Client Spotlight – Merrick, Inc.

Never a Bad Day | Nick’s Story

Written by Megan Kunelli on January 29, 2025. Posted in Client Spotlight.

Published January 29, 2025

With a spring in his step and a smile on his face, Nick emerged from Kowalski’s backroom while tying his apron. He has worked at the Kowalski’s on Grand Avenue for 16 years. Prior to his current position, he worked at a variety of places; however, there was just something special about the Kowalski’s on Grand Avenue.

Before joining Merrick, he was enrolled in a program focused on tradition and independence, where he honed essential life skills. This preparation helped him become more confident in his abilities in the workplace. Through his social worker, Nick learned about Merrick and found himself drawn to the diverse array of work opportunities. After starting in bagging and recycling, he eventually transitioned into an attendant role at Panda Express, where his responsibilities included sweeping, cleaning, and occasionally shoveling snow.

Nick later transitioned into a role at Kowalski’s in Woodbury but then switched to the one on Grand Avenue after finding out that it was much closer to home. Little did he know that this move would allow him to find community and foster relationships with the employees and store managers.

Nick has found fulfillment in every job he has held, although his path has not been without difficulties. He recalls a time when he worked as a dishwasher. His co-workers and supervisors would occasionally tell him that he was doing a poor job, and this made him feel discouraged. However, Nick’s resilience helped him power through, and he never let it impact his day. Even though the amount of criticism was troublesome, Nick remained motivated to learn and grow. His determination allowed him to rise above negativity and continue to pursue his goals.

As his Job Coach Zym would say, Nick is a “great person to be around and you can never have a bad day with him.” From the minute he walks into the room, a conversation is sparked, and you will be left either smiling or laughing. According to Zym, “He knows what to say to make people laugh.”

Nick hopes to continue working at Kowalski’s to achieve his future goals. Personally, he aims to save money for a trip to visit his cousins in Colorado. Professionally, he strives to become the assistant store manager at Kowalski’s. This goal sparked from a conversation with his current store manager who told Nick that because of his work ethic, he could envision him in a managerial position. However, his dream job would be working in sports, specifically in helping or becoming an assistant coach for the Gopher women’s basketball team or the MN Aurora, a women’s soccer club based in Eagan, Minnesota.

Fueled by hard work and a passion for making someone’s day, Nick continues to brighten the lives of those around him. Whether it is through his warm smile, a kind word, or a helpful gesture, Nick’s positivity radiates throughout the store and will continue to do so for years to come.

Under the Surface | Deloris’ Story

Written by Megan Kunelli on June 19, 2024. Posted in Client Spotlight.

Published June 19, 2024

With headphones over her ears and her attention on the task in front of her, Deloris is unlikely to acknowledge the casual visitor to Room C of Merrick’s Enhanced Services (ES) area. After all, she has a large pile of Medtox lead test kits in front of her to assemble and has little time for frivolous conversations while she’s on the clock. So, she quietly continues working with only the music of Usher in her ear for company, seemingly unconcerned with the activities of others.

Dede knows better. As she enters the room, Deloris glimpses Dede out of the corner of her eye, and her face immediately breaks into a radiant smile. “Did you get a haircut, Dede?” Deloris asks. “It looks nice.”

“Yes, I did get a new haircut. I’m glad you like it.” Dede replies. Having worked for Merrick for over 35 years, Dede has known Deloris since she first enrolled at Merrick in 2006. She knows that behind Deloris’ stoic demeanor is an incredibly observant, intuitive, kindhearted person. Hence, Dede was not surprised that Deloris noticed her new haircut. In fact, she expected it. However, Deloris’ intuitive nature was not always so apparent.

During her early years at Merrick, Deloris worked on a recycling crew, traveling from business to business to pick-up recyclable materials to bring back to Merrick. Though she quickly proved herself a capable and determined worker, she struggled to trust others and to communicate her needs. Whenever she was upset, Deloris found it difficult to manage her behavior and would often remain agitated for days.

It would take years of hard work from both Deloris and Merrick support staff before Deloris readily trusted others with her well-being. And if you were one of the lucky few whom Deloris deemed worthy of her trust, then you quickly learned that there was a lot more to her lying just under the surface.

Dede was one of those lucky few. For Dede and others whom she trusted, Deloris made it known that she was a person worth taking note of. Everything she did, from the way she dressed to the way she walked, she did with swag as if to say, “Don’t mess with me because I’m as cool as they come.”

Today, Deloris rarely exhibits behaviors akin to that from when she first started at Merrick. Though she still has plenty of work to do, her current goals tend to focus more on maintaining a healthier lifestyle by improving her diet, drinking more water, and exercising than working through her behaviors.

As for Dede, she officially retired from Merrick in 2021 but continues to do seasonal contract work for the company. Whenever she’s around, Dede often visits her old friend in ES. Having worked so hard to gain Deloris’ trust and having gotten to know the person under the surface, Dede understands that their friendship is a friendship for life. And she would not have it any other way.

A Special Friend | Emily’s Story

Written by Megan Kunelli on January 19, 2024. Posted in Client Spotlight.

Published January 19, 2024

Between 2:15 and 2:30 pm each afternoon, the tinkling of piano keys can often be heard echoing through the halls of Merrick’s Willow Lake Boulevard site. The notes do not form a clear melody line, and their sparseness may lead visitors to question whether the tinkling sound was just their imagination. Ask any staff member about it, and they will tell you that it’s Emily. Playing the piano is part of her afternoon routine. A routine that was not always so easy to follow.

When Emily first started at Merrick in the summer of 2023, nothing was routine. Being that Emily is non-verbal, uses limited American Sign Language, and had no prior experience at a day program, it proved a challenge for Emily to learn the daily routine. From where to place her personal belongings to when it was time to use the bathroom, none of it came easily at first. Slowly that all changed, in part, thanks to Emily’s new friend, Brooke.

Direct Support Professional Brooke joined the Willow Lake team around the same time that Emily started at Merrick, and it soon became clear that she and Emily had a special connection. While other DSPs relied exclusively on a hand-over-hand teaching style when supporting Emily, Brooke found that simply pointing to or handing her an object would elicit a response. Under Brooke’s direction, Emily would readily play with various wooden activity boards and would eventually develop an interest in playing the piano so much so that it would become part of her daily routine.

Because of their connection, Brooke learned more about Emily than most and got to know the sweet, energetic person that she was. For instance, though Emily is sensitive to sound and will place her hands over her ears, Brooke discovered that she has a secret affinity for 90s music one day when she played New Kids on the Block and noticed Emily perk up. In addition, while Emily has enjoyed many community outings, Brooke quickly realized that her favorite outings were any that involved shopping, not because she liked to shop, but because she liked to push the shopping cart.

Reflecting on Emily’s first 6 months at Merrick, Brooke can say she has noticed definite improvements. When she first arrived, Emily would not carry her own lunch box or backpack, had a penchant for breaking things, and would anxiously pace the floor. Now, not only does Emily not do any of those things, but she looks forward to coming to Merrick every day. However, the work is far from over.

Going forward, Brooke has many goals in mind for Emily to work on and knows the road ahead will not always be smooth or straight. For example, though Emily works well with Brooke, Brooke cannot always be with her, and Emily needs to learn to work with other staff. In addition, Brooke hopes to increase Emily’s knowledge of American Sign Language and is currently teaching her the word for “bathroom.” Brooke would also like to see Emily participate in large group activities someday such as playing with the parachute.

For Emily, learning the daily routine at Willow Lake did not come easily. But she learned it. It just took time, patience, and a special friend. The same can be said for any one of her new goals. To achieve them will not come easily or quickly. But, with friends like Brooke along for the ride, it is not impossible. And that’s all anyone needs to know to pursue it.

A Man of Many Goals | Mike’s Story

Written by Megan Kunelli on November 13, 2023. Posted in Client Spotlight.

Published November 13, 2023

At one-tenth of a mile long and spacious enough for two wheelchairs to easily pass by each other, Merrick’s hallway is a common thoroughfare for clients. Some use it as an exercise route while others use it to practice using a walker or other mobility device. Few can say for certain that they could navigate the wide hallway blindfolded. Mike is one of those few. Only he does not have to wear a blindfold to prove it.

With only his white cane for assistance, Mike moves about Merrick’s main program site with relative ease leaving a wake of positivity behind him. Every morning, he arrives on the bus and makes his way to his workstation in Utility Services while being sure to greet everyone he comes across with a friendly “How are you doing?” or a congenial “Good morning!” Then, every day at lunch time, Mike heads to the Commons and sits down at the same table to enjoy lunch with the same group of coworkers. He even knows where to dispose of his trash when he’s finished eating! On Wednesdays, Mike will make his way from his workstation to the large Flesher Conference Room on the opposite side of the building for his weekly Self-Advocacy meeting. And he does it all with minimal help from staff.

Merrick DSPs are repeatedly impressed with Mike’s navigational skills, especially those that have known him the longest. Because they know that what seems to come naturally to Mike now, in fact, did not come naturally at all. It required lots of practice, frequent encouragement, and a strong dose of determination on Mike’s part. And through it all, Mike never doubted that he could do it. That’s just not how Mike thinks. For Mike, it was never a matter of whether or not he could do it, it was just a matter of when he would.

When he’s not impressing everyone with his navigational skills, Mike spends most of his workday in Utility Services where he does light assembly and packing jobs. Just as he’s mastered the art of navigation, Mike has mastered every job that has ever come his way: packaging x-ray bags, assembling rivets, or packing airplane headphones back in the 90s, just to name a few. These days, it’s in packing greeting cards where he finds the most reward. Even without the use of his eyes, Mike is one of the fastest card packers at Merrick. His current record is packing 53 jigs, or 636 cards, in a single day, but he believes he can do better. In fact, it’s his goal.

At the end of each day’s shift, Mike uses his accessible cell phone to calculate how many cards he’s packed and how much money he’s earned. He might even check his voice mail to see if he got a message from his sister or send her a quick text. However, just as with navigating the building, his DSPs remember a time when using his phone was a challenge for Mike, a challenge he was not afraid to take on in the slightest. But that’s Mike. He’s never been one to let his disability stop him or get him down. And by the looks of it, that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.