A snow-filled ski trip. Lunch at a restaurant adorned with white tablecloths. Fireworks in celebration of the Lunar New Year. These are just some of the memorable experiences our members have enjoyed, thanks to our dedicated volunteer Alan Yuen. He has been a good friend to Envision Unlimited for many years, but he has recently become more involved in our various programs.
A former art director, Yuen developed an original art program at our Westtown Center over the past few months, inspiring our members to interact with each other. In the summer, you can find him pairing up with members and riding tandem bicycles through our Buddy Biking program, which empowers greater mobility, independence and community engagement for people with disabilities. And as the now-owner of Friendship Chinese Restaurant in Logan Square, he often treats our members to authentic Chinese meals and sometimes cooks with them.
It’s efforts like these that earned Yuen the Volunteer of the Year award from disability advocacy organization The Arc of Illinois. “His care for the members shines through his selfless work,” said Hannah Lowe, Westtown Center program director, and Susan Gardner, vice president of day and employment services, when nominating him for the award.
On behalf of everyone at Envision Unlimited, we’d like to extend a hearty congratulations to Yuen. We’re fortunate to have a volunteer like you!