rgray@gctelegram.com

David Jasper wants to continue the quality work Mosaic has been consistently offering clients for 100 years.

Jasper, the Garden City agency's new executive director, said he wants to build on the community relationship Mosaic has developed over the years.

Garden City's location has been servicing clients since January 1999.

"I want to continue to get more people involved in the community and encourage more community involvement in the agency while promoting the agency and continuing to offer high quality services," he said.

Jasper replaces Debbie Reynolds, who served at Mosaic for 13 years. She left the company for undisclosed reasons in October 2012.

Jasper previously was the director of the Liberal location for 13 years. He said the Garden City job allows for growth.

"The Garden City agency serves 140 clients and staffs 120 people. It was an opportunity for me to serve and take on a larger agency, and also be closer to my roots," he said.

Jasper originally is from Dighton.

He's lived most of his life in Kansas, aside from working at a private rehabilitation center in the Dallas area for vocational rehab.

It's been Jasper's lifelong goal to help others, and although his career goals and path have changed, that objective remains.

When Jasper was 25, he dove into a swimming pool and broke his neck and became paralyzed.

"Before that, I lived on a farm and I wanted to be a farmer. I had to reevaluate what I wanted to do, because it's always been manual work. I started to gravitate toward helping other folks," he said.

Jasper attended Emporia State University and earned his bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services and his master's degree in rehabilitation counseling.

"It's just been a nice fit for me — people able to assist others. What I realized was I wanted the same thing in life as before — helping people in some way. I feel like I have an opportunity to assist them and help them. That's what we try to do — to have the clients tell us the goals they want to achieve in life and help them achieve those goals," he said.

Mosaic's mission is to provide people with intellectual disabilities possibilities and the chance to make choices — a home, roommates, employment and how they engage with their community. The agency empowers people to work and live a life of their choosing. The agency supports people with intellectual disabilities on their journey to a life of happiness and fulfillment, according to Mosaic's website.