Daniel’s Voice Has Been Found
We’re still living in a world upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has dramatically affected the lives of people Mosaic serves. Like so many of us, the community activities they enjoy and are used to doing have been curtailed.
But people are amazingly resilient and have continued to move forward, as this story about Daniel Young shows. Daniel’s life is filled with hope beyond measure, just like others we serve at Mosaic.
Daniel is pretty quiet and easy going. Staff who have worked with him for years enjoy his ready smile and positive attitude.
A few years back, we featured Daniel in one of our video stories. He had a tough life growing up; he kind of got overlooked, the kind of person who could easily ‘fall through the cracks.’ But that’s changed since coming to Mosaic. One of the most exciting changes is best told through a story from Shanteal Walton, the manager of the Mosaic home where Daniel lives.
During the pandemic, Shanteal tells me, Daniel learned that he likes to bake. His favorite is chocolate cake (which, of course, he also likes to eat!). While she was away from the house, she got a call from Daniel. For as quiet as he is, that was a big step for him. But he called because he wanted her to get the supplies for him to bake a cake.
Not only was he taking the big step of talking on the telephone, he was also making a want known, another HUGE step for Daniel. Shanteal tells me that “Daniel has found his voice.”
As I mentioned, he kind of fell through the cracks during his childhood. Growing up, he never learned to express his own wants and needs because they weren’t being met. He just smiled and accepted whatever happened to him.
That’s been a hard habit for him to break. Every one of us have wants and needs, and the people we support at Mosaic are no different. We work hard to learn what people want and help them work to achieve it.
Over the years of working with him, staff members have learned the way Daniel expresses a want or need. If he wanted more to eat after a meal, he wouldn’t speak. Instead, he would keep glancing at what he wants.
So speaking out has been a big step forward.
Often for the people we support, what seems like a small thing – speaking on the phone or making a want know – is actually a big thing. We serve many people who are not very different from Daniel, people who “fell through the cracks” while growing up. Daniel’s growth and discovery during this pandemic came because we were able to provide him with opportunities for new interests.
That happens because of the support your partnership provides. Your gifts help us offer new life and new growth to people. To learn more about how you can support people like Daniel please visit, mosaicinfo.org/daniel.
Thank you for all you do.