Caregivers at Retirement Community

We did it! One of the women at the Passavant Lutheran Retirement Community bought the 500th copy of "Journey With Jeff." She was very surprised when I told her she had won the prize -- my 5CD package of "Journey With Jeff." So, she can read the book or listen to the CDs in her car or in her home, or pass it on. She was pleased, and so was I! ~~~ Other great moments for me were the women who came forward to where half a dozen posters hung of Jeff's life -- from his 3 month-old photo with his big wide-open eyes, to the photo of him sitting in his favorite innertube the last summer he went to Camp Joy. One person shared with me how she worked with children at a Lutheran Institution for Children with Special Needs for 25 years, another shared the years she lived with a son who didn't speak until he was a teenager, and a mother of a Down Syndrome girl shared her joys and challenges. These are the things I treasure! It was an awarding trip!

Our Postman's Wife

I often meet our postman, Brian, at our mailbox to chat a bit. Last summer he bought a copy of
my book, "Journey With Jeff; Inspiration for Caregivers of People With Special Needs," probably -- mostly -- because his wife was looking for a job at Lifetime Assistance Inc., and Jeff had been a resident there. Today Brian said his wife has finished "Journey," indicating that she knows Jeff's mentor, Ernie really well. "The people in that book have been at LAI for a long time," she commented. YES!! That's one of the best things about the organization -- small turnover. The clients and residents have had these advocates for much of their lives. Someday I may get to meet Brian's wife, and thank her for her interest in working with Our Kids! To read four excerpts from "Journey" go to www.luther95.com/UNYSWE-ANY/ and click on Resources, then scroll down to "Journey With Jeff." You can order your own copy on Amazon.com. Enjoy!

Life at Jeff's Fullest Potential

Brenda is one of the Lifetime Assistance Inc. workers at Main Street, Brockport who bought a copy of "Journey With Jeff" earlier this year. Brenda recommends: "Journey With Jeff deserves a 5 Star Rating. This book has a message for all. Sybil's story about Jeff showed me his life, through her 'eyes and heart.' I saw and felt her challenges and pain. I wondered how she found the courage to keep going. Her determination to keep going even at times when she questioned the 'why of it all' is inspiring. She could have adopted that 'pity me attitude.' She did not. She took each day and found the true meaning of the little things that make up the life of a child. In Jeff's story, there is a message for all. The message is of Jeff's determination to live his life to his fullest potential and his Mother's courage to make sure that was possible. Sybil is an inspiration."~~~Thank you, Brenda!!

A Review of "Journey With Jeff"

One of the people who works with adults with Developmental Disabilities at Lifetime Assistance, Inc., wrote the following about Journey With Jeff: "I loved this book!! I read it a few months ago...and I learned so much. I work with adults that have Developmental Disabilities...and I learned more from this book than conferences I have attended. Sybil writes from the heart...and I learned such wisdom from her book, not just about Developmental Disabilities...yet about life, and positive and realistic perspectives. Hearing from a mother/parent perspective was so helpful in the field I am in...I feel this needs to be a training tool for anyone going into the field of helping people with Developmental Disabilities. Thank you Sybil for sharing your experiences, family, and good wisdom!

Is Lifetime Assistaance Inc. one of the best kept secrets around?~~WARM 101.3 Radio Interview

So many things are going on for so many people at Lifetime Assistance, Inc.!! It all started back in 1978 as a small organization to provide services to a couple of dozen people in Western Monroe County -- where we live. Now, LAI offers services to 1800 people with developmental disabilities in 50 locations in 3 counties. Their seasoned employees work in residences, day programs, and the LAICO organizations which provide volunteer services to more than 50 Rochester agencies. Some of these employees have been with LAI for 25 years -- and counting! Only 17% leave a year, which means a great deal to the clients who have come to trust their advocates . We so appreciated these caring people who expect respect, digity, inclusion and self-advocacy for the clients, that "Journey With Jeff" is dedicated to LAI: "This book is dedicated to the wise, wonderful and winning people at Lifetime Assistance Inc., where Jeff spent his adult life. We cannot say enough good about them." While Jeff was living at his LAI residences I was a member of the Board of Directors. After he died, I volunteered to be Informed Consent Chairperson for the clients at LAI who have no family to advocate for them. On September 26th, LAI will celebrate its 30th Anniversary! I've been with them -- and they with us -- almost all the way! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LIFETIME ASSISTANCE, INC.!!