Growing up in the tight-knit community of Forrest, Ill., a town of about 900 people in the central region of the state, Kevin Day knows firsthand how organizations like HSS can make a big impact in a small community. Throughout childhood and adolescence, Kevin lived on the same block as his cousin, Susie. Susie was born...
Like many of us, the pandemic brought big life changes for HSS Board Vice Chair Mallory Rodenberg. A Waterloo native, Mallory spent years commuting across the river to volunteer with and serve on the boards of nonprofits based in the St. Louis communities where she worked. While these opportunities brought much joy to her life, she...
Clients and staff of Human Support Services (HSS) have spent countless summer afternoons fishing, swimming, hiking and picnicking on the grounds of Camp Wartburg, a Lutheran retreat center and summer camp facility outside Waterloo. It was through these activities that Robert "Bob" Polansky, executive director of Camp Wartburg, first came to experience the people and culture...
HSS saw 46% more youth in our mental health counseling program in the first quarter of this fiscal year than ever before. What kind of mental health concerns are the children of our community facing? We see youth who are dealing with a variety of concerns, from depression and anxiety related to school and family issues, to...
Thank you. I use those two words often, but they never quite seem to be enough. As I think back on last week’s Shine Your Light Gala, I am filled with so much gratitude that it’s hard to properly express it in words. It’s been five years since we first held our Gala, and yet I am...
One worker spends his nights caring for adults with intellectual disabilities, and his days working a job part-time to make ends meet. Two others left their caregiver jobs last year to become waitresses, choosing better pay over a fulfilling career they loved. Many more here at Human Support Services (HSS) are logging 60-plus hour work weeks...
Looking at Karah today, you wouldn’t realize she’s had to fight so hard for what she has. With two amazing kids, a full-time job and stable housing, she is in a good place. And thus, so is her family. But it wasn’t always this way. Karah, 43, has spent years battling a mighty foe — her addiction, and...
Pictures are worth a thousand words but there isn’t a photograph that will show you all that we do here at Human Support Services (HSS.) Our services are complicated and not always pretty. Suicide prevention, substance abuse treatment, job training for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities - these are not the billboard photo-worthy services that capture...
Paul John “PJ” Broske has been working at Pizza Hut in Waterloo for about a year, but he’s not sure it’s what he wants to do for a lifelong career. Very few people do know – at 20 years old – what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Broske got the job...
Rosita has always been genuinely curious. Whether she’s walking around the courthouse square or having lunch at the local coffee shop, she’s quick to start a conversation with the person next to her. She wants to know about people and about the world around her. Perhaps it was that curiosity - that thirst for more -...
