Every day, we are amazed by the accomplishments of our participants. Their stories are worth sharing. We are honored that they share their lives with us.
ROSSI
Rossi has down syndrome and loves to work.
Rossi’s mom passed away when Rossi was in his late thirties and his sister became his guardian and that meant a move to Scottsdale, AZ!
During this transition, his sister recognized that Rossi needed help with personal boundaries. She decided to enroll him at STARS. Working with the staff Rossi’s social skills “improved tremendously.” Today Rossi is one of the hardest working participants in the STARS Work Center and takes home a paycheck every other week. Rossi knows how to accept feedback, knows the importance of concentrating on a task and how to get along with his co-workers. Rossi loves his job and his friends at STARS. We can always count on him for a friendly hello!
Eric
Eric wanted only to be left alone.
He arrived at STARS–unfamiliar territory–and chose a quiet corner to just sit. STARS instructors recognized that it was a challenging time for Eric. A new space, new faces and new routines were all tough for Eric. STARS’ staff picked up on Eric’s interest in his brother’s music. The classroom instructor got a picture of Eric’s brother and posted it in the classroom and also developed a playlist of Eric’s favorite tunes. Eric realized that his instructor was “in tune” with him and Eric began to relax. Eric knew that he could be happy at STARS. Eric’s agitation decreased, his desire to isolate decreased and more smiles started to appear. Eric learned that he could trust the STARS staff and that his classroom was a place of calm, peace, safety and good music!
Pearl
Pearl is 60 years old and has been with STARS for many years.
She loves to write and on any given day she is working on her journals and novel. Pearl loves to share her interests and stories. Pearl loves Cher. She loves writing about Cher and drawing her face. If you ask Pearl to draw you a picture of a character or person of interest, it will be on your desk the next day. Pearl always has a supply of notebooks, pens and pencils and folders full of her writing. She is our writer in residence.
MADISON & KATIE
Madison and Katie are hard working employees in the Osborn Work Center.
They produce quality outcomes for our corporate partners and are known for their attention to detail and being great co-workers. They are Work Center Super STARS.