Via Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Rutland Herald
At the age of 90, most individuals are filling their days with quiet routines, basic tasks and enjoying a long retirement. But for one Community Care Network employee, slowing down is not part of the plan just yet.
Peter Chilos works roughly 20 hours per week, four days a week, as a direct support professional, helping individuals with disabilities be engaged in their local communities. This support is achieved through hobbies, activities, overall interests and volunteering in the local area.
Native to Rutland, Chilos was born in October 1935 and grew up in various houses on Church, Temple and Forest streets. He graduated from Rutland High School in 1953, just months before the end of the Korean Conflict.
After graduating from high school, Chilos held a variety of jobs.
In 1953, he worked for a few months at the Berwick Hotel, which once sat on the corner of Wales and Center streets. Then, he took up a billing clerk and cashier job at Marcel’s Motor Express.
“Two years later, I joined the Army. I was stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey. A year later, I was sent to Germany. I was stationed in Baumholder, Germany. After a year, that’s when I served as an active high reserve duty,” Chilos said.
Following his departure from the Army, he worked for General Electric Co. for 16 years before deciding he was interested in owning businesses in the service industry.
“I went into the bar business on State Street — Johnny’s Grandstand — and I was there for two or three years, and I sold and went into the pizza business. I had a pizza shop in the downtown Rutland Plaza — Rutland Pizza House — and I sold that. I went into another pizza shop in Hydeville. I sold that one and went into the old Rutland mall — Pizza Palace — and I was there for about four or five years,” Chilos said.
Between 1990 and 2004, he left Vermont and moved to Clearwater, Florida., working for an agency similar to CCN, also supporting individuals with disabilities. Chilos worked as a group home manager.
“For 10 years, I worked for Prince William Coney Agency of Aging (in Prince William County, Virginia). I did that from 2005 to 2015, and then I came home, and a few months later, I went to work for Rutland Mental Health. I was a developmental support person, that is what I’m doing now, for the past 10 years,” he said.
Jen Champine, developmental services community support program manager at CCN, characterized Chilos as dedicated to his work. She listed some of his work as organizing activities, helping his support individuals to reach their goals and assisting them in finding volunteer opportunities to give back to the community.
“He’s always offering his advice in regards to activities to do, or he’s looked for different places in the community that we can collaborate with and utilizing their spaces. He’s always positive, friendly and just willing to do whatever he can to help out with figuring things out or opportunities that might be available or different activities or ideas that people could use,” she said.
Chilos focuses his work efforts on his support individuals, catering to their needs and limitations, to help them maintain their independence.
Meghan Hudson, a program supervisor at CCN, explained that as one of Chilos’ clients recently moved, Chilos took the time to make connections in their new location, allowing for new opportunities with different organizations.
Chilos also noted how active he is with the individual he is currently working with.
“He’s involved in two or three places doing volunteer work,” Chilos said. “At the Ludlow food pantry (Black River Good Neighbor), at the Rutland Mission (Open Door Mission). He goes to the Rec (center). He gets on a bike. One of the things in the racquetball court — we go out there, and we don’t play racquetball — but we play a game of kickball.”
“He’s just so dedicated, and if we could clone him, we would so do it,” Champine said. “He’s just one of those people that is just amazing. He’s not stopping. He keeps going. He’s just a general all-around amazing person.”
Hudson said that one of the things other people at CCN admire most about Chilos is that he always shows up, and is still working at 90.
“It’s just pretty much trying to get involved in activities in the city because there are a lot of good things to do in the city. I know when I graduated from high school, my classmates either went to college, joined the service or worked at home. Do some good things. Just try to reach out to people that you can help,” Chilos said.