Several weeks ago, Guild School student Thomas “T.J.” Sheppard was scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed. To help the difficult procedure go smoothly, The Guild offered to send a member of the residential staff to accompany T.J. and his mother, Karen.

To the surprise of no one, Renel Desjardins, assistant residential manager of Cedar House, joined the Sheppards. T.J. and Renel have established a close, trusting relationship over the last year, a bond that has eased T.J. during challenging times and helped the 20-year-old cope better.

Even when she was just 5 or 6 years old, Nin Chan displayed the extraordinary compassion, enduring patience and sunny disposition that has made her a standout in the field of human services.

Chan recalls her kindergarten schooling in Lowell when a classmate was not readily accepted by most of her peers because she had a disability and had difficulty speaking.

“I was always the first one to grab her hand and say, ‘I’ll be your partner,’ ” she remembers. “From then on, I realized that the smallest gesture could make a difference in somebody’s life.”

It doesn’t take long for a visitor to Burlington House to determine that the residents of this home, atop the hill, have formed a special community.

On this evening, perpetual prankster Lukas spots fellow housemate Melissa’s new glasses on the dinner table while she is out of the room. He jokingly decides to put on the ill-fitting spectacles. Melissa returns, Lukas grins broadly and cries out, “Gotcha!” The housemates and staff share a laugh: Lukas has struck again.

Mustapha Abdulai draws parallels between his work at The Guild for Human Services and the research he conducted for his doctoral thesis.

The director of The Guild’s 11 adult residences, Mustapha has found that his position today is surprisingly relevant to the thesis he completed for his Geneva Graduate School of Governance PhD that compared human rights in Togo and Ghana.

She jokes that she’s been around longer than the trees. Well, not exactly, but longer than The Guild for Human Services has been naming its Guild School homes for trees rather than street names, a tradition that began several years ago.

Just a year ago, Daniel Sedov spent much of his time alone in his room, interacted infrequently with other people and often avoided his own personal care. Not anymore. Since joining The Guild for Human Services’ Walpole House, the 23-year-old looks forward to participating in his day program through Willow Tree Habilitation, has developed a camaraderie with his housemates and staff, and manages his morning and evening care needs with minimal assistance.