A handful of our students and alumni have Driver’s Licenses. They have earned the right to be drivers based on their consideration for others on the road as well as their incremental accomplishments starting from studying the DMV manual and culminating with taking the road test. Those of us who own vehicles understand that parts inevitably wear out after a while or other unexpected things occur. This happened to one of our students recently when she could not extract her key from the ignition. We would like to compliment her for having the insight and rationale of mind to contact one of the staff members who immediately came to assist with the mechanical mishap.

Her staff member jimmied the key out of the ignition and discovered that the car also would not restart. He immediately came to the conclusion that the battery had drained due to age and possibly leaving the lights on by accident. As a program that has been around for seventeen years, we are proud to have multiple staff who are always a phone call away if something unexpected should happen. Not only did the staff member utilize his AAA membership to call for assistance, but this individual also used nearly two hundred dollars of his own money to have the battery replaced on the scene by the AAA technician

We have attached the Before Photo featuring the dead battery with its dried battery acid in addition to the After Photo of its fresh replacement. This social media entry serves as a metaphor for the fact that if something is replaceable, it is nothing more than a bad day. This student was taught that sometimes the worst things happen at the best possible times. The battery died while she was parked in front of her home and not in an unfamiliar location. Staff calmed her with assurances that these things happen to the best of us. It is a normal part of owning a vehicle. The next time something like this happens to her, it probably will not seem like such a big deal for this particular alumnus. There are solutions and many things are fixable.

We would also like to acknowledge this young woman’s mother for promptly paying the staff member back and writing this kind note to Jennifer Richard who is the Associate Executive Director for Living Resources. We always like receiving such feedback from families who know their adult children with challenges will be watched over. The following are her cut-and-pasted words:

Just have to let you know that he is a ROCK STAR!!! No amount of thank you’s will never be enough…….

My daughter called that the key was stuck/car wouldn’t start. We being two hours away wouldn’t get there till evening so she thought to call staff for help! Help he did!!!! He went out to her apartment immediately, assessed the problem and called AAA as he has a membership and thought the car just needed a jump start…….AAA came and battery was done for! Called me to fill in on situation, offered to PAY on his card to get battery replaced right then and there!!!! (Check is already in the mail to him!!)

He is AMAZING and on top of it all, kept her steady!!!

Please let him know how awesome he is!
Be well,

Before

After