Janus: 40 stories for 40 years . . .
When Cathy Lundeen moved from Kentucky to Noblesville in December 2015, she was looking for a way to get involved.
She loved to volunteer but wanted to find something that was right for her.
She was walking with her friend one evening and mentioned she saw an article in the newspaper about Janus Developmental Services.
When she went there to volunteer, she didn’t just meet Janus’s clients. She met her new friends.
“You can really have meaningful friendships with the clients,” she said. “They have made an impact on my life.”
She started off working with clients one-on-one but she was nervous at first. She was worried if the clients would like her.
She connected with a man named Dan, who has cerebral palsy and only had the use of one hand. At first Dan was skittish. He didn’t want to talk much but she understood he was resistant and she kept trying. Eventually she gained his trust.
“I saw him across the room and he looked sad and so I wanted to spend time with him and from there came our friendship,” she said.
Cathy and Dan would joke and laugh so much and other clients wanted to join in on the fun. Soon the group got bigger and bigger and her friendships grew.
When Dan eventually left to go to another place, Cathy took it hard. She realized how much she would miss him.
“I was kind of depressed when he left,” she said. “We had a great friendship.”
In time, Cathy has connected with other clients just as much and she thinks Janus clients have positively affected her life just as much as she has affected them.
Cathy is also the current president of the “For the Love of Janus”, a volunteer guild that raises money for the organization.
“I can’t say enough good things about Janus,” she said. “Whenever you’re there, you can’t help but smile. It makes you humble and grateful. It’s such an amazing place.”