Julie Morabito is passionate about cleaning. This is evident on any work day as soon as she walks into the building. With every task she takes on, Julie brings with her a positive-ness and can-do attitude; a trait that any business owner would like to establish in all their employees. Julie’s joyful outlook seems to be her natural way of going about her business day to day.

Julie is a team member of the Wakefield Career Services Cleaning Crew who work at the Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham and Wakefield. She’s on a rotating schedule with six other team members who clean the organization’s Stoneham Office, Clubhouse and Teen Center, as well as their Wakefield Clubhouse. Currently, Julie has been focusing on the Stoneham facilities, stating that her favorite is the Teen Center in Stoneham. When asking Julie what tasks she likes best, Julie replied: “cleaning bathrooms, sweeping and vacuuming.”

When asked what her secret is to her cheerful outlook, Julie replied, “I’m a happy person. I like to have good days”.

In her free time, Julie also helps out at home with chores such as vacuuming and cleaning the living room and kitchen, as well as keeping her room neat. For fun, Julie shared that she enjoys playing with her dog Adrianne and dancing and bowling with the Wii game. She also likes animals, especially dogs, cats, horses and pigs, adding that she would like to work with animals in the future.

Promoting Independence with Career Services

Career Services are provided for individuals with developmental disabilities interested in job opportunities, volunteering, internships, and exploring vocational options. Communitas partners with community businesses that offer work opportunities in Group Supported Employment. One-on-one coaching and support are available for individuals who are work-ready and gainfully employed.

Integrated Groups

Integrated Groups provide support to those who prefer the option of attending our Day Program’s Life Skills learning, as well as opportunities to participate in vocational services.  This model incorporates a split schedule throughout the week, therefore individuals can participate in both Life Skills and Career Services. The Career Services component of Integrated Groups provides four areas of support that can be used as stepping stones to employment.

Individual Support

One-on-one coaching and support are available for Individuals who are work-ready or gainfully employed. Moreover, one-on-one job seeking and coaching takes place by using personal profile career plans. When an individual is successful in finding paid employment and sufficiently skilled at their position, hands-on support will fade out – but oversight of progress will continue to be monitored for overall work support.

Community Based Day Support

Community-Based Day Support is available for those who want to learn about vocational opportunities. This includes visiting job sites, vocational skill-building, and gaining community connections. Examples include certified training opportunities in money management, or developing safety skills in the home provided by local firefighters at a Sheriff Department.  

Group Employment

Our Group Employment Program supports a number of individuals in paid employment opportunities with staff on-hand to support group-based work. Communitas has partnerships with a number of companies that provide Group Employment opportunities to our Communitas Career Services. 

On March 25th, Family Support met with the DDS Area Office for a Quality Review. During this meeting, we reflected on the work that was done in the past year, and identify areas of focus for the future.

Judy SantaMaria and Paula Thompson met with the Metro North Area Director, Assistant Director and Program Manager and the new Regional Director of Family Support for the first Quality Review since the start of the pandemic.  Much of conversation centered upon areas of focus for the upcoming year. 

Four focus areas identified:

Intensive Transition Supports

This is a new program which offers intensive case management for families of youth and young adults as they navigate the transition from school to adult services.  Moreover, this program will also offer a Sharing Group for parents and Open Family Support hours at Malden and Everett High Schools.

Intensive Older Caregiver Supports

Family Support services are traditionally directed toward to meeting the needs of the person with a disability.  Caregivers often have extensive needs as well . Therefore this program will provide the vehicle to focus our work on the caregiver’s needs. In addition, this program will include training and time together with other caregivers.

Recreation

Recreation is back! We are pleased to announce our new Recreation Director, Lauren Buttiglieri.  This spring we will offer bowling, dance, and circuit training.  Furthermore, as we continue to safely move forward, we will offer more programs for participants of all ages and abilities.

Expansion info Underserved Communities

The  Family Support Center is focusing on increasing our visibility in the City of Everett.  We will begin by offering Transition Open Hours in Everett High School. We hope to partner with the community to better meet of needs of people with disabilities in the Everett community.

Relationships, guidance, growth.

With over six decades of experience providing assistance and strengthening families’ capacities to support their family members, we are experts that provide pertinent information and advocacy, help with the procurement and coordination of in-home support and coordinate networking opportunities.

Committed to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities – and their families – in the community.

We offer Family Support, Residential Services, Day Services, and Recreational Programs  – as well as employment and volunteering opportunities – for more than 1,000 families from Everett, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Medford, Melrose, North Reading, Reading, Saugus, Stoneham, Wakefield and surrounding communities.

We empower our people to lead full and meaningful lives; eliminating barriers, expanding opportunities and supporting independence. Whether you have a child, a transitioning adult, or older adult. We provide a safe environment with services that meet individual needs, whatever they are and however they change, while inspiring dreams.