JR's FUNdraiser for Side by Side

I started Side by Side on August 22,2011 as a result of receiving a traumatic brain injury from a self inflicted drunk driving accident. I actually crashed my vehicle and totaled it on February 16, 2011, and at that time did not realize I had suffered a brain injury. Fast forward to February 20th I sat down to eat breakfast and I had been complaining about headaches, well let's just say I saw my breakfast again. I immediately was rushed to DeKalb Medical where they said they could not see me due to the fact they thought I was a drug addict. I explained to them I took Lupus medication and I needed it to survive. They referred me to Emory hospital downtown. I would spend the next 38 days in the ICU, where I got to taste the great cuisine they had, ugh. After being admitted out of Emory rehab  I started outpatient rehab where I learned from the speech therapist, Paula Klingman-Palk, a friend of Cindi Johnson's, the Side by Side executive director, thought I would make a good fit. I visited the facility in Stone Mountain and was given a tour by one of the members, Lee, who introduced me to the different units of the clubhouse and how it worked. I started out coming twice a week for the first few years, and then about a couple of years ago added another day to my schedule. I think I might be the only member who works in all three units of the clubhouse. We have a business unit, a maintenance unit, and the kitchen unit. The business unit does most of the clerical tasks that an office would do throughout the day, but also takes care of cleaning the upstairs area including bathrooms. The maintenance unit does all of the cleaning inside and outside the grounds, excluding the work on the computers where we have a third party to take care of that. The kitchen unit cooks the main meals and prepares the setting for the meal. Every morning each unit gets a list of tasks which they can volunteer for. The maintenance unit is going to do maintenance unit tasks like clean the floors, mop the dining room, provide towels for the restrooms. They will not be asked to cook main meal or answer phones, which are kitchen and business unit tasks alike. I personally sign up to prepare the clubhouse notes, which are an overview of the day and I like to give tours to prospective members and donors. I enjoy the clubhouse a lot and I hope my synopsis will encourage you to donate to this wonderful organization, and remember day by day, step by step, SIDE BY SIDE. Thank you and God Bless.