Our Stories

Overview

Our Clients, Families and Staff tell the rest of the story.

If you are a client or family member of a client, and are interested in sharing your story, please reach out to your Service Coordinator. No achievement is too small, and we would love to celebrate you!

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Justin

Paid Intern

Justin began services at California Resource Services for Independent Living (CRS) through Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) in March 2024. He had difficulty managing the responsibilities adult life required of him, but CRS helped with organization and understanding important documents that would be addressed to him. CRS also assisted with his employment pursuits, and Justin is happy to say he is working through the Paid Internship Program.

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Lyndsey

Succeeding at Work

Lyndsey is proud to work on the onsite laundry service for Thunder Valley Casino and Resort as an employee of PRIDE Industries. She began her position in 2020, during the pandemic which required a very intensive cleaning service for all the linens the hotel guests use. Even now, the cleaning process is extensive, and the quality checks required to ensure the freshest of linens are something Lyndsey diligently adheres to.

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Vincent

On the Path to a Career

Vincent has made immense strides in building his confidence through his time at California Resource Services for Independent Living (CRS) and as a client of Alta California Regional Center (ACRC). He struggled with being vocal about his needs and would shy away from conversations, but at CRS, he practices daily conversation to improve his speaking. This improvement has helped him become more confident when it comes to finding a job and being in job interviews.

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James

Direct Support Professional

James began his career at PRIDE Industries in December 2021 as a job coach. He is instrumental in guiding clients through daily tasks for their jobs and helps them understand the tasks assigned to clients during their workdays. James provides support to a group of clients who are employed at Thunder Valley and acts as a liaison for the clients and the employer.

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Mariano and Irene

Direct Support Professionals

Mariano and Irene both work for California Resource Services for Independent Living (CRS), a service provider of Alta California Regional Center (ACRC). Service providers are vital to the regional center system as they help provide direct services that every client’s unique case needs. At CRS, they provide Coordinated Family Support Services (CFS) to adult clients.

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Nancy

Service Coordinator

Nancy has had a robust career that enabled her to experience and serve people from all walks of life. She began her education with a Bachelor’s in journalism and minored in criminal justice. Nancy continued her education with a Master’s from Arizona State University in criminal justice. During the time she studied, Nancy also served as an intern parole agent where she learned about prisoner safety and security, along with how to handle dangerous situations. She enjoyed the shadowing opportunity it provided her and piqued her interest to continue.

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Jessicah

Service Coordinator

Jessicah was inspired by her mother at a young age to have a career that would be impactful and helpful for others. Whenever there was a crisis or family issue, she would watch and hear her mother diffuse the situation and comfort those involved, helping them all feel safe. Jessicah knew she wanted to emulate that, and so in 2011, she pursued an associate’s degree in psychology from Sierra College. She would continue her education at California State University, Sacramento, by getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2014.

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Matthew

Writer

Matthew discovered his passion for writing in 2013 while in high school after participating in a writing contest. In three days, he wrote 11 pages and received an A+ for his work and found something that makes him happy to do. Matthew is fascinated by history, and science fiction (sci-fi) and will frequently write about historical events in a fiction-based story.

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Nicole

Discovering Her Identity

Nicole was strongly in tune with her feminine nature since elementary school. She was born a boy, but never felt aligned with the societal view of being a boy. She would see her sisters and the women in her family doing their hair and makeup together and thought that it was beautiful. Nicole was raised by her grandparents who brought her up in a very religious household and so she was nervous to come out to her family about her identity.

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Laraine and Orlando

Foster Parents

Laraine first became a foster parent in 2010 after taking in two distantly related family members, Sophia, and Brent. She and her husband, Orlando, would formally adopt them on August 17, 2010, seven days after welcoming the birth of their firstborn son on August 10. Although they were excited and happy to bring in their two adopted children into the family, they quickly realized they would having a learning curve after discovering that both Sophia and Brent had developmental disabilities.

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Janica

Family Home Agency Provider

Janica began working as a Family Home Agency (FHA) provider in 2015, after her mother’s friend suggested that she go to Enriching Lives and explore becoming a provider. FHA providers offer flexible living options for 1-2 individuals with developmental disabilities. They assist in the care, medical needs, basic life needs of the client and offer up their home for the client to actively be a part of. Janica immediately adjusted to this new way of life as a Family Home Agency provider.

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Melinda

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Services Specialist

At 16 years old, Melinda was in a car accident and hospitalized. She was pronounced brain dead and conversations were initiated about what the next steps were as she was on life support. All seemed hopeless and her family prepared to grieve. However, Melinda’s sister had caught out of the corner of her eye Melinda’s hand moving. Startled and curious, the sister grabbed Melinda’s hand and “listened.” Melinda was finger spelling “hurt” onto the palm of her sister’s hand over and over.

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Derek

Discord Community Creator

Derek is long term gamer and has a goal to bring people with disabilities together in a safe online community. He has enjoyed playing video games since 2003 when his brother introduced him to Game Cube. His love of video games merged with his love of technology in 2005 when he started learning about it during his special education classes. Since then, Derek has been passionate about technological advancements and understanding it.

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Michael

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist

Michael is the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist at Alta California Regional Center. He began the position in February 2024, but he has a lifetime of experience as a member of the deaf community. He recognizes the value of having a deaf person available to deaf and hard of hearing clients because he understands the unique cultural components of the community.

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Tim

Paid Intern

Tim began a Paid Internship Program (PIP) one year ago for Eskaton, a senior living care facility. He obtained the internship with the help of tkMomentum, a vendored provider with Alta California Regional Center. At Eskaton, Tim performs a number of jobs, including working in the kitchen for food preparation for dining hours, maintaining cleanliness of the dining hall, and providing any other needed duties like overall maintenance of the facility.

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Maria

Service Coordinator

Maria began at Alta California Regional Center in 2020, right before the start of the pandemic. She has experience working with young children, and prior to her transition to a Service Coordinator at the regional center, she worked in Emergency Response at Child Protective Services. Her career has been built on helping others and providing them the space to feel comfortable in seeking help.

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Margaret

Proud Mother

Margaret is a proud stay-at-home mother to two children, Lyrik and Keyshia. As a client, Margaret recognized her life goals and knew she wanted to live independently with her two children. Lyrik and Keyshia also receive services from Alta California Regional Center and Margaret can apply her first-hand experience as a client to help her children.

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Ye

Service Coordinator

Ye has worked as a Service Coordinator at Alta California Regional Center for over a year. As a bilingual Service Coordinator, she can communicate with Mandarin speaking clients to help them better understand services. She enjoys working at ACRC because of the supportive team and overall positive working environment, along with helping the families and clients on her caseload.

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Darren

Artist and Business Owner

Six years ago, Darren began painting ornaments when a non-profit organization recognized his talent for painting on canvas and asked him if he could paint ornaments as presents. Darren was willing to try, but being a perfectionist, he did not like the first batch of ornaments he painted and so he tried again. From then on, Darren turned what seemed like a simple one-time request into a successful business.

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Asya

Service Coordinator

Asya is a highly educated person who has obtained multiple degrees including an MBA, in Healthcare Administration, Bachelor’s in Science, and Associates in Arts. She intended to become a nurse while she was studying but found that life took her on the path of entrepreneurship with the goal in mind to help people. While living in Chicago, Asya started a cleaning company, and a personal Assistant company with a goal to hire those in need of employment facing homelessness, and home aids who support the elderly in their homes.