It s something bright and cheery. Work is definitely more interesting. If you like your surroundings, you re going to be a better staff person. As staff members have become swept up in the Cherry Valley phenomenon, there seems to have been a positive change among program participants. Some have become more active - one man has taken an active role in doing the daily laundry at the program.
Participants just seem more involved and interested.
It gives the client a lot better sense of self-worth, because they re doing something real. The Cherry Valley project has brought about other noticeable changes in some of the consumers. Many of the consumers in Ms. TenHuisen s area of the Day Treatment Program are severely mentally retarded. Several of them spent many years in institutions before coming to The Resource Center. Recently, though, a staff member was able to teach a client to drink from a straw after years of trying.