When Edyta Zak-Burns reflects on her career, her favorite time was spent working in the group homes. “I loved being able to work with the participants and expose them to new things and experience things with them to see if they like them or not, and working with families and getting them comfortable to trust me to take care of their loved ones.”
Edyta is now the Director of Residential Services, but she spent many years working in group homes. She grew up alongside the individuals she was supporting. Edyta started working at Eden after graduating from high school, while attending classes at Mercer County Community College. She liked the flexibility the work schedule gave her to attend school, and the longer she worked in the homes, the more she found herself enjoying the job.
“I felt like I could benefit from being in this environment just as much as they can benefit from having me around as they continue on their life journey,” she said.
As the participants were learning life skills, Edyta was learning as well. She was promoted to supervisor, where she managed budgets, planned and organized activities, honed her time management skills, and developed herself professionally while helping the residents develop new skills and try new things.
“I love seeing the participants experience new activities or finding things that they like to do that they haven’t tried,” she said. “These are things that the neurotypical world does often, but can be challenging for our guys – vacations, trips, and activities in the community. Anytime they do something new for themselves, that really puts a smile on my face.”
If individuals are given the opportunity to grow, they will rise to the occasion. Edyta worked with several families who were anxious about their child traveling. One participant in particular was afraid of heights. As they were departing the plane, they put their head on Edyta’s shoulder. “It made me realize that he trusted me to get him through the situation,” she said. “Day-to-day, you don’t think about how much the guys rely on you and how much trust they put in you at any given time. That means a lot.”
As Director of Residential Services, Edyta now helps new staff build those bonds with the individuals Eden supports. “We really want the best for our participants,” she said. “We keep them engaged and make them feel valued — because they are.”