Photograph by George Sakkestad
HOPE employees Brian Canali and Diana Fuzere were given the organization's President's Award in June.
By DANTHANH HUYNH
Brian Canali, recently honored for his good deeds by HOPE Rehabilitation Services, describes the recognition he's received as "odd."
"It feels odd to receive something like this because all my co-workers are so outstanding," the Sunnyvale resident said about receiving the organization's President's Award. "Everyone is just as deserving as I am. It lets you know how your peers feel about you, and that's always a good feeling."
Canali was honored June 29 along with fellow Sunnyvale resident Diana Fuzere for devoting their time and services to the agency, its clients and their families.
HOPE provides job training, job placement and professional counseling to clients with developmental disabilities. It serves 1,600 people in Santa Clara, San Benito, San Mateo and Monterey counties.
Kathy Andrade, coordinator of HOPE's health-care program, was one of the co-workers who nominated Canali for the award. Canali's dedication and resourcefulness has made him one of the best occupational therapists in Santa Clara County, she said.
The feedback she has received from the children and families he serves has been positive.
"Because he has an extensive clinical experience background, he's able to give a comprehensive base program to provide the families the support they need," Andrade said.
As an occupational therapist in HOPE's Homestart Infant Program for more than five years, Canali works with infants and children up to 3 years old. Canali's typical workday involves making four visits to the homes of children from the Mountain View to Gilroy.
Whether it's helping babies with cerebral palsy, brain trauma, seizure disorders or other physical disabilities, the greatest reward for Canali is to work with patients and their families to help get them through the initial shock of having a child with special needs. He helps them through the hard times and gives them a sense of control over the situation.
"There's a real need to serve the disabled. HOPE ... targets all the different aspects of the population from the babies to senior citizens. That's important to me, and I feel the agency fulfills my needs professionally," Canali said.
Like Canali, Fuzere is grateful that her co-workers appreciate her work. As a marketing/sales representative, she helps HOPE's clients find jobs. Her clients are between the ages of 21 and 65 and have mental disabilities. Fuzere helps them look for work by typing résumés and filling out employment applications for them. She also coaches them on interviewing techniques and what to wear when meeting potential employers, drives them to the interviews, and chases down job openings for them.
"The clients are amazingly upbeat and eager," Fuzere said. "I have a client who lost his third job because the places where he was employed kept shutting down. But he's not angry or upset. He has a positive attitude and is eager to find new work."
In addition, Fuzere does public speaking about HOPE services and volunteers her own time for fundraising events.
John Hanna, HOPE's job developer and Fuzere's coworker, said she has too many positive attributes for him to list.
"She's very hardworking, likable, and is supportive of everyone," Hanna said. "She really wants to see the best for her clients."
The best for her clients means helping them fulfill their dreams.
"HOPE's mission is like any other mission we have for ourselves," Fuzere said. "All of us dream and want to fulfill those dreams, but the disabled are refrained from doing so because they are not well-accepted in our society. They face barriers, and HOPE makes it easier for them to fulfill their dreams. We give them a hand over the barriers."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, August 21, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.