FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 29, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 63
Acts of kindness & thankfulness
about to happen.
The next afternoon, one of the
Life’s WORC administrators texted
me after day hab to tell me
that Matt seemed to know. As
soon as Ayo ( Matt’s house manager)
walked into his program
Matt walked right up to him
grabbed his hand and happily
exited day hab & hopped right
in the van with him smiling on
his way to his new home.
Sometimes it feels like yesterday
and other times it feels like
a lifetime ago. It’s still sort of the
screen saver in my mind — different
pieces of it just pop in at
unexpected times — but thankfully
less and less. I could tell
you the exact time and date each
significant event happened. You
never ever forget who helped
you (or who hurt you!).
And Life’s
WORC, they
are such
heroes. None
of us had any
idea what his
rehabilitation
would require,
so much more
than any of
us could have
imagined. Some
of it was so
scary and awful
that I wouldn’t
even write about
it here.
But Life’s
WORC never
gave up. They
just kept reassuring
y
-
-
d
.
e
e
us and adding
more and
more support...
more and more
staff and little
by little the old
Mathew began to
reemerge.
The man who walked out of
Anderson the year and a half
before was completely different
then the man who moved into
their home on Nov. 21, 2016
(now a holiday in my home).
The staff has worked so hard
every single day to not only meet
my Matt’s needs but also to make
sure he is living life with dignity
and purpose. His days are
ty and purpose His days are
filled with happy and meaningful
experiences.
They treat him and his housemates
like family — which they
have become.
Matt now lives with four amazing
housemates who are older
and can speak and function on
a much higher level. But instead
of being annoyed or upset with
the disruption
Mathew sometimes
causes them
t
Mtt
they just love and
accept him. They
all act like surrogate
parents, even
giving him some
new socks. It was
so sweet I had to
share it with the
staff.
But the staff
there is so on
top of every single
thing, they
already already knew
knew about the socks
his housemate had given him.
“Stacy, it was sweet, but
Matt’s a little young for compression
socks so we quietly
took them out of his drawer.”
I love that! They are watching
every single thing that happens
in this home....and that is
how it should be in every group
home!
His housemates have so many
things to tell us each time we
visit, and we love each one of
them so much. Now we have 9
“children” to love.
I want to thank every single
person who helped us navigate
the horrendous path that led us
to this beautiful home and life
for Mathew.
They took such good care of
him and we have such a sense
of security. Before Life’s WORC
rescued him, we thought that
sense of security was gone forever.
But today, at the two year
mark, we can honestly say without
an agency and staff who leave no
stone unturned in their desire to
make sure he is not only safe but
thriving. They are so compassionate
those they support.
We are just so thankful for it!
do
DYNAMIC DENTAL WORK
���������������� Dr. Adam Lublin is an Elite Top 1% Preferred Provider
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
ETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
tweet me @vschneps
m
When my daughter Lara
turned blue in the nursery
minutes after her
birth, it led me on a new path
of life.
In my desperate search for help
for her, it turned me toward a
newly Infant Rehabilitation
Center on the grounds of
Willowbrook State School on
Staten Island. It was 1971. So
began my journey and the creation
of what is now Life’s WORC.
The group’s beginning was as a
fundraising and volunteer organization
that started in my living
room.
Fast forward to today, Life’s
WORC provides quality group
homes, day programs and social
services to people with developmental
disabilities and autism. I
call it the “Tiffany” of services.
Here is a thank you letter to the
Life’s WORC staff from a mother
who received services from the
organization. Enjoy!
Today is the two year anniversary
of one of the greatest
moments in our lives. Two years
ago today at exactly 12 p.m.,
Matt’s group home was changed
and he officially became part of
the Life’s WORC family.
I had been whispering in his
ear the whole day before that
his life was about to become so
much better and he was going to
have the happiest home soon...
very soon....
We had no idea if he understood
what I was telling him but
he couldn’t stop laughing and
smiling....
My husband Jon and I were
so scared that something unexpected
would delay or stop the
switch of agencies, but Matt was
all smiles....he seemed to understand
something really good was
a doubt he is in the care of
and they are so professional
yet so filled with love for
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