In Their Own Words ...
Members of our community share stories of the central role The Faison Center plays in their lives .
Mary Beth Mayer discusses the meaningful work that Faison does in the Newport News community
Sarah Moseley ( bottom right ) reflects on the partnership between the Children ’ s Museum of Richmond and The Faison Center
Mary Beth Mayer , Administrative Technician at the City of Newport News Fire Department , wrote to The Faison Center in June . She volunteered to design and coordinate sales of Autism Awareness shirts for the month of April , which the firefighters wore on duty in honor of World Autism Month . All proceeds were generously donated to The Faison Center , thanks to the impact our mission has had on her .
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Growing up with and now being the guardian of a non-verbal , severely autistic brother definitely impacted the person I am . While the services available to him increased during his teenage years , so much was unknown about autism when he was younger . It ’ s incredible that your organization offers services from diagnosis to adulthood , and even a behavioral clinic ; anyone familiar with autism knows it comes with its ups and downs . Thank you for all that you do . I know it ’ s not always easy , and the journey is often slow , but the work you do allows these children and adults to find purpose – and that ’ s absolutely amazing !
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Sarah Moseley is the Director of Development and Marketing at the Children ’ s Museum of Richmond ( CMoR ), a long-standing partner with The Faison Center . Our partnership has made a big impact on Moseley , who , like many of us , cannot imagine Richmond without The Faison Center .
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Getting to work with Faison allowed us to branch out and work with adults with disabilities and those on the autism spectrum , versus just serving the younger population that we see in the museum . Honestly , I can ’ t even imagine Richmond without Faison . I ’ m really glad it exists , it ’ s part of why I love this city .
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