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By Maureen Mahr, Instructor at My Possibilities
Who could imagine that two rather unlikely groups of people could come together and forge a bond of genuine friendship and understanding? The adults (“HIPsters” - Hugely Important People) from My Possibilities, a program for adults with disabilities, delivered handcrafted Christmas ornaments for two consecutive days to the residents of the Cottonwood Estates Retirement Home. The HIPsters wanted to spread Christmas cheer, but in the exchange, they received warmth and acceptance from a loving group of senior residents. Little did anyone realize a friendship was formed between the residents and our students, which will have an everlasting effect in all our hearts. The residents were so touched that our HIPsters made these ornaments to give them without expecting anything in return. Yet, our HIPsters received a precious gift-- the feeling that they could make a difference in someone’s life and touch the hearts of others.
As an instructor, I have noticed a change in our HIPsters who are now more open to new situations and encounters. Their attitudes seem to reflect a sense of pride and accomplishment as they encounter daily challenges. Also, our HIpsters are more receptive to meeting new people and allowing their social skills to blossom. We could not be any more proud of them. These HIPsters represent the values and principles we have established at My Possibilities.
The adults at My Possibilities have an unlimited reservoir of love, which it is spreading throughout the community. As a result of our HIPsters outreach, members in the community are taking notice and wish to assist our HIPsters in any way possible. Recently, our HIPsters have been invited to partner with the residents of Cottonwood in a game of Bean Bag Baseball, in which they will play against local senior homes around the community. In addition, the HIPsters will be pairing with residents to assist them in their grocery shopping in the coming weeks.
My Possibilities has been so blessed to have these special adults in our program who are trying to make a difference in their community, and the community has responded with kindness and compassion that has touched the lives of our HIPsters and their families, as well as our staff. We are never too old or too young to make a difference in someone’s life; the possibilities to serve others are limitless.
Please join us for our Valentine’s Day Bowling Event on February 14th to come meet these very exceptional and unique individuals. We will be at Plano Super Bowl from 1pm- 4pm. Also on February 28th, we are having a Social to introduce adults with disabilities across North Texas to My Possibilities. For more information on these upcoming events please contact our Executive Director Robert Hernandez at (469) 241-9100 or visit our website at www.mypossibilities.org . We look forward to seeing some new faces and meeting some new friends.
