Exploring what “community” looks like

When we think of the word community and what it means to us, I think it’s safe to say that we would all define it a bit differently, or would we?  

Kris, with her friend, Brooke

On a cold January day, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two of the individuals we support at our Stone Creek Apartments program, Anne and Kris. I asked them to share with me what community meant to them, how they would define their community. We talked about their friends at their apartment program and places of work, their families, and connections they have in the community in which they live. I heard stories about recent travels Anne had with her family to celebrate her 70th birthday in The Bahamas and how special that time was for her. Kris shared about her connection to her volunteer, Brooke, and Brooke’s children who spend time with Kris. Both shared about their love for Special Olympics, Hammer Travel trips, and participating in religious practices.

One thing that stood out to me was how important their peers and staff are to them. I believe the work we do at Hammer & NER is significant but when the individuals define their community as one that includes the people they share their lives with, their staff and peers, it really validates the importance of the work our staff do and how this living style works so well for many different reasons. Even if they may not like someone else in the apartment program, they still feel everyone is there for each other. Kris shared that, “Lots of people have my back and I have theirs.” She talked about having good support systems in all areas of her life and how important that is for her as someone who lives with disabilities.

As I reflect on that conversation and think about how I would define community, sure there are some differences but all in all, community is about the people you enjoy spending time with, where you live, who you live with, and others who are important to you. Anne and Kris have different lived experiences than I do, but at the end of the day we all want to spend time with the people who are important to us and enjoy the company of our co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family. My community may physically be different than Anne’s or Kris’s but in many other ways, our individual communities fulfill a special part of our lives.

(Anne is pictured in the photo above, third from the right, with members of her extended family, in The Bahamas)