Paula and Susan Piligian fortunately recount quite a few the adventures they’ve been on since transferring right into a California Group Alternatives house in early 2023.
“We’ve been to Monterey, Carmel and San Francisco,” says Paula. “We use the van wherever we need to go.”
The van that she’s referencing is among the CCOs transport autos, which take the nonprofit’s purchasers dwelling in 15 houses within the South Bay to a wide range of locations — from grocery markets and Starbucks to medical appointments and group volunteer commitments.
On this specific fall day, the 2 65-year-old twin sisters — who reside in a CCO house in Los Gatos — are excitedly on the brink of board the van for journeys to the mall, library and Greenback Tree.
“They love to go to all kinds of places,” says Jerri Jensen, program director for CCO, a corporation that helps and nurtures adults with mental and developmental disabilities by offering alternatives to study, develop and have interaction with the group. “Our goal is for everybody to be as independent as possible.”
The vans are a vital a part of fulfilling that aim, since they supply the means for CCO purchasers to depart the group’s houses — that are additionally positioned in San Jose and Cupertino — and partake in such actions as bowling and buying in addition to the courses that the group gives.
The importance of those vans was underscored final yr throughout one journey that Paula and Susan took as much as Jack London Sq. in Oakland.
“We went to an arts and crafts festival,” Susan remembers.
But, after they completed up on the competition, and walked again to the place they parked the van, they discovered that the van was lacking.
It had been stolen.
A name to the CCO workplace rapidly adopted, leading to a GPS hint being placed on the automobile. It was recovered the following day — or, extra precisely, a few of it was recovered.
“It was already stripped by the time they got there,” Jensen says.
Happily, there was one other van accessible to select up Susan and Paula — who would possibly in any other case have been stranded for a while in Oakland, since authorized necessities stop CCO staff from transporting their purchasers in private autos.
By means of the Mercury Information’ annual Want E-book marketing campaign, which seeks to lift cash for essentially the most weak in our communities, CCO officers are hoping to assist be certain that Susan, Paula and the various different people that they serve will proceed to have safe and dependable transportation for years to come back.
They wish to increase $60,000 to buy one or two backup vans, which might come in useful if one of many group’s present autos break down or in any other case turn into out of fee.
That approach individuals like Andrew Berndt, who lives in a CCO house in Cupertino, can really feel safer about with the ability to make it out to all his medical appointments, weekend journeys and such.
The 64-year-old Berndt suffers from melancholy, and has been impacted by the dying of considered one of his housemates. He counts on the van assigned to his house to get him to his weekly counseling periods that assist him deal and course of his feelings.
It additionally permits him to do his common volunteer gig, placing in roughly 4 hours every week working in a Salvation Military meals program.
Then there’s Tamera Walker, a 63-year outdated lady who lives simply across the nook from Paula and Susan at one other considered one of CCO’s houses in Los Gatos.
She’s spilling over with hugs and pleasure on this specific day, as she will get able to climb on board considered one of CCO’s vans for a enjoyable day journey to San Juan Bautista together with her 61-year-old housemate Scott McMillan.
Each Walker and McMillan have been previously cared for at Agnews Developmental Middle in Santa Clara, a proven fact that harkens again to the origins of CCO. The group was established in 2005 to accommodate individuals who have been leaving Agnews throughout its prolonged closing course of, which lasted till 2011.
Susan and Paula, alternatively, lived with their mother and father till transferring into their CCO house final yr.
“My dad would take us (places),” Paula says of the transportation they obtained from their 97-year-old father.
On this specific day, it’s all concerning the van journey, which is able to quickly take the sisters off for his or her spherical of errands and enjoyable.
“They like to be very active in the community,” says Nelly Buie, the household educating counselor on the house the place Susan and Paula reside.
Susan contemplates what it life can be like for her and her sister in the event that they didn’t have the van.
“It would be hard to get around,” she says.
But with a spare van or two for backup, Susan, Paula and the remainder of the CCO crew ought to be capable of preserve rolling proper alongside for years to come back.
THE WISH BOOK SERIES
Want E-book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group operated by The Mercury Information. Since 1983, Want E-book has been producing sequence of tales throughout the vacation season that spotlight the desires of these in want and invite readers to assist fulfill them.
WISH
Donations will assist California Group Alternatives buy one or one or two backup vans, which might come in useful if one of many group’s present autos break down or in any other case turn into out of fee. Purpose: $60,000
HOW TO GIVE
Donate at wishbook.mercurynews.com/donate or mail on this type.
ONLINE EXTRA
Learn different Want E-book tales, view photographs and video at wishbook.mercurynews.com.
Initially Revealed:
