Robin
Marie Hoel
Winston Churchill, Schaumburg
Grandmother Love
A generous heart,
and an ear that listens, learns, loves.
Handicraft hands,
sewing things up, mending hurt.
An open mind,
the understanding kind.
Giving away the seasoned samples
of your years.
Wisdom never measured,
yet, worth it's weight in love. . .
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Kathy
Chandler
Trinity Services, Wilmington
Brian
Brian has developmental disabilities, but he remembers a lot
of interesting things from his past and has many fond memories
of his childhood. He told me his favorite color is red because
he likes apples. His favorite food is fried shrimp. He likes
baseball, especially the Chicago Cubs.
I asked him which movies he liked. "Grease" was his favorite.
He liked it because of the dancing. Some of Brian's fondest
childhood memories were fishing and visiting the zoo. He also
enjoys bowling and going out to eat. He loves to help his mom
with housework, because she is his most favorite person in the
world.
One of the things that bothers Brian is his inability to understand
certain things, such as math and reading. He wishes to learn
how to read and his hopes for the future are to get a job and
eventually live on his own or at least in an apartment with
a room mate. Brian, I'm sure, will get his wishes fulfilled.
He has a lot to look forward to in his future. He and I had
a lot of things in common. It was a fun experience.
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Heather
Flot
Quincy Senior High, Quincy
Mary Flot
Mary is 65 years old. She lived in Quincy, IL., and was born
in Blessing Hospital in 1930. When she was little, people were
prejudiced because she had a lot of mixture of race in her family.
Mary is proud of her mixed heritage.
The funny thing that happened to her was, there was a fireman
named Mooney, who told the children bedtime stories. Mary was
five years old, and Mooney told a story about Peter Rabbit.
Late that afternoon she returned a basket that had a neighbors
food in it. When she came back to the house her mother and father
were yelling at her and him. They didn't want Mooney to tell
anymore stories at night.
The greatest thing that happened to her was being a single adopted
parent holding the first child. She made other achievements,
she graduated in 1947 from college. After that she started to
sing, she took lessons from Naomia Watts. She is a very good
mother.
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Tammy
Marshall
Trinity Services, Wilmington
Jim is a man in his 40's, who has developmental disabilities.
He lives in a group home with 2 other men at Trinity Services
in Wilmington, Illinois.
Jim remembers his childhood as being rough. He did not enjoy
his family. He remembers always being sad as a child because
he was never given affection. Jim says he remembers being sad
because everyone seemed to be at the "Top of the Bundle" and
he was always at bottom.
He loved his grandparents because they helped him out whenever
his parents couldn't. He shared a small bedroom with his two
sisters. The house was in very bad shape. Clothes were always
hand-me-downs. Jeans were his favorite clothes to wear. He tried
to help with cooking but didn't get too many opportunities.
The family car was an old-fashioned Ford. Jim says that living
now is better. He feels the love and closeness that a family
should feel. He would like to get married someday to a special
lady Melody and own a house and have his own car.
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Pam
Reinelt
Trinity Services, Wilmington
Gerald is 49 years old born in Terre Houte, Indiana at St. Atonn's
Hospital. When he was young he remembers joy riding around the
fields with his sister in their tractor. He also enjoyed feeding
the farm animals. These are a few of the things he remembers
growing up. His favorite song "Hey Good Looking." He would go
camping and visited his grandparents often with his family.
His house had orange siding and white walls inside. His bedroom
was brown and he had a big bed.
In the summertime he played Frisbee and hopscotch. In the winter
he built snowmen. He remembers his grandparents telling him
that they rode around in a horse and buggy. His parents had
a 1957 two door red Ford Fairmont.
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Mary
Jane Hall
Trinity Services, Wilmington
William
William is a 63 year old Black American who was born in Richmond,
Missouri. I am Mary Jane Hall, a 34 year old white female who
was born in Streetor, Illinois. William's favorite color is
navy blue, mine is emerald green. His favorite food is hamhocks
and black-eyed peas. Mine is fried chicken. His favorite sport
is baseball. He loves the Dodgers. His favorite player was Jackie
Robinson because he was the first black man to make the big
leagues. My favorite sport is football. I love the Dallas Cowboys,
and Troy Akman, their quarterback.
William remembers his favorite movie was "The Antics of Abbott
and Costello." My favorite movies are tear-jerkers. . . like
"Terms of Endearment." Things he cherishes most are his nice,
clean clothes. His favorite school subject was math. . . although
he says he can't remember how to change fractions into decimals.
William never went to a barber as a child. His father's friend
always cut his hair. William and I were both raised Baptist.
We both still go regularly. He remembers his horse, Cornflake,
as his form of transportation.
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Anita
Sorilding
Trinity Services, Wilmington
Joyce is an African American who was born in Mississippi on
July 10, 1943. She lived with her maternal grandparents, Joyce
says that her brothers and sisters are still alive. Her mother's
name is Estella. She doesn't know if her mother is still alive,
but she hopes so. Joyce never knew her father.
Joyce grew up in Jersey, Mississippi on a cotton farm. She had
cows and horses and picked cotton. Joyce says she never cooked,
but her Grandmother made collard greens, potato salad, and corn
bread. Her Grandmother was also a seamstress who made Joyce
her favorite blouse and skirt. The family attended a Black Southern
Baptist Church and she loved singing "Amazing Grace" and "Jesus
Keep Me." Joyce still loves attending church. Today, Joyce lives
in an apartment and attends an Adult Learning Center. She likes
to talk about her past and doesn't worry much about her future.
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