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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Wayne and Chrissy

A Love Story

Wayne met the love of his life, Chrissy, in junior high school and it was love at first sight. Since then, they have been inseparable. They have a date night once a week to go see a movie, go out to dinner, or take a leisurely stroll in the park. When they are not physically together, they connect virtually by texting or calling throughout the day. Chrissy also enjoys writing Wayne daily love letters and he is always happy to receive them.

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Michael

Ballroom Dancer

Michael has been a ballroom dancer for 17 and a half years. He began dancing following graduation from Sacramento State and immediately fell in love with ballroom dancing as he found something he is passionate about.

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Tiffany

Service Coordinator

Tiffany’s path as Service Coordinator at Alta California Regional Center wasn’t direct but was fated after her son was diagnosed with autism. She attended California State University, Sacramento and received a Bachelor’s in English Literature. After Tiffany had her son, Sam, he was diagnosed with autism at three years old and was nonverbal, and they struggled to get help for the things they needed. Tiffany sought the help of Lucee Phan, Service Coordinator, and Jennifer Bloom, the now Director of Client Services, and received so much help.

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Robert

Overcoming Homelessness

Robert was determined eligible for regional center services in 1990 but didn’t access them due to a “wild youth” when he struggled with addiction and negative influences from friends. On a path that was wrong for him, it led him to being homeless for 10 years. Prior to being homeless, Robert lived with his mother, but she unfortunately passed away two years ago while living in a skilled nursing facility. But now, at 62 years old, Robert is housed and enjoys living in a care home.

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Kellen

Taekwondo Student

Kellen struggled with managing emotions, socialization, and being disciplined but he and his parents were intent on finding an option that could help him. Then in 2021, purchase of social recreation services was restored after over a decade of regional centers being prohibited from purchasing it for clients. With this option available again, they decided it would be great for Kellen to try a social recreation activity.

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Ethan

Native American Heritage Month

Ethan is proud to have graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 2019. Afterwards, he attended a day program for three years and recently he got a job at Story Winery. At the winery, Ethan has various responsibilities that allow him to work heavy machinery like the forklift and tractor. During harvest season, when the winery harvests the grapes from the vineyard, Ethan works full time hours. Working has given him independence which he values greatly.

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Aileen

Native American Heritage Month

Aileen celebrates her heritage daily as a member of the Hoopa Tribe in Burney Falls. At two years old, she was adopted after her biological parents had to renounce their care for Aileen. She was separated from her culture for many years after being adopted as her adoptive parents are White, but through her aunt, Aileen learned about where she came from.

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Elizabeth

Service Coordinator

 Elizabeth has almost 20 years of experience in social work and has been dedicated to helping people all her life. She attended San Francisco State University and received a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and then a Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling after being encouraged by her parents to pursue higher education. With that encouragement, she was the first in her family to receive a college education.

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Peter and the Signing of the ADA

Peter and the Signing of the ADA

Peter Mendoza, Community Program Specialist with the State Council of Developmental Disabilities and client of the Alta California Regional Center, shares his story on witnessing the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and how he got there.

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Elijah

Service Coordinator

Elijah (who uses any pronouns and likes to use them interchangeably) attended Sierra College and American River College in 1993 but would eventually get married and have children, leading him to drop out to attend to his familial responsibilities. But Elijah still wanted to pursue an education, and in 2009, they received a bachelor’s in social psychology from Park University.

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Jason

Jason began his career serving emotionally disturbed adolescents in 2001. He then attended a job fair and met a residential care provider and decided to transition to serving the developmentally disabled population in 2005. He continued his career and served in a role as a Community Support Facilitator, until 2016 when he became a Service Coordinator at Alta California Regional Center (ACRC).

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Benjamin

Writer

Benjamin, who uses any pronouns, is a talented writer who is working on 10 different web series. Each one is unique; one of them is based off of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), along with several video game related series. Benjamin plans to produce the series himself through her own production company, which is a goal for him to start. As she creates each episode, he will launch them on YouTube and hopes to monetize his platform in the future when she has built an audience for the series.

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Dad-vocates

Led by Raymond

Raymond felt isolated when he learned of his son, Richard’s, developmental disabilities. He didn’t have a community to turn to, and he felt like he was missing out on the role of a father because he found that mothers managed so much of the caregiving for developmentally disabled children. Wanting to remedy that, Raymond learned of a support group for father’s and has been a part of it for 25 years. Almost 10 years ago, he took over as the facilitator of the group and re-branded it as Dad-vocates.

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Tarra

Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional - Federal Programs

Tarra attended Mills College in Oakland and received a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies in 2010, and then went on to receive a Master’s from American Public University in Environmental Management in 2015. During her time in school, Tarra worked for Creative Living Options as a Care Provider for five years. She had a long-time interest in serving the developmentally disabled population, and as a child she wanted to be a special education teacher.

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Tommy

Business Owner

Tommy works at Ruhstaller Farm, where he is a proud bus boy. He loves his job  because he enjoys interacting with people, seeing the celebrations that take place (like birthdays and anniversaries), and the lively atmosphere. He also enjoys partaking in the beers they have available during his time off and appreciates that they frequently have live music performers.

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Markley

Service Coordinator

Markley has a unique mixed caseload as a Service Coordinator where she serves clients who have committed crimes, along with those who have not committed crimes. Her passion for criminal justice started early on, when she served as a probation officer for Sacramento County from 2017-2019. Markley attended California State University, Sacramento, and received a bachelor’s in criminal justice in 2019. However, she realized that she wanted to work in social work and help those with criminal backgrounds or are currently on diversion plans.

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Ofa and Lata

Loving Siblings

Ofa and Lata have quite a special bond. Ofa is always happy to help her older sister with any of her needs. As Lata’s conservator, Ofa took on the responsibility of Lata’s caregiver and has made strides to ensure her sister’s comfort and success.

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Carter

TikTok Star

From a young age, Carter’s parents knew he was exceptionally bright. He was always interested in letters and numbers, and from as early as 2 and a half, Carter was able to write and read big words. It wasn’t until he was 3 that his parents learned his condition was called hyperlexia (early reading). His talents expanded further when Carter was taught mental math in 2020. Afterwards, he shifted his interests from reading to doing math, completely in his head!

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Marlene

Service Coordinator

Marlene has served in the social work field since 2008 where she first began her career working in a residential home for children on probation. Afterwards, she took a position at an after-school program with Access Leisure for children with special needs and enjoyed the work she did. Realizing she would like to continue working with people with disabilities, she transitioned to Progressive Employment Concepts and loved working with clients for longer periods of time beyond just the after-school hours.

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Josh

Josh is a on track to work as in a church and became passionate about pursuing the ministry through his church, Bayside Granite Bay. His interest in ministry began through the community he made at church, and the passion he felt when he would serve and volunteer. He enjoyed being a resource for newcomers and welcoming them into the space. Currently, Josh attends SUM Bible College and is studying theology and ministry. His goal was to further serve the church and learn more about the Bible.