Day in the Life: People with Purpose
People with Purpose is a social Dayhab program offered to individuals ages 18 and up. Participants gain social engagement while getting involved with the Quad Cities community and volunteering at a variety of area charities and organizations.
People with Purpose fills the gap left after high school for young adults with disabilities providing participants will opportunities five days a week to be social, have fun, learn new skills, and make a positive impact on their community.
Kyle, our Director of Dayhab, kicks the day off at 8:15 AM as participants start arriving at the People with Purpose Clubhouse. As participants start rolling in, they have a morning chat until about 9 AM. Kyle and our People with Purpose caregivers Justin, Melo, Andrea and Sarah ask how their day is going, how their night was, what they did for dinner, and more.
After everyone is settled in then we go over plans for the day. We do positive affirmations for the day and then we head to either a volunteer site or the planned activity for that day.
We currently volunteer at 10 local nonprofits including: the Quad Cities Botanical Center, Bettendorf Christian Church, GiGi’s Playhouse, Ann’s Helping Hands, The Figge Art Museum, the Bettendorf YMCA, Family Resources and our newest partnerships Heart of Hope, New Kingdom Trailriders, and the River Bend Foodbank.
When not volunteering at a Quad Cities nonprofit, the crew takes part in social activities like going to the movies, bowling, and practicing social and bill paying skills while sitting down to eat at restaurants all over the QC. We also venture outside of the Quad Cities occasionally and have taken trips all over the area including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, Maquoketa, Peoria, Galena, Clinton, Dyersville, and the Amana Colonies.
“I like going on the trips and hanging out with my friends,” said Korryn, a People with Purpose participant.
We also love to partner with other disability organizations in the area and spend time with them. We most recently visited with Inspire Continuing Care in Geneseo spending the day with them running errands and going to the coffee shop. We have also partnered with Respect Abilities in East Moline and Empower House in Davenport.
We also work on our life skills and will have cooking days or clubhouse days where we clean and just hang out and have fun. We love making cookies and thank you cards once a month for our donors, volunteer sites, and anyone who needs some cookie TLC or who shows PWP kindness. We also love to make friends in our neighborhood and have befriended workers at the local Dairy Queen, Jimmy’s Pancake House, and Teske’s.
“I like helping out with my peers and seeing my friends,” said Maddie, a People with Purpose participant.
To learn more about our new Clubhouse and to see photos from demolition and our open houses go to https://www.handinhandqc.org/people-with-purpose-clubhouse.
To learn more about the People with Purpose program and to contact our Director of Dayhab go to https://www.handinhandqc.org/people-with-purpose.