The saying that someone “lights up a room” when they enter is the perfect description of AuSSLC resident, Gayla Paulette. Her happy and loving nature is with her wherever she goes, brightening the days of everyone around her and she often can be seen welcoming campus tours with a warm smile and conversation. Paulette is a long-term resident, having lived at AuSSLC for 56 years! She lives in home 792 and shares a room with her best friend. Over the years the ladies of 792 have become more like sisters having grown up together, sometimes for as long as 30 years. Paulette takes great advantage of all that the center offers. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the community choir, she participates in a weekly cooking class, trying out new recipes and she enjoys working at workshop 527. At her job, she works on mail outs, collating and boxing items for several state contracts. Paulette takes great pride in her work and always looks forward to paydays on Friday. She treats herself to a coke and chips each Friday for her hard work all week.
Austin SSLC Community Choir has become a great source of enjoyment and pride to Paulette. The music always moves her and many times she’ll hop up to dance to a good beat. The choir director has marveled that she has perfect rhythm, keeping the beat for the group on a regular basis with drumsticks and bongo drums. Paulette’s staff comment on how cheery she is going to choir practice and coming home from it with the songs in her heart. Paulette also enjoys going on outings with her sister, Linda, to stores and restaurants in the Austin area. This year she and her housemates took a group trip to San Antonio to experience staying in a hotel, eating at restaurants and visiting museums and feeding the animals at the natural wildlife refuge. These are the moments that make for a full life. We hope you join us in supporting the wonderful individuals with disabilities through your volunteer time, monetary and in-kind donations, attending events or even board membership.