“You gotta meet Daniele, Ivo. She is quite amazing!”

It was more than nine years ago, when Austin encouraged me to meet his new
neighbor. The man is not known for dishing out compliments lightly, so I had no
choice but to take his words seriously.

Austin, one of the first residents of the Neighborhood Network was clearly
impressed: “Daniele is so cool! She just moved in and is already doing so much
around here. She is teaching us to do art. I can draw pretty good pictures now. And
she got people in shape…including me. She is like a personal trainer, always
pushing us to exercise and jog in the mornings with her…well, unless it’s too hot
outside.” Other residents at the Neighborhood Network also couldn’t stop talking about
Daniele. Who is this girl? Why is everyone so enamored with her? I had to meet
her.

It was a memorable first meeting. Austin wasn’t exaggerating – in no time, Daniele
had become the heart and soul of the Neighborhood Network in Lawrence. Jovial,
radiant and gregarious she didn’t just get involved in activities – she initiated them.
People just gravitated towards her. That first time I met her was on a hot summer
day. A group of 7-8 people had an impromptu get together in one of the
apartments. Daniele had organized a cooking session, teaching people the art of
making a perfect pasta. What impressed me the most was that without being bossy
she had everyone in the room following her instructions. It was one of her
superpowers – making great food and great friends at the same time.
With the main dish on the stove, she assembled three chocolate chip cookie making
stations so the baking would commence on time, and her friends would not be left
without desert. The lunch was followed by a board game. I decided to take some pictures and video and captured the moment Daniele lost and promptly high-fived the winner. I was starting to understand why everyone liked her so much.

In the following months and years, I witnessed many moments like these. As a
resident of the Neighborhood Network, she seemed to participate in everything.
Daniele was indeed an excellent artist, who was always willing to share her
acumen with others. In fact, she was hired by GoodLife to teach art classes in
Johnson County Day Services, guiding her students in drawing, ceramics and
crafts. Her numerous apprentices have discovered the enriching value of art and are
responsible for some spectacular creations that still adorn their homes.
Austin was right about her dedication to health and fitness as well. Not
surprisingly, Daniele who is an excellent swimmer, could often be found in the
swimming pool at the apartment complex. More importantly her enthusiasm was
contagious, and others regularly joined her. Same with her running and fitness
routine. Erin, the Neighborhood Network director in Lawrence at the time shared this
memory:
“Daniele was involved in so many things. Exercising in the gym, cooking, playing
games, doing art, swimming… she had so much good energy. And everyone
followed her. It was fun being around her.”

After the Neighborhood Network expended to Johnson County, Daniele decided to
transfer there so she can be closer to her family. This gave her the unique
perspective of being a resident in both the Lawrence and Overland Park locations.
“I really like both places.”, says Daniele, “I enjoyed the amenities, and I really
liked pretty much everything about it.”

Barney Barnhart, the former director of NNJC remembers her fondly: “Gosh,
Daniele is incredibly talented. She has a big personality that can’t be ignored, and I
have so many great memories with her. We are friends forever!”
Last month I met with Daniele and her mom Louise. It was going to
be our last meeting at the Neighborhood Network. Daniele was moving out to live
independently. “This was always the plan”, shared Louise, “We as parents wanted Daniele to be independent from the moment she turned 18. Ultimately, the goal was to eventually
graduate from the Neighborhood Network and live on her own. It was an important
steppingstone.”

Daniele now lives with her boyfriend Jonathan, who works for Garmin and owns
their condo. “We know each other since we were kids. He is a great programmer, but I am the person who keeps things in order at home. We complement each other nicely.”
“It’s been a journey”, adds Louise, “Before the Neighborhood Network she was in
a program that didn’t respect individuality and independence. It was not a good
place. The difference is night and day. Sure, there were challenges, but Daniele has
tackled them one by one. Navigating relationships, learning not to judge, getting
along with roommates, respecting authority, maintaining a job… it’s a process and
the Neighborhood Network was a crucial part of it.”
“For me it’s about growth”, says Daniele, “Me before the Neighborhood Network
and me after the Neighborhood Network are two different people. I’ve grown so
much. I learned life skills here, work skills, how to treat people, make new friends,
supporting others, compromising and so much more.”

Recently, Daniele had a health setback with a serious muscle injury which has
prevented her from her favorite physical activities, but she is gradually getting
back to her routine of gym exercise at least twice a week.
Today, Daniele is the ultimate Neighborhood Network success story: the program
guided her to independence and was her personal growth engine. She has a steady
job at Brookdale dining room and is getting ready to launch her own digital art
business. She manages stress with meditation, learns new skills, takes her own
meds, cooks, cleans, creates, plays, designs, organizes, befriends, compromises,
exercises, devours fantasy novels and spends high quality time with her boyfriend,
her family and her friends.

As we leave the Neighborhood Network for the last time and I snap a few farewell
pictures of Daniele and Louise I feel a mixture of sadness and happiness. Sadness because from now on, Daniele will always be missed around her but happiness because she has achieved her goals and is on her way to living…the good life.

And isn’t it wonderful that this is also the goal of the entire Neighborhood Network
and everyone who has ever known her. And if you ask us about her, we can only
answer with Austin’s words from nine years ago:
“You gotta meet Daniele. She is quite amazing!”