50 Years, 50 Stories - Chris Kozak

Today’s “50 Years, 50 Stories” installment comes from Chris Kozak, who worked for Imagine!’s Labor Source department back in the 1990s. One thing that really sticks out for me here is Chris's story about the reaction from one of the clients he worked with when he announced he was leaving. So many of the stories in this series have employees discussing the powerful impact the experience of working at Imagine! has had on them personally. Those are great to read, but it is important to remember that DSPs like Chris also have a tremendous and positive impact on those we serve. The relationships that develop are genuine; the changes that can occur are substantial; and the pain that can be felt upon a DSP leaving is very real. It can’t be avoided, unfortunately, but it shouldn’t be dismissed or diminished. So thank you Chris, for reminding us of that lesson so eloquently.

Two of My Best Years

By Chris Kozak

 

Chris Kozak

 

I came to Boulder in 1996 from New Jersey after a few post college years of dull jobs and looking at the same scenery since I was in third grade. I had gone out West with my Dad for the first time a few years before and immediately fell in love with Colorado, so I packed as much as possible into my beat-up car and drove to Boulder with enough in savings to pay for a security deposit and one month’s rent in an apartment and absolutely no job set up. After a few days of "investigating" the local watering holes and hiking around the foothills I realized I needed to get serious. I bought a copy of the Daily Camera and poured through the employment section. I saw a listing for Labor Source at the Developmental Disability Center for a position of Employment Specialist. From the description I knew I would be working with adults that had a spectrum of different developmental disabilities, assisting them to integrate into the community and have jobs that would enrich their lives and provide new experiences. But as I learned, there would never be a short, adequate description for all the things I did there and everything I gained.

I was interviewed by Scarlett Joy and Jon Tuschman. I had majored in Psychology and Philosophy but had only one bullet point on my hastily printed resume about working on a communication program for people with autism during college. As the interview moved forward, I sensed they were no longer focused on what I was saying but how I was behaving. Was I calm and centered? Did I seem patient and focused? Suddenly I realized it was all about behavior, and I learned more about behavior, my own and those around me, from Mark Emery and all my other mentors and peers in one month at Labor Source than 4 years (okay, four years and two semesters) at college. I also learned how close-knit all the employees were. Whenever someone was having a difficult day there was also someone willing to let you vent and then laugh with. It was a real family.

Regretfully, I left two years later, in 1998. One of the young women I helped to create a communication program for who lived in Longmont spoke only a few words and then only in a shy whisper. I had mentioned to her in the car as I was driving her back home at the end of a work day that I was moving back east. She was in the back seat of the car and remained silent. After about five minutes I heard a soft, trembling cry, and looked up in the rear view mirror to see tears streaming down her face. "Please don't go!" she suddenly shouted, surprising everyone in the car. I pulled over and talked to her awhile, eventually cheering her up while trying to keep my own emotions in check, and then dropped her off at home with a smile.

As I'm sure many others feel, I gained so much more than I could ever hope to have given at Labor Source. It was, and most likely will always remain, the best place I have ever worked in my life.

Are you interested in sharing your story for “50 Years, 50 Stories?” If so, contact Caroline Siegfried at caroline@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6405. We’d love to hear from you!