Stephen A. is a self-described animal lover. Spending time with animals is one of those things that makes him happy. Once, he even fostered a dog for a serviceman while he was overseas. During their time together Stephan worked diligently with the dog and taught him basic obedience, as well as some tricks, like how to give handshakes and to rollover. Stephen has loved animals for as long as he can remember.
Stephen first learned about Anthesis as one of his high school teachers serves on the Anthesis Board of Directors. That teacher was Yi Eubanks. She felt fortunate to have him in her class, and really enjoyed watching him progress through school. Stephen graduated from Ayala High School in 2017. During his time there, he had many teachers that supported his educational journey. However, Ms. Eubanks was always special to him.
Upon high school graduation, Stephen had set a goal for himself to get a job. Stephen, like other youth and adults with intellectual disabilities, is a Regional Center client. The Regional Center worked with Stephen and created an individual program plan to help Stephen set and reach his goals, including the goal of getting a job. Another goal of Stephen’s was to spend more time with animals as he is, as mentioned, an avid pet lover. The Regional Center recommended Stephen apply to the Transitions program at Anthesis to help him reach the goals in his plan.
The Transition Program at Anthesis focuses on providing community based support, as well as, providing job and career training for individuals coming out of high-school and others looking to join the workforce. In this program, consumers explore the various types of jobs and careers that are available. With the support of their coaches, they learn relevant job skills, gain work experience through volunteering and paid internships, and prepare for work in a more competitive job market.
Initially, the Transition intake team was not sure if the program would be a good fit for Stephen. This was not what Stephen had hoped to hear and he was disappointed. He reached out to his former teacher Yi Eubanks. As a board member, Yi does not have influence over program operations, but she is aware of the program offerings and what qualities a participant needs to be successful in the various programs. Yi knew Stephen would flourish in the Transition Program. Armed with that knowledge Yi advocated for her former student and worked with the Anthesis staff so that they too could see Stephen was ready and a strong candidate for the program.
Based on Yi’s recommendation Stephen was accepted into Anthesis’ Transition Program in November of 2018. Yi’s assessment of Stephen being a strong candidate for the program was confirmed as he spent the next year in the program thriving. The Transition Program at Anthesis supported Stephen as he mastered the skills and self-confidence, he needed to enter the workforce.
The Transition Program is person-centered, meaning it focuses on each individual’s unique strengths, goals and interests. As a result of this person-centered programming Stephen was able to explore his passion of working with animals. The staff at the Transition Program, made it a priority to find opportunities for Stephen to work in animal care as they knew that was important to him. The Transition staff matched him with volunteer opportunities at local animal shelters and at a pet day care. Stephen was able to gain practical experience while spending time doing something he loved –caring for animals.
As Stephen gained new skills and self-confidence, he was able to make progress towards his goal of getting a job. Stephen was placed in the Discovery Program in September 2019 to further explore his goal of getting a paid job. The Discovery Program focuses primarily on getting individuals placed in jobs that match their unique interests through evaluating an individual’s strengths and skills. The staff at the Discovery Program were able to find a placement for Stephen in a paid internship at Playful Paws in October 2019, where he had previously volunteered. Stephen truly enjoyed this role at Playful Pets. He oversaw bathing, feeding, and cleaning up after the dogs. Stephen has mentioned that his favorite part of the job was getting to play with all dogs throughout the day. With the skills he gained at the Transition Program and through his paid internship, Stephen was ready to take the next step and find a job.
His dedication to his work at Playful Pets and his love of taking care of the pets there had not gone unnoticed. In October of this year, he was offered a paid position at Playful Paws! Local pets gained a true friend in Stephen and he looks forward to welcoming them all to Playful Pets.