THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601090075
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Close-Up
SOURCE: Jody R. Snider
DATELINE: ZUNI LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
NANCY WINSLOW STILL remembers the streetwise young man who came to Zuni Presbyterian Center several years ago with an attitude that made staff workers throw their hands up in the air.
``He came in smoking and talking hard,'' Winslow recalls. ``And we thought, `What are we going to do? How do we get through to somebody who thinks they have all the answers?' ''
A year later, those questions were answered.
The man began helping others, and he began seeing there were opportunities beyond the center's walls.
``He decided he wanted a job in the community,'' Winslow says. ``Today he works at a restaurant and has his own apartment in Virginia Beach.''
Every year, success stories like that one walk out the doors of the center, a home for mentally disabled people.
``It's so exciting to see them succeed,'' says Winslow, a vocational supervisor at the center. ``The biggest thing we teach here is confidence. The fear of failure is really big when they come to the center. They come here not expecting to do well.
``But we tell them they can try anything. They get so excited when they learn they can do something.''
Winslow supervises residents who work in the center's peanut production shop and greenhouse programs. In the production shop, they cook and roast peanuts that are then packaged and shipped throughout the United States.
In 1994, Zuni Gourmet Peanuts grossed $129,000, Winslow says, and the greenhouse, where residents grow a variety of flowers for public sale, sold about $11,000 worth.
The peanut and greenhouse programs allow residents to discover they can be productive members of society, Winslow says.
``You're also free to create programs and work with individuals in areas where they need work. Some may need work in social or vocational skills, others may just need to grow up and be away from mom and dad. Some just need a friend.''
Name: Nancy Winslow.
What brought you to Isle of Wight County? The opportunity to work with young adults with mental retardation. Working at the Zuni Presbyterian Center fulfilled a childhood dream of teaching.
Birthdate/hometown: March 30, 1958/Norfolk.
Occupation: Vocational supervisor in the peanut production shop and the greenhouse program at Zuni Presbyterian Center for 15 years.
What's your fondest childhood memory? On rainy days, my mother would cook hot chocolate, bring out a secret stash of crayons and coloring books and let us make forts with blankets and furniture.
Marital status and children: Married to Win Winslow for six years/no children.
Pets: A dog.
What was your first job/worst job? Waitress and short-order cook in high school. Never had a bad job. I've learned from them all.
If you had a choice, what other type of work would you be doing today? Social worker or counselor.
What's your favorite hangout? My living room, with my husband and the dog.
Favorite night out on the town? Dinner with close friends and listening to my husband's country band.
Favorite food/drink: Scallops and iced coffee.
Favorite movies/TV show: ``Lethal Weapon'' I, II, III/and ``ER.''
Book you wish everyone would read: ``Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.''
What's your idea of a perfect vacation? Surf fishing, four-wheeling, swimming and parasailing on Hatteras Island.
I can't resist: Finding out what my husband is going to order before the waitress arrives.
Few people know that . . . I am working toward a business degree and eventually a master's degree in social work.
Most embarrassing moment: The dessert I made for a family gathering looked so messy that I claimed my mother-in-law made it. They didn't fall for it, though.
If you won the lottery, what would you do? Give thanks to God, share with our parents and put our name on the mailbox of our dream home.
What is the best advice you've ever been given? My grandmother advised us to always take a little bite of dessert first because you might be full later. In other words, be good to yourself.
What do you think is the best thing about yourself? My love for laughter and my compassion for others. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
by CNB