FOR A FRIEND

By Sean Barron

Purple Cat client is the reason why the workshop exists

Joe Gallagher never turns down an opportunity to take in a few good polka tunes.

COITSVILLE — People start their own businesses for any number of reasons, but for Jimmy Sutman, his decision can be distilled down to one person: Joe Gallagher.

“He’s had a profound influence on me,” said Sutman, founder and owner of Iron & String Life Enhancement in Youngstown, which services people who have disabilities. “I wouldn’t have started ISLE without him.”

Gallagher was diagnosed with Down syndrome, but it would be a mistake, however, to think of their relationship strictly as a professional one. For years, the two have enjoyed a close friendship.

The reason why

ISLE provides respite, residential, advocacy, vocational and transportation programs for people in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Even part of the name of the business has Gallagher’s stamp on it, Sutman recalled.

“Joe’s the iron part because he used to love to iron clothes and sheets,” Sutman continued. “He had to iron everything.”

Gallagher attends a workshop three days a week at the Purple Cat, 4738 McCartney Road, which is a division of ISLE. At age 67, he is the oldest client at the workshop.

The Purple Cat was established in 2002 and is a day program for adults with disabilities. Its main focus is teaching daily-living skills, providing an atmosphere for clients to reach their goals and fostering independence, its mission statement says.

Another division of ISLE is Golden String Inc., set up to improve the quality of life for adults and children with disabilities through socialization, recreation and community-based activities.

Gallagher, who lives in a supported-living residence in Struthers, played a pivotal role in Sutman’s starting all three businesses, he said.

Favorite activities

Gallagher looks forward to attending workshops at the McCartney Road facility, which is complemented with a serene landscape of farmland, woods and a lake. Among his favorite activities are riding in golf carts and fishing, Sutman said.

Music also plays a major role in Gallagher’s life, and he’s never shy about expressing his love for polkas, Sutman continued. To that end, he tunes in to WKBN-AM 570 most Sundays to catch the long-running Gene Fedorchak polka show. You also might find him dancing and taking in the polkas at Kuzman’s Lounge in Girard, which hosts several such bands from the area.

In addition to touching the hearts of Sutman and numerous workers, Gallagher shares a special bond with his aide, Robneisha Jones, who sometimes rides with Gallagher on golf carts, and for whom Sutman had nothing but praise.

“She possesses a level of caring that you can’t train. She’s a natural caregiver,” he said, adding that Jones’ responsibilities include making sure Gallagher takes his medications and being with him during meals.

The clients

About 90 people in their early 20s to late 60s make up the Purple Cat, which offers sewing, jewelry making, outdoor recreation and team sports, yoga, pilates, housekeeping, horticulture and computer training, noted Jill Perencevic, director.

Clients are given lawn care, gardening and other chores at the workshops, and most have jobs, she said. Employment includes positions at a candy store in downtown Youngstown, and roughly 85 percent make minimum wage, she continued.

“We take what they can do best and incorporate a vocational trade for them so they can earn a paycheck,” Perencevic said.

Clients also visit the downtown YMCA, where they take advantage of swimming and fitness classes most weekdays, Perencevic added.

In the past, many people with Down syndrome rarely lived beyond their 30s. Thanks largely to advances in medical technology, though, many are living into their 60s and 70s, Sutman noted.