Vanessa Radiates Kindness

February 12, 2023

This is Vanessa. About six years ago, she found herself at Elim.

Vanessa is a happy, music-loving girl who loves to dance around and sing with her headphones on. You can catch her being the life of the party anywhere she goes, especially at the upcoming Elim Prom! Vanessa also loves to travel with her family – whether by plane or car, she delights in getting to her hotel room, no matter the destination!

Once Vanessa started to age out of her old school, her family looked for a solution that would foster Vanessa’s growth into an independent young adult. Elim was recommended to her mother by another parent, and the rest is history.

A team player

Vanessa started in Elim’s high school and is currently a student in our Crossroads Program. This program allows Vanessa to interact with her classmates through classes focusing on vocational skills, such as Domestics, Social Skills, and Personal Health. Our staff works with Vanessa daily to build these skills that will equip her to cultivate her wonderful God-given gifts after she graduates from Elim.

Elim’s staff works with Vanessa every day, teaching her how her kindness can positively affect those around her. She makes the effort to help her classmates, often helping remove their coats during the chilly winter months. Even in class, she jumps at the opportunity to get involved.

Her teacher, Mr. Dave, gushed about Vanessa’s willingness to raise her hand in class and her enthusiasm to participate in any activity. “She’s incredibly thoughtful and is always thinking about others,” he tells us. Not even a moment later, while walking around Elim’s School Store, Vanessa started picking up items she wanted to buy for other people – including Elim’s two favorite comfort dogs, Abbi and Chewie!

She even brings her helpful attitude to her home. “Vanessa helps put away groceries when we go shopping – I know she just wants to get in and learn,” says her mother. Vanessa’s family is also seeing this independent spirit transition to home in other ways. Vanessa is learning to practice more self-care, like brushing her teeth and hair all by herself… and maybe with a bit of help from Mom!

Finding her independence

Since being at Elim, Vanessa’s family has noticed gradual annual changes to her growth and ability to do things on her own. Elim’s resources and talented professionals worked with Vanessa to grow and enrich her gifts in more ways than her family could have imagined.

Vanessa and her family are excited to see how many more transformative life skills she can learn here at Elim. Because of your generous support, you have been able to fund programs, like Crossroads, that have encouraged Vanessa and her fellow classmates to learn these life-changing skills and find their God-given abilities.