By Cassandra Sales Community Why retreats? Community is not only one of our core values, but it is the make-up of DNA as a culture. Once a year, we are afforded the opportunity to be in the community on a grander scale through retreats. The word retreat comes from the Latin word meaning to pull…
By Sadie Hess, Founder, and CEO “Hey, I have a dream, and let me know if you want to come along?” My sister-in-law casually asked me while we watched my niece play the Obo at a Davis football game. Curious, I asked for more information. “We are going to go do the Camino De Santiago for…
By Sadie Hess, Founder, and CEO Empty Tank The tank is empty. In more ways than one, or two, even five. We are tired, we have less to show for our hard work, and if we are honest with ourselves, we are a little more cynical about our world. We have had more disappointments than…
My parents are developmentally disabled. They have been that way since birth. My mom was diagnosed with a learning disability, but that was before autism existed. I believe she has autism. Her mentality is very similar to a young girl about six years old. My dad was born with hydrocephalus, which caused an intellectual disability….
Small Town I grew up and still live in a town that has more cows than people. If the elevation surpasses the population, that is the town for me. In Rural communities, you know your neighbor’s favorite cookie and take it to them every second Sunday in May because they lost their mom ten years…
By Sadie Hess, Founder and CEO Something BIg We are in the process of doing something big! (Something we haven’t done in about 15 years here at Compass.) We are going to open a new department at Compass! Not another office, as we have been doing. This will be a department that supports the whole…
BY MADDELINE THOMAS (Originally posted on Maddeline’s blog) March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month and Cerebral Palsy (CP) comes with extraordinary gifts and challenges. I was diagnosed with CP at birth due to delayed delivery and lack of oxygen in the brain. CP affects my balance, speech, spasticity, and fine motor functions. I was born…
Written By Maddeline Thomas, a Compass community member. Article was originally written on Maddy’s Blog – Abilist Resilient Balance Happiness is precious because if I do something every day that makes me happy, then situations will be easier to resolve. Being happy is the top priority because it gives me confidence and a positive outlook….
Written by: Maddeline Thomas Zip-lining in Baguio, Philippines. Have to wear extra protection and bravery to get through expectations. My family is interracial; I am Filipino, Swiss, and Japanese. My dad is Swiss and Japanese. He had a simple upbringing and was not close to his family. My mom grew up in the Philippines, and…