Laurie Cramer, Executive Director, Autism Society of Greater Akron

There really are guardian angels out there…

As Executive Director, my day is always different. From managing the day-to-day operations (okay, definitely my least favorite part), to conducting our Autism Friendly training, to overseeing staff and programs, it’s always busy around here.

And then there was the other day…. When someone’s guardian angel walked in our door.

Jessica was worried about “John,” a 20-year-old young man with autism she was trying to place in a job. Jessica knew that while she may be able to find a job for John, he could never keep it because he was homeless and she strongly suspected that he also had autism. His adopted parents had stopped caring for him, and they no longer answered her calls about helping John.

We put our heads together and started making calls. We found that Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities had started the intake process for John, but then couldn’t find him to complete it. Jessica knew where she could find John, who loves hanging out on the computers at the library, and said she would be sure to connect John to Board services.

We had a start! As she left, I gave her the biggest hug and thanked her for being John’s guardian angel (I also heavily pitched her becoming his guardian, too).

There really are guardian angels out there!