McKEESPORT, PA (July 2, 2007) -- People with intellectual and developmental disabilities aren’t always given praise for their hard-won achievements. But on March 28, MYCS individual Mark Myers and 20 other people with disabilities looked out onto a crowd of cheering faces.
Over 200 people came to the Celebration of Success event, sponsored by the Conference of Allegheny Providers (CAP) at Greentree’s Holiday Inn, to celebrate the achievements of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CAP is a group of 50 agencies in Allegheny County that have successfully found jobs for people with disabilities.
The goal of the event was to focus on the achievements of the people who were honored there, not their disabilities, says Carol Gross, general manager of support services at MYCS.
“The Star of the Year Program brought people together for a common goal to encourage people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to strive for success,” Gross says. “It was a group of people celebrating their accomplishments. It didn’t matter who was applauding.”
Ten MYCS participants came to celebrate the event. Among them was Mark Myers, a six-year member of the MYCS vocational services community. Mark was thrilled to be one of the 21 participants to receive a certificate in celebration of his success.
MYCS helped Mark find a job where he works on industrial shredding projects in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Among his responsibilities, Mark runs the shredding machinery and drops off shreds at the Hazzelwood dump. His job has helped him develop lasting friendships, and has increased his knowledge of the Pittsburgh area. On top of finding Mark a job suitable to his skills, MYCS also helped him find his first apartment where he lives with two friends, makes his own meals, cleans, and does laundry.
MYCS has about 50 employees who assist people with disabilities with finding jobs. These employees provide vocational services for 125 people and residential services for 50 people. MYCS also runs a business known as the Market Street Mail, where people with disabilities work in-house to sharpen their vocational skills.
“It’s nice to take the opportunity to pause and focus on the people in our community with disabilities,” says Gross. “The general public doesn’t understand their real value – it’s important to educate the community on how people with disabilities contribute to society just like everyone else.”
The Celebration of Success event was coordinated by a team from MYCS, MAS Community, Turtle Creek Valley, and Pittsburgh Vision and Blind Rehabilitation.
For more information, contact Noreen Fredrick, MYCS at 412-647-3555.
