Peter’s Building a Future for Himself
Peter Mahoney, 27, and his mom Jessica Hamilton-Jones are in his bedroom, which is decorated with posters, athletic awards, model cars, Lionel trains and drawings—all favorite items that reflect Peter’s many talents and interests.
While speaking, they look at each other with smiles spread across their faces; their love for one another is so discernible, it fills the room with warmth and happiness.
Peter has been supported by Living Innovations in Maine, a service of Mosaic, for more than three years. Mom Jessica is his shared living provider, as the state allows family members to fill that role.
Through shared living services, a provider opens their home to the person supported and helps them become an active member of the household and their community.
Jessica remarked Living Innovations has been “wonderful” in helping and encouraging Peter to lead the life he wants.
“While Peter is in charge of setting his own goals, Living Innovations’ Community Living Coordinator Jennifer Poirer speaks with him in a tender, collaborative way about ideas and options to achieve them,” said Jessica.
Upon hearing that, Peter perks up in his chair, and his smile widens.
“Jen is helpful,” he said. “She encouraged me to enter Living Innovations’ annual art contest. You had to draw something and come up with a good statement about it for a greeting card. I drew some whales, and I was one of the winners!”
Jennifer is amazed by the number of activities in which Peter is involved.
“He squeezes so much in his day, I don’t know how he does it and how Jessica keeps up with him, especially with her full-time art teacher job,” she laughed. “Each time I visit their home, I learn Peter’s doing something new that’s on top of the many things he’s already doing.”
In addition to being a self-taught artist—Jessica said he’s been drawing and painting since he was a young boy and regularly teaches art classes with her at a nearby college—Peter also loves NASCAR racing, participating in many Special Olympics® Unified Team athletics from hockey and basketball to soccer and shot put (he has more than 30 medals to prove his athletic proficiency), monster trucks, dance socials (he participates in a “Night to Shine,” a prom for young adults with disabilities) and collecting Lionel trains.
As for NASCAR, Peter said his favorite driver is William Byron—as he holds up the professional driver’s poster—whom he once saw race.
“Peter sent some of his NASCAR drawings to William, and William mailed them back—all autographed,” said Jessica.
Peter also has a warm heart for others. At a recent art fair in the community, he ran out of his cards while selling them and had to take advance orders. He ended up making a good amount of money at $5 each, and he donated all the proceeds to his nonprofit sports teams.
“He does this every time he makes money at an art event,” said Jessica.
A proud mom, Jessica calls Peter resourceful and beams thinking about his growth and dreams for the future.
“Jen and Living Innovations are helping us look at not only his dreams, but also to clearly focus on his life goals. His goals aren’t meaningless or things that will ‘keep him busy;’ it’s much more than that,” Jessica said.
Currently, with Living Innovations’ shared living and community-based supports, Jessica is working with Peter on competencies to help him establish, grow and maintain his own professional art business, and that includes money skills so he can have his own bank account.
“Our family would like Peter to be a happy, somewhat independent, working adult, and it’s nice to see this kind of business that he loves and chooses to do is attainable for him.”
For more information about becoming a shared living provider with Living Innovations, visit LivingInnovations.com.
