Giving Tuesday at Latham Centers: Meet Brian

Dear Blog Reader and Social Media Follower,

First and foremost, we thank you for staying up-to-date with the news at Latham Centers. In the world of non-profits, today is considered #GivingTuesday. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

One of the best ways to get involved in Giving Tuesday is by supporting non-profits near and dear to you, like Latham Centers. I’d like to share with you the success story of one of our adult residents, Brian, who, because of his training here in life skills and job skills, is now working in the community at a paying job that he loves.

Brian entered Latham School at age 18 and right away he expressed a deep interest in airplanes. His passion for all things related to aviation continued as he transitioned into the Latham Centers Adult Residential Program.

When Latham Centers’ Director of Vocational Placement, Maura Smith, first met with Brian to map out his Individual Career Plan and asked him to describe his dream job, Brian told her he wanted to work at an airport. Maura’s challenge was to find a safe placement for Brian, while taking into account his wishes and desires.

Maura scouted southeastern Massachusetts and formed a great working relationship with the management team of a regional airport. Together they mapped out a job description that would serve both the airport’s needs and Brian’s interests and capabilities.

Today, Brian and his Latham Centers Job Coach drive the airport in a golf cart and Brian records the tail numbers on the airplanes to satisfy the airport’s legal requirements to track the planes on airport property. Brian is delighted with this important job and airport management is extremely pleased with his performance.

Many people at Latham Centers have supported Brian over the years, helping him to achieve his success. In our Children’s Program, Brian’s teachers, teacher-aids, and residential staff taught him life skills and job skills. In our Adult Program, Brian’s House Managers, Residential Care Workers and Vocational Coaches prepared him for community immersion, responsibility, and accountability.

The Board of Directors and staff of Latham Centers recognize the pressing need to teach our students and adult residents job skills that will enable them to be successful in the community. One hundred percent of our students are now engaged in age-appropriate pre-vocational or vocational activities, and some of our older teenage students have part-time on-campus jobs, or are engaged in off-campus volunteer opportunities. Since 2015, Latham Centers has placed more than 30 adult residents in paid work positions in the community and more than 40 adult residents in volunteer positions.

Your tax-deductible donation during this holiday season will directly impact Latham’s innovative and internationally recognized programs. Together, we can continue to create an environment that can enable our residents to find success, as Brian has. Please support the work of Latham Centers today with your gift online at www.lathamcenters.org/donatenow.

P.S. Another great way to get involved, and perhaps win over $10,000 worth of Home Improvement and technology items is by purchasing some “Tree Bucks” for the Spectacle of Trees.  Hosted by Cape Cod Charitable FunRaisers, 100% of the proceeds earned from Tree Buck sales support the students and adults at Latham Centers. To learn more about OUR tree, please click here. New items recently added to the tree include a Gift Certificate to Maffei Landscape for service, as well as a NutriBullet.