When COVID first happened , many of these partnership opportunities were put on pause . Rossi S . is the mother of Hank , a participant in
Faison ’ s Adult Services programs , who enjoyed interacting with the community through the Faison Coffee Cart program with Dominion Energy before COVID . The Coffee Cart program provides participants the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with members of the community by providing a safe space for them to interact with patrons in an open and welcoming social environment . Thankfully , this opportunity will be returning soon , and Hank is beyond excited . ” Hank kept telling me , ‘ I want to do more . I want to get out into the community , I want to make friends .’ The Coffee Cart gives him something to look forward to . He can plan his day around a social connection that ’ s meaningful for him ,” Rossi said . Our partners at Dominion Energy have a similar feeling about the Coffee Cart program . Mike Cornwell , an employee at Dominion , and chair of the DiverseAbility Employee Resource Group , said : “ The Coffee Cart – we need to get those going again ! They ’ re awesome . It ’ s so cool to see the Faison participants light up when they ’ re connecting with our employees and visitors . The enthusiasm from both the Faison folks and our own employees was so cool and heartwarming to see . The confidence and pride these individuals had in the work was obvious . You could see the impact it had , not only on those from Faison , but also on our employees at Dominion .”
Job Skills
For older students who are interested in independence and on-the-job skills , many of our partnerships provide volunteer opportunities that promote professional growth .
One of our most successful placements has been with the Children ’ s Museum of Richmond ( CMoR ). According to Allie Meagher , Volunteer and Communications Manager at CMoR , Hayden and AJ are two
Employment Academy students from the Faison School who have truly grown during their internship experience . “ I ’ ve loved seeing them grow over this year and take ownership of their tasks ,” Meagher said . “ It ’ s been so great to know that they ’ re learning valuable lessons while they ’ re here !”
Another community partner , Anderson ’ s Greenhouse , provides similar opportunities for students from Faison ’ s
Peninsula School in Newport News . Monika Massengill , Director of Cultivation at Anderson ’ s Greenhouse , has loved working with our students . “ We ’ ve been proud to provide real-world work experience for these kids , and support them as they prepare for their future ,” Massengill told us . “ We know that their presence here works to better the Newport News community .” Justin D ., a student at Peninsula School , has been able to find a purpose through his experience at Anderson ’ s Greenhouse . “ Justin is actively engaged with job skills on a weekly basis , which is meaningful in many ways ,” said David D ., Justin ’ s father . “ Not only does Justin get to practice functional skills in a safe environment , he gets to do so with wonderful people . It ’ s been critical to his development to engage with nonfamily members , and this is a great place for him to do it .”
We are so grateful to each and every one of our partners for creating safe spaces for our students to learn and grow throughout their lives . As amazing as it is for our participants to go into the community and make these
connections , we want them to have even more space for these opportunities on our main campus . That is why we are continuing to raise donations for the construction of Pioneer Hall , a new building that will become the home for our Adult Day Services program and our Employment Academy . We are excited to have a building that can be a home for expanding collaboration , new and existing partnerships , and interactive learning .
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