Meet and Greet: Pat Coyle
Ashley Durkee, M.A.

Pat Coyle, a Mississippi native, will celebrate 16 years at The Baddour Center this November. She is known to be dependable, positive, and resident-oriented. Her dedication is obvious, not only to working but to learning. When the College of Direct Support was first offered to Baddour Center employees to further their training and expertise, Pat was among the first to sign up, and was the second staff member to complete the course.

What does Pat do?
For all of her almost 16 years at Baddour, Pat has worked as a Direct Support Professional (DSP). Over the years, she has spent time working in every house on Baddour's campus. This has given her the opportunity to get to know almost every single resident on a personal level. Says Pat, "I think I know just about every resident on campus, with the exception of a couple who are new." Currently, Pat works in the transitional homes; she spends each shift traveling from New Albany House to The Manor to Schneider Cottage.

How did Pat come to Baddour?
Pat says that she had wanted to work at Baddour ever since it opened in 1979. She would often come to the Center to buy plants for her garden. However, she was unable to actualize her dream of working at Baddour at that time because having kids at home made it impossible for her to stay at the Center overnight (most DSPs work for seven days and are then off for seven days). For that reason, she spent many years working in retail as an assistant manager at several stores. Over the years, she never lost her desire to work at Baddour. Working in retail was stressful and she knew that The Baddour Center would be a better fit for her. Then, in 1992, after her children were grown, Pat received a phone call from Melissa Baker asking her to come in for an interview. Needless to say, Pat got the job and the rest is history!

Why does Pat like her job?
According to Pat, her favorite thing about working at The Baddour Center is also the most challenging. She loves that her job allows her to work with the residents. She loves listening, teaching, and helping them acquire new skills. She says that while it is a challenge to figure out ways to help residents with their problems or to teach them new things, it is incredibly rewarding when she is successful. Pat says, "It feels great when I see that they have learned something new and to know that I helped them." Furthermore, because she has moved from house to house over the years, Pat says that she is constantly faced with new challenges. Because every house is different, she must take the time to learn about the residents in a house and figure out the best ways to help them to reach their goals.

What does Pat do for fun?
In her free time, Pat enjoys reading and spending her time with her family and pets (she has a dog and five cats!). She says that she loves flowers and though she would love to spend more time working in her yard, she doesn't get to garden as much as she used to. Luckily for us, most of Pat's time is spent here at The Baddour Center, helping our residents grow and learn.

In conclusion.. When asked if there was anything else she thought we should know about her, Pat responded, "I don't know. Just that I like what I'm doing. I have to like it to have been here that long. It's not really like coming to work; it's like coming home. If I ever leave, I'm going to be leaving my family. It's a part of me now."