For more information:
Call 651-454-2732,
or contact one of Lifeworks' Intake and Referral Coordinators:
Metro Area
Jeanne Eglinton
651-365-3781
jeglinton@lifeworks.org
Mankato Area
Kristi Powers
507-625-7522
kpowers@lifeworks.org
Lifeworks Customized Support
Dawn Thorn
651-365-3742
dthorn@lifeworks.org
Or call your county case manager and ask for a referral to Lifeworks.
Success Stories
Larry Lubbers
Larry Lubbers was born 53 years ago with mental retardation. He lived for a brief time with his family and then was moved to a group home. When he was 10 years old, he was moved to an institution. While in the institution he was known by his number, not his name. His hands were tied to his bed each night. He was treated brutally, being shouted at and shoved against walls. He lived there for three years. Then he was moved to another group home where the conditions were just as poor. In this group home, his foster parents forced him to shower outside in the rain, completely naked. His head was routinely shaved. He couldn't participate in any activities or attend school; he was expected to just sit around. He was treated as a child even though he was an adult. He was denied access to the kitchen and laundry room. Larry vividly recalls the day he broke down crying, "Why am I living here; did I do something wrong?" When Larry was 23 years old he started school. Sometime later, he was rescued by a social worker and moved into his own apartment.
Larry had few independent skills and little assistance in learning to be independent. After several jobs, Lifeworks was recommended as a good program for him. We found him a job at Rainbow Foods in West St. Paul and we provided the support he needed to grow in his job and personal confidence. He has been working at Rainbow Foods for nine years and earns $12.90 an hour. He is popular with both the staff and customers.
Larry is also a regular spokesperson for Advocating Change Together (ACT), talking to our legislators and community groups. The most rewarding issue he addressed with the legislature was an initiative to replace the numbered grave markers in institution's graveyards with names of the deceased person. This was his first presentation and he was afraid to go to the Capitol but he knew he had to do it because he felt sorry for all the people who lived in institutions not as human beings, but as numbers.
Not only is Larry living independently in an apartment, he's a contributing member of our community, a taxpaying citizen. He is so determined to succeed that he has even managed to build a significant savings account through his earnings. Larry said his life has been "a hard test to take" but he survived and now he lives his life on his terms.
Lifeworks welcomes requests for accommodations such as an interpreter or information in an alternate format. All of our facilities are physically accessible.