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 Danny
Danny, then 17 years old, and his brother, then 12 years old,
were brought to South Florida and abandoned by their father.
They were left alone in a Fort Lauderdale hotel room for several
days before anyone discovered them. Danny had left the room
against his father’s last instruction, to get some food
for his brother after the crackers they had been eating for
several days ran out . Dan, who is mildly mentally handicapped,
was separated from his brother and taken to a shelter for runaway
teenagers. The Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative
Services placed his brother in foster care. The agency, unable
to cope with Danny’s special needs, petitioned the courts
and a guardian was appointed for him. This action effectively
removed his right to make any of his own decisions.
Danny was
referred to Victory Living’s campus program because of
its reputation in helping individuals achieve the level of independence
for which Danny seemed to have the potential. Danny began to
flourish and grow with the specialized training and assistance
he received from a caring staff. He was encouraged to join functional
education classes which he missed as his father traveled from
state to state. In these classes Danny found that he was learning
many of skills he was previously told he was “too dumb
for.” He learned to read and write at a 6th grade level
and quickly learned how to take care of himself and his campus
apartment, which he shared with a roommate. His self-confidence
grew by leaps and bounds. Soon, he got a job at a nearby Pizza
Hut.
 Victory
Living Program staff recognizing Danny’s achievements and
the limitations that guardianship imposed upon his life; helped
Danny to petition the court for the restoration of his rights.
In a ‘first ever’ event in Broward county, Dan so
impressed the evaluation committee members with his skills and
determination that his rights were restored in 1992, Dan could
now control his own destiny.
Today, Danny is proud of his success. He has an apartment with two roommates and works two jobs in the community. He travels throughout the community independently, utilizing the county transit system. He has many friends and enjoys participating in the many activities that are made available to him through Victory Living Programs, Inc. He also enjoys discovering new adventures and activities that take place in his community and “joining in on the fun”. Danny now visits his brother on a regular basis. Danny loves his independence.
Gary
After a succession of placements in institutions due to severe
behavioral problems, one of which resulted in his hospitalization
after being injured by another institutional client, Gary was
one of the first young men who were gathered together in the
agency’s original home in Fort Lauderdale. Gary was guided
by parental and volunteer assistance in learning daily living
skills during those early days of Victory Living Programs. As
one of the agency's original residents, his story bears witness
to the program’s growth and development.
Gary’s
severe behavioral problems did not mysteriously disappear after
coming to Victory Living Programs, periodic returns to limited
institutional confinement continued for several years as staff
worked with Gary to help him control his aggression. Gradually,
and as the agency grew and developed its programs and staff,
Gary started to respond to the specialized treatment and real
life training that was provided in an environment that allowed
him to make choices for the first time in his life.
Once the
agency completed construction of a new training center in Dania,
Florida in 1984, Gary had the opportunity to learn about the
responsibilities of living in an apartment type setting. In
this new training center he was expected to work and to make
his own decisions. No one took care of him any more and Gary
learned by doing, he was also allowed to learn from his mistakes;
he learned concrete things like how to cook , how to do his
laundry, how to live cooperatively with others.
Experiencing
the freedoms, responsibilities, and consequences of making his
own choices, Gary started to develop the skills and attitudes
an individual needs to be a productive member of our community.
By seeking out and obtaining employment with area businesses
Gary took the final steps toward his goal of moving out on his
own, just like his non-handicapped twin brother had years before
him.
In 1990,
Gary achieved a number of his goals when he moved into his own
apartment near his job at a local grocery. He is characterized
as a “people person” by many of his co- workers and
friends that he has made in his neighborhood. Victory Living
staff who visit Gary in his apartment to provide supportive
services are always reminded of the things he still intends
to do. Gary is an individual with a lot of goals and with the
talent to achieve many of them.
Gary, and
Victory Living Programs have both come a long way - together.
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