This month we’re shining our spotlight on Keyon. He’s the one with the clipboard, the daily greeting, and a smile that could power the whole building. Keyon has been with us for years, and he’s thriving in the Path To Independence Adult Day Program. Every day, he arrives ready to work, create, and connect- and he does it all with a genuinely sunny demeanor that leaves an impression on everyone he meets.
Keyon trains at Mychal’s Print & Embroidery, where he’s able to combine his creativity with hands-on job training. A talented artist, “Keyon has designed many of our holiday stickers, which we now sell at the Café, at events, and online,” says Print Shop Manager Jose. He has even mastered using the industrial sticker printer, utilizing it for stickers of his own design and one of his most memorable creations: a wooden surfboard wrapped in his smiling sea creatures! Printing his art this way gives him the opportunity to see his creativity shared with the community. At the same time, he’s built an impressive set of workplace skills. “He helps the print shop team with his amazing folding skills,” can “sort shirts by size, provide accurate quantities, and package orders,” and even provides the team with “awesome quality checks,” Jose adds.
When he’s not creating, Keyon loves to move. He’s a natural dancer and a karaoke fan, and every spring when prom rolls around, he shows up looking sharp and ready to hit the dance floor. He’s also a dedicated performer, participating in theatrical productions put on by Mychal’s and Anchorless Productions. He genuinely looks forward to rehearsals, and his excitement is contagious.
One of the most endearing things about Keyon is his daily routine. Each morning, he picks up his clipboard from the P2I office- a list he made himself, filled with tasks and reminders to keep himself on track. Then he makes his rounds through Mychal’s HQ, stopping into offices to say hello and ask how everyone is doing. It’s a small gesture that speaks volumes about his thoughtful, caring nature.
Keyon also participates in meal planning, shopping, and food prep as part of his P2I program, and he navigates being gluten-free with total confidence. Behind all of this is a deeply supportive family- his mom Mahnaz and his dad Shawn, both warm and loving people whose influence is clear in the way Keyon treats others. As his mom recently shared, “Mychal’s is Keyon’s whole life; his second family. I can’t say enough about what it has meant to us to have Mychal’s be the center of our lives and a God send for Keyon.”
Keyon loves his friends, he loves his family, and he loves Mychal’s. He’s a reminder of what this community is all about- capability, creativity, and genuine connection. We’re proud to have him as part of the Mychal’s family, and we can’t wait to see what he creates next.
