Jacob Collins
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I truly believe that God works in marvelous ways, not mysterious, but marvelous.
3 people in 1 place at the right time to help a person in need.
Friday night we each came together to help a young man who was having a seizure while working at a local restaurant.
After the seizure was over we were able to talk and ask this young man some questions.
Here’s what we found out about him. His name is Jacob Collins, he’s 38, works two jobs, has no family in Abilene (his family moved back to New York and he stayed behind because he loves it here), has a bicycle, but mostly walks to work and worries about making ends meet.
After his seizure, Jacob wanted to go home and rest, but we all insisted he get checked out to make sure he was indeed ok.
After a visit to the ER, we found out the seizure was stress induced and this was the second one this young man has had.
His main concern was not about what had just happened but how would he pay for a ER visit, we assured him, that he wouldn’t be turned away and that with a little help he would get the financial aid to cover the bill.
Even then, he was worried about this going against his credit since he is trying to establish a good credit background and save money for a vehicle.
Today a phone call was made to one of the managers at Jacob's primary job as a busboy for 8 years and then I went in to check on Jacob at work, snap this sweet pict., talk to a another manager and visited with other co-workers.
This is what we found out:
Jacob has Autism.
His co-workers look out for and care for him.
They know when and how to calm him down when he gets overwhelmed.
His co-workers give him meals, takes him to lunch and invites him over during the Holidays.
He’s a great worker and has learned communication skills with his co-workers and the customers.
I quickly realized, Jacob's not alone and he has family here in Abilene through his job at The Olive Garden.
Have you heard the Olive Garden Commercial, when you’re here, you’re family? They’re not just talking about the customers, they’re talking about their employees. Jacob is truly blessed to have such a wonderful, compassionate work family.
Jacob gave notice to his 2nd employer today and came to that decision on his own.
He’s home resting until he goes to work on Tuesday.
A few things we are working on to help Jacob are, a vehicle, finding out how to get him assistance (medical and food) and a more affordable place to live.
The vehicle we are looking into is a 95 Chevy Blazer.
Jacob has a drivers license and has rented vehicles to travel to other cities and enjoy restaurants that we do not have here in Abilene.
Our goal is to purchase this vehicle, pay for the title transfer and insurance. Anything leftover will go towards gas, bills or whatever he needs assistance with.
I feel like if we all come together to help out this wonderful young man that we can make a positive impact.
Thank you Victoria and Joe for your help last night and brainstorming ideas on working together to make this happen!
3 people in 1 place at the right time to help a person in need.
Friday night we each came together to help a young man who was having a seizure while working at a local restaurant.
After the seizure was over we were able to talk and ask this young man some questions.
Here’s what we found out about him. His name is Jacob Collins, he’s 38, works two jobs, has no family in Abilene (his family moved back to New York and he stayed behind because he loves it here), has a bicycle, but mostly walks to work and worries about making ends meet.
After his seizure, Jacob wanted to go home and rest, but we all insisted he get checked out to make sure he was indeed ok.
After a visit to the ER, we found out the seizure was stress induced and this was the second one this young man has had.
His main concern was not about what had just happened but how would he pay for a ER visit, we assured him, that he wouldn’t be turned away and that with a little help he would get the financial aid to cover the bill.
Even then, he was worried about this going against his credit since he is trying to establish a good credit background and save money for a vehicle.
Today a phone call was made to one of the managers at Jacob's primary job as a busboy for 8 years and then I went in to check on Jacob at work, snap this sweet pict., talk to a another manager and visited with other co-workers.
This is what we found out:
Jacob has Autism.
His co-workers look out for and care for him.
They know when and how to calm him down when he gets overwhelmed.
His co-workers give him meals, takes him to lunch and invites him over during the Holidays.
He’s a great worker and has learned communication skills with his co-workers and the customers.
I quickly realized, Jacob's not alone and he has family here in Abilene through his job at The Olive Garden.
Have you heard the Olive Garden Commercial, when you’re here, you’re family? They’re not just talking about the customers, they’re talking about their employees. Jacob is truly blessed to have such a wonderful, compassionate work family.
Jacob gave notice to his 2nd employer today and came to that decision on his own.
He’s home resting until he goes to work on Tuesday.
A few things we are working on to help Jacob are, a vehicle, finding out how to get him assistance (medical and food) and a more affordable place to live.
The vehicle we are looking into is a 95 Chevy Blazer.
Jacob has a drivers license and has rented vehicles to travel to other cities and enjoy restaurants that we do not have here in Abilene.
Our goal is to purchase this vehicle, pay for the title transfer and insurance. Anything leftover will go towards gas, bills or whatever he needs assistance with.
I feel like if we all come together to help out this wonderful young man that we can make a positive impact.
Thank you Victoria and Joe for your help last night and brainstorming ideas on working together to make this happen!
Organizer
Tammye Smith
Organizer
Abilene, TX
