LIVING, WORKING & TEACHING THE GOLDEN RULE – MEET OUTSTANDING DSP JALONDA PURIFOY
By: Scott Jester

HOPE, AR – It’s called The Golden Rule. Many of us were raised by the familiar phrase of “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”

Maybe your mom first introduced you to it and it helped guide you on the pathway of life. Jesus used a similar phrase in the Sermon on the Mount.

Some simply say the phrase when the words are convenient.

Others live by them.

Meet Jalonda Purifoy, one of many outstanding Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) working at Rainbow of Challenges Omega Home in Hope.

Purifoy juggles a busy schedule while living her life by that Golden Rule. She was raised that way and it has proven to be a winning formula in her service of clients.

By living and working that way, she is a living example to others of the way humans should interact which includes everyone else in her sphere of influence.

A quick description of a DSP at ROC would be staff members who work one-on-one with children but the majority serve adults who have developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. They must bond with their client, work with him/her much like a family member meeting their physical, mental and emotional needs, while also assisting them in their integration into the community.  It’s a large chore with weighty responsibilities.

A Prescott native and resident, Jalonda was born to parents Loretta and Jeff Purifoy. After finishing high school and some time in college, Purifoy joined the military and spent eight years serving our country.

She has been employed with Love’s Travel Stop in Prescott for more than 20 years and has been with ROC and particularly with Omega Home for approximately 13 years.

What led Purifoy to apply at ROC and take that leap of faith?

“Another lady who was working at Parkview at the time told me about ROC and I wanted to try weekends since I had my other job in Prescott,” Purifoy begins.

“I said I’d give it a try and I’ve been here ever since.

“I was afraid when I first started working here,” she states. “When I first arrived at Omega Home, someone was having a “behavior” and it was a bit frightening. Since then, I have learned different ways to handle different things that happen on the job.

“I first started this job to make a little Christmas money. Later, I realized I just couldn’t leave and have been here ever since.”

Purifoy wasn’t simply cast into a situation to figure out on her own, but rather other team members and supervisors helped her find her stride.

“People were here to help me and now I want to be a person who helps others. You get training but its going to be hard at first because you don’t know what to expect, but believe me, it will be ok.”

Jalonda knows how important it is to be trained properly, because many times, it means the difference between staying on the job or looking for a new one. It took a key supervisor in her development  who understood proper training methods and new people in new situations

“My supervisor interviewed me and she hired me. She was a good supervisor to me,” Purifoy says. “She would tell you how to do things right and if you did them wrong, she would tell  you about that too,” she says with a chuckle.

“She was always able to help though. If you had to call her, no matter where she was, she would pick up that phone and walk you through whatever.”

What initially drew Purifoy to stay? “It’s my care for people,” she quickly replies. “It’s like the clients are my family. Omega home is where I started, so it’s like my home too. They now know me, and I know and love them.”

Does Omega Home operate much like a home?

“Absolutely,” says Purifoy. “We all sit down to dinner together. We do things together such as go out in the community together. We are just like a family.”

While in the home setting, a DSP’s responsibilities are key as they provide choices and opportunities for independence for their clients.

“We make them as independent as they possibly can be,” Purifoy continues. “It’s not for us to tell them what they want. We give them their choice. We plan activities around them, not around us staff members.

Purifoy’s caring instincts have been with her all her life. But she gives a great deal of credit to her mom and dad for raising her with an eye to care for others and for hard work. “My mom always cared for us children,” Purifoy said. “She was good to us, and I am in turn good to the people I work with.

“I will treat them in a way the I would want to be treated,” invoking her personal Golden Rule. “That way it will come back to you.

“The clients are happy to see me, and I am happy to see them. Any of us could be in a situation where we are dependent on someone else, and you must realize that it’s how you treat people is how you will be treated back.

“Everybody has feelings.”

With her wealth of ROC knowledge, Purifoy is very resourceful in assisting new hires adjust to their new job, which can be very intimidating on the first few days. “I help them (new hires) and if they have any questions, I can get the answers for them.

“I’m never going to say I know everything because I continually keep learning,

“I’m here just to help others. And, if there are questions, I know how to call and get the right answer,” she says of utilizing her various contacts within the ROC family.

How important is the support staff when shorthanded at the group home?

“If someone doesn’t know how to do something, they learn by stepping back and letting someone who knows how, to show them,” Purifoy continues. 

“And, some people are good at certain things while others are good at different things, so it just works out.”

It works out to the betterment of everyone in the home because not only does a problem get solved, the staff team grows in their trust of each other and the individuals benefit with a more coordinated household.

What kind of advice can be passed along to anyone new on the job or considering an application with ROC?

“You must have patience and like anyone, the individuals want dignity and choices just like yourself. There’s no difference.

The landscape may be about to change in the area near Omega Home with another group home being constructed, but Purifoy will be staying put. “This is where I started at,” she states. “If I went somewhere else, I’d learn it, but I would still be out of place because Omega is where I started.”

Purifoy’s qualities do not go unnoticed to her peers and supervisors.

“The first thing that comes to mind is her level of compassion,” says her circle of peers. “And she has a presence that is always up for the challenge. She’s never backed away and is quick to formulate a plan to work with any individual.

“She’s a great team player and she’s great at relaying information of what has transpired or what is needed in her area. She makes sure that circle of quality care continues around the clock and not just on her shift.

“She sets a good example for everyone else.”Jalonda Purifoy is a good example of living the Golden Rule each and every day.

Rainbow of Challenges, Inc. (ROC) is a private, non-profit, community-based provider of a vast array of supports and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Rainbow of Challenges is an equal opportunity provider and employer.