Working at SPIN, Mercedes is Direct Support Professional who is risking her life and health as an essential worker throughout the COVID pandemic.  She has been a union member since 2009.  Despite the pandemic, our consumers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need people in their lives who provide them with assistance and instruction on completing tasks that most people take for granted.  It requires closer contact to continue to support people who are so often overlooked and forgotten in their efforts to gain the skills or need support to live independently.  Mercedes has shown professionalism to support adults with intellectual disabilities during these unprecedented times.  For her dedication and service, Mercedes deserves our gratitude.