Staff - Parent To Parent NYS

My husband, Brian, and I and our four dogs live just outside of Cooperstown, NY. We have built an apartment onto our house for my husband’s cousin, Kevin, who has a development disability. We get a lot of joy from having Kevin as a neighbor; there is nothing better than being greeted every morning by someone with a smile on their face.
 

Most of my work experience is in the clerical field, but, my most recent position was working for Otsego County Community Services. My favorite part of that position was working with the families in the Single Point of Access Program. In addition, I spent many years as a volunteer for Special Olympics in Dutchess County in my youth.

I value the support offered by Parent to Parent of NYS because I felt completely unprepared for life with Kevin when he came to live with us initially. We had no idea he was moving in until the day he DID move in. From that day on, we were in a frantic rush to learn what services were available to Kevin and to learn the best way to advocate for his specific needs. Thankfully, we stumbled onto a mom whose experience was SO helpful to us… she listened to all of our worries, offered to tell us things that had worked for her, and guided us to the people we needed to know.

I am very proud to be the Regional Coordinator for the South Central of Parent to Parent of NYS. I hope to be able to assist families in the same way that I was assisted when our family life changed forever.