By: John Allen, Case Facilitator
Anthony, or AJ as he goes by, has been with Compass SLS services since October 2016. I onboarded AJ to my caseload shortly after starting with Compass in January 2023 and have gotten to know him much better. AJ has had some challenges over the past few years, but over the past few months, he has come very far in his partnership with his staff.
Roommates
AJ moved from Smoke Tree Apartments where he roomed with his childhood best friend Donovan “Eddie” Winters (another Compass Client), to Peppertree Apartments, where he has a different roommate Lloyd (an ILS Client with Compass). This change was a bit challenging at first, but AJ has done very well with the change over the past month. He still gets to see his best friend Eddie as much as they want, as Eddie lives in the apartment above him, so they get to play video games and watch movies whenever they want.
Likes and Dreams
AJ loves cats and reptiles and would like to have at least one pet. He enjoys swimming and playing games and if you partner with him, he will help with housekeeping tasks. He loves cars and dreams of owning a Dodge Charger and other sports cars one day. AJ has a great laugh, a terrific smile, and a wonderful sense of humor.
Summer Fun Times
AJ attended Compass’ BYA Retreat this past July at Lake Siskiyou in Mount Shasta with his best friend Eddie and many, many other Compass clients, and staff members. He had such a blast, and it was thoroughly joyful to have him attend. AJ also attended two Bravo Bucks events during this past year as well, even working through anxiety about being around large crowds. In July he watched the Fire Works on the 4th and went to a Pancake Fundraiser for a local Volunteer Fire Department in May.
Pushing Past Comfort Zones
AJ continues to push past his previous comfort zones and challenge himself even when he doesn’t quite realize it. He can shy away from meeting new people but once he knows that you are there to partner with him, he becomes more trusting. Talk about video games, and you will have his attention, walk with him on his journey, and you will have his appreciation and respect.
An Amazing Person
AJ is such an amazing asset to the Compass Community, and it is great to have him a part of our Community. We look forward to seeing him grow and flourish in SLS. If you ever see AJ, make sure you say hello and introduce yourself, you will be very blessed to meet him.