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Meet Emily Cummings, a dedicated community integration facilitator in the developmental disabilities program at Gerwig. <\/span>Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Emily made the bold decision to move to the United States at the age of 19, embarking on a journey that would lead her to impactful work at Humanim.<\/span><\/p>\n For the past two years, Emily has been an integral part of Humanim, initially starting as a Direct Support Professional and now as a facilitator<\/span>, where she assists individuals in forging connections within their community. Her role not only gives her a sense of purpose but also fosters a strong sense of community for herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As an advocate for her clients, Emily develops monthly schedules, formulates goals, and pulls together meetings with families and the agencies that help support them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely love it. When you work with the clients every day, you build a relationship and know what\u2019s going on and they trust you,\u201d she says. \u201cThe main thing is getting to come to work every single day and put a smile on the individuals\u2019 faces, to make their day as meaningful as possible. That gives me a lot of joy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe thing I value most about the work is finding ways to help the clients,\u201d she says. \u201cI value that they trust me every day to come to me with problems they have that they aren\u2019t comfortable talking to other people about. If you make time to sit with them, they will gravitate to you. I had to earn their trust; and they\u2019ve earned mine, for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Outside of work, Emily finds joy cheering on the boys\u2019 high school basketball team coached by her boyfriend and cooking \u2013 usually spicy Trinidadian food, including lots of soups. And she\u2019s taken up golf. \u201cEveryone tells me I\u2019m pretty good for just starting. I just enjoy being out there, it takes your mind off everything. You\u2019re just in the moment trying to aim, really concentrating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Emily is proud of her independence, as moving to America was not always easy. \u201cPeople couldn\u2019t understand my accent, I ate different food,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI would wear my flip flops in cold weather. It was a culture shock, and I had to learn really quickly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And she treasures the community she has within Humanim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMoving from overseas, I don\u2019t have a lot of family here,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen I first started in this job, Humanim sort of became my family. It felt a little lonely, but I have to say I\u2019ve made a family working here. I felt welcomed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Looking ahead, Emily is enthusiastic about the opportunities for growth in her field. \u201cI\u2019m young, and this field is full of opportunity. I\u2019m going to keep trying to make the clients\u2019 days as positive and meaningful as possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Emily\u2019s journey is a testament to resilience, compassion, and dedication, qualities that shine through her work and her commitment to making a difference every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Meet Emily Cummings, a dedicated community integration facilitator in the development disabilities program at Gerwig.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[62,61,34,16],"class_list":["post-28380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-humansofhumanim","tag-teamhumanim","tag-developmental-disabilities","tag-human-services"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n