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Relay Resources puts people first to fulfill our mission of cultivating meaningful work for people with disabilities, and there are many ways we assess our impact to ensure we are making the difference we want to make. Sometimes we use data; sometimes we receive direct feedback from our staff. And sometimes we discover that our work touches more lives than just the people we employ.
Joel Tebo worked as a Janitor at Relay for 40 years before he passed away in November 2022. We were proud of him, and he was proud of his work with us. During an interview with Joel in March 2022 after reaching that 40-year milestone, he said, “I appreciate all the things Relay has done for me over the years, and all the help. I’ve felt the culture of love, and I can count on Relay always.”
Joel’s mother Joyce Tebo recently invited us to her home in Portland, along with Joel’s brother Jay and Jay’s wife Jackie, to present us with a special gift in Joel’s honor.
“He was just kind to everybody. It didn't matter who you were,” Joyce said about her son.
“He loved animals. He loved dogs. He loved cats. He liked astronomy. He could name all the different stars in the sky and point them out to you. He had a very good memory,” Joyce shared. She told us how Joel always lived at home with his parents, but that his work at Relay provided support and connection that led to Joel’s increased confidence and independence.
“Joel appreciated the job so much, and I appreciated him having it because it gave him something to do, something to talk about … He had a lot of friends,” she said.
Pictured are Joe's mother Joyce Tebo (center), his brother Jay Tebo (right), and Jay's partner Jacque.
Joel’s brother Jay agreed. “He took care of his own car, paid his car insurance, always went to work. He was very reliable, and I think he learned a lot of that just from working at Relay Resources and having people who could count on him,” Jay said. “That just gave him a good feeling, I think, of self-worth.”
So the Tebo family decided to honor Joel with a $5,000 gift to Relay Resources (along with a sweet photo of Joel and the family dog) to honor the work of their dear son and brother, and to express their appreciation for the difference Relay made in the lives of their family.
Jay shared with us, “You can see all the people who are working [at Relay] who have disabilities, and that's got to be doing something positive! Because all those people have sisters and brothers and parents. And it’s good for those families to be able to know that their sons and brothers and sisters all have somewhere to go to feel like they have purpose, and that they're contributing something.”
Relay Resources is very thankful for the Tebo family’s generosity and friendship as we continue to remember Joel’s deep contribution to our community!