When former care facilities Michiana Resources and Parents & Friends merged to create Paladin in 2017, the Region earned a considerable resource in the care and education of people with disabilities.
Six years later, Paladin has only grown and provides various services for people of all ages with disabilities. Paladin now offers services for early childhood development, day services, residential services, and transportation aid – along with many community-based programs for those with disabilities.
To celebrate another successful year of serving the community, each location hosted a Paladin Day celebration, which is held annually near the beginning of July to mark the anniversary of the merger. This year’s theme was a neon glow party, and attendees donned hand-painted neon shirts, bags, and glow-in-the-dark accessories as they participated in neon activities.
Individuals under Paladin’s care celebrated the occasion with staff members and friends and enjoyed the sense of community fostered among the team throughout Paladin’s six years of service.
“Kathleen told me that I can do anything I put my mind to. This is my family. When I go home, my family is right here. I wake up and see them every day Monday through Friday. They call me Jayla Bayla, they call me peanut butter; they love me,” Jayla Bishop, resident at a Paladin residential care facility, said.
As Paladin continues to cater to the needs of its community, the staff continues to work tirelessly to ensure that each day is well-spent for each individual.
“The big thing is asking, ‘What is meaningful?’ What is a meaningful day for them when they come here? We listen to them, we observe and see what they like or what they're capable of doing, and we figure out what we can do to make the day meaningful for them,” La Porte Director of Day Operations Brenda Flowers said.
Each Paladin location caters to its clientele, and its Michigan City location has many different opportunities for individuals to learn valuable skills while forming lasting relationships. The location features a chicken and duck coop, a guinea pig, and a soon-to-be-renovated workspace where individuals from Paladin and the community can come together and learn in a warehouse in a variety of different fields or skill sets.
“We are building it so that everybody, regardless of their ability, can find something meaningful to them. Anyone who wants to volunteer, use services like this, or want to be a part of something like this, we want them to come in and have a space to belong,” Development and Marketing Officer Melissa Bohacek said.
The staff is well aware of the difficulties that occasionally accompany their careers, but for them, it’s the only career worth pursuing.
“I've been here for 25 years if that tells you anything. I'm sure I could have gotten out and found plenty of other jobs, but these guys mean a lot to me. This is our family. We have our highs and lows, but we work as a team, and in the end game that’s what matters,” Program Manager Trish Hamby-Shelhart said.
As Paladin prepares to enter another year of growth and achievement, the team is more than ready to welcome even more individuals from the Region into its many facilities for an enriching experience among friends, peers, and staff members.
“They have taught us just as much as we have taught them. It has been the most rewarding job for me in working with this population in 40-plus years. They teach us patience, they teach us forgiveness, they teach us love; It has been a very rewarding job,” Flowers said.
To learn more about Paladin, visit paladin.care.
