By Am
anda Bortman
It feels good to know that someone cares about you: for Shamika Mungin and the individuals she serves, they feel this mutually.
Shamika, a Community Advocate for the past four of eight years that she has been working at BCArc, helps individuals with disabilities reach their personal goals and get involved with the community. To do this, she visits their houses, and engages in activities they typically do not or cannot do. Cooking, hiking, shopping, or spending a day at Six Flags might be part of the plan.
But while COVID has postponed a lot of outside community activities, Shamika spends time with them in their group homes talking, performing some indoor activities, and understanding their abilities to cope with the pandemic.
“It’s always a great feeling when I visit,” Shamika says. “No one in the world is as happy as they are to see me. That alone makes the job feel lucky.” Ask the staff at the homes, and they’ll tell you the individuals are always asking for Shamika. “Is she coming today?”
Shamika also tries to bring individuals together from other houses, create new friendships advance their skills for interacting socially. Activities include board games, and conversation jars with topics like sports, dance, movies, and music. The virus has slowed down progress there, unfortunately.
Shamika became interested in becoming a community advocate from her family and her working experiences. Her mother worked at Hillcrest Educational Center and her dad at BCArc. Shamika started at Hillcrest and then spent four years as an employment trainer at BCArc.
At the same time she trained individuals at Jiminy Peak, she helped people whom Jiminy Peak laid off to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity.
“Helping people comes natural to me,” she says. “I’m drawn to people in need who need a hand. It doesn’t take a lot to give help. And it’s a great feeling to see these individuals grow, try new activities, and overcome challenges. It’s my favorite thing to do. And then of course, the reward of their smiles.”
