YOU HELPED!
Each day, our staff spend their time pouring into the lives of people with disabilities. With the incredible support, we receive each year, we’re able to equip our members for the dreams that they want to pursue – even the more selfless of dreams, like Ron’s! Click below to learn more about our Day Training for Adults program.
Gompers members love to give back to their communities, both near and far!
Ron has attended Gompers since 2007. He absolutely loves to listen to Michael Jackson music and watch Star Wars movies. So much so, he would proudly admit that he has a crush on Carrie Fischer and her character “Leah”. He is a passionate collector of Michael Jackson’s photos, books and anything else that he can find related to the pop icon.
Ron can be the center of attention in both the best ways, as well as in some disruptive ways. Ron has Moderate Cognitive Disability and has been working on his coping skills. His coping skills deter him from staying on task and staying focused. With a short attention span, Ron requires a variety of activities and tasks he is interested in to stay focused throughout the day. As a result, our staff has found different ways to help Ron work with his personal issues and coping skills. Working with him to stay focused has helped Ron come a long way in his time at Gompers.
One of the things we love most about Ron is his immense compassion for people that are hurting or sick. For example, if you cut your finger, he will be your “best buddy” and check in on you until it heals. Each day he will ask you if it is hurting and how it is doing.
In the summer, Ron was watching the news during current events time in his program room, when he became concerned about the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. He asked our staff why the people didn’t have food or water. Upon learning of the devastation that happened, he wished he could help them. Fortunately, Ron actually could do something to help! Our staff explained to Ron that we could put our resources together and come up with a plan. Ron and staff put the word out to all three of Gompers’ campuses that he was leading a donation drive for the victims of the hurricane in Puerto Rico.
The response from his initiative was astounding! Through the generosity of parents, members, group homes, and our staff, Ron was able to collect things like diapers, bottled water, canned food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, baby food, raincoats, and even a vacuum! Ron delivered the items to a local Puerto Rican Restaurant that was filling a semi-trailer to be delivered to the victims. As you can imagine, Ron was all smiles!
He learned a valuable lesson by working with other people and taking initiative on an idea. It was a great way to help Ron understand the worth of his compassionate and caring heart to help those in need.
It is obvious that Ron deeply enjoys helping those in need. Ron’s continued success, along with our other members, in our program is the inspiration that keeps us coming back to Gompers each day! With continued encouragement and focus, Ron will continue to strive to help others in their time of need.