A Home for Sullivan

Meet Sullivan….through my favorite picture of him….a picture that captures the pure joy, the innocence, and the love that he embodies every day of life. To know Sullivan is to love Sullivan.

Sullivan was born with a severely immature brain and although he is 19 years old and 6 feet tall now, he requires 24/7/365 care and supervision because his functional abilities are around a 2 year old level. Sullivan requires full assistance with all Activities of Daily Living including feeding, hygiene, dressing, diapering, bathing, communication, transportation, medication, shopping, etc.  

The blessing lies in Sullivan's disposition.... his greatest joy is being included and feeling connected. His joy is palpable when he is bowling at Strikes or swimming with his Special Olympics teammates, when he meets his new cabin buddies each summer at Camp ReCreation, and when he hangs out weekly with his friends at the Bayside Church special needs youth group. You can see pictures and videos of Sullivan at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010754828368.

Each day, I strive to give Sullivan the most "typical," joy-filled life possible.  At the same time, I recognize that I will not always be around to care for him and, even if I was, Sullivan needs and deserves the opportunity to get established in a place of his own. My desire to make that a reality for Sullivan is what propels me to now come forward asking for help.

In what must be a stroke of devine timing and circumstances, I have a very unique opportunity to get Sullivan established in a home of his own, a home that would provide a safe and stable residence for Sullivan and 2 or 3 other young adults like him where they will  receive the supports they need to live as independently as possible in our home community. To make this happen, I need to raise $35,000 to help cover the costs of modifying the home to make it safe and functional for Sullivan and others like him.

It is my hope that the success of this endeavor will help my precious son experience the world as typically developed young adults do, while at the same time inspiring me to establish additional residences that can serve other severely developmentally disabled individuals in our community. 

Please accept my humble and sincere appreciation of your consideration and, if you are able, your generous support.  And please share this with others if you feel moved to do so.