Inclusion and more

Established in 1997,  HOPE Group provides habilitation and vocational rehabilitation services for people with autism. HOPE Group was started by Lori Cairns when her son JR was diagnosed with autism.  He is now living independently.  On a personal side,  I started receiving services through HOPE Group in high school. I had habilitation providers come to my parents house once a week and work with me on goals related to budgeting and meal planning.  I had no idea how much my independence would grow. Even though it was at my parents house, I can say the skills the providers taught me helped me become the independent person I am today.  In the summer of 2020, I was able to get involved with HOPE Group again. I was invited to sign up with RIS (Rehabilitative Instructional Services) through HOPE Group. I had my informational interview with Allison Kolanko from HOPE Group. We talked about our families and life as well as...

  Over this past year and the past few months, I have been doing endless reflection on what my purpose is both in my personal and work life.  God has revealed to me that he is working on revealing to me that he has bigger plans for my life. One way God has revealed his purpose for me is through my job at BridgeWater! When I started my job, I was nervous and scared. I would not talk to the team. I just had a tough time knowing honestly what to do. Then in January, God placed someone very special in my professional life as a mentor. Her name is Nicolle. When she came by in January, she sought me out and we talked about our lives and families. It didn't take long for me to realize how special she is as a person. The day she came in was my boss's birthday so we sang to him. After this she proceeded to tell the team what a great addition I was to the team.  Our mentorship has grown immensely since the first time I met her....

I once had a friend named Lorraine Heydorn tell me that working with seniors is the most rewarding job. She works at Brookdale Senior  Living's Gilbert location as a Clare Bridge Program Coordinator. I want to share 4 lessons I have learned while working with seniors.  Lesson 1: A "simple" hi goes a long way Seniors like anyone else love when people say hi to them. In the morning as I prepare to walk into the kitchen, I am greeted by residents who want to greet me and want me to say hi to them. Some of my "favorite" residents are often downstairs waiting. One of them is ironically named Keith. I remember his name because it's my bosses name. The joy I get from talking to these residents is immeasurable.  Lesson 2: Life too short The toughest part of my job is often seeing an ambulance outside of our senior living facility. My heart breaks often because I know that could've been the last day I see them. I hav...