Ron Dushatinski has a single favorite word: “Connection.”

The Auburn resident, who has been a group care worker at Cayuga Home for Children for more than two decades, strives to make connections with the youths whose lives he affects on a daily basis.

The home, located at 101 Hamilton Ave. in Auburn, houses numerous area children who have developmental or social issues. Dushatinski, or “Ron D,” as he is affectionately known, works with youths who have led previously troubled lives, often because of family or substance abuse problems.

At the end of April, the home recognized Ron D for 25 years of service at its 10th annual staff recognition dinner. CHC CEO Edward Hayes presented him with a plaque to commemorate his unfailing kindness and positive attitude in dealing with the home's young residents.

“I'm proud, and a little humbled. But it's all worth it when I see a kid succeed, lots of times for the first time in their life,” Dushatinski said during a telephone interview.

Most recently, Ron D has been a group care worker in the home's on-grounds school, which is part of the Auburn Enlarged City School District.

“I especially enjoy the fact that lots of these kids make honor roll - something they've usually never done before,” he said.

When Dushatinski started working at the home in 1983, he was referred by a friend, he recalled.

“This guy said, 'You like kids, and you're pretty good at solving problems. Why don't you give it a try?' So I did,” he said.

And what Ron D thought would just be a temporary job has turned into a lengthy, meaningful career.

Though he has had opportunities to be promoted through the years, he said, he has chosen to remain as a group care worker.

“I think I do the best when I stay ‘in the trenches,' so to speak,” he remarked.

Perhaps Dushatinski's greatest asset is his knack for knowing how to deal with children individually.

“What works one time won't work another,” he said. “And what works in the morning may not work later in the day.”

One of Dushatinski's most effective weapons in handling problem children, many of whom have low self-esteem because of negative influences, is humor.

“A lot of these kids don't know how to smile,” he said. “So if I can get them to smile or laugh for even 10 minutes, I've made a personal connection with them.

“And that's something that a lot of times they've never experienced before.”

His positive attitude, too, is often new for the children he deals with.

“Most of them make jokes as insults, or use (humor) as a defense mechanism,” he explained. “I try to show them that if they can laugh at themselves, they can better understand just who they are and why they're in their particular situation.”

Through the years, Dushatinski has seen some changes in both the home's staff and its policies, but he believes that his positivity has remained constant.

“The only thing I've found constant is change,” he said. “If you learn to deal with those changes, in the kids, in the way to handle them. ... that's what keeps you going.”

Occasionally, he said, he'll get a call at the home from former residents, many of whom have “graduated” from the home a decade or more ago.

“They'll say, ‘You mean you're STILL here?' But then they'll say something like, ‘I remember everything you told me. Thank you so much for that.'

“That's when you know you've made a connection,” he said, “and had a positive effect on their lives.”

Learn more

What: Cayuga Home for Children

Where: 101 Hamilton Ave., Auburn

For more: Call 253-5383 or visit www.cayugahome.org