STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — People living with intellectual and developmental disabilities often need a caring and supportive community to help them. At the Stokes Opportunity Center, Robin Bowman is that person. 

 

What You Need To Know

  • Robin Bowman is celebrating 37 years of service at the Stokes Opportunity Center
  • Bowman was born and raised in Stokes County, and loves to serve her community
  • Bowman tries new recipes with her group and leads transportation duty

 

Robin Bowman is a direct support professional at the Stokes Opportunity Center in Walnut Cove. She’s devoted 37 years of her life to caring and supporting adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Bowman tries new recipes with the group, leading them in measuring, mixing and baking sweet treats, all while teaching them valuable life lessons in the process. 

“These guys have shown me how to love, how to laugh, how to forgive, how to laugh at yourself. They’ve taught me far more than I’ve taught them,” she said.  

Bowman also handles transportation, picking each member up and dropping them off at the end of the day. She says this is what she looked forward to most after the facility’s five-week closure during the pandemic. 

“The day I could pick up the phone and say ‘guys, I’ll be by to get you Monday,' that was absolutely the highlight of my career. To be able to bring them back in to where they wanted to be,” she said. 

Bowman was born and raised in Stokes County. She says it’s an honor for her to serve her community each day. Bowman enjoys taking the participants grocery shopping or stopping for a bite to eat, while people stop for a friendly chat with the group. Bowman says she can’t see her life being any different. 

Bowman will officially celebrate 37 years of service with the Stokes Opportunity Center in November. While she doesn’t want to retire soon, she hopes the next person in her role will lead with love and support. 

“You’ve got to love what you do, and you’ve got to love who you do it with, and if you don’t, you don’t need to do it. It’s all about them. It’s not about us as a staff. It’s about them, how they feel, what they need, what we can help them accomplish,” she said. 

For more information on the Stokes Opportunity Center, click here.