By Terrah Starling, ILS Facilitator
A Portrait of Kindness
Tender, kind-hearted, soft-spoken polite, sincere and gentle are the best words to paint a portrait of Jesus. His genuine, innocence and kindness is enough to fill anyone’s basket. Jesus’ presence is one that can bring comfort, joy and a smile to everyone’s face. Everyone loves to see him in the community at Compass events, fully participating with other clients.
Santa Claus of South Bay
Jesus has also become South Bay’s own personal Kris Kringle. Every year, without fail, he dresses up as Santa Claus for the Compass Christmas party in San Jose. With a bright red suit, a fluffy white beard, everyone waits in line to take pictures with Jesus. Or should I say Santa?
Steps Toward Independence
Jesus has been working with his long time life coach, Linda, to build skills that support his independence. Each week they set small, achievable goals such as meal planning and budgeting. Every goal reached is a meaningful milestone, in which allows Jesus to build his confidence and approach the next goal with stride, in hopes to conquer. The key to Jesus’ success is his gentle determination and positive attitude. He’s not just learning skills. He is also building his confidence to live a full life independently.
Proud Bird Dad
Jesus is a lover of many things, one of those being animals. He is the proud father of several parakeets, in which are his pride and joy, and takes very good care of. He is very attentive with his support birds, making sure they are well fed and cadges are clean. You’ll never have a hard time finding Jesus’ apartment. Just follow the squawking. Jesus takes pride in his birds, just as he does with job.
Finding Joy at Work
Washing dishes at a local restaurant is hard work but Jesus’s loves it and is excelling there. He gets to meet new people everyday, and have house made snacks on his breaks. What could be sweeter.
Living Compass Values
In every way, Jesus reminds us of the things that really matter. His compassion for animals, participation with community by attending events, and joy for the simple things are great examples of that and what Compass represents.