Direct Support Professional's Week - Featuring Our Young Adult Services Staff!

When the Young Adult Services (YAS) management team were told about Direct Support Professional's Recognition Week, they, along with their consumers, had quite a bit to say! And we love that.  Four staff were identified by consumers and management.

Shahiba Baptiste has worked for Marrakech since 2010 and is a Program Instructor in our YAS program. She traveled all the way to Florida to help ensure a young adult got to his new placement safely. The young man chose her to join him and she gladly accepted, traveling in a small medical jet all the way down.  The YAS Team appreciates Shahiba's willingness to go that extra mile!

Jofrey Beauduy has been a Marrakech employee since 2005 and is now the Lead Case Manager at YAS. When asked, one consumer said the following: "What he has done is more than any staff..., everything from helping me grow in my hygiene (he and I used to shave together) skills, but more importantly, GROW as a person and come out of my proverbial shell with both his humor and vast knowledge. Plus he cares about all the residents and wants them to succeed."

Jessica Staton is a Program Instructor at YAS and has worked for Marrakech since 2009. A YAS consumer wanted to recognize Jessica because of "her energy, zest for happiness, knowledge and humor [that] make super/deep cleaning time more fun and I learned a lot. The fact that she calls when I mop the floor in the apartment "Aruba Rumba" makes me think she cares about tailoring teaching strategies to my interests/passions not just giving me the Mop and expecting me to do it."

Ray Davitt started as an intern with Marrakech's YAS program in 2013 and was hired this past July as a Peer Program Instructor. He was chosen by a YAS consumer to be recognized for Direct Support Professional's Wekk because, "he gives me the courage to do my very best both with YAS stuff and stuff for B.A.S.S., my business. He also really gets working with someone with Asperger's like me, not to mention a DEVOUT New York Yankees and New York Rangers fan for sports as am I. Though he likes the Cowboys and I am a Giants fan (for football) we still get along great, and I love the fact that he likes sushi as much as I do too!"

Thank you, Shahiba, Jofrey, Jessica, Ray and the rest of the YAS team for making a difference in the lives of our residents.  Your efforts to be truly person-centered really do make an impact.