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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