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TAMARA'S STORY
 Tamara keeps a cross-stitched Bible scripture near her desk at Gene Piazza's Allstate Insurance Agency where she works part-time as a data entry clerk and receptionist. The verse, "I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me," perhaps best exemplifies Tamara's spunky, faith-filled approach to life and her infectious enthusiasm for work.
A 1989 graduate of Lincoln-West High School, she is one of an estimated 1 in 25,000 people born each year with Morquio Syndrome, a genetic enzyme imbalance that results in musculoskeletal malformation, including stunted growth. Tamara is 3-feet, 2-inches tall. She doesn't lament the disease that weakens her muscles and leads to fatigue. Tamara is up for almost any challenge, including balancing work with college. She has attended classes at both Cuyahoga Community College and Kent State University and earned a three-year degree from the Cleveland Baptist Church Bible Institute.
With assistance from the United Cerebral Palsy Community Employment staff, Tamara landed her very first job at the insurance agency. A letter-folding machine and special devices that attach to her telephone make her office job more efficient and less fatiguing. Although nervous at first, Tamara was very excited to begin work. After ten months on the job, she says she loves it. Her boss, Gene Piazza, describes Tamara as a quick learner and an excellent employee who inspires everyone she encounters.
Characteristic of her selflessness, Tamara plans to use the college degree she hopes to earn to "try to help people if I can."
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