Farewell For Now
Well my 46 year career assisting individuals with disabilities with employment is coming to a close. Today is my last day – tomorrow I begin my retirement. The last 29 years working at Morningside have been wonderful. During this time the organization transformed from a sheltered workshop where individuals with disabilities worked in a segregated setting to an agency that supports individuals working in individual jobs in the community. As I embark on this new chapter in my life many memories have come flooding back on how much Morningside has changed and grown. It has been a privilege to serve this organization.
This past year has been phenomenal and humbling for me I was selected as Boss of the Year by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce and I was asked to present the keynote address following a showing of Bottom Dollars at the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities Employment First Summit in May. I had the pleasure to meet Joe Steffy who introduced the documentary and his parents who are also featured in this impactful documentary. Here is a link to the speech if you are interested in watching: Here
It has been quite the journey. I have enjoyed the friendship of so many individuals whom Morningside supports and I am moved by their excitement over working in the community. It has been both a privilege and an honor to serve alongside teams of dedicated staff focused on finding and supporting hundreds of person working in community. Their creativity and passion to our mission is inspiring.
I would love to say our work is done but we have a long way to go toward overall acceptance and inclusion of individuals with disabilities working and living in community as others. So I encourage you to carry on, to fight the good fight always keeping an eye and ear on individuals we are advocating for.