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425 West Wells Blvd
Sapulpa, OK 74066
Phone (918) 224-7214
Fax (918) 224-2480 |
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From
the January 20, 2007 edition of the Sapulpa Daily Herald
Home sweet home
Firefighters make dream come
true
By
STEVEN JAMES
Herald Assistant Editor
By most accounts — if he had
listened to them — Todd Morgan shouldn’t live where he does.
The 24-year-old Morgan, who is developmentally disabled, was told during
high school that he would never be able to live on his own, hold a job, or
even cross the street without assistance.
“A lot of people told me I wouldn’t be able to do anything,” Morgan
recalled.
“But that gave me the encouragement I needed.”
Today, Morgan is a shift leader at Sapulpa Cinema 8, drives his own car
and, most recently, moved into a home of his own with a little help from
Habitat For Humanity and the Sapulpa Fire Department.
Take that, naysayers.
“When I started working with Todd, he had a list of what he wanted to
happen,” said Christy Evans, his job coach.
“He said, ‘It might take me 10 years, it may take me 20, but this is what
I want: I want to live on my own, I want to have a job, I want to learn to
drive a car and I want a house.
“I’m afraid to ask now what’s next, because he has accomplished all those
goals.”
The work put in by more than a dozen Sapulpa firefighters earned SFD the
Volunteer of the Year award from TARC, a metro-area nonprofit organization
that provides education, advocacy and support to individuals with
developmental disabilities.
The department “was overwhelming the winner” of a vote by the TARC
membership late last year, said Amanda Turner, director of communications.
“It was really great to get to recognize such important volunteer work.”
Firefighter Greg Tallman was the driving force in getting the department
involved.
Tallman learned Morgan was trying to qualify for a Community Care Housing
home, but was required to put in a significant amount of volunteer hours
on it.
That presented a challenge for Morgan, who did not have construction
skills.
When Tallman learned of Morgan’s situation, he recruited a team of 15
firefighters, who framed the house in just two days and did other work
including installing the siding and the interior trim carpentry.
“We all jumped at the chance,” said Driver Dee Banks, one of the men who
worked on the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.
“We enjoyed helping. Any time you get a bunch of firemen together, you
have fun.”
In addition to his work on Morgan’s house, Tallman has also built or
repaired other structures, including wheelchair ramps, for people who
cannot complete tasks to to disabilities or lack of knowledge, according
to TARC.
Morgan helped with the labor in various ways, including sweeping,
cleaning, raking leaves and watering the lawn, he said.
Morgan said he enjoys the freedom that owning his own house affords him —
even more so when he considers what he was told groing up.
Teachers “told me when I was a junior that I would probably live in a
group home or an institution,” he said.
“At first I actually did believe that for a while. But I learned to take
things one day at a time, which is very hard for me because I have to have
everything planned out. I can’t be spontaneous, ever.
“One person told me if I crossed the street I’d get killed, or if I tried
to live by myself I’d die.”
If only they could see Morgan today.
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