Margie and Yesinia

Photo of Margie at Greater Opportunities

Margie’s journey to independence is an example of why no one should doubt a person’s ability to succeed, no matter how great the odds. Margie and her daughter have developmental disabilities that affect their cognitive abilities and verbal communication skills. Because of this they depended on Margie’s husband for their basic living needs. It wasn’t that Margie was unable to take care of herself and her daughter; rather it was that no one believed she could.

When Margie’s husband passed away she slipped into a deep depression, and she and her daughter struggled to survive. Margie didn’t know how to manage her money and she was going to the hospital once or twice a week because she suffered from severe asthma attacks. Margie needed help getting life back on track for herself and her daughter, and they turned to Greater Opportunities services for help.

Margie has received help from Greater Opportunities’ Supported Living Services (SLS) for almost ten years now, and works with her main caregiver, Yesinia, on Sundays and Wednesdays. Now Margie and her daughter are thriving, and are thankful for everything Greater Opportunities has done for them.

Photo of Yesinia-Short at Greater Opportunities

When Yesinia met Margie and her daughter, Margie had just lost her husband, who she had depended on for basic living needs. Yesinia says “It was difficult to help her out of depression because her husband did everything for her: laundry, coffee, everything. She had to learn all of that, and it was difficult.” It was a long road and took a lot of hard work, but Yesinia taught Margie all aspects of how to manage her home so that Margie could feel empowered and independent.

Before working with Yesinia, Margie used to be shy. Now Margie is very social and likes talking to everyone! Today, Yesinia helps Margie and her daughter maintain the great life they’ve worked hard to achieve. She takes them to doctor’s appointments, keeps them on track with medications, and helps Margie with the daily household chores like doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning her house, and going grocery shopping. Margie says that she and Yesinia have a special bond, and Yesinia says Margie is like part of her family.

In addition to receiving SLS services, Margie attends the Day Program four times a week, where she likes to play the piano, immerse herself in art projects, and attend her favorite class, computer literacy. She also enjoys volunteering at Goodwill, the local library, and the local church. Volunteering in the community is something Margie particularly likes because she says she gets to help other people instead of thinking about herself, and she likes to think about how to make other people happy.

Meeting people at the Day Program and learning how to be independent with the help of Yesinia and Supported Living Services has turned Margie’s life around. Now she is happy and proud of everything she has accomplished. Yesinia says, “Without SLS the client’s lives would be sad. They would have to depend on other people to do so much for them, and they wouldn’t learn the skills to do things for themselves. They wouldn’t be able to meet new people and try new things.” In agreement, Margie says SLS is a great program because of how much she’s learned about being independent, and she’s grateful everyday because Yesinia is there for her and her daughter.

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