JOHNSON CO., Ind. -- A big donation is now rolling down the streets in Johnson County.
The organization Charlene's Angels just celebrated this gift, and the two people pictured on it, with community members last week.
"Working with this population has been my passion my entire life, since I was a young girl," says Charlene Gutherie, the Executive Director of Charlene's Angels. The organization is an adult day program for adults with special needs that provides life skills training, academics, and community with a biblical approach.
"My dream was always to start a program for adults with special needs," says Gutherie.
Gutherie grew up close to her uncle who had Down Syndrome and she found joy in working with this population throughout her schooling and eventual career.
While working in public schools, she noticed a gap in services for these individuals once they age out of the school system.
Founded in 2012, Charlene's Angels is headquartered at Southland Community Church off Smith Valley Road in Johnson County. The organization is part of Southland's ministry as well.
Over the past decade, Gutherie and her staff have been able to touch many lives in the Center Grove community and beyond.
"It was wonderful when we found, well really, when Charlene found us," says Glennda Watson. Watson's brother Jimmy Musgrave had Down Syndrome and she and her husband became his caretaker after the passing of her parents.
For a period of time, her husband was taking Jimmy with him to work because he was unable to be left alone at home.
Their family met Charlene at a nearby community center and Jimmy became one of her students, or angels. Watson says this care during the day made all the difference for Jimmy and her family.
"I didn't worry about his care," says Watson. "I knew he was being cared for, loved on, just like we would be doing as his family."
Jimmy became a beloved member of the organization, and the Center Grove community as a whole, bringing joy and laughter to people around him.
"He was a character to say the least," says Watson. "He loved people. Did not know a stranger."
In Jimmy's passing, the family requested in lieu of flowers, donations to be made to Charlene's Angels.
The community gave their support, even the two Center Grove Middle Schools pledged to give admission money from a game to the cause in honor of Jimmy.
At the time, the Watson family says they knew Gutherie would put these donations to good use, but they were not sure what the funds would go towards.
But their wishes crossed paths with another local family, ready to make a donation to Charlene's Angels.
During his time at Charlene's Angels, Jimmy became best friends with another man named David Donnell.
David is currently undergoing care at home with his parents as he is in late stage Alzheimer's Disease.
His mother, Julie Donnell, remembers a David who was full of life and passion for his hobbies.
"His passion was actually wrestling," says Donnell about David's love for reading wrestling magazines. "He read them from cover to cover."
She says David was also very involved in Special Olympics and loved to watch his favorite TV show.
"He even prays for Pat Sajak and Vanna White everyday," says Donnell. "He just loves everybody."
The Donnells moved back to Indiana when David was 40-years-old and they learned his teacher from when he was just 5-years-old had opened Charlene's Angels.
"Well it was everything for our family," says Donnell. "She and her staff are just the most loving people."
She says David was always ready for a day of school.
Thanks to donations from the community and these families, Charlene's Angels just unveiled a brand new bus with Jimmy and David's picture on the side.
The bus will be used to help bring the adults into the community for different projects and activities each week.
"To have this donation, this is something we could've never afforded to purchase," says Gutherie. "And to see the joy on my angels faces is hard to even express in words. They just, they absolutely are just so appreciative of things like this and they absolutely adored Jimmy and David whose faces are on the bus, and we will never ever forget them. They will always be part of our program."
Watson says Jimmy would be so excited to see his picture on the bus if he were still here today.
"He would just be thrilled," says Watson. "He would be going, that's me! That's me! That's David! That is my friend David. That's me on the bus! He would be so thrilled to see it."
And for Donnell, seeing David's face on the new bus parked in her driveway, with the community celebrating her son, brought tears to her eyes.
"It gets to you. I'm not a real emotional person, but when I saw the bus ya know, just really was shaking and cried," says Donnell. "It's just the sweetest thing, ya know, and it just gives me such joy to think that it's going to be driving around in the community, and they are gonna be together on the bus."
If you would like to learn more about the organization Charlene's Angels, or if you are able to volunteer, donate or become an advocate, you can visit their website http://www.charsangel.org/
