June 2022: 3 Summer Updates
Dear Friends,
With the summer months underway we have a lot going on. Scroll down to see 3 exciting updates. Keep scrolling to the bottom! We've saved the best for last.
With gratitude,
Do For One
#1 Our Podcast
Belonging Together has over 2,000 downloads. Now Season 2 of our podcast is out with one short introductory episode available now!
A podcast about disability and relationship-building. It's an orientation to Do For One's work, guided by stories.
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#2 Expanding Our Network
We had a rich and full weekend with our new friends from LEL Home Services from Indianapolis visiting us! As staff, we shared our four core matchmaking strategy: Recruit partners and advocates, Match two people together in a relationship, Support new relationships, Potentiate the matches for long-term sustainability.
LEL Home Services and Do For One NYC: From left to right: Andrew Oliver, Carrie Tackett, Cindy Carter, Valerie Listwon, Carmela Toler, Jane Yoon, Camille Thomas
Luncheon with Do For One and LEL Home Services with one guiding question:
What motivates your concern for devalued people and their life circumstances? For example, it could be your deeply held beliefs, your life experiences, or both. What has helped you to stay motivated?
#3 Our Growth
We are now supporting over 60 one-to-one matches between people with and without disabilities. For example,
Brett & Daniel
Brett is the 'partner' to the left in the picture above and Daniel is the 'advocate' to the right. They were matched several months ago out of Brett and his family's interest in having a positive role model to provide social support and to raise expectations for what is possible in his life as a young adult.
While Daniel has done an incredible job offering Brett new opportunities, Daniel sees his role differently now than he did at first. He says, “I came into this feeling like I’m this person that has more to offer and Brett is the person who has less to offer. But I don’t want to come in with that sort of top-down mentality. I want to see his potential, not just his needs.”
Brett (distant left in picture) says, "We're having fun so far. We go on railroad adventures."
Daniel says, “He expresses mutuality in a different way." Daniel says, "One time I told Brett I couldn’t hangout because I had COVID. He said nothing for a week but then he remembered and asked ‘How are you feeling?’ He is processing what I say. The more time we spend together, the more I discover that we’re a lot more alike than unalike. Brett really wants a job and a girlfriend. Everything he wants, I want too.”