By Cindy Adams

Some places you walk into and immediately feel something different. It's a warmth that can't quite be explained, only experienced. EnCircle's Day Support program in Roanoke is one of these places. For the adults who attend each day and the staff who pour their hearts into the work, this isn't just a program. It's a second home. And this is family.

"If you don’t love what you do, you're in the wrong business," said Joyce Brock, Direct Support Professional. "This place is special and that’s because of the people. Here, we treat each other like family."

Joyce means that in the truest sense. At Day Support, little moments are never overlooked. Birthdays aren't just acknowledged, they're celebrated. The staff actively looks for reasons to mark special days because joy, they believe, is always worth making time for.

Recently, Joyce took the group to a local ice cream parlor to celebrate Kasey's birthday. The outing was simple, but meaningful.

"I told her to choose her ice cream flavor," Joyce recalled. "Just to see her face light up made my day. She kept saying, 'This is so good. I've got to come back here.'"

That same spirit of care shows up when someone is having a difficult day, too. When a participant is sick and can't make it in, staff members do more than just note the absence. When the time is right, they show up with a small gift from the Day Support family. A reminder that they are thought of and missed.

And the love goes both ways. When a staff member is out sick, the participants notice. They color pictures and craft small trinkets so that when the staff member returns, they are met with handmade gifts and plenty of warm hugs.

"They make you feel wanted and loved," Joyce said.

The Day Support group regularly ventures out into the community, and it's often in these outings that the most unforgettable moments are made. Like the afternoon Joyce guided Shirley’s hand to help her roll a bowling ball down the lane and Shirley threw her hands up in triumph.

"Yay, Ms. Joyce, I made it!" Shirley exclaimed with the pure, unbridled enthusiasm of someone who had just won gold.

Back at the program, the spirit never settles for long. At any given moment, program manager Alisa Woods might slip on a little jazz, start snapping her fingers and add a swing of her hips. Within moments, the room transforms with smiling faces, moving bodies and laughter filling the space. The room is fully alive and sparkling with that Day Support magic.

Even on difficult days, the Day Support family finds a way. After a long stretch of winter weather kept the group home, participants arrived back looking weary and blue. The staff didn’t wait for the mood to lift on its own.

"We have to lift your spirits! Let's get out of here," Alisa said.

So, they went just down the street to Wendy's. No special occasion, no planning. Just a spontaneous act of love to bring a little sunshine to a gray day.

"When they come in, they may have had a bad day," Joyce said. "When they leave, they have a smile on their face."

This is the heart of enCircle's Day Support program. It’s built on showing up, celebrating and encouraging each other and refusing to let a single person feel invisible.

This is family.