Our Center is mourning the loss of a very special person, Ron Chappell. Ron worked as an Employment Specialist for Valley Employment Services (VES) for 12 years before retiring last January.

Ron was a caring and compassionate man who gave selflessly to the people around him, whether consumers, colleagues, or friends. He treated everyone with the same warm regard.  A true gentleman to the core, charming and engaging toward people of diverse backgrounds, he had friends on every corner.  He had a great sense of humor, embodied kindness, compassion, loyalty, dedication, and was a person who never hesitated to fight for his convictions. He advocated and shepherded the cause for the mentally ill. Some of the many examples of Ron’s advocacies include: going to Sacramento to help advocate for Proposition 63 – The Mental Health Services Act; participating in rallies and grassroots movements, and letter writing campaigns for people with mental disabilities. He was a cheerleader and a mentor for his co-workers.

Ron was instrumental in educating staff at VES that a lot of employers are willing to partner with our Center and hire consumers. He helped placed more than 100 people in various jobs in the community during the 12 years that he worked at VES. Job developing/carving was one of his special skills. Years ago, it was Ron that started our Center’s partnership with Albertson’s. This is where he came to know Charlie Rubin, a store director at that time, who since joined the Center’s board of directors, became a past board president and is now our current volunteer coordinator. Ron also created the first On the Job Training (OJT) program with the California Institute of Locksmithing for a consumer with Traumatic Brain Injury and mental illness. This consumer ended up being hired by California Locksmith as a regular employee for several years.  Ron succeeded in desensitizing employers to realize that mentally ill persons are untapped and viable individuals who can succeed and thrive in the workplace. 

We will miss Ron.