Andy & Josette’s Story

Andy was born with a moderate intellectual disability and a rare physical disorder that makes one side of his body abnormally larger than the other. He’s always been happy, living with his parents and riding the bus each workday to the mail room job he loves. But Andy’s mother, Josette, started to worry after Andy’s dad passed away. She didn’t know how to manage Andy’s modest resources by herself. Andy was nearly 50, and there was no plan for his future care without her. “We don’t have family here,” Josette says. “I’m in my 70s. I won’t always be around.”

Then she heard about an innovative United Way-funded program that helps individuals with disabilities and their families deal with the significant challenges to planning for financial stability and taking care of their loved one’s long-term needs.  “People think you can’t establish a trust fund unless you have millions of dollars. But the ACHIEVA Family Trust is very affordable. It’s such a relief.” The Trust handles all of Andy’s finances, protects his assets and releases funds for expensive items he has to have, like specially made shoes. The program’s impeccable money management services are a great help and comfort to Josette. “I know that Andy will get the care he needs when I can’t watch over him anymore,” she says. “It’s given me tremendous peace of mind.”