Casper Couple Dedicated To Helping Disabled People Live Full, Independent Lives

CASPER — In a small storefront plaza just southwest of downtown, a sign in a window carries the mission and message that still motivates a local couple and 25 staff members as they help the clients they serve.

“Live Inspired,” reads the multicolored sign that features an igloo, a green tree, a puzzle piece and the word “Teen” at a diagonal. That might be overlooked at first glance.

Bringing the developmentally disabled out of an igloo of isolation and helping them figure out the puzzle of life and where they fit is something Nick Dillon is passionate about.

He said he wants those “marginalized” by the rest of a mainstream society to understand their value.

The name on the sign came out of a conversation he had with his wife, Kerin, about what to call their efforts. He remembers talking about wanting to “live inspired” and “inspire others to live.”

“And we’re like, ‘Yeah, so there it is, Live Inspired,’” he said.

As the co-owner with his wife of an organization that works to help kids through adults with developmental disabilities into “more normal” lives, they keep seeing needs and expanding efforts.

And if Dillon needs to think outside the box and take his clients to a professional hockey game in Denver or a Casper bar to play pool, that is exactly what they do.

“Our big philosophy is to help everybody live as independent as possible, whether that be the individual we have contact with or the family,” he said. “We really try to create independence and help any way we can. That’s where we are a bit different than everywhere else.”

A 2004 Kelly Walsh High School graduate, the 39-year-old said he left Casper to play football at a Division II college in North Dakota. Dillon studied criminal justice and worked with a sheriff’s office with thoughts of a law enforcement career.

Then his great-grandmother “who helped raise me some” fell and broke her hip.

“I was like, ‘I need to go home and help out,’” he said.

Not finding any openings in local law enforcement agencies in the Casper region, he heard the school district was hiring. He got a job as a paraprofessional helping students who are developmentally disabled and autistic.

Becoming A Provider

One of the students who had several behavioral issues had a good relationship with Dillon and he was asked by state social workers about becoming the teen’s care provider.

He and his wife, who then also taught in the school district, took the teen in 2017. Dillon went on to get a teaching degree and then a master’s in behavioral therapy.

“I decided I really like behaviors,” he said. “Most of the individuals we take on here have some pretty extreme behaviors, which can be anywhere from running away to attacking others, things like that.”

The 18-year-old he and his wife took into their home in 2017 had several violent behaviors, was not toilet trained and weighed 250 pounds.

Now he weighs about 150 pounds, uses the bathroom on his own and “really doesn’t have a lot of behaviors,” Dillon said.

In 2019, he and Kerin launched Live Inspired while they were both still teaching and thought they would just keep their efforts “small.” But the needs kept growing.

Live Inspired now has adult, teen and day care programs for both non-disabled and developmentally challenged children, and they just started a horse program for their clients and the community. 

Funding comes from Medicaid, but Dillon said he runs the organization in a way that just pays him and his wife a salary, provides staff their paychecks but also funds experiences for clients. The age range goes from infants at the day care to 55.

There are 12 people who are helped with housing, including the young man at his home, another at his stepdaughter’s home, and apartments that are overseen by a stepson.

Community Focus

Dillon said Live Inspired offers occupational therapy, and Casper College graduates Olivia Shuman and Sami Moon work with clients to help them learn basic life skills.

“We’ll do something different than what everyone else is doing,” he said.

While some centers keep their clients in the center, Dillon said he and his wife decided to get their clients out into the community.

He takes some of them to the local food bank to fill boxes, others may go to a coffee shop. Once a month there is a girls’ night where all the females gather, make popcorn and watch a movie.

The guys on their outing will go to a local bar to play pool and watch sports.

“My big thing is that we want our individuals to live and not just exist,” he said. “We feel existing is kind of sitting in a center all day and hanging out. We feel living is being out in the world and participating in the world.”

Not that some of those involved with Live Inspired don’t need some down time in a center. The teen building offers a space for younger clients still in school to come after school hours and de-stress and transition before going home.

The center has an “egg chair” for a quiet time, and a “sleep pod” for those with autism who struggle to sleep. The pod offers sensory lights and music, and has a door that can be shut.

“We can help them learn to sleep at night,” Dillon said. “Also, if they need a break, they can take a break in there.”

For younger clients of Live Inspired, Dillon said he and his stepdaughter help develop strategies and tactics that help the youngsters with behavioral needs make the transition to the school district.

For older clients with “big behaviors” Dillon has found that swimming makes a difference in their interactions.

Those people spend time each morning at the pool and once a week the YMCA lets them use the pool on Wednesday afternoons.

Horse Program

For occupational therapy assistant Sami Moon, originally from Baggs, Wyoming, Live Inspired has helped her bring her love of horses into the programming mix.

Dillon, who said he is all about helping staff with their goals as well, has started a horse program for clients and the community with Moon in charge at his family’s 40-acre property outside Casper.

Moon said she teaches participants horse anatomy, safety, and control, and how to handle a horse on the ground before anyone saddles up and rides. She appreciates Dillon and his wife’s willingness to launch the program and allow her to lead it.

“It’s really cool they gave me an opportunity to have my horses here and use that as my job,” she said. “And even just working with kids out in the community, they’re just so excited to see the horses because they have no opportunity otherwise. It has just been so fun to do.”

Dillon said they are building a “barn-dominium” and plan to offer sessions that allow indoor riding through the winter. 

Shuman said her four years as an occupational therapy assistant at Live Inspired have been centered on working to help people learn basic life skills such as learning to drive a car, do laundry, and sometimes just get dressed. It has been rewarding.

“We're able to see the progression with all of the individuals that come here. And whether that be small steps for them or massive steps, it’s really fun to watch their growth and progress,” she said.

Dillon said most of those they serve have never been invited to birthday parties or had opportunities to experience fun adventures in life.

He said his wife was in Belize with some clients where they can swim and ride on boats. He just spent a weekend in the Denver area at Water World Colorado giving 24 people and staff a water park experience as well as shopping.

“We did exactly what their peers are getting to do, but the things they don’t get invited to go do,” he said. “So that’s how we run this whole place.”

This summer, Dillon said a typical day for adult clients involves going to their center on CY Avenue in Casper and then quickly heading out in small groups with staff to do what they want to do.

Sometimes they volunteer, some clients wash dishes at the day care, this summer they also launched a greenhouse and planted 10,000 flowers. There are also cucumbers, tomatoes, and pumpkins.

Future Plans

Future plans call for adding cows and chickens at his ranch and continuing to grow their own vegetables.

“Our goal in the next five years is to be self-sustaining, where we are producing everything and giving it back to our individuals,” Dillon said.

Live Inspired also has two softball teams that play at the local recreation center. At the end of the summer, there will be a Special Olympics tournament that everyone looks forward to.

The ongoing goal is to bring positive change into people’s lives. Dillon said he and his wife have organized Live Inspired so that there is no hierarchy, just staff who form a circle around those who need care and work to help them better themselves — and find joy in life.

He points to his purchase of Colorado Avalanche hockey game season tickets allowing 10 clients and staff to go and experience a professional game. A horn sounds when the team puts a puck in the net.

“We had one individual we took who would cry because they were so excited that the Avalanche scored,” he said. “It’s just so much fun.”

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.