THE MANAGER’S WALK

By Chris Dugan

On Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Don Potenski, the manager of Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center (JKRC), came out for a little walk downtown with 4 clients, Laurence Bonds, Frank Davis, Carl Ramnauth, and me, Chris Dugan, along with one of the JKRC’s night staff, Ruth Betzler. On our walk we found ourselves sitting at Starbucks talking about some issues that reside here at the JKRC and Don’s future plans for the Center.

An issue that came up was the cafeteria and Don’s plan for improvement of the food service in various areas. Other future plans for the JKRC will tend to make life for residents and clients a little easier and more exciting. These plans include such things as updating to new equipment, getting new books for the Literacy Room and getting Internet for the residential computers, making them all printer-accessible and information easier to get.

We actually had fun on the walk and recently I had the opportunity to ask some questions about that night, so I asked Don when he thought we would take another walk?

Don replied, “I made the promise that I would like to do this at least once a month. I’m going to come in for the evening and do a walk and just see whoever wants to show up. Once a month is my goal and I’m sure that by August we will have 17 of us walking down with our canes. We’ll have to call Starbucks up ahead of time to make reservations, but it’s something I think is very important. I would even like to do it more than once a month, but I have my family commitments and other things so I never like to make a promise I can’t keep. I just want to say that I think the walk was very important because it showed me how you guys really used your canes and did a lot. When I went back I talked to the staff, and because of that walk to Starbucks, I’m going to implement night time mobility lessons. Now I don’t know exactly how we’ll start just yet, but I talked already to the mobility staff and we’re going to have at least one mobility lesson a month that’s at night.”

I also asked Don what he’d hoped to accomplish on the Manager’s walk. He said, “What I personally wanted to accomplish in the Manager’s walk was just to sit down and meet you guys--talk with you guys and to be accessible and have something authentic and meaningful. That was my whole goal and that’s why I do wish to do it again.

“I value other opportunities for other involvements with staff, like you’ve been doing with family day and the sleep shade lunch.  My goal is to see staff involved in an authentic and meaningful way with the students who are here.”

My last and final question to Don was, “Where do you see the JKRC in the next 2 or 3 years?”

And Don answered, “Well there’s no question about it. It’s going to be the best rehab center in the country. Now there’re going to be a lot of baby steps before we get there, but that’s where I see JKRC in 2 to 3 years.”