He was born in Galveston in 1941 and lives with his 91 year old mother. He started working here when he was 16 years old. His hobbies include watching television, going out to restaurants, and going to Sunday school. Church is very important to Jan. Every Sunday he passes out bulletins.

In Life Skills classes, Jan has a walking program. He is learning how to count money and how to use a computer. He says he’s getting really good at it. Jan participates in Special Olympics. He has received 1st place ribbons for tug of war and putting sand in a cup.

He has had happy times and sad times throughout his life. He remembers being happy when he was little playing on the swing sets and what-not. He also loves spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with his mother and three sisters. He remembers spending time at Lake Webster and playing games such as kick ball, softball, Frisbee, and hiking. His saddest time was when his father passed on about 10 years ago. He says he remembers his father working at Still Light in Kokomo and that he was a very good father to him. They used to go to the State Fair every year, but since his father passed, he hasn’t been back.

Everyone has goals in life, and even at 66, Jan still has goals to look forward to. His main goal is to do well around the workshop and make sure people are happy. Sometimes, even the simplest of goals are worth it.

Joyce is another hard working employee. She works on Chrysler, Myers Spring, the copy machine and the clips. She loves to work here and takes her work very seriously. She says if she had it her way, she would work every single day of the week.

Joyce was born in Logansport in 1956 and graduated from Logansport High School in 1976. She started working in Work Services 14 years ago and has loved it ever since. She is an outgoing person with love for her family and friends. Her hobbies include writing letters, drawing and coloring, cleaning, traveling, reading and walking her dog. She likes to stay busy and she hates being bored. Her favorite times of the year are Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween and she loves spending time with her family and friends.

Joyce’s sister helped her find her job and she says it has changed her life ever since. She says life gets better and better every day that she works. She has made an ample amount of friends, and she has learned plenty of things since she’s been here. She is a quick learner and her supervisor is very proud of her. She says when she watches someone do something and she catches on to it, she can achieve it well.

She enjoyed a trip with her sister to Kentucky, where they spent time with other family members. She was very close to her parents and still has sadness over their deaths in the 1980s and 1990s.

Joyce’s goals are quite simple but very humble. Her goals are just to keep working and help people when and if she can. And those, in a sense, are very good goals indeed.

Contributed by Guest Columnist Nefertiti Harris.

Her mother, Joan Zielinski, is a long-time employee, working now at the Men’s Group Home in Winamac. Joan is happy that Angela is now living at the group home, but she says they really miss having her at home. She stops in to take Angela out to lunch on occasion just to spend time with her.

Angela’s move was planned. For a few months she would go to the group home just for a visit on Friday evenings. She would enjoy a meal with the family and on occasion would stay overnight. By the time she was ready to move in, it was a very comfortable situation for her. Viola is her roommate; the two have gotten to be very close friends.

Since moving in, her behavior has changed a bit at Work Services. According to staff, she has “found her voice” at work and at home and is really coming out of her shell. Angela has a very soft voice, but that shouldn’t be confused with shyness. She is a private person, but she sure can speak up for herself.

Angela loves to read and always has a book with her. Her favorite outing is one that includes a trip to the library.

According to Deb Girton, known throughout the community for her cooking skills, Angela is very talented in the kitchen. She also enjoys the grocery shopping portion of putting meals together. Perhaps we have a budding caterer?

Unlike Angela, Tammi Graham had not previously been involved with Peak Community Services.

Tammi spent some time visiting the home before moving in. At times, group home staff and one of the residents visited Tammi in her home. Karen K deserves a thank you for helping Tammi feel comfortable with the move.

Tammi’s mother had considered this move for a long time, but Tammi was resistant to the idea. Then circumstances changed, and a different living situation became more important. Luckily, a space was available in the Group Home.

Tammi’s changes were more encompassing than the changes faced by Angela. Tammi was meeting new people, being introduced to a new living situation, and experiencing a different daytime routine.

To acclimate herself to the changes, Tammi found a new theme song: James Brown’s “I Feel Good.” Whenever change looks like it is going to be overwhelming, Tammi focuses on that song.

Tammi is also learning how to walk with a walker - again. She used to do so when her father was living but decided she no longer wanted to walk. Now she uses the walker and is being fitted for braces.

Staff has found that Tammi is very intelligent. In Work Services and at home, she knows what she needs to do after being shown one time.

Tammi’s mother is very happy about the situation. She knows Tammi will always have a home, and she is able to visit regularly, making the changes easier to handle for both of them.