Our Client Stories
John M’s Story
John joined ResCare Community Living of New Jersey after spending 30 years at his previous placement. As you can imagine, transitioning to a new environment is a significant change. It took some time for John to adjust, but once he did, his vibrant personality truly began to shine.
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Initially, John was unsure about attending the Day Program, but after settling into his new home over a few months, he decided to give it a try. From the moment he first visited, he was hooked. John quickly connected with his peers, making friends effortlessly. He’s always the first to greet you in the morning and never forgets to say goodbye at the end of the day.
John has a zest for life that is truly infectious. He loves dancing, playing quiz games, bingo, and visiting the fire house to admire the trucks. He also enjoys going to the store to buy books for himself. His charisma, friendliness, kindness, and outgoing nature make him stand out. John has a special talent for brightening anyone’s day with his signature wave and smile.
John’s unwavering positive outlook on life is both inspiring and uplifting to his peers and staff. We feel incredibly fortunate to support John and to have him as a part of our community. Thank you, John, for being authentically you.
Samuel’s Story
Samuel was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he was displaced to Hammond where he became homeless and lost contact with his family. While residing in a homeless shelter, Sam became friends with a manager from the local Hampton Inn who helped him gain both employment and shelter at the hotel.
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While living at the hotel, a manager assisted in connecting Sam with I/DD services, and he moved into a ResCare Community Living home in August 2010. Sam continued his employment at the Hampton Inn, developing independent living skills so he could one day live on his own. Sam has a passion for health and fitness and joined a local Taekwondo gym where he has earned many belts.
Sam’s dream was always to live on his own. In September 2022, that dream came true when he transitioned into our waiver program. Sam now lives by himself in a one-bedroom apartment. His job and focus on health and fitness are still his passions and highest priorities. His coworker Lashanda said, “Samuel is always willing to help even with duties outside of his own. He is kindhearted and a great person to work with.”
When asked, Sam said, “I enjoy working because my team likes me and I like my team.” After 15 years at the hotel, Sam has no plans to retire or slow down. He joined a local gym, wants to learn to play tennis, and recently reconnected with his sister. In his 70’s, Sam is living his best life and thriving in his community.
Autumn & Amanda’s Story
In 2023, Autumn needed emergency placement. When she was admitted into ResCare Community Living in Logan, WV, early that year, it was known that she had a difficult childhood and was separated from her biological sister when they were younger.
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What was not known at the time was that Autumn’s biological sister, named Amanda, not only lived near the area in which Autumn was placed, but was someone who was also receiving services through ResCare Community Living.
After years of having no contact with her sister and not knowing how to locate her, their teams were able to arrange for them to begin contacting one another. This led to them reuniting during the holiday season in 2023 and they were able to celebrate their first Christmas together since they were children.
Now, Autumn and Amanda stay connected with one another and can enjoy each other’s company on a regular basis, something that previously was not possible. After having difficulty with other placements in the past, Autumn is now living a comfortable and happy life in her apartment with her cat, JJ.
G’s Story
Heather and Mitch are Shared Living Providers who joined ResCare Community Living Nebraska in 2022. They have done an amazing job since welcoming G’Henai in December 2019. Both Heather and Mitch advocate for G, as she is known, in any and every way possible. They have taken G in as part of their family and are the most amazing and caring people.
More About G’Henai
G is a sassy teenager who lives her life to the fullest every single day. She has overcome so much but does not let any obstacles keep her down! She recently received a progressive genetic diagnosis, and her team and those around her have been focusing on enhancing her quality of life. Heather and Mitch have made adjustments as needed to assist G in retaining her ability to communicate her needs.
As her vision decreases, G is learning how to use a switch to communicate rather than the eye gaze she was used to before. Recently, Mitch’s family thought that G would benefit from having a service dog. They knew of a family in Oklahoma who had Goldendoodles and felt that one would be perfect for G. After hearing about this opportunity, Heather and Mitch discussed it with G’s doctors, who all agreed that she would benefit greatly.
The family made the trek to Oklahoma to see if G would connect with any of the dogs, and G found one that she bonded with instantly. A trainer works with them weekly, and Wrigley has already been cleared to be in public, which has helped G tremendously. G’s joy and light have not dimmed since having Wrigley in her life. She enjoys having a companion that is so bonded to her. He is able to help her relax, loosen her spasticity, and is being trained to alert for her medical needs as they arise, especially as she sleeps.
Wrigley has been a gift to G in more ways than one. Her medical providers are so excited for what he can offer her, and we are all so excited to see her light shine.
Karla’s Story
A few years ago, a team of ResCare Community Living Louisiana staff began helping their client, Karla, with her journey toward becoming a U.S. citizen. The team, in collaboration with Karla’s Aunt Diana and Uncle Nick, all worked hard to assist Karla in meeting this important goal.
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Karla immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua when she was 17 years old. She lived with her aunt in New Orleans when she first arrived until she moved into a ResCare Community Living home in 2016.
Even though Karla is proud of her Nicaraguan heritage, she wanted to become a U.S. citizen because she feels it is the land of opportunity. To help Karla, the team accompanied her on numerous 138-mile round trips to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in New Orleans. After her eligibility was determined, they assisted her with paperwork and preparing for her citizenship interview. The team all joined Karla when she accomplished her dream and took her Oath of Allegiance to become a citizen.