I know this is not a new found thing, I realize that mentally challenged people have been neglected, abused, and treated poorly for many years, but I am bringing it up now because I just recently heard a story that upset me.

My sister works with mentally handicapped people (and has for over 2 years now). She is very caring and she truly has much concern for the clients that she takes care of, unfortunately, not everyone that works there is that caring.  I found out that a few of the guys (fellow employees) that work at the group home that she works at have been treating the clients horribly (pushing them and calling them names like alien, etc). She wants to turn them in (and is currently trying to move to a different house or obtain a different job)...but she doesn't want them to know that she was the one reporting them.

I cannot stand when helpless people are treated this way. They have no way of fighting back or standing up for themselves...and it sickens me and breaks my heart to hear about this kind of abuse. :\'(

Quirk.... do not take this comment the wrong way...  It is time for your Sis to "show what she is made of" and speak out, and if necessary, to the cops or appropriate authorities.

Those handicapped folks are partly her responsibility, and while she may fear retibution for her actions, she has a better chance than those handicapped folks do.

In the long run she will feel right having done the right thing.

One of those things in life... the tests that come along that define what we are made of.

Part of the reason my sister gave up that work.................  :-\\

Quirk.... do not take this comment the wrong way...  It is time for your Sis to "show what she is made of" and speak out, and if necessary, to the cops or appropriate authorities.

Those handicapped folks are partly her responsibility, and while she may fear retibution for her actions, she has a better chance than those handicapped folks do.

In the long run she will feel right having done the right thing.

One of those things in life... the tests that come along that define what we are made of.


I agree with this.  Tell her not to be afraid.  If she fears retaliation by these asshats, then go to the police first or anonymously report it to the proper state agency.  I'm pretty sure that there are agencies for things such as this.  If none of these get results and she gets reprimanded for doing the right thing, do the next best thing: go to the press.  There is nothing that higher ups hate worse than getting the news involved.

People who treat the mentally challenged like crap deserve nothing less than being called out for their behavior.  My cousin is severely mentally retarded, and if I (or any of my relatives) found out that someone was abusing her or mistreating her.....well, they'd cease to exist.

Anywho, she might have luck with this website.  They may give her some ideas.

Americans With Disabilities

Absolutely she should report the smucks, and do it right away.  I would suggest anonymously at first.  Good luck with that. 

thank you all for your advice...I will have a talk with my sister concerning this. She has a really great heart for helping people out, and I know it breaks her heart to see people being treated like this. The unfortunate thing is this seems to be more common than not in many of the agencies that are supposed to be aiding/helping these people. It seems like they will hire any person off of the street, and the most unfortunate thing is that a lot of these people are only working these jobs for the money (they tend to pay a higher rate and have good benefits, etc), and not for the reason of helping out an innocent person. :(

Your sister should definitely dime those SOBs out.  She'll see they have a lot less clout than they'd like her to think!
>:(

The abuse of mentally challenged people was much worse in the old days.  Before the 1960s, if you had a child with mental retardation, you were encouraged to institutionalize that child and forget about it!  That's when we got horror stories like New York's Willowbrook state school (which made Geraldo Rivera famous).  Since the '70s there has been a conscientious effort to treat mentally challenged/handicapped people with dignity and as much autonomy as their condition allows. 

That's the ideal, at least.  It doesn't always work out that way, as you can see.  Fortunately, it is no longer even politically acceptable to mistreat disabled people.  In the old days people used say they're just a bunch of drooling idiots, what do they know?  For a couple of generations, people who used to be locked away in miserable institutions are now aout among us.  They have been humanized.  I don't know any DA or sherriff's department who would want to risk such bad publicity as hearing reports of abuse and not following up on them.

Your sister needs to report this to the police.  If there are elderly clients she can also report it to her local Office of Aging they also deal with abuse complaints.  Although Max raise the point of it's been worse for people with mental disabilities, it caring people like your sister that causes the system to progress and become more humane.  Tell your sister she really should have no misgivings about reporting.

I feel society STILL put me behind. I'm the oldest, yet I feel I'm the youngest because I don't drive/date/live on my own.

I feel like I'm not part of my family because of my autism and I call myself 'Cleveland' not because I live there, but I feel like the city....Cursed. :-[

Watching mentally challenged people abused is the same as watching children abused. 

Or the elderly.  Somebody needs to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.

If only these group homes could put some hidden cameras or something within the houses...to have solid proof of the abuse. Although these organizations probably wouldn't shell out the money to fulfill something like that....but imagine how it would at least help or prevent something horrible from possibly happening.

If only these group homes could put some hidden cameras or something within the houses...to have solid proof of the abuse. Although these organizations probably wouldn't shell out the money to fulfill something like that....but imagine how it would at least help or prevent something horrible from possibly happening.


Problem is, somebody would claim it was a privacy invasion...

Or the elderly.  Somebody needs to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.

Elder abuse is something we as a society need to be vigilant about as the Baby Boomers grow old.  We will have a record number of elderly people living amongst us.

Problem is, somebody would claim it was a privacy invasion...
yeah,you have to use discretion when doing this.A dentist im my city was arrested for having hidden cameras in the restroom,and i guess tapes of people 'go :Ping' as well.

Elder abuse is something we as a society need to be vigilant about as the Baby Boomers grow old.  We will have a record number of elderly people living amongst us.



And there are alot of scumbags out there ready to prey on them.  I totally agree with you, Max.

I don't know what state you live in but I know that not reporting abuse is considered a crime in both NY and  CT. Not reporting it is a SERIOUS offense.  This is basic human services training. She should know that. Sorry if I come off as harsh, but there is no excuse for anyone knowing abuse is occurring and not reporting it.
Both of those states have  systems in place to report abuse and neglect . Getting transfered is a cop out, she needs to stand up for those people she is serving. They can't do it themselves. This kind of thing makes me so crazy.
I should know I worked in the field for 20 years. Managed a group home for people with disabilities. If I so much as suspected someone of disrespecting my residents, their butts would be canned and reported to abuse and neglect.
It is true you get some real scumbags that work in humans services, they are a subspecies that pray on other people that are not able to defend themselves.
But you also get some people (they majority of them) that truly want to help others, and make someones else's life better.

That's what I was saying.  These clowns are expendible.  If push comes to shove, the authorities will offer them up as sacrificial lambs!

Off with their nuts, I say.

I hope that in some small way, the collective advice of us here on this board has hastened getting those asshats fired.

Off with their nuts, I say.

Oh the old eugenics program, eh?
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/08/popworm.gif

Right....but the thing is...one has to worry about their own safety too. People are nutjobs nowadays. You get them fired..and the next thing you know they are slitting your tires, stalking you outside of your apartment, and even physically hurting you. It's a very touchy situation and I don't think my sister should have negative comments towards her. It's very easy for others to say, "Oh, turn those A-holes in...let them get what they deserve, etc"....but you DO NOT know what people are capable of. Do you think that if they find no qualms about abusing a mentally handicapped person...that they will really care about hurting my 110 lb...very small sister?

Yes, it's BEYOND horrible, and YES, she wants to report them and get them in trouble...BUT, she doesn't want to freakin' get hurt/die over it. Seriously...if you all were in this situation..up against a group of very large 20-30 year old men...what would you do to ensure that you would be protected from them, while doing the obvious right thing by turning them in?

Is there any way she can report it anonymously? 

Is there any way she can report it anonymously? 



that's what I have been wondering too. I haven't talked to her yet (this info has been relayed to me via my mom), but I will suggest that...or I would even turn them in (call the place and give a tip of what is going on).

Right....but the thing is...one has to worry about their own safety too. People are nutjobs nowadays. You get them fired..and the next thing you know they are slitting your tires, stalking you outside of your apartment, and even physically hurting you. It's a very touchy situation and I don't think my sister should have negative comments towards her. It's very easy for others to say, "Oh, turn those A-holes in...let them get what they deserve, etc"....but you DO NOT know what people are capable of. Do you think that if they find no qualms about abusing a mentally handicapped person...that they will really care about hurting my 110 lb...very small sister?

Yes, it's BEYOND horrible, and YES, she wants to report them and get them in trouble...BUT, she doesn't want to freakin' get hurt/die over it. Seriously...if you all were in this situation..up against a group of very large 20-30 year old men...what would you do to ensure that you would be protected from them, while doing the obvious right thing by turning them in?


Quirk, silence has perpetuated all sorts of injustices.  What I am about to say is not bragging...  On a number of occasions in my life I came to the fork in the road to either remain silent or to speak out despite severe consequences.  I have always chosen to speak out and I have no regrets, and if I had to do it all over again I would. Yep, had some tires slashed, doors keyed, car windows shot out, death threats, the whole bit.

It is a big bad world out there that tests us all the time.  But when we choose to do nothing, to not "do the right thing" we become part of the problem.  No disprespect towards your sister intended here, Quirk, but she needs to decide if she wants to help those handicapped people or not.  They are IN HER CARE, and if she cannot bring it to herself to CARE FOR THEM by GIVING THEM WHAT SHE CAN REASONABLY PROVIDE then she should resign her job, and make room for somebody who is prepared to do so, or who at least has a chance to because they will not be afraid.

Again I do not write these words with malice or disrespect towards your sister.  But when she took that job she agreed to provide proper care to these folks.  Do it or move on...

My sister stays there because she wants to be there for these people. She has a special place in her heart for challenged people, and to me..that is special because not too many people have those qualities. She shows them so much love and truly does care about these people.

I just don't know why people cannot understand though that a 21 year old, very small girl is somewhat apprehensive of going up against a group of all older, bigger, men. If these men find nothing wrong with what they do to the mentally challenged....are they really going to care what they do to my sister? I really fear for her safety in this matter. That is all I am trying to say.

I know she has already talked to someone about it, not sure if it is going to do any good though. People take things so lightly nowadays. ::)

Right....but the thing is...one has to worry about their own safety too. People are nutjobs nowadays. You get them fired..and the next thing you know they are slitting your tires, stalking you outside of your apartment, and even physically hurting you. It's a very touchy situation and I don't think my sister should have negative comments towards her. It's very easy for others to say, "Oh, turn those A-holes in...let them get what they deserve, etc"....but you DO NOT know what people are capable of. Do you think that if they find no qualms about abusing a mentally handicapped person...that they will really care about hurting my 110 lb...very small sister?

Yes, it's BEYOND horrible, and YES, she wants to report them and get them in trouble...BUT, she doesn't want to freakin' get hurt/die over it. Seriously...if you all were in this situation..up against a group of very large 20-30 year old men...what would you do to ensure that you would be protected from them, while doing the obvious right thing by turning them in?

The agency she works for should ensure her safety and anonymity . They should have an administrator who handles allegations of abuse and neglect.  Again I can only speak for NY and CT but you are not required to give your personal information when reporting suspected abuse/neglect. The only way they will find out is if she lets it get out that it was her. Otherwise she will be protected. The system is designed for just that reason so people would not be afraid to report abuse and neglect.
Those idiots will be put on administrative  leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Are any of the people she works with capable of filing a complaint themselves?
Either way she needs to do something,it is her responsibility as a staff member and a human being.

I also noticed that earlier you posted that it would be nice if these agencies would put up cameras, trying to get these agencies to make any improvements takes so much paperwork and years of advocating . Nothing ever happens overnight, it always a long slow drawn out process whenever money is involved.
Besides cameras would be a violation of the people who live in those houses rights. We can't take away their basic human rights  in the name of safety. Lots of people have tried, throughout the years for lots of different reasons.

I just hope that your sister makes the right decision, and is safe. Most of the morons who abuse the handicapped, do it because they can't fight back. Your sister can fight back and can speak up for herself. But like you said there are all kinds of nutjobs out there. Still it is her responsibility to speak up.

I know she has already talked to someone about it, not sure if it is going to do any good though. People take things so lightly nowadays. ::)



She must be talking to the wrong people.  Maybe a phone call to the local newspaper would help.  Anonymous, and a good story.

With all due respect, and I know you guys mean well, but you've gotta understand both sides of this catch 22 situation my...pretty much girlfriend's sister is faced with. I don't know 100% of the story myself, so it's not right to pass judgement on somebody without knowing the facts first.

Of course it's a horrible, heartbreaking thing going on, and something should definitely be done about it, but BOTH sides need to be protected. I know it's easy for a casual observer to say "Oh just go turn them in", but it's not always possible or even advisable until you know it's safe. People like this can be the most dangerous too. You've gotta figure if they're cold blooded and heartless enough to mistreat handicapped people, they wouldn't hesistate to hurt a young woman either...especially if she might be responsible for them being busted and getting jail time (which I hope they do).

I wish there was some way for people to report this stuff and have their safety guaranteed, but the police need probable cause to go and actually arrest somebody or even to get something like a search warrant...and that's pretty hard to do without concrete proof. I've heard stories lots of times where if they send an officer out to go talk to someone, that can actually make it worse. The bad guys will know that somebody told, so they might take it out on the victims or try and get retribution. That stuff happens in domestic violence cases alot. Like the abuser will act all perfect and nice when the cop or a social worker comes out to the house, but later on the guys' kid or his girlfriend might get an even worse beating for telling on them.

Do you see where I'm going with this? The point I'm trying to make is that she's not neglecting them. Neglect would be seeing it and turning your back like nothing happened. Unless it's a total emergecy like someone's life is in danger, if it means waiting a week or two until you find some way to do it SAFELY take care of the situation, that's the best thing to do all around.

With all due respect, and I know you guys mean well, but you've gotta understand both sides of this catch 22 situation my...pretty much girlfriend's sister is faced with. I don't know 100% of the story myself, so it's not right to pass judgement on somebody without knowing the facts first.

Of course it's a horrible, heartbreaking thing going on, and something should definitely be done about it, but BOTH sides need to be protected. I know it's easy for a casual observer to say "Oh just go turn them in", but it's not always possible or even advisable until you know it's safe. People like this can be the most dangerous too. You've gotta figure if they're cold blooded and heartless enough to mistreat handicapped people, they wouldn't hesistate to hurt a young woman either...especially if she might be responsible for them being busted and getting jail time (which I hope they do).

I wish there was some way for people to report this stuff and have their safety guaranteed, but the police need probable cause to go and actually arrest somebody or even to get something like a search warrant...and that's pretty hard to do without concrete proof. I've heard stories lots of times where if they send an officer out to go talk to someone, that can actually make it worse. The bad guys will know that somebody told, so they might take it out on the victims or try and get retribution. That stuff happens in domestic violence cases alot. Like the abuser will act all perfect and nice when the cop or a social worker comes out to the house, but later on the guys' kid or his girlfriend might get an even worse beating for telling on them.

Do you see where I'm going with this? The point I'm trying to make is that she's not neglecting them. Neglect would be seeing it and turning your back like nothing happened. Unless it's a total emergecy like someone's life is in danger, if it means waiting a week or two until you find some way to do it SAFELY take care of the situation, that's the best thing to do all around.


Have you ever lived in an Assisted Living facility?  There are rules and regulation in order to maintain the residence health and well being.  Comparing this situation to domestic violence is  stretching it.  These places are a business and must abide by regulations end of story.

The hard truth is that if she doesn't say something she will have to live with the knowledge that she kept her mouth shut and allowed this to go on.  That will get tougher and tougher as time goes on. 

Knowing abuse is happening and not reporting it is neglect. And also a crime.

Have you ever lived in an Assisted Living facility?  There are rules and regulation in order to maintain the residence health and well being.  Comparing this situation to domestic violence is   stretching it.  These places are a business and must abide by regulations end of story.


Well okay, maybe not exactly the same, but I was just using that as an example. I used to watch alot of cop shows in the mid '90s (the ones where they recreated actual, true stories) and I heard about this stuff alot, along with stories on the news or talk shows.

My point is that the safety of the person reporting a crime (whether it's the victim or in this case, a good civillian) needs to be taken more seriously too. Anyone who gets involved, their heart is in the right place, but they sometimes just dont get how dangerous it can be. The toughest place is on that "middle ground" where there's enough suspicion to look into it, but not enough to arrest someone. Like if a teacher sees bruises on a kid and thinks they might be abused, but ofcourse can't "prove" it (like the kid is too afraid to say anything) and they merely send an officer out to talk to the parents...they're actually putting the poor kid in MORE possible danger later by doing that.

Same thing is going on here. The only way to totally prove it would be if they had cameras in the house, but there's no easy way to do that (like people already pointed out, the privacy issue comes into play). As if these people aren't a*sholes enough as it already is, people usually get even more bold and dangerous if they might be going to jail or otherwise in some kind of trouble. That's what makes people do things like run from the cops or threaten/hurt the person who turned them in.

Does that open your mind to what I'm talking about? When it's in that middle stage there really is no easy answer. I know it's tragic all around, but everyone's safety is equally important.

Well okay, maybe not exactly the same, but I was just using that as an example. I used to watch alot of cop shows in the mid '90s (the ones where they recreated actual, true stories) and I heard about this stuff alot, along with stories on the news or talk shows.

My point is that the safety of the person reporting a crime (whether it's the victim or in this case, a good civillian) needs to be taken more seriously too. Anyone who gets involved, their heart is in the right place, but they sometimes just dont get how dangerous it can be. The toughest place is on that "middle ground" where there's enough suspicion to look into it, but not enough to arrest someone. Like if a teacher sees bruises on a kid and thinks they might be abused, but ofcourse can't "prove" it (like the kid is too afraid to say anything) and they merely send an officer out to talk to the parents...they're actually putting the poor kid in MORE possible danger later by doing that.

Same thing is going on here. The only way to totally prove it would be if they had cameras in the house, but there's no easy way to do that (like people already pointed out, the privacy issue comes into play). As if these people aren't a*sholes enough as it already is, people usually get even more bold and dangerous if they might be going to jail or otherwise in some kind of trouble. That's what makes people do things like run from the cops or threaten/hurt the person who turned them in.

Does that open your mind to what I'm talking about? When it's in that middle stage there really is no easy answer. I know it's tragic all around, but everyone's safety is equally important.


There really shouldn't be any middle ground or retribution if the claims of abuse are true.  The law to a degree provides protection for whistleblowers.  I know of a personal care home where the abuse was so bad investigators actually got a court order to obtain the remains of a resident that had been dead and buried for 5 years.  The staff who brought abuses to the attention of the authorities was fire.  However the owner and her son are now both doing 40 years in the state pen.  I guess what I'm saying is that in order to mentally put it in perspective you must see it as it is . . . a business.  In business there are expected standards and ethics.  It takes a little of the worry out of reporting.

There really shouldn't be any middle ground or retribution if the claims of abuse are true.  The law to a degree provides protection for whistleblowers.  I know of a personal care home where the abuse was so bad investigators actually got a court order to obtain the remains of a resident that had been dead and buried for 5 years.  The staff who brought abuses to the attention of the authorities was fire.  However the owner and her son are now both doing 40 years in the state pen.  I guess what I'm saying is that in order to mentally put it in perspective you must see it as it is . . . a business.  In business there are expected standards and ethics.  It takes a little of the worry out of reporting.


You do make some good points, and (for her's AND the resident's sake) I hope you're right and that something can be done soon. It's just that since I don't know all the details of what she's faced with and what's going on, I wouldn't pass judgement on her. I'm not suggesting you were or anything, I'm just saying.

Have you ever lived in an Assisted Living facility?  There are rules and regulation in order to maintain the residence health and well being.  Comparing this situation to domestic violence is  stretching it.  These places are a business and must abide by regulations end of story.



Most are non profit, my Mom lived in assisted living for years and never was abused, or neglected. Her biggest complaint was she didn't want to associate with all the "Old Farts. They had resident meetings every month and wouldn't dare to have neglected and abused their residents.
This is a much different stiuation from a group home or nursing home where abuse can be gotten away with un noticed.
Even when Mom got too sick to continue living there, and had to be place in a nursing home, someone from the family would drop in every few days just to make sure this was not happening.
The best advice I can give is investigate the facility, check the public record for complaints, but above all make sure the staff know someone will be keeping a very close eye on the person.
She was moved to "one of the best in the state", we didn't care for the treatment she was getting, and had her transferred to a much better facility. And she had the entitlements from the state, not private funds.

Most are non profit, my Mom lived in assisted living for years and never was abused, or neglected. Her biggest complaint was she didn't want to associate with all the "Old Farts. They had resident meetings every month and wouldn't dare to have neglected and abused their residents.
This is a much different stiuation from a group home or nursing home where abuse can be gotten away with un noticed.
Even when Mom got too sick to continue living there, and had to be place in a nursing home, someone from the family would drop in every few days just to make sure this was not happening.
The best advice I can give is investigate the facility, check the public record for complaints, but above all make sure the staff know someone will be keeping a very close eye on the person.
She was moved to "one of the best in the state", we didn't care for the treatment she was getting, and had her transferred to a much better facility. And she had the entitlements from the state, not private funds.


I've heard of some hiring people without specific training in either nursing or any college.  Some don't even do background checks.  I lived in a group home for three years.  Having mixed age groups was a big problem.  The food sucked, there was nothing to do.  Weekly meeting were hell.  When the state would come in and inspect the staff would spend all night cleaning so it would pass.  On staff member who was younger than I was wanted to take me to Planned Parenthood to get my tubes tied because SHE felt that I shouldn't have children.  OK, rant off.

I've heard of some hiring people without specific training in either nursing or any college.  Some don't even do background checks.  I lived in a group home for three years.  Having mixed age groups was a big problem.  The food sucked, there was nothing to do.  Weekly meeting were hell.  When the state would come in and inspect the staff would spend all night cleaning so it would pass.  On staff member who was younger than I was wanted to take me to Planned Parenthood to get my tubes tied because SHE felt that I shouldn't have children.  OK, rant off.


That is outrageous... how dare she even suggest such a thing. If you don't mind me asking what state are you in?
I have a college degree, a lot of my staff only;y had high school, some had no experience but we took the time and energy to make sure they were trained properly. If they didn't complete they're training in I think it was three months they were gone.
I am sorry you had a bad experience with group homes. I always made sure mine were great and that the food they ate we ate too.
We had weekly meetings to plan out the weekends activties. We even sent some of our guys on vacations. They saved up money to go, there was a group called Search Beyond Adventure that had trips available all around the world for folks with disabilities.

My staff and I took our guys to Universal Studios and Disney. The person I worked with donated her timeshare and everyone includiong the agency chipped in for our staff airfair and finances. There were two of us and four residents, we had a blast.
When I was manager I would drop in unannounced to make sure that they were doing something activity wise.
I miss that work so much.

That is outrageous... how dare she even suggest such a thing. If you don't mind me asking what state are you in?
I have a college degree, a lot of my staff only;y had high school, some had no experience but we took the time and energy to make sure they were trained properly. If they didn't complete they're training in I think it was three months they were gone.
I am sorry you had a bad experience with group homes. I always made sure mine were great and that the food they ate we ate too.
We had weekly meetings to plan out the weekends activties. We even sent some of our guys on vacations. They saved up money to go, there was a group called Search Beyond Adventure that had trips available all around the world for folks with disabilities.

My staff and I took our guys to Universal Studios and Disney. The person I worked with donated her timeshare and everyone includiong the agency chipped in for our staff airfair and finances. There were two of us and four residents, we had a blast.
When I was manager I would drop in unannounced to make sure that they were doing something activity wise.
I miss that work so much.



You sound like you took your job seriously, and that the people meant something to you. There needs to be more people like that in that field. :)

Thanks I did and was very[proud of the work I did. But like I said I miss it terribly I would post pics of my guys but oit would be a violation of thier privacy.
The field needs young enthusiastic people, it keeps it going.

That is outrageous... how dare she even suggest such a thing. If you don't mind me asking what state are you in?
I have a college degree, a lot of my staff only;y had high school, some had no experience but we took the time and energy to make sure they were trained properly. If they didn't complete they're training in I think it was three months they were gone.
I am sorry you had a bad experience with group homes. I always made sure mine were great and that the food they ate we ate too.
We had weekly meetings to plan out the weekends activties. We even sent some of our guys on vacations. They saved up money to go, there was a group called Search Beyond Adventure that had trips available all around the world for folks with disabilities.

My staff and I took our guys to Universal Studios and Disney. The person I worked with donated her timeshare and everyone includiong the agency chipped in for our staff airfair and finances. There were two of us and four residents, we had a blast.
When I was manager I would drop in unannounced to make sure that they were doing something activity wise.
I miss that work so much.


Pennsylvania.  The place was so mismanaged I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.  I guess some people just consider it a cash cow.  I know some people get into the field and really put their heart into it.  I still talked to one of the staff that used to work there.

I can remember the manager would only be there for a hour a week.  To give us whatever spending money we got that week.

I'll bet you do miss it.  It's hard not to get close to people in that environment.

Pennsylvania.  The place was so mismanaged I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.  I guess some people just consider it a cash cow.  I know some people get into the field and really put their heart into it.  I still talked to one of the staff that used to work there.

I can remember the manager would only be there for a hour a week.  To give us whatever spending money we got that week.

I'll bet you do miss it.  It's hard not to get close to people in that environment.


Very hard I still have contact with some of the people and staff.