I have lived in an assisted living facility for five years, and my friend Jennifer, also an Academy member, is coming up on ten years. It’s not like we couldn’t take care of ourselves – we were just too anxious to move out on our own. But living in a group home poses its own challenges.  I’ve had to share a bathroom with six other people, two of them males, and I only have a tiny windowless bedroom to myself, in which I spend a lot of time just trying to escape the noise and chaos in the house. It’s not an ideal environment. Jennifer has had similar challenges at her group home, where she is tasked to do other residents’ laundry, collect their garbage and wash and put away all the dishes every day. Jenn’s routine is to retire to her small room at 5:00pm each night to find some peace and quiet.

Our saving grace is coming to the Academy, sitting together at lunch and giving each other courage. It’s much easier to be brave when you’re doing it with a friend. For years, we’ve daydreamed of a time when we might live independently again. Recently, we told the Academy that we really wanted to move out on our own and asked if they could help us. To our good fortune, Patty Haltinner, the Academy’s enrollment coordinator, told us about a housing opportunity owned by a friend of the Academy. Patty helped us get in touch with the right people and even took us to see the apartment. It was amazing to think we were on our way to independent living. We all cried when we saw the apartment, right across from the condominium social center and pool. It seemed too good to be true that we would soon have a kitchen our own bedrooms and bathrooms. We quickly started planning …Jenn has dishes, and I have my mother’s silverware! Jenn requested the bedroom in the back of the apartment, as she is accustomed to going to bed early and was concerned about the possible noise around the pool, and I was happy to take the bedroom closest to the pool because, well, I have a bathing suit and plan to join the other tenants for pool time.

When I joined the Academy and heard the staff talk about the 8-Dimensions of Wellness, I didn’t really understand what was meant by environmental wellness, but now it makes total sense. Being independent in this way and being able to create my environment makes me feel like a different person. I think we will both be so much happier and healthier in our own place. We are so grateful for the Academy and our newfound wellness.

By Loriann Smith

It is bittersweet when we have to say goodbye to one of our own. Whether it’s a member or staff, the Academy culture supports and celebrates when someone is ready to move on, even when it leaves a hole in our community. The very nature of our program is to provide opportunities for growth and increased autonomy, so when someone leaves our community for a bigger better life, we count that as a win. 

We can’t wait to hear about Kristen’s job as a dietary aide, and her brave new independent life in South Dakota! We are all grateful for the time she spent with us. Near or far, we will always be her community.

Thank you Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation for funding our young adult initiative.

Pictured are some of the members and staff celebrating with Kristen (seated). (left to right) William McKeever, Nicole Pendelton, Ian Churchill, Kevin Luckner, Patty Haltinner, Kevin Geyer, Chanaka Weerasinghe, Ben Burnside and Idanes Paredes.

She proceeded to use the Academy to improve her abilities. From working on the front desk to data entry, she stepped out of her comfort zone, relearning skills that she had lost due to time and illness. Always smiling and ever determined, Carolyn did in fact land a job. A great job!

Carolyn provides administrative support for Children First, a Sarasota County non-profit that works to improve the quality of life of children and their families though education and wellness initiatives. Carolyn shared that she loves working for an agency that is in service to others. She also communicated that the training that she gets from Children First staff is clear, straightforward, and patient. Carolyn has the support of an Academy job coach as well, but she is well on her way to working on her own.

The Academy is fortunate to have such a strong employment partner, and we are grateful to Children First for this opportunity. It really is a win-win. Agencies such as Children First get high-quality part-time employees while transforming the lives of someone who might otherwise be sidelined with a persistent disability.

I thank all who helped me along the way in creating this project. I look forward to collaborating on other projects with other talented artists. I’m guessing somewhere in the future, staff member Jodi-lee and I will collaborate on a song; I would love that. Just remember; we’re all talented in our own ways, so let’s really bite down and press on our gifts until it turns into many diamonds.

Note to our readers: To watch video of Terrell’s speech and rap song (10 minutes total time), please click on the link below. This recording was produced in the Academy’s multimedia studio. Enjoy!

The task of defining oneself as the hero proved to be challenging for many of the writers, which is exactly why we thought this was an important project to take on. In Naomi’s story “Fernando, Ready for Adventure,” her hero, Fernando, is a Bengal tiger seeking freedom from captivity. Like all hero’s journeys, Fernando is tested by challenges and ordeals before triumphing in his adventure. Of the process, Naomi had this to say:

“This Writer’s Workshop was very meaningful to me personally. It took a lot of personal growth to complete my short story which was a fictional representation of my life thus far. It was dealing with the past, with head held high and facing the future. It was truly a Hero’s Journey!”

Terrell is a young man with diverse interests and talents. Since joining the Academy, he has spent time in all of the teams, participating in all that the Academy has to offer. Although in the last month he has devoted his time to the multimedia team as we prepare for the telethon, he said that he looks forward to getting back to the culinary team once the telethon is over. Terrell’s got talent in the kitchen as well, so we do too!

Not surprisingly, the staff managed to figure it out. Through online platforms like Slack and Zoom, our connection has been unbroken. Whenever I’ve needed to talk to somebody, Academy staff has been there for me. That’s a huge thing. I’ve called the culinary staff for recipes and cooking instruction countless times, and my home cooking has improved considerably because of them. I’ve accepted the challenge of creating a PowerPoint presentation for several of our Academy morning meetings, and have always been able to reach a staff member to help me figure it out and work patiently with me, just like they do when we are together in the building. As far as staying productive, I really haven’t missed a beat. This pandemic could have really set me back, both in my mental health as well as my work skills. But instead, we found solutions together as we continue to collaborate and keep the Academy going strong.

Right before the pandemic affected all of our lives, I was offered, and accepted, a Transitional Employment opportunity at Sunset Cadillac. And then of course that opportunity got placed on hold. I still don’t have an exact start date for the job, but I recently had a virtual Zoom meeting with the General Manager. He expressed his excitement at my eventual employment there, and his enthusiasm was a reminder that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. His positivity, just like the Academy staff’s positivity, goes a long way to help me remain hopeful for the future.

When the building went dark, the lights still shined brightly in the lives of all of us members who have been able to remain connected. It is a testament that the Academy is not an “it.” It’s the people that make it the special place that it is. – Rebecca Wolfson