ExtraOrdinary people, like Gordon and Kimmy, are the pulse of LifeLinks. We, at LifeLinks, have a fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper? Gordon Halm, who was born in and grew up in Winneba, Ghana, West Africa, thousands of miles away from Lowell, Massachusetts, where Kimberly was born, also has that belief. Gordon, or Kwame? as he is called by those who know him, had the audacity of hope ? belief in better days. He had seen poverty in the eyes of children and dreamed that his sons would never know poverty. Separated from his wife in 1989, he waited 7 long years to be reunited with her again in the US the best day of his life! And, the best day of Kim's life, was the day that she was introduced to Gordon and his family. In 1998, Gordon bought his first home in the US on West Sixth Street in Lowell. The following year Kimmy came to live with him, Bea and their three boys. Auntie Kimmy, as she is called by the boys, is a petite 39 year old lady. She has a primary diagnosis of mental retardation, is legally blind and sways when she walks. She has no family of her own and has grown to love her adopted Shared Living family. It was a tough beginning, not always easy; Kimmy doesn't speak and couldn't follow simple directions. The family struggled to understand her needs

Eight years later, Kim, with her professionally styled hair, is a different woman. Although, non-verbal, she is now able to express herself with facial expressions, pointing and laughter. Living with this busy, African family has changed her life. She has done things she never had opportunity to do before like visit New York City and have her photo taken with her favorite wax?Hollywood actor, attend Old Home Day, family weddings, the production of Beauty & the Beast, Yankee Candle Factory, and Six Flags. She is a member of the Elliot Presbyterian Church, which she attends every Sunday. She has started an exercise program and walked in the first Annual Walk-A-Thon at Shed Park. Kim has even visited the White House. For the first time in her life, Kim has a boyfriend, Roger. They spend many happy hours together, holding hands, being an ordinary couple, watching TV. Kimmy can do a lot, with a little help.

In order to have a good life, a person with developmental disability, like any other person, needs to feel that she is an accepted, respected and a loved member of society. Kim has relationship; she has love in her life. She is valued; she is a part of something. All of these simple, ordinary wants were unmet for so many years. Gordon and his family have not only fulfilled their own dreams, they have been Kimmy's lifeline and given her a new lease on life. A Senegalese poet once wrote, In the end we will preserve only what we love. We love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught. We must learn about other cultures in order to understand, in order to love, and in order to conserve our common world heritage. Kimmy and Gordon have so little in common and yet share so much they are ExtraOrdinary people who teach us that we are all connected as one people, in spite of our individualism. They are ExtraOrdinary people who represent the best of LifeLinks work in our communities.