Meet Eduardo

Each person who is part of the SpArc Philadelphia family has their own unique story and are on their own journey, this is one of the things that makes this organization so special.

Today we want you to meet Eduardo Rodriguez. Eduardo is a participant in the vocational training center and has been busy learning a variety of different skills while trying to find an employment path that would be a good fit for his interests and skills.

Eduardo faces many challenges in his quest to find employment, and although he bumps up against barrier after barrier, the staff members who support him did not let this slow them down. In fact, it made them work harder.

Through conversations with Eduardo and his entire team, it was discovered that he is an animal lover and wanted to be able to work with dogs. Because of this, staff members worked to create opportunities for him to explore this avenue. After a couple of meetings and introductions, Eduardo was accepted as a volunteer at a local greyhound rescue facility. This opportunity is a dream come true for him.

Two days a week, every week, Eduardo is working with the rescue dogs and helping them to learn simple commands like sit and stay. He also helps by taking the dogs for walks and feeding them. They respond very well to him and he really enjoys spending time with them, especially Sally and Chrissy.

When interviewed about how things were going, Eduardo said that he really likes working with the dogs, that it is making him calmer and more able to communicate with people, and that he can now express his feelings without raising his voice. All milestones for Eduardo!

Eduardo hopes that one day, this volunteer opportunity will eventually lead to paid employment working with animals. And if this happens, he would like to spend his first paycheck on a new laptop computer and a motorcycle jacket for his girlfriend Kia.

Eduardo's journey is only just beginning. Invest in his potential by donating to the SpArc Philadelphia family of organizations now. It is because of supporters like you that we are able to carry out our mission to provide opportunity, choice and community inclusion to adults with intellectual disabilities.