“I always wanted my career to involve helping people and just seeing where that would take me.” That desire led Clyde Deah to Chaddock 6 years ago. Mr. Clyde started off volunteering with Chaddock children, then began working here as a Youth Counselor at Leathers Cottage, our home for 11-15 yr old boys. “I’ve found I can work with that age group quite successfully,” he shared.
That success comes from a lifetime of role-modeling. “I was not from the most fortunate background. My mom was a single parent and I was the oldest boy. I took care of my siblings from the time I was 9 or 10 years old and they looked at me like a father. My upbringing was pretty rough. I didn’t want to feel what it was like to struggle, and I didn’t want anyone else to feel that.”
Mr. Clyde has taken his empathy and experience to become a calm and uplifting presence at Leathers Cottage. He models stability, consistency, silliness, and firmness on a daily basis and works to build relationships that can withstand emotional outbursts. “Our kids have been through a lot and I know what emotions can do. Even within really strong relationships sometimes our kids act out. It’s important if they do, that they know I understand, and that we are able to repair and have great interactions after. They need to know that the relationship is stronger than the behavior. And that they are forgiven.”
Along with building relationships, Mr. Clyde’s goals for the boys are to have strong social skills and proper interactions with people. “But”, he shared, “you can’t know how to interact with people until you know yourself. That is part of my role, to help them see clearly who they are, and then, who they can be.”
“Helping people is how you show love, so I get to live out my faith here.” His faith, the consistent support of his wife, and the relationships he’s formed keep him at Chaddock. “Sometimes clients will call after they have left to ask how I am. Or how is it’s going at Chaddock? Or to ask me for advice. When they do that, I know they are carrying the relationships I work so hard to build into their future. I love my job, and that is the most rewarding part.”
