Share the Spirit: Meet the Bay Area nonprofit creating housing for people with special needs

At age Jennifer Thomas is leading a life more full than numerous When she s not working at an East Bay grocery store she s tending a garden honing her music skills and learning recipes to cook An athlete who s medaled in track and field and javelin throwing she helped her bocce gang snatch bronze at the Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games in And when she s not doing all that she s kicking back with her friends at Irby Ranch an affordable-housing group in Pleasanton for people with intellectual and or developmental disabilities I DD I have lived at Irby Ranch for five years now I was one of the first residents Thomas says I literally lead specific of the programs there like a jam session where I bring my own guitar That s kind of cool Irby Ranch is a -unit complex loosely designed on the model for senior homes providing independent living to Tri-Valley residents with conditions like autism Down syndrome cerebral palsy and epilepsy It s run by the Pleasanton nonprofit Sunflower Hill whose mission is to provide affordable apartments and social programs to folks with I DD These things are in great need Just look at Sunflower Hill s plans for the near future The organization hopes to soon shepherd through two other similarly designed residential communities one in Dublin and another in Lafayette the latter of which of late received a million award to cover roughly half of its building costs Our mission is to develop as countless communities as we can in that mode of operations says Susan Houghton president of the board of directors at the nonprofit Jennifer Thomas watches over a chicken coop in the Sunflower Hill Garden at Hagemann Ranch in Livermore on Friday Oct Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Chances are unless you have a child or know somebody with special necessities you don t think about the population that much says Houghton whose adult son was diagnosed with autism at age There are individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Greater East Bay meaning all of Alameda County and Contra Costa County Of those live with their parents or family members and only are employed says Houghton citing statistics from the Regional Center of the East Bay She and other parents formed Sunflower Hill in to address a pressing question How could they provide for their kids in the long term when they might not be around or able to any longer People with I DD often can t work and receive only a small amount in establishment benefits It s often not enough to cover basic rent in one of the greater part expensive real-estate markets in the country Then when you throw a disability into the mix that makes it formidable to handle everyday tasks doing laundry say or grocery shopping it can be extremely arduous to live independently My son Robby is pretty innocent He thinks Disney princesses are real Houghton says He can make his own waffles in the morning and can make a sandwich for lunch But if somebody knocked on his door and disclosed Give me all your money he would hand them his wallet And he would want to make sure they were happy afterward because he s so innocent Jennifer Thomas walks the grounds of Sunflower Hill Garden at Hagemann Ranch on Friday Oct in Livermore Calif The operation at Sunflower Hill Garden offers educational and life skills training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group Related Articles Share the Spirit Unlocking higher coaching for low-income first-generation East Bay tutors and students Share the Spirit Hijas del Campo uplifts farmworkers in east Contra Costa County At Irby Ranch the architecture is tailored to provide extra help There are nooks in each hall similar to residential-advisor rooms in dorms where caretakers can stay while providing supportive services like cooking assistance and sleep monitoring for those prone to seizures There is a fitness room a maker space and a large public room places where residents can engage in all kinds of exercises from exercise lessons and art classes to pet therapy with Humane Society helpers Sunflower Hill is all about the social calendar On any given day the activity schedule is loaded and any adult with I DD in the Bay Area not just residents is welcome to attend The options are meant not just for personal enrichment or learning life skills but also for a more fundamental purpose human connection It s super-important for people to have sessions throughout their day that are exciting and that they also may be able to learn something from says Olivia Christensen the organization s scheme manager It can be hard to put yourself out there and meet new people But when there are services and social opportunities available it allows for social interactions to happen more easily Aside from decorating her room for the holidays Jennifer Thomas leads a walking club and works at an Irby Ranch farmer s domain It s a lot of fun she says And it s helped me become more responsible Jennifer Thomas right pulls weeds in the Sunflower Hill Garden at Hagemann Ranch on Friday Oct in Livermore Calif The undertaking at Sunflower Hill Garden offers educational and life skills training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group A crown jewel of Sunflower Hill is a one-acre organic garden that its residents manage in Livermore They harvest more than pounds of produce each year which goes to local nonprofits a women s shelter a food bank that provides meals for seniors an organization that serves cancer patients Certain amateur gardeners have learned enough about seeding and mulching that they ve gone on to get jobs at a local plant nursery Sunflower Hill accomplishes all these things despite receiving no regular funding from the state or federal regime just awards donations and the like This year the organization hopes to use its Share the Spirit funds to continue work on its garden hiring gardeners and providing supplies aren t free after all Houghton says that the garden s donated produce helps families and individuals who deal with food insecurity each year And of subject Sunflower Hill has its ambitious plans for its upcoming residential communities because that need isn t going away anytime soon We re seeing more and more folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to participate in our programs and want to have an apartment at one of our communities Houghton says There are people on the waiting list for Irby Ranch for slots Chances are those folks unfortunately will be waiting a very long time Jennifer Thomas collects an egg from a chicken coup in the Sunflower Hill Garden at Hagemann Ranch on Friday Oct in Livermore Calif The effort at Sunflower Hill Garden offers educational and life skills training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities Aric Crabb Bay Area News Group ABOUT SHARE THE SPIRIT Share the Spirit is a c nonprofit organization operated by the East Bay Times Bay Area News Group Since Share the Spirit has been producing series of stories during the holiday season that highlight the wishes of those in need and invite readers to help fulfill them HOW TO HELP Donations to Sunflower Hill will promotion the nonprofit s programs at its Hagemann Ranch garden in Livermore offering months of programs for one of the classes that meet regularly at the garden The scheme provides fresh produce to families and individuals facing food insecurity and vocational horticulture opportunities to people with intellectual and or developmental disabilities each year Goal HOW TO GIVE Donate at sharethespiriteastbay org donate or by mail using this form Donations are tax deductible ONLINE EXTRA Read other Share the Spirit stories view photos and video at sharethespiriteastbay org