Joe was born prematurely in 1941, and soon after that his parents abandoned him to an institution where he spent all of his formative years. Joe has severe emotional and behavioral problems, both as a result of his disabilities and the abuse he suffered at the hands of his caretakers growing up. He also has physical abnormalities that cause people to stare and even back away from him. Needless to say, Joe knows what it feels like to be an outsider. Before he began receiving services from PDS he used to say, "I don't got no people. I just got the sun. It follows me wherever I go."

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Once Joe moved to Marin and started receiving services from Casa Allegra (residential program) and PDS he did make lifelong friends. So now, Joe does "have people," and he is experiencing what it's like to be included in the daily activities of life that many people take for granted. With support from PDS he worked for almost 20 years at Fresh Choice and Pasta Pomodoro until he retired from working. He lives in his own apartment and lives a relaxed, stress free life as a senior citizen.

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Joe still loves the sun and loves any pictures or decorations or the sun, moon stars, and angels. We think of him whenever we look at our bright and cheerful logo.

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We added the beautiful Golden Gate bridge to our logo to illustrate the idea of bridging lives between people with and without disabilities and to reflect our community, on the north side of the bay, through the rainbow tunnel, in gorgeous Marin county CA.

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To read more about Joe click here

 

To read about Lisa and Joe's friendship click here

June 2017

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