Leroa was a 21 year old young lady with Down Syndrome. Leora's parents wanted her to write a letter to the people in her community who sponsor her, who help cover the expenses for the special schooling and residence, and even my tutoring! Leora was to tell them what she is accomplishing, and to thank them for making it possible. This letter is the finest work that Leora did with me. She was 21 at the time. It took a few months.
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for raising money for my school and for my Residence. You are really good people. You help me grow and be stronger. I also see you for Shabbos and holidays. I really enjoy your company and your hospitality. Thank you people for doing so much for me.
When I first met you I was really depressed. I didn't have any friends to talk to and hang out with me. I wasn't able to fit in. I didn't have self-confidence because I needed help to speak. It was really hard for me to figure stuff out. I wasn't able to speak for myself. I didn't trust people. I was afraid to talk because I was afraid people would make fun of me.
They didn't talk to me, they didn't help me, because they didn't think I was a person who has feelings. People didn't know who I am inside. They didn't treat me with some respect for who I am. It doesn't matter that I have special needs. Some people use different ways of communication.
They didn't talk to me, they didn't help me, because they didn't think I was a person who has feelings. People didn't know who I am inside. They didn't treat me with some respect for who I am. It doesn't matter that I have special needs. Some people use different ways of communication.
I prayed that the Residence should open and that it would be my best fit. I moved into the Residence and I'm much happier now because I have more friends. The staff members are helping me to realize what I am feeling. I'm almost drunk with happiness because I feel that it's my home. The staff members help me to grow. They help me to do things independently now. I learn to trust my staff members, I learn how to trust people, so I am not afraid to speak up, step up to the plate, to show who I really am. Now I'm able to talk for myself. I have more confidence to do things.
Life isn't fair. Some people still make fun of me. What could I do? I learned to ignore them. My staff members taught me. And my teachers, my principal, my supervisor, my parents taught me to ignore people who have a bad attitude. It shows me I could go out there, and I don't care if I get my feelings hurt. I can just ignore them. I could just walk away.
I'm learning more skills and I'm accomplishing more things in life. Now I can do things I'm supposed to do in life. I will get married someday. I can go shopping, I will cook. I will have a job. I'll have money and I can afford things for my family. I'll be able to take a bus, an airplane, all by myself. Places I need to go. I'm dreaming of a house that I can afford. Maybe I can't accomplish some of my goals, like maybe I can't drive. I will take things step by step.
Thank you sponsors, for your inspiration. Thank you for being role models. Thank you for being so helpful. You make me shine by being so generous. Thank you for making me grow and for making me so much happier. My life is less difficult.
Rachel Schwab tutors me. She is teaching me how to express myself. She tells me how to do things on my own. She asks me questions and I'm practicing thinking the answers through and saying it fluently to people. Sometimes I don't get the whole picture. It's hard for me to grasp. She tells me that I have to think it through. She helps me think even more. She tells me to brainstorm. We talk about school, or things at my Residence, or my family. I practice my speaking. My goal is to express myself. I want to learn how to make conversation. It's like one person throws a ball and the other person catches it and throws it back to me.
Sometimes people speak for me. I don't want that to happen. I express my feelings more. I want to speak up for myself. I can grasp the conversation. I want people to talk to me like I'm 22 years old. They judge me like I'm not able to speak. They treat me like I'm 3 years old. I want to express my feelings about issues.
I want to speak for myself. That's the most important thing in life. Later down the road I will be independent and self-sufficient.
I learned how to tell time. I'm learning to count money. When I go to the store I give the clerk the right amount of money. He gives me back the change. I have to make sure it's the right amount of change. I'm learning quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, how to count the right amount. I'll learn dollars later. Everything in the right time!
On Sundays I cook my own breakfast. I make French toast. Sometimes I make an omelet. I make grilled cheese sandwiches. I help bake for Shabbos. Baking is important because we are learning to be independent. It's a part of our lives that we need to work on. When we're on our own and we bake for our husbands. It's a part of our home and family.
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| I bake for Shabbos in my Residence |
Eve Scherr is the tutor who helps me think to do this letter. And to express myself. I enjoy it. I do emailing with Eve and I do emails all by myself. I can put my ideas down on paper.
Eve helps me think before I talk. She pulls out my words. It's hard. I'm trying to figure it out. I can't just talk. I can't just grab it out of my head. I need to think things through. Eve asks questions and it helps me to think. She helps me pull the words out of my mouth. It helps me to grasp the things on my mind. I have to think about who I am. No, I know who I am, but it's hard to think of it. She explains a lot of things. She explains my feelings. I enjoy her explanations.
She helps me stay on topic. She's teaching me when I'm right and wrong. She makes me think even harder before I dictate it. She helps me make the final expressions. I say the words and Eve copies it. Eve helps me to be mature and grasp my ideas.
I want to thank you, sponsors, for what you have done for me. Thank you for letting me go to school, because I want to learn and grow so much. My education, and my friends in school. My friends in school like to hang out with me. I have good friends.
I love my school so much, because I'm learning so much. It's an excellent school. My teachers let me learn so much. They work so hard for me. I love my principals. My school and my tutors do so much for me. It's making it possible for me to tell how I feel about things. I'm learning thinking skills and to use my mind. I can get the picture now. I can do things. I can do it right. It helps me grow and be more idependent. It makes me shine. You make it possible. I'm not just saying it.
I love my school so much, because I'm learning so much. It's an excellent school. My teachers let me learn so much. They work so hard for me. I love my principals. My school and my tutors do so much for me. It's making it possible for me to tell how I feel about things. I'm learning thinking skills and to use my mind. I can get the picture now. I can do things. I can do it right. It helps me grow and be more idependent. It makes me shine. You make it possible. I'm not just saying it.
I love my Residence so much. I thank you for making this House possible. I have such good friends here. Being at my Residence makes me stronger. It makes me more independent and do things on my own. I want to thank you for letting me live here. Let's say I can't live here, and I go somewhere else, and they say I'm not capable to do things on own.
G-d has given me a test in life. It's hard for me to get rid of it. It's not easy. It's a test for me that I need to do difficult work in school and learn to be independent. It's a test when people are making fun of me and saying mean things to me. G-d is bringing down the sun. It's my task to help bring down the holy Temple. You make it possible for me to bring down these wonders.
You're helping make my life easier. You've watched how I've grown. I need people who are going to be nice and kind. Your kind words. You treat me with respect. You honor me. You have faith in me. You bring me strength. You give me courage to do massive work. It makes me feel like I could do it.
I'm having a good life here. I'm not ready to be independent yet, but I'm doing things on my own. I thank Hashem for His miracles. I want to thank you for leading me to the right path. Thank you so much for being there. I have happiness in my life because of what you've done. You help me grow, you do so much for me. You don't know how grown up I am. Thank you for making this happen. I can't believe what you do for me I feel a lot of emotion. I can't put it into words, what I'm feeling. I can't describe how grateful I feel. I feel so much. I'm so grateful to you. I love you with all my heart.
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