Etta

Etta made a difficult choice leaving her home where she had lived most of her life. She had to leave very personal, endearing items that her Mom and Dad had given her. Very difficult.

Still, when Etta moved into the Wayland residence, she quickly became part of the home and a big part of the team, helping with laundry and the dishwasher. Being active in her community always was important to Etta. She worked at the sheltered workshop when she moved to Wayland, enjoyed recreational activities and spent time with her boyfriend. Etta also enrolled in the Supported Employment Program.

Still, something was missing. Etta got involved in the community on her own, met people and made new friends. She particularly enjoyed Quinlan's Pharmacy. She loves to shop, and it has a gift nook.

While at Quinlan's one day, Etta asked about the store needing help, as she was looking for work. Based on the relationship she had built during her visits to the store, John Quinlan developed a part-time position for her cleaning, stocking shelves, dusting and vacuuming.

It was clear when her co-workers celebrated her six-month anniversary that Etta had achieved something wonderful. Her co-workers went out of their way to make the day special for Etta, with pizza, cake, ice cream, flowers and gifts. What was just as touching was to see Etta’s new friends from the Wayland community join her -- people who have come to know and care about Etta.