Life (house) with Kwame

Kwame Jackson-Ricks

Lifehouse Resident

Meet Kwame. He has been with Lifehouse for the last 11 years. He is in the Independent Living Service (ILS) program and lives in Laurel House. Here, Kwame lives with four other roommates and, with the assistance of our direct care professionals, they develop an extensive individualized plan for fulfilling goals towards greater independence.

Each plan concentrates on areas like mobility, food preparation, budgeting and banking, daily living skills, medical needs, housekeeping, and socialization. Kwame especially enjoys budgeting his money and has a goal to land a job this summer.

At Laurel House, all of the roommates take turns cooking throughout the week. Kwame loves to take this opportunity to apply what he has learned in cooking classes. Wednesday is his day to cook, and his specialty is veggie stir fry. Yum!

Lifehouse concentrates on the quality of life for both our employees and the individuals we serve. Wellness is a large part of that well- being. Kwame stays active by going to the local YMCA to work out, participates in a softball league on Thursdays in the summer, and is a regular participant in the Marin County Special Olympics. He was a proud participant in the Track and Field event this May in Novato.

An important part of the day to day life of the people we serve are programs provided by different institutions in Marin, Sonoma and San Francisco Counties. Kwame attends Alchemia’s performing arts program five days a week. Alchemia’s goal is to foster empowerment and enhance the visibility of their members. Kwame immerses himself in musical theater and drum line classes. This must be why he rocks it every year for the Lifehouse performance for Great Chefs and Wineries!

Stay tuned for updates on Kwame and other resident’s profiles.

Life(house) with Lily

Meet Lily. She has been with Lifehouse since she was 21 years old and loves the opportunities that Lifehouse brings to her. Through the Supported Living Program (SLP) and with the help of her counselor, Tina, Lily is able to live independently, in her own apartment.

Counselors like Tina provide personalized support and training to enable those served by Lifehouse to live as independently as possible. This includes helping each individual budget finances, pinpoint abilities that will help them find jobs, cooking and managing a healthy diet, coordinating activities with friends and using the Whistlestop transportation system to get around in their community.  

Lily’s favorite part about Lifehouse is the annual trips. Each year she saves her money in anticipation of the next great adventure. These trips allow for her to enjoy new experiences and explore the world outside of her everyday life. Lily’s favorite trip is Disneyland, but cruises to Catalina Island and Mexico are a close second.

Lily is known for her vibrant and friendly personality. This has brought her much success as a Courtesy Clerk at Safeway, for the last 25 years. But when she isn’t working, she loves to spend time at Cedars Fine Art Studios, in San Anselmo. Here, she is able to focus on her art hobby. Lily says that she is inspired by the feeling of looking at the stars. She strives to make the colors in her work create that beautiful glow we all see at night.

Lifehouse Resident Spotlight

Meet Zachary Weil and Stacey Bowen

by Matthew Tarver-Wahlquist, VP/COO

Zach Weil and Stacey Bowen are longtime Lifehouse residents, participating in our
Supported Living Program living in their own apartment, with Lifehouse providing staff
support in areas such as domestic skills, financial management, social skills, health and
hygiene, community integration, and personal growth. In addition to receiving these
services from Lifehouse, both Zach and Stacey attend Alchemia Day Program, where they partake in activities such as art, outdoor activities, games, musical theatre, health nutrition classes, and comedy.

It is at Lifehouse and Alchemia where Zach and Stacey met, and now they are engaged.
Their engagement story began on New Year’s Eve of 2017. Stacey had always loved the Ball Drop in New York City. It also has an added significance; her mother’s birthday happens to be on New Year’s Day. Therefore, Zach knew that was the perfect time to pop the question. The moment 2017 became 2018, Zach and Stacey were engaged to be married.

This didn’t come completely out of the blue for Stacey, who had picked out an engagement ring on a trip to Disneyland earlier in the year. She has been dating Zach for the past six years, but she had no idea it would happen at such a perfect moment. “Stacey’s mom is friends with me, and I knew it was her birthday. I thought that would make it extra special,” says Zach, who was interested in Stacey “from the first time I laid eyes on her” when they started attending the Alchemia Day Program together. It began as a friendship, but soon after Stacey became newly single, and with some encouragement from her friends, it blossomed into a romance. “What’s inside of him is very sensitive”, Stacey says of Zach. “I’m ready to settle down and spend my life with somebody.” For Zach’s part, he is a great admirer of Stacey’s musical abilities. “I love the way she sings. It’s out of this world. She has the best voice.”

Zach and Stacey are both individuals who have been able to live independently with
Lifehouse staff support and became more and more confident in their abilities. Under the
Supported Living Program, they both were able to expand their horizons, learn about
what works for them in their daily routines, and most importantly learn how to advocate
for themselves in the community. For Zach, his eight years at Lifehouse enabled him to
mature into a responsible adult, and for Stacey, her seven years at Lifehouse helped her
gain a better understanding of her health issues and how to live better with these issues.

We are very excited for Zach and Stacey. As for their plans for the near future, the
couple plans to enjoy their engagement for a while without rushing to plan a wedding.
Valentine’s Day was celebrated by watching the film “50 Shades Freed” together. They also planned to watch the box office hit “Black Panther”. Congratulations and best wishes to Stacey and Zach, Lifehouse’s current Power Couple!