y brother, Cipriano Trujillo, was a bit reserved prior to coming to Tierra. Although our family could see his social potential, it was hard for him to be comfortable with other people. Things started to change once Cipriano joined Tierra’s Workforce Development program, where he volunteers in the grounds maintenance department at Mission College. He was excited to be on a college campus, loved telling people about his day, and developed new relationships. This was a change from the “day program” he previously attended. Cipriano eventually became a volunteer at Olive View Hospital where he has volunteered for the past two years. Not a day goes by, where he doesn’t look forward to going.

Cipriano and I have experienced great losses since 2015. Our father battled with dementia for two years, and sadly passed away in December of 2015. Shortly after, I – his big sister- was diagnosed with Cancer. He had to endure time away from me, and somehow find a way to process that I was eventually going to be healthy again. Just as I began my road to recovery, our younger brother died suddenly in a traffic accident this past March. During our brother’s service, Cipriano, with a heavy heart, had the courage and poise to go to the podium to speak about our little brother. He shared what our brother had done for him, how much he loved him, and how much he was going to miss him.

Our family believes that Tierra has given Cipriano the tools, not only to grow as a person, but also to inspire others to go beyond their comfort zone. While Cipriano has been processing all these life changes, what has kept him cheerful is his commitment and the friends he has made at Tierra. He finds so much enjoyment and fulfillment from volunteering at Olive View Hospital. Cipriano has opportunities available to him that our family never thought would be possible, and we can’t thank Tierra enough for all they have done.