“It was a real-life koala!” Kyle said recalling his time at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Taking in every moment, Kyle was truly living his dream. The Taronga Zoo overlooks Sydney Harbour and is known for its diverse collection of Australian wildlife and commitment to animal conservation. This trip became a reality because of a Personal Outcome Measures (POMs) interview in 2023. During the interview, Kyle shared his interest in animals and travel with Samantha Rodonis, CQL Certified POM Interviewer and Trainer, in great, enthusiastic detail.
“He loves animals. He talked about how his dream is to go to Australia and visit the zoo there,” said Samantha. “Together, we identified that as his personal goal, something he could plan for and look forward to.”
As part of the Personal Outcomes Measures (POMs) Department, Samantha supports people to identify what they want in their lives, their hopes, their dreams, and then helps them break those goals down into smaller steps. The smaller steps are designed to make the goal “as attainable as possible by having experiences that bring them closer to it.”
Another part of the process, Samantha noted, is the importance of sharing goals with others instead of keeping them to ourselves. That step is precisely what allowed Kyle—who receives Program Without Walls (PWW) day services in Freeport—to live his dream in Australia.
He travelled to Australia with his supportive grandmother, Georgeann Thompson, a nurse with AHRC for over 47 years. She was thrilled to be part of this dream come true with her grandson. She shared, “Kyle loves many things, including joking with friends, wood burning, helping with activities and arts and crafts, but his real passion is animals, all kinds, just like his idol Steve Irwin—the Australian zookeeper who rose to TV fame on The Crocodile Hunter.”
“He was very upset when Steve passed away,” said Georgeann, who shared Kyle’s passion for all things wildlife began at a young age and developed over the years as he absorbed all he could about the topic on the TV show, Animal Planet.
“Anything that has to do with animals. We had to make sure it was on,” said Georgeann. “Kyle always wanted to visit Steve Irwin’s zoo.”
When booking a cruise for herself and Kyle, Georgeann found a tour of Australia that fit the bill. Although they couldn’t make it to Australia Zoo—the park Steve Irwin managed—Georgann planned for them to stay an extra day to tour Taronga Zoo. Once there, Kyle beamed, his excitement rose at the scenic park eager to see the hundreds of animal species that live there.
“He loved it,” Georgeann said. “It was something he looked forward to and it was good for him to be able to accomplish that.”
After realizing the goal of traveling to Australia, Kyle is actively working to reach more goals. Ultimately “he wants to get a job,” Georgeann said, “something with animals.”
As far as the animals go, Kyle has no favorites. He loves them all. He’s always researching, learning as much as he can, and now he’s preparing to share his passion with the world.
During Day Services, Kyle often visits Wheatley Farms, where he enjoys caring for the animals. After multiple visits to the farm where Kyle shared his knowledge with the staff, he was invited to assist Kimberly Nistal, the farm’s Education Manager, teach a class in October about bird migration. Completing that presentation will bring Kyle another step closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a wildlife professional.