On January 22, 2007, Kevin Thompson, VP of AGO, Wendy Branson, AGO’s Chief Administrator, and Brandon Mata, Media Specialist, visited Kindred Spirit in Clio, Michigan, following a $10,000 donation on behalf of AGO. This home is the living dream of the parents of Jerod Montague, a child born with cerebral palsy. Jerod is 35 years old and has never walked or talked.
The founders of Kindred Spirit, Jim and Lois Montague, are no ordinary people. They are very warm, self-actualizing, and deeply committed to their Christian faith. They have personally watched miracles manifest into their lives, and despite having raised their children, continue to demonstrate incredible stamina in their everyday activities, both personally and professionally. Out of love for their first born child, Jerod, Lois and Jim have spent incredible effort over the past 35 years to take care of their physically disabled child and to ensure that he was raised in a loving, Christian environment. The amount of time and energy spent to ensure that Jerod’s quality of life would be free from care by strangers and/or undesirable living conditions is beyond explanation.
In 1999, Jim and Lois began building the dream. Today, the approximately 11,000 square foot, state of the art, “no-lift” facility is a reality with eight residents and growing. Jim and Lois not only have created a healthy, clean, safe and nurturing home for their son, but for others with similar physical disabilities. Having lived through the discovery and subsequent care of their own son’s condition, they have educated themselves on the proper care and communication skills necessary to teach others.
Jim’s goal is to conduct one tour every day through Kindred Spirit. His and Lois’ mission is to better the lives of those with multiple disabilities, while at the same time spreading the word of Jesus Christ. Sharing and supporting her husband in his dreams, Lois also has dreams of growing Kindred Spirit into an even larger, more diverse organization with activities revolving around education, development, and community involvement.
The warm regards we hold for the Montague Family and their accomplishments could never be fully expressed in an article. We encourage anyone reading this to visit www.kindredspirit.org, and be sure to check out the national newspaper articles there. Let’s help Jim and Lois spread the word of their efforts.
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