We hope everyone is healthy and managing well. Now more than ever, we're reminded how much it matters to be there for each other.
Even through these trying times ICS continues to move forward, and we hope to bring a little joy to your day with these stories from the last year and a few additional highlights below.
PERSEVERANCE & LEADERSHIP: We've been able to continue providing uninterrupted employment and independent living services for people with disabilities throughout Marin. ICS stepped forward as a crisis management leader amongst the disability service provider community throughout the Bay Area, co-creating a health, safety and service restart plan that is impacting 10,000 people with disabilities.
GEM: Clients are back in our garden-based job-training program and maintaining proper safety guidelines. Last season, 50% of all the produce we grew was donated to at-risk seniors and people experiencing homelessness; all produce subscriptions for the year were filled; and we introduced our Share Some Love program, where community members sponsored our clients to receive free, healthy produce every month.
ARTS & EDUCATION: In July, clients participated in our sold-out summer workshop series about employment services, independence and social connections. We launched a voting campaign that encouraged people to register, know their voting rights and learn about policies that impact the disability community. We were involved in two new programs: together with Marin Center for Independent Living (MCIL) and PG&E, we participated in an emergency resources program for people with disabilities who rely on power for medical equipment and other devices to live and work. Secure the Arts teamed up with ICS clients to produce an art project called Our Love and each artist was responsible for a portion of a larger canvas that they worked on individually through virtual coaching.
COMMUNICATION: We've been working hard to bring you great content to sink your teeth into! We invite you to follow our newsletters, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
We hope these updates bring a little brightness to your day. Stay tuned for news about one of our newest initiatives around client leadership opportunities, which you’ll hear more about soon. Meanwhile, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to chat. We’d love to connect with you!
All my best,
Abby