In 2008, Mike began painting ceramics at Fired Up, a local paint-your-own pottery studio. Mike’s life changed the moment he chose a piece of bisque ceramic. He delicately cleaned, picked out the color palette, and created his first piece of art. Over time Mike has grown more confident and he has begun to experiment with his composition. Mike’s most recent pieces tend to be “patchy” with various colors. He has added texture and layering of colors to different pieces. To finish each piece of artwork, he adds his signature ” Mike” to either the bottom or back. He has received a great deal of praise from his peers who frequent the ceramic studio. In the spring of 2011, Mike met with Renee, who interviews prospective artists wanting to display their work at the Ohio Township Public Library. Mike was honored when he was selected to display his work for the entire month of October 2011. Mike showcased his paintings and drawing made during his time spent at the SIRS Day program in Boonville in addition to his ceramic pieces.

Just call us romantics…  “It was simply a gorgeous day. The sun was shining-the temperature perfect.  There was a light breeze.  Everything was just so wonderful.” claims Karolyn Miller, team leader for adult services in Warrick and Vanderburgh counties as she described the wedding day of Jerry Walker and Doris Coker. The two love birds have been friends for several years.  About eighteen months ago, they started dating and soon decided they wanted to get married.  They expressed this dream to Jerry’s friend and residential living coordinator, Derek Marlow, and with the support of family and friends, they set about making this dream a reality. 

 All the wedding details were carefully planned. SIRS staff and their families volunteered time and their considerable talents in making the day very special and one that will not soon be forgotten. 

Karolyn Miller’s husband, Dave, was called in to officiate at the commitment ceremony.  Derek Marlow served as best man.  His wife, Janie, was the official photographer.  Jon Childers, personal assistant, was a groomsmen.  Amy Culver, community resource specialist, decorated for the event.  Nancy Hill, employment specialist, made a beautiful and quite delicious wedding cake.  According to Karolyn, “the tuxes, the gowns, the prayers, everything, was just beautiful.”  Seriously, just call us romantics…..

Jerry and Doris were joined together on Saturday, April 26, 2008 in the outdoor atrium at the Carver Community Center in Evansville.  After the ceremony, a dinner reception followed.  Dave Miller then put on his DJ hat and began spinning music for the newlyweds and their family and friends.  Marlow commented that it took a long time and a lot of work to get the wedding together but everyday, when he sees the joy on his friend’s smiling face, he knows it was so worth it! 

Jerry and his new wife Doris make their home in an apartment on the east-side of Evansville. 

Jerry has been employed at Wendy’s for seven years and Doris is employed at Evansville ARC.  They look forward to a lifetime together full of joy and happiness.

 “No other weather man on earth can compare to Wayne Hart,” says Robbie through SIRS staff  CRS Bonnie Turner.  “He is the be all and end all of weather men.” 

Early this year, Robbie got a chance to meet Wayne Hart and was invited to tour the weather center of WEHT.  Robbie has been a fan of the weatherman for several years. Every evening at news time, it isn’t “let’s go watch the news”, it is more like “let’s go see what Wayne Hart has to say.”   Through the efforts of Mary James, wish granter and SIRS staffer, a field trip was arranged to WEHT. 

Wayne Hart graciously gave Robbie a tour of the weather center as well as the news room.  He showed him how the radar works and they talked about their common love ~ the weather.  Through their meeting,  Robbie and SIRS staff also discovered that Hart is actively involved with Easter Seals.  Hart presented Robbie with a signed autograph picture which Robbie cherishes to this day.  CRS Bonnie Turner commented, “I was really impressed with Wayne Hart.  This visit was delightful.    Robbie was beside himself, full of joy and enthusiasm.” Later that evening, the excitement continued as Hart referred to the visit by mentioning his “friend in weather, Robbie” on the news cast.

  Robbie has always been interested in the weather and is one of those people who can tell you what time of day it is by the place of the sun in the sky as well as which direction is which…east, west, north, or south.   He is very astute, studying the patterns of the weather, and pays close attention to the seasons. He can tell you where to place your house plants where they would most benefit by the sun’s natural light.   The amazing thing about all this is that Robbie is nearly blind.  He doesn’t allow his disability to keep him from learning and being involved with what’s going on outside his door. 

There are people who leave a lasting imprint on those they meet along their journey. Tim Traub was most certainly one of those people. Tim was born with a developmental disability, the last of nine children. When he was a very young man, his mother passed away. His brother Pat shared, “When our mother died, we learned that she had entrusted Tim’s care to the wilderness of Jasper, Indiana and particularly something called the Providence Home.” After his siblings’ initial surprise, they learned that at the time, the home was a place for men with developmental disabilities. Tim’s family states that while this decision was not universally welcomed, the loving community of Jasper and Providence Home soon proved them wrong by “completing Tim’s journey into adulthood and opening the path that God had laid before him.” Tim grew to love his independence and his newfound home; and he soon referred to Jasper as his “hometown” even though he was born and raised in the Indianapolis area. SIRS entered Tim’s life by providing services to assist in accessing his community and furthering his personal journey toward independence. The team worked with Tim to find a job and provided on-the-job coaching to help Tim acquire the skills he needed. Tim’s brother Pat states, “Southern Indiana Resource Solutions provided Tim daily with outside assistance, ensuring that whatever obstacle might be in his way was removed and the path was made clear.” Tim eventually found his dream job at Ditto Sales, where his co-workers became his friends and his support system. Tim connected with the Ditto team, and they with him. Tim worked for 23 years at Ditto Sales preparing products for shipment, assembling wheel and hardware packages, for example. He loved his job, and he was very loyal. In fact, his family had difficulty convincing him to take a vacation because Tim would insist that he couldn’t leave because they needed him. Many times when visiting family in Indianapolis, Tim would insist that he had to “get back to Jasper and get to work!” After Tim’s health declined, he returned to Indianapolis to be near his family. Tim was not happy about not being at Ditto for work, and one evening demanded that he go back. His sister Joan shared that she tried to convince him he should enjoy his retirement. He dropped his head and quietly said, “I miss my guys. That’s all.” The depth of this relationship was demonstrated when Ditto Sales closed in Tim’s honor on the day of his funeral, and team members traveled to his service in Indianapolis to pay their final respects. It seems unanimous that what stood out about Tim was his LOVE FOR LIFE! He lived his life to the fullest. Nothing ever got in his way. His niece Sarah says, “He was our ride or die.” Each year for his birthday weekend the family would visit him in Jasper. She fondly recalls renting a Jacuzzi suite next to the Schnitzelbank, hanging out, watching the Final Four games and eating pizza. They just enjoyed “being.” Tim was extremely connected to and proud of his entire family. His siblings were his friends. He was always out and about with family. Every family member had their role in Tim’s eye—brother-in-law Mike was in charge of laundry; Paul took care of Tim’s “big bucks” and Jerry coordinated his schedule. Some were companions for bowling, like Alan, movies or shopping--everyone had their special job and their special place in Tim’s heart. Anne and Jerry frequented his quarterly and annual conferences with the SIRS team. He enjoyed trips----once the family could convince him to take a break from Ditto. Tim and his closest birth-order sisters were known as the “the three little ones”, and they were particularly close. Tim was always up to new challenges and one of his greatest adventures was air travel to Seattle, WA every two years to visit his sister Marti. Sarah says, “It was interesting watching him navigate air travel, ride on a ferry, hike in the mountains and walk on the beach of the Pacific Ocean. There was so much joy watching the two youngest siblings reunited.” Tim’s brother stated in his eulogy “Tim was like a banjo – he just could not make a sad noise – Purdue excepted. Breakfast was his daily highlight – and you were going to hear all about it. He anticipated each IU game, or the next Pacers game, or the next Colts game and you were going to hear about it. Nothing to Tim was better than a Wildcats victory, a Reggie Miller “boom baby” or a Peyton Manning touchdown. And, you were going to hear about it.” Tim’s jovial nature was always abundantly displayed. His family states there was always plenty of banter about his favorite IU with the many Purdue grads in the family. His exuberance for life was supported through a special bond with SIRS staff member Tom Gregory. Tim’s family refers to Tom as “Tim’s co-conspirator”. Their relationship went well beyond that of paid support, and Tim & Tom held mutual admiration & affection for one another—enjoying their many adventures. The family shared that they want SIRS team members to know what they meant to Tim and to them. They state, “we could live our lives because we knew SIRS was insuring his well-being. We knew you made sure he got to the barber, the gym, and Jasper Wildcat games and that he was fully a part of his community.” Tim truly lived ‘his’ journey of independence. His life serves as an inspiration to so many. Tim’s disability did not define him. When people mention Tim, they speak of his smile, his dedication, his laughter, his love for life, his love for his family, his hard work, and his contribution to their life. In his eulogy, his family shared “Tim loved to sing along to the Beatles, Janet Jackson, and the Beach Boys just to name a few. He turned Elvis impersonators into Elvis imposters. He was one wild and crazy guy. He was the best teammate one could have.” Family, friends and co-workers speak of Tim’s choices, his contributions, and his gifts rather than his disability. THIS legacy is what we at SIRS strive to achieve for those we serve. Our goal is to walk beside and support individuals as they create and define their future. Tim, we honor you and your life well-lived. And, we thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey! As Tim would say, “That’s good for me.”