAYA! The YAYA technically stands for the You Are YOUnique Award, and it was aptly named to be able to recognize the strengths of its recipient that make them a unique and valuable member of our Intensive Services Teams. The IS Supervisors then decided it should be an award that is passed on from peer to peer. We felt that sometimes recognition from peers that are in similar positions can be more rewarding than having supervisors decide who will receive the award monthly.
Today, the YAYA! is still going strong with a few changes. Initially, we would include a $10 Starbucks gift card with the award but now the IS Coaches make sure to save three Bucketlist points each to the recipient of the YAYA! You’ll see me start the YAYA Bucketlist notification and other coaches add points to it so that the recipient can choose the gift card they want to spend their points on or save up for another Bucketlist reward. We also have one rule with the YAYA: when you choose the next person to receive the YAYA, they cannot be selected from your team. We noticed that once someone got the YAYA, it would cycle through the rest of their team before moving on to the next team. Now, our staff are challenged to look outside their immediate team, listen to their coworkers and the work they’re doing, and recognize someone from another team for the amazing work they’re doing with their clients. The YAYA! has since become a tradition of Intensive Service- North Hills and inspired a few other awards to pop up in different departments and we hope to continue to update it as needed for the people within Intensive Services. Thank you!
-Ernesto Campos, Penny Lane Centers
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Penny Lane Case Manager Anthony Dilloff, and EAH Property Manager Crystal Hortua collaborated to organize an event that brought together residents to beautify the Rayen Apartments community on Friday, September 20,2024. Previously the entrance of the building was unattractive but has now been transformed into a beautiful landscape of flowers and plants.
Understanding the environment here in Los Angeles, the residents planted drought-tolerant plants that are beautiful, require less water and enhances their community. They enjoyed the therapeutic nature of gardening and some refreshments afterwards. Our residents helped us transform their building with their time and attention while strengthening the bonds of the community.
-Anthony Dilloff, Penny Lane Centers
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UMCR (Unarmed Mobile Crisis Response team) responded to a call from LAPD Dispatch on September 17 at around 5:28 PM from a 21-year-old individual in need of a place to go. Upon arrival, UMCR approached the individual who reported that they had recently been discharged from the hospital due to substance abuse and needed to find a place to stay for treatment.
UMCR listened and provided support and validation as the individual shared their story, and for the next few hours UMCR contacted multiple organizations to assist them with their needs. UMCR was eventually able to contact a place called Clean Treatment Center located in Westlake Village. UMCR was able to immediately connect the individual to this treatment center, which agreed to send a car for him and take him in. UMCR waited for the individual to be picked up and transported to the treatment center.
-Lori Reid, Penny Lane Centers
