Nebraska Synod ELCA

by Randall Donner, Senior Communications Professional at Mosaic

One of the joys at Mosaic is hearing the surprise—and the pride—from family members when people we support learn or do something new.

“We are all amazed,” said Kathi Vitas, about her younger brother Clay Lankford, who is 64 years old and recently learned to ride an adult tricycle. His host home provider, Brie Rehrs, shared a video with Kathi and her siblings showing Clay screaming with excitement as the wheels began to move under his power.

Kathi is the oldest of the four children in the Lankford family. Bob was next, then Clay, and Pete is the youngest. Clay moved from the family home at 21 onto one of Mosaic’s campuses. He lived there for 43 years and in 2022, moved into a host home with Brie as his provider.

“Mosaic has been a godsend for 43 years,” Pete said, and the family was always happy with the supports Clay received. But since Clay moved in with Brie and her husband Mike, they credit the consistent care and one-on-one attention he now receives with helping Clay “flourish.”

“When we first heard about Mosaic at Home®, we thought it was too scary to have him come out of what we knew,” Kathi said. But as they learned more about Mosaic at Home, they became more open. They made the decision for Clay to move. Now, his siblings are pleased to see Clay happy and doing well living with Mike, Brie and their 16-year-old daughter, Kierstin. (Brie used to work at Mosaic and always had a special relationship with Clay.)

His siblings have been able to watch Clay learn and do new things they’d never seen before. All of those little, positive changes in someone’s life are important. They make the difference between living and thriving.

Clay lives in a small, rural community of about 120 people. Being naturally friendly and gregarious, Clay knows a lot of people, and they welcome him. “The town has a wonderful bar and grill,” Brie said. “We walk in and everyone says, ‘Hi Clay!’”

Clay participates in music therapy, bowls regularly, helps with the grocery shopping, does activities to help him stay physically fit and is a part of Kierstin’s life and activities too. He knows her friends and teammates on the volleyball team and from her confirmation class.

“He feels like he is part of our family, because he really is,” Brie said. “He is included in everything. His care is now targeted just for him, and he is the center of attention.”

Clay also gets to spend as much time as he wants doing things that revolve around music, a lifetime love. He listens to records, watches music videos and plays on one of the many keyboards he has in his room. His late mother was a music teacher and pianist who would slide Clay’s playpen right up next to the piano. His brother Peter said Clay “could play before he could walk.”

Mosaic’s mission not only changes the lives of the people we support, but also the lives of everyone around that person—family members and our workforce included.

“We absolutely love what we do,” Brie said. “It has brought a lot of joy to our lives.”

Watch a wonderful video about Clay’s life with Mosaic at Home® here.