Client Success Stories
Get to know the people who call HIL home...
Betty grew up in a small rural town near Manitowoc Wisconsin with 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Betty has always liked to keep herself busy, so she spent most of her free time helping her family on their farm.
In 1979, Betty was involved in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in significant injuries, but Betty’s family took care of her throughout her recovery. She experienced challenges due to her injuries, including her balance and mobility being significantly altered, however, Betty went right back to wanting to work on the farm with her family. For more than 30 years, Betty’s mother and siblings supported Betty while still managing their farm. When it became hard for Betty’s family to care for her, Betty and her family found Homes for Independent Living and Betty joined the Whitetail family in February of 2013.
When Betty moved, she struggled with not being with her mother at home, but with the support of her staff at Whitetail, she began to feel comfortable in her new home. Betty’s family and friends are particularly important to her, so she maintains regular family contact and outings with friends, including going out to eat and going to the movies. She also enjoyed going home every other weekend to spend time with her mother up until her mother’s passing in 2021.
While living at Whitetail, Betty participates in prevocational employment with a local organization. She looks forward to going to work daily and keeping herself busy. Despite some of the challenges that Betty’s injuries have brought to her, she never skips a beat and is resilient in all that comes her way. Betty is one of the strongest individuals we know and her resilience to keep going and live her life her way amongst the challenges she faces is truly inspirational. Betty loves to make others smile and we are honored to support Betty at Whitetail.
Jackie is a 23-year-old woman who has resided with HIL since 2019. Jackie’s family had a difficult time finding appropriate supports for her special needs as a child. She struggled with significant behavioral challenges related to Autism, developmental disabilities and mental health issues. At the age of 14, her parents made the difficult decision for Jackie to reside and receive treatment at a residential center in Tennessee. When Jackie turned 18, it was time for her to leave Tennessee, and move into the community like other adults do.
And so began Jackie’s journey began with HIL. Jackie initially moved to Crisis Respite as a transitional steppingstone from the highly restrictive residential setting she was living into living in the community. During her stay at Transitions, her new home (Pelican) was purchased and designed with Jackie’s specific needs for safety and wellbeing in mind. When Pelican was ready, Jackie officially moved “home.”
Jackie has done remarkably with her own dedicated support system and staff team who truly care about her, are committed to her success and happiness and cheer her on every day. She has learned to develop trust and positive relationships and to feel safe in her own space. With the right approach that works for Jackie, she has improved her coping skills, improved her communication skills and expanded her horizons and opportunities. She is now able to safely enjoy going out to eat at Culvers (her favorite), which is an accomplishment worth celebrating! Although Jackie continues to struggle with self-injurious behavior and physical aggression at times, she has learned how to talk through what is bothering her with her staff, resulting in quicker de-escalation than in years past.
When asked what Jackie likes most about “Pelican Bay,” as she refers to it, she says the good food prepared by “Chef-Boy-R-Lee” (Lee-Direct Support Supervisor). She loves her outdoor garden in the backyard of her home, where she enjoys picking vegetables and eating them on her porch. She also loves her stuffed animals, including Ruby the Fox.
Jackie’s relationship with her family is very important to her and while in Tennessee her parents would drive every other week to visit her. Jackie is now able to participate in overnight visits with her parents without staff support and very much looks forward to the time she is able to spend with her family.
Jackie’s family’s desires for her future include achieving new goals both in her home and in the community and for her to continue to remain safe and happy. We are all so thankful to be part of Jackie’s story and look forward to supporting her continued success, helping her expand her life experiences, and explore new opportunities that are important to her. Jackie has truly become part of the HIL family and we cannot wait to see what her next chapters bring as her story continues to unfold.
After living with her parents, Megan came to reside at HIL’s Racine Supportive Apartments (RAS) six years ago, where we provide individualized support to clients who want to live more independently. Megan describes being “nervous” when she first arrived at RAS but was excited to be on her own. Today Megan looks back and says, “it was the best decision I ever made.”
Megan has had various jobs over the years and currently works at a local business doing office work and greeting people as they come in. “I love my job” she said with a big smile.
Megan enjoys hanging out with her peers playing cards, going shopping, watching movies, and cheering on the Packers and Brewers. Megan’s favorite way to spend time is with family and friends.
Megan loves to cook. Walking through the halls, you will often smell the aroma of food cooking outside Megan’s apartment. One of her favorite dishes to prepare is chicken tacos. She will often share her homemade goodies with others. Megan proudly says, “There are no complaints after trying my food!”
Megan was excited to share she has a “Bucket List” that she is working on to complete. In December, she crossed one very big thing off the list – going to Disneyland! Megan expressed she still needs to cross off visits to Italy, Spain, going to Louisiana for Mardi Gras, Rhode Island, Germany, and Scotland. When asked why she chose those places, Megan said it was because she was interested by their varied history and the variety of food they offered.
Megan is a joy to spend time with. She is kind, giving to others is always the first one to give a compliment and is always asking others if they need help. When asked about what 2024 hold for her, Megan said, “I love to learn new things, go to new places and make more friends.” She is happy living at HIL apartments declaring “I know HIL Staff have got my back!”
