We are pleased and proud to honor one of Avenues SLS’ own for Women’s History month in 2022.
Jill Martin has supported people through Avenues SLS since 1994 and has worked as one of our support Coordinators during this time. Jill has dedicated her energy and time to the relationships she has developed with the people she has supported. Here is Jill’s story:
Jill always thought that the field of working with adults with developmental disabilities chose her, rather than her choosing it. After graduating from CSUN with a BA in Child Development and a minor in Psychology, Jill thought she would become a child counselor. However, in the CSUN job office, the only job Jill found in her field was working with adults with developmental disabilities at the Tierra del Sol Foundation. Jill had never actually worked directly with adults before, and although she believed she would eventually work with children, Jill was hired…and thoroughly enjoyed it! It felt right. Fate stepped in on her very last day at Tierra del Sol as Jill was preparing to go back to school for her M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy.
Jill shares the following: After completing my last day of work at Tierra, there was an in-service training being done by a man named Scott Shepard. He did training on teaching strategies and spoke about a new pilot program called Supported Living. This was 1994. Wow! It sounded great! So after he finished speaking I called Scott over and asked him for a part-time job! Three months later I was working with Ronda Michaelson. I have learned tremendously over the years from Scott, Lori, Ronda, and others. I’ve enjoyed training new staff and presenting with our folks at Cal-TASH and Pierce College, but I would have to say I’ve learned the most from the people I’ve supported. Ronda taught me about boundaries (and lack thereof!) and about strength. And she modeled an amazing work ethic. Pam, who I started with in 1996, taught me about nonverbal communication and processing. And so many more lessons were learned from those I’ve had the good fortune to work with. 
“Over the past ten years, I have had my most incredible and meaningful work experiences at Avenues working with two ladies coordinating their in-home hospice care and support, until their passing. I am extremely proud that Avenues did not shy away from supporting people who are in hospice like some agencies do. In fact, Scott and I went to bat for Sylvia when a funding source wanted to put her in a nursing home rather than allow her choice of home hospice. Silvia’s niece, Scott, and I convinced them we could and should do this. It turned out wonderfully and her hospice support lasted a year and a half! By the time Ronda needed hospice care we added those services easily to her home. If we had not done that we would never have fully experienced her truly amazing three-week comeback of renewed strength and mental clarity after having entered hospice in a weakened and frail state. Those three weeks were a gift to everyone who knew Ronda. These were two incredible ladies and experiences I will never forget and am so proud and honored to have been a part of.”
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