Consumer Finds Comfort in Helping Others

     
Kim M.'s "Daffy Duck"    
 

Kim M., a consumer at FHR Maine since 2001, has always been a creative person. She enjoys crafts and finds herself happiest when she is working with art materials. Currently, she spends her time cross stitching, drawing and painting, and is great with origami. In 2007, Kim had one of her pictures displayed at Maine’s state competition for mental health consumers. She is proud that her submission currently hangs at Broadway House.

With each new season and holiday occasion, you will find Kim making decorations. She is always excited to share her talent with others and teach them how to make her craft designs. Her contributions for monthly planning, craft instruction, and leadership in the daily newsgroup are always appreciated in the day program. Kim is also the chair of our monthly resident council meeting.

Throughout the years, Kim has faced many challenges and made incredible progress in meeting her personal goals. Recently, she has begun volunteering in the community. One such act of volunteerism that matches well with her talents is accompanying our vocational staff on their visit to a nursing home every Friday.

Having experienced living in a nursing home, Kim was full of ideas to implement during her visits. Kim says she was inspired to volunteer by her desire to “cheer up the elderly and to make them smile.” She enjoys working with the residents, her coworkers and the new friends she has made at the Home. “They give me a schedule each month, then I do what’s on the schedule. It changes each week. We dance and do crafts and once we did ‘volunteer rounds’ where we got to go into the rooms to visit each resident.”
 

 Kim M.'s "Eagle"