Nick Karlskin loves one thing above all else in this world: garbage.
Since becoming an employee at Dutton Farm, a non-profit day skills and vocational center for individuals with special needs in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Karlskin has shared his passion for garbage with fellow employees, staff members, and volunteers. Karlskin is on the autism spectrum and loves talking about garbage, taking the garbage out, and watching for the garbage truck when it comes.
So it was a dream come true for Karlskin when last month, a kind-hearted garbage truck driver let the young man climb aboard.
Dutton Farm co-founder and COO Jenny Brown captured Karlskin’s moment of glory in an emotional video she posted to Facebook:
This is amazing!!! This video shows that everyday heroes are among us. We met one today in the form of a waste management driver. Our friend and fellow farmer, Nick, has been waiting since he started with us, over two long months ago, to catch the garbage truck on a day when he is here. He is soooo passionate about garbage trucks it's almost all he talks about. Chris, our incredible waste management worker took the time to make Nick's dream come true and even invited him to even sit in his seat. His excitement and passion for garbage is truly priceless. Thank you Chris and Advanced Disposal for making dreams come true at Dutton Farm!! Please share to help show our appreciation!
Posted by Dutton Farm Inc. on Friday, February 24, 2017
Jenny Brown, 33, the mother of five biological and foster children ranging in ages from 2 to 9, explains to Babble that she founded Dutton Farms after what she calls an epiphany. Having grown up with a sister, Becca, 42, with Down syndrome, Brown had always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. After graduating college and taking her LSATs, however, Brown was working in a transitional center for individuals with special needs when she heard of a young man who was being mistreated in his group home. Hearing his story and thinking of her own sister, Brown realized that individuals with special needs were in need of a place to go to gain skills, employment, and community.
“I realized there was nothing for him,” said Brown. “I went in the bathroom and just cried. I realized I couldn’t say I didn’t know.”
That day, Brown started making plans for Dutton Farms, which she founded with her mother Michelle Smither. The program started small, with just Becca and her friends, but the need was so great it soon became apparent that a more formal operation was needed.
Today, the farm has grown into an operating non-profit on over six acres. With around 10 staff members, 7 direct care workers, and many volunteers, Dutton Farms provides day-to-day skill-building and workplace training for over 100 individuals. The farm employs about 30 individuals with developmental disabilities and helps to find off-site employment as well.
The farm has gardens and fruit trees and makes and sells a line of all-natural products, such as soothing salves, balms, candles, and body wash, along with other shop products. They also have a chicken coop, where individuals gather, clean, and package the eggs and several sheep for wool. Starting in mid-July, they will also offer fresh vegetables and fruit from their garden, including apples, cherries, cucumbers, and strawberries.
The entire storefront is staffed by a mix of abled and differently abled individuals. “It’s a communion of people working together,” noted Brown.
Part of the magic of Dutton Farms is embracing every program member’s passions, and for Karlskin, that has meant celebrating his love of garbage. Karlskin’s interest began in preschool, Brown explains. And while his particular interests hadn’t been well-received in the past, Brown was determined to ensure they were recognized at the farm.
After he asked her many times if he could ride in a garbage truck, Brown tried calling around to see if she could arrange something with a local waste management company, but they declined, citing OSHA rules.
Then, fate intervened in the form of truck driver Chris Walters, 51, who just happened to pick up the garbage on a Friday when Karlskin was at the farm, instead of his usual Thursday. Karlskin spotted him, shot out of the house, and Brown followed, hoping to just snap a quick picture. But she was instead pleasantly surprised when Walters hopped right out and let Karlskin climb aboard.
Walters, who is a father of three, grandfather to four, and set to be married in April, has been working as a garbage truck driver for 25 years. He had no idea who Karlskin was or his long-held passion for garbage. He just saw a guy who was excited and was happy to help.
Walters let Karlskin sit in the driver’s seat, telling him to be careful because “it’s dirty,” as Karlskin happily waved and smiled for the camera.
“He honked the horn and stuff,” Walters tells Babble. “He was just as happy as can be — just pure love and joy.”
And it’s that pure love and joy — and the smile on Karlskin’s face — that drives Brown in the work that she does.
“This is what it’s all about,” she says. “Every difficulty, every tear, and every hard moment is nothing compared to this.”
After seeing the video of Karlskin, his family was so grateful to Brown and the farm that they sent flowers and a note that read:
“THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving Nick back his sense of purpose & zest for life! I hope you & your staff never feel as though your efforts are inconsequential! The joy radiating from this video should affirm otherwise.
To paraphrase one of my all-time favorite quotes … In a world where you could choose to be anything, you chose to be kind. I personally believe there is no higher calling. Thank you with great love, on behalf of all Dutton Farmers and me, Nick’s mom. You are our Earth-Angels!”
Always humble, however, Brown insists that all she has done is through God and praises the team members who help make it all work.
“He has given Dutton Farm the most generous, selfless, and faithful team ever,” she says.