Rishaunda Smiley, left, is the house manager at an Orange Grove group home where Jordan LaGraff, right, is a resident. / Contributed photo by Rishaunda SmileyKaren LaGraff lives every day under the influence of gratitude.
LaGraff’s 37-year-old son, Jordan, lives in an Orange Grove group home on Mountain Creek Road. LaGraff’s gratitude is generally focused on Orange Grove Center, a nonprofit that serves 1,200 individuals with disabilities and special needs in the Chattanooga area and beyond.
But more specifically, her gratitude is for a woman named Rishaunda Smiley, the house manager at Jordan’s group home.
Interestingly, Smiley, like Jordan, is also 37 years old and has a twin sister with special needs. Also like Jordan, Smiley’s sister is non-verbal, and Smiley grew up developing a sixth sense for her sister’s needs and emotions.
“Rishaunda learned patience, kindness, and nurturing at home and this provided the inspiration for her career choice,” LaGraff wrote in an email to the Times Free Press.