By Shannon Laird, ILS Facilitator
Allow me to introduce you to Kennetta, a remarkable individual who embarked on her Compass journey in Independent Living Services approximately 2 years ago in the East Bay Region.
Admiring Japanese Culture
Over the last couple years, Kennetta has taken an interest, deep admiration and passion for the Japanese culture. From anime to the food and elegant art of tea ceremonies to the intricacies of traditional Japanese architecture, Kennetta embraces the beauty and richness with enthusiasm and reverence. A dream of Kennetta’s is to travel to Japan and experience firsthand the way of life there.
Love of Shopping
Outside of her fondness for the Japanese culture, Kennetta enjoys going shopping, whether its window shopping to splurging a little on herself. Any chance she gets, she loves going to the Asian market and finding new things to try. With ILS support, she has learned when to budget for the things she wants and when to just look around the shoppes without making purchases.
A Strong Faith
Kennetta attends Visions Day program 5 days a week and loves her program. Kennetta participates in volunteer work delivering food for meals on wheels weekly. Kennetta is a church going woman and loves hearing the sermon on Sundays. Her faith is strong, and her participation is so important to her that if she is unable to attend in person, she logs on and participates virtually.
Winning the Housing Lottery
While Kennetta was struggling to find safe, affordable housing for quite some time as can be a relatable problem for many clients, especially in the Bay Area. Recently, she received a tremendous blessing, and has since been able to thrive. 4 months ago, Kennetta was fortunate enough to have been chosen from a housing lottery and was able to get an apartment. Living on her own was both exciting and daunting. It was essential for Kennetta to prioritize setting up a comfortable and safe environment and establish her independence.
Paying the Bills
Kennetta has learned to be responsible when it comes to paying her bills, and she learned very quickly while working with her ILS support that her rent and bills came first. Kennetta has been rocking it with minimal assistance. Kennetta, we see you learning, growing and making strides for a better life and want to celebrate you!