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Transition Academy Graduation:
From Student to Neighbor!
Congratulations to the class of 2019 that just walked alongside the GateWay Community College graduating class. Each received a certificate in life skills, representing two years of hard work matriculating through 32-semester length courses, part of the Learn4Independence® curriculum taught on the community college campus. All those skills have been put to the test through practice in their apartments, also known as “independent living classrooms,” and in the community at large.
Graduates can also choose to live at 29 Palms, which has served as our beta site property for more than four years as we developed the Transition Academy program now housed at First Place–Phoenix. The property has transformed into a new beta site as an option for where graduates live next.
We are ever grateful to GateWay Community College and the awesome, dedicated instructors and administrators who hosted the convocation and cheered them on at graduation as each graduate’s name was announced from the stage.
Huge thanks to our operating partners at the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) that runs the program daily, gets to know each and every participant well and guides them every step of the way. Special thanks, too, to First Watch for hosting our celebratory brunch for graduates, families and residents at 29 Palms, where dear Darlene exclaimed, “We’re no longer students and seniors—now we’re all just ‘neighbors!’”
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Visit Mesa Goes the Distance for Autism
Congratulations to Visit Mesa for spending more than 100 hours learning about autism to become the first-ever destination marketing organization to achieve autism certification. The mission of Visit Mesa is “to promote, market and sell the city of Mesa as a premier leisure and business destination.”
We applaud Visit Mesa for completing the training and other Mesa businesses that have committed to the program to welcome and support individuals with autism and other neuro-diversities and their families, and to improve their overall travel experience. This groundbreaking, inclusive accomplishment sets a fine example for the rest of the Valley to follow Visit Mesa’s lead in enhancing the quality of life of all residents.
We greatly appreciate the participation of First Place–Phoenix residents as they experienced new locations in our “autism-friendly community,” provided helpful insights—and continue teaching us every day!
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Spring 2019 Symposium Recap
Save the Date for Fall!
A heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the spring First Place Global Leadership Institute Symposium, which offered a full agenda of workshops, speakers, tours and time to network. Attendees brought their projects, aspirations and challenges to share, contributing to some wonderful, productive synergy. The symposium was an excellent opportunity to learn about the projects, aspirations and challenges of professionals in the field of autism across the country and beyond. Our fall symposium is already scheduled for October 23–25, so mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details in the months to come!
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Guest Chef Stirs Things Up at First Place
Residents recently enjoyed a chance to try their hand at making their own stir fry for dinner (and use chopsticks!), thanks to a visit from Eric Bashaw, an avid and creative local cook of various types of cuisine. Eric brought his tools of the trade to the First Place–Phoenix culinary teaching kitchen—sauces, fresh veggies, a rice cooker and lots of different utensils (even his own knives!)—to demonstrate to residents how they can make healthy stir-fry meals on their own, in their own kitchens. Everyone then sat down together to enjoy the fruits (and veggies!) of their labor…and even went home with leftovers!
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Nonprofit Leader Joins First Place AZ Board
First Place welcomes Joyce Millard Hoie as the newest member of our board of directors. Joyce is a seasoned nonprofit executive with more than 20 years of experience with Raising Special Children, an organization in Phoenix dedicated to supporting children with disabilities from birth to age 26 and helping their parents to become their advocates.
Joyce has a solid grasp of policies and complex issues facing individuals and their families. She has worked tirelessly to bridge the divide, develop parent support programs, advance major policy initiatives—and is a fierce advocate for our cause. Her son, Matt, is also a recent graduate from the Transition Academy.
The kind of expertise Joyce offers will be a valuable addition to First Place’s short- and long-term strategic planning and we’re honored to have her on our board.
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A&E’s New Series “The Employables”
Well Worth Watching
Don’t miss the compelling new docu-series, “The Employables,” premiering tonight on A&E. The series follows job seekers with autism and other special abilities as they work to overcome challenges on their paths to meaningful employment. Watch this trailer for a first-hand look at what these individuals, their family members and friends experience on a daily basis.
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