The People’s Voice: Nothing disabled about clients’ hearts

The government couldn't be more spot-on: Developmentally disabled people would be able to live perfectly happy lives without institutions like Kreider Services in Dixon and Self Help in Sterling.

And that's because, no matter how many bushels of lemons life dumps on their doorstep, people like the residents of Hilltop group home just keep churning out lemonade.

They eagerly hosted me they even cleaned the house and Dusted, too, folks Tuesday afternoon, to show off what they've done with the place.

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Since moving into the group home in June, the gang has turned their residence into one big man cave, complete with pool table, foosball table, arcade-style basketball machine, and even a drum set in the basement.

That's where the Hilltop residents' consensus spokesperson, Jacob Hoak, tears it up, his cymbal crashes sizzling, the thump of his kick drum filling the two-story home to its proverbial gills.

Since moving to Dixon from the Stockton-Galena area, Hoak also has developed a reputation around town as a dancing machine.It's not unusual for Bullseye staffers to have to pry him from the dance floor at bar close.

Hoak's "redneck buddy" and roommate, Al Cleary, has emerged as quite the handyman. He used to live in a 15-bedroom group home, with a much older clientele. But Kreider works hard to group together similarly functioning clients and give them a chance to thrive in their group homes. Cleary is a poster child for the results they're after.

"His personality has come out so much," said Amanda Chavez, who directs two homes in Dixon, including Hilltop, and manages four more in Amboy. "He's doing things any normal 27-year-old should be doing."

David Ziemke, another Hilltop resident who recently returned from Florida with lots of pictures and timeless memories formed at Disney World, takes guitar lessons and snowshoes.

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The People's Voice: Nothing disabled about clients' hearts