TransparencyKellen
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Maribeth
Service Coordinator
Maribeth has worked at Alta
California Regional Center since 2014 as a Service Coordinator.
She is a mother to two children with autism, and has both the
lived and professional experience that allows her to support and
connect with the families she works with. Working at ACRC is more
than a job for her, it is her life and she seeks to improve the
lives of those she works with.
Buttons n’ Bears, Oh My!
Jackson and Anna both live in Davis,
CA, where they grew up and went to junior high school together.
They have busy lives volunteering in their community, and both
say that they relate well to
kids.
Mary
Autism Clinical Specialist
Mary Rettinhouse is the Autism
Clinical Specialist for Alta California Regional Center (ACRC).
She is one of ACRC’s clinical team members and has been with the
agency since 2010. Mary is a valuable employee for ACRC;
providing knowledge and support not only to clients and staff,
but also to regional center service providers and the community.