Bon Appetit LIVE! Review, by Marcus Holt and Brad Johnson

 

Here's Marcus and Brad, this week's guest authors, and their friend Bonnie at EP!C's Bon Appétit LIVE! event last Thursday, March 20!

 

Marcus and I were asked if we could write a review of EP!C’s Bon Appétit event that was held at the Embassy Suites Thursday night- We both agree this year’s Bon Appétit gets 2 thumbs way up.  This was Marcus’ second straight year attending Bon Appétit and he always likes to get dressed up in his super suave suit and tie for the event, putting nearly everyone else to shame with his awesome style.  Marcus says the food was delicious and he got really full.

 

We saw a ton of our friends out there too- off the tops of our heads we remember seeing our friends Angie B., Mike A., Mike C., Marsha, Rosalie, Rhoda, Will, Doris, Eric, Milly, Jim, Kim, Robin, Jane, Amy, Cindy, Deb, Rachel, Tammy, Joan, Heidi, Dominique, Matthew, Bev, Robert, James, Stephanie, Bonnie and Shawn (who Marcus negotiated an agreement with to join us on our EP!C radio show next month :) and even a couple of the students from Dr. Celia Johnson’s Education class at Bradley University who come to EP!C to do some field hours and work with our individuals!  I'm sure there were some others we are forgetting now, but we saw a whole bunch of our friends and enjoyed meeting some new friends from the community as well.  

 

Marcus enjoyed seeing celebrity chef Christine Ha, the winner of TV’s “Master Chef”, give everybody a cooking demonstration on stage.  When I explained to him that Chef Christine is vision impaired and is still able to cook her awesome recipes by feeling her way around the kitchen and stuff, he thought that was really cool.  We got to see how Chef Christine prepared the fancy dessert we had with the dinner and then Chef Christine answered some questions from the audience after her demonstration.  Marcus gave everybody a big smile when he raised his hand and got on the microphone and said “Christine, I have one question- are you trying to make us all get fat?!” J  When the food was served Marcus happily cleaned his entire plate.

 

He also enjoyed seeing the videos of our friend Dominique at Bremer Jeweler helping choose the design for the custom-made pendant that was raffled off and the video montage from the local chef contest.  By the end of the night Marcus had a full stomach and was getting tired, but had a great time and says he would definitely love to go again next year.  Bon Appétit really was a great event, its so cool for everybody from EP!C and for all the people from the community who get to come and have a great time, eat some great food and help raise some money for a great organization!
 

What working at EP!C means to me, by Brad Johnson

What working at EP!C means to me…

Hello- My name is Brad. I have been working at EP!C  for 5 years now. When I started working at EP!C, I had just moved to the Peoria area after substitute teaching in Wisconsin for a few years and I needed a summer job. I applied at EP!C and started working in one of our group homes in the community.  I had planned on just working for the summer and then going back to teaching in the fall, but I quickly became very attached to the people who lived at the home and didn't want to leave.

 It wasn't the easiest schedule, working second shift and every other weekend. I missed some family holiday get-togethers due to working on Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc. but I loved it.  After a few years I ended up transferring to the day program and working in our classrooms. I got the chance to meet many more great people that way and loved doing that job too.  

Eventually, I became a Program Coordinator and moved into an office. It’s not your typical office job though, because there is still a lot of interaction with our participants and a constant stream of visitors to the office. I still get to do fun things, like our EP!C radio show, and there are plenty of community outings and special events to go on, which is probably my favorite part of the job. 

I know there are many people working at EP!C who share the same feelings as myself. Many who have devoted 10, 20, 30 or more years of their lives to our individuals and this organization. They are very busy every day, putting in all the time and effort to do the things we try to do to help improve the lives of our individuals. They might not have the time to write something like this, so I wanted to share some of these thoughts…  All of our employees deserve a big thank you for all they do, but I bet many of them would just shrug it off and say it’s no big deal at all. We love to have the opportunity to do it… 

The individuals at EP!C are some of my best friends- I don’t say that to sound “cute” or something, that is the absolute truth.  I am more than happy to do all I can do the help improve the quality of life for our individuals, and I get exactly the same in return.  I feel like my own quality of life is so greatly increased by getting to come into work each day and spend time with people that I love and who bring me so much joy as well. 

One of the closest, most loyal and loving friends I have ever had, passed away earlier this year.  His name was Mike and he lived at the group home where I first worked when I started at EP!C.  And when I transferred to the day program, we were constant companions there, just as we had been at his home.  You could see us every day going up and down the halls of the building- a sixty year old bald man in his motorized wheelchair and me, a kid half his age, walking along side by side- the best of friends… 

When he suffered a sudden heart attack and was in the hospital, I visited him several times, just as I'd hope my friends would visit me if I were in that situation.  While there visiting, I often ran into other EP!C employees who also came on their off time to visit.  I remember asking Mike if he was getting tired of being cooped up in a hospital room and he said, No, it wasn't so bad- the nurses were really nice and he had a lot of visitors and company. 
 

The night that he eventually passed away, I was visiting and brought him the huge stack of get-well cards his peers and staff had made for him.  One of our busiest employees, the head of our Physical therapy department, was there visiting too, as well as his twin brother who had cut short his vacation in Italy to come back and visit at the hospital.  I remember Mike sitting up in the hospital bed that evening, smiling and laughing as we talked.  He said “I sure am glad you've been coming to visit…” and asked for a hug- when I bent over to give him a hug, he whispered “Remember what I call you- You’re my ‘dad’…” 

I still think about that all the time and what an experience it was to get to share in so much of a person’s life- to spend time with them in their home, at their work, to go to church together, to be with him at our Awards night when he won the EP!C “Star Achiever Award” and was so excited he needed help driving his wheelchair up to receive his award… J 

When Mike passed away, we had a memorial service for him at EP!C. His family thought it would be the most fitting place to have it since EP!C was such a big part of his life and he loved it here so much.  I led the service, even though I have a bit of a phobia of public speaking, and there were literally hundreds of people who showed up- Mikes family and friends from around the area and all of his many friends from EP!C.  I usually avoid speaking in front of crowds if at all possible, but I wanted to do something to honor the man who had been such a great friend to me.  It was just one more time that he brought out things in me, that I didn't know I was capable of. 

Working at EP!C has definitely changed my life and enriched it in so many ways.  I know there are a lot of employees here that feel the same way and we all hope that we can do the same for our individuals.  It can be difficult to do everything we hope to do with budget and funding difficulties, especially in our state, and one thing that is a big help is support from our local community.  I hope that more people will continue to become aware of the work we do at EP!C and get involved and help support what we do in any way they can.  I’m sure when they do, they will see what a positive effect it can have on so many lives and find that they will get so much joy and happiness in return…. Thank you for letting me take the opportunity to share these thoughts…  

Sincerely,

 Brad Johnson

Sharing Our Story

Of all the places in the world, there is no place quite like EP!C.  For many of us, EP!C is like a second home.  It's more than just a building: it's a place to work, to learn, to live, to make friends, to set goals, and to achieve our dreams.

The best thing about EP!C is that every single person here has an amazing story.  For our individuals, their stories are defined by perseverance, courage, and a refusal to accept a diagnosis as an identity.  On a daily basis, we have the privilege of watching them overcome challenges, smash through expectations, and live every day with incredible determination.

For our staff, their stories are fueled by patience, dedication, and a passion for helping others.  Working at EP!C is not always easy, but our staff recognize the importance of the work that we do and know that the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

With so many extraordinary people and personalities, we know that these voices need to be heard.  We know that they can make a difference.  That's where the EP!C Perspective comes in.  Through the EP!C Perspective, we'd like to offer you an inside look into what we do, who we are, and where we came from.

With a different guest author every week, you'll get to hear a new voice share his or her story.  It could be a joyful story, a sad story, a hero's tale, or a story about love.  When it comes to EP!C, you never know what you're going to get!

We can't wait to share our stories with you.