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New Staff Continues Excellence
Friendship Ventures has a reputation for providing quality services thanks to our well qualified, experienced staff. Two recent staff additions will continue this tradition.
Marlis Warner, Director of Health Care Services, has been a registered nurse for 31 years. She was a nurse consultant for group homes, provided adult foster care in her home for 10 years and has 17 years of long-term care experience. Most recently, she was Director of Nursing for Cokato Manor.
Needing a change from long-term care led Marlis to Friendship Ventures. In this position she oversees all health care, managing nursing services and health centers at each site.
Another qualification Marlis brings to the position is experience in nurturing – as mother of eight and grandmother of 14 (with two more on the way), she gives comfort along with care. She also has great regard for Friendship Ventures participants.
“I have respect and admiration for the mentally challenged population,” Marlis said. “I think those with mental challenges share the heart and soul of the world with the rest of us.”
The other new staff member is Bridgid Bowers, Director of Conference and Retreat Services for Camp Friendship. She began her career as a special education teacher, teaching vocational skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. She also offered respite care at her home on weekends and was a personal care assistant to a boy named Brent.
The last few years she has worked at a camp and conference center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Mixing my special ed work with my camp and counseling center jobs is just perfect,” Bridgid said.
As a bonus, Bridgid may run into some of her former students. “I expect to know campers, I’m hoping to see some of the kids I worked with,” she said. “I brought Brent to or from Camp (Friendship) before as his personal care attendant,” she added. She is talking to him about attending camp this summer.
Bridgid’s new responsibilities include coordinating weekend accommodations for groups renting Camp Friendship facilities, taking reservations and overseeing the cooking and housekeeping staffs.
“I really enjoy the hospitality part of the job,” Bridgid commented. “I’ve been waiting for summer for the participants to come back. There’s a quieter feeling about camp during winter. But in summer everyone’s here having a good time.”
The addition of Marlis and Bridgid to the Friendship Ventures family helps assure summer campers will have all their needs met -- so they can just have a good time.
Friendship Ventures is a non-profit agency that creates unique educational, recreational and social opportunities for people of all ages with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. We also offer conference and retreat services and professional team-building programs to the communities we serve. Friendship Ventures operates Camp Friendship near Annandale, MN and Eden Wood Center in Eden Prairie, MN.