There are many reasons why my husband Stu and I are happy our daughter is living in a Richmond Community Services residence. But if I had to choose one over all the others it is this: I’ve been able to put my head down on my pillow and sleep each night for the past 26 years knowing my daughter is getting excellent round-the-clock care.
Stu and I reluctantly realized we couldn’t provide the 24/7 attention she needs, so we feel we are getting the best of two worlds. We have the satisfaction of knowing we made the right choice in evaluating care options and agreeing on which one would be best for our daughter. And we have ongoing opportunities to partner with extremely dedicated caregivers in attending to her needs PLUS doing countless other things to enrich her life. She truly has an extended family.
Our multi-decade relationship with Richmond has provided other sources of immense satisfaction, as well. I, as a Richmond Community Services board member – and Stu, who has co-chaired the agency’s annual golf event and its ad journal – have had the privilege of getting to know and work with scores of caring, generous men and women committed to quality lives for individuals with severe developmental disabilities.
We have derived immense satisfaction from seeing that scores of individuals have benefited from dollars raised through our joint efforts; dollars that have been used to support innovative programs that couldn’t have been funded any other way and the purchase of state-of-the-art assistive technology.
There’s so much more we could do, if only we had all the funding we need. But Stu and I are in a constant state of thankfulness for what’s been accomplished and for the many allies who continue to join us in our endeavors. Thank you one and all.
“It’s a painful decision to have a family member live elsewhere. And we found ourselves in the added dilemma that we didn’t like any of the places we had explored. Then we found Richmond…”