Each year around the holidays we spotlight an innovative ICS program that builds the talents of people with disabilities in Marin. This year feels different for so many reasons, and it reminds us that staying connected and being there for one another is so critical. We’re so thankful for supporters like you and we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.
Last year your support made it possible for trainees of our job-training program, GEM, to become permanent staff members. Today, five out of seven GEM staff are former participants. Through the innovation that is amplified when teams are diverse, for the first time in GEM’s 12-year history, the program exceeded all of its programmatic and financial goals.
Not just at GEM, but throughout the world we are seeing that long-lasting success is only achieved when we work together. There have been many calls made for change this year. As a disability community, we too are making a call to recognize that when our community is more accessible and welcoming for people with disabilities, all of our lives become more successful.
Here are two ways you can get involved:
1. Elevate disabled leaders
We are taking the model that we crafted at GEM and expanding it throughout our agency. We have a vision that one day, the majority of staff at ICS will have a disability, and we will be led by the people we serve.
This vision becomes a reality by developing a training program at ICS where current clients can cultivate leadership skills, professionalism and the technical skills to provide our services. We need your support to raise $15,000 to develop this program. When you invest in change, your dollar goes further. We’re going to track this program’s development so that it can be replicated.
2. Be strong advocates
In our 26 years of experience as advocates, we’ve learned that the most impactful thing we can do is lift up the voices of the experts in the room: people with disabilities. Follow us on Instagram to hear from ICS clients, and stay tuned for more information about Disability and Pleasure Activism, an online event that ICS is hosting with three of our favorite social justice thinkers: adrienne maree brown, Claudia Alick and Alice Wong.
Meet Renee.
You can usually find Renee with her dog, Diamond, or spending time with her two nieces. If you asked them, they’d say Renee is funny, lovable and kind.
Staff at GEM, our job-training program, will tell you that Renee has the ability to connect with anyone, that she’s organized and has a clear aptitude for teaching. So it’s no surprise that when Renee graduated from the program three years ago, she was offered permanent employment at GEM as a Job Coach.
“I’ve learned a lot here and believe every client who comes here learns a lot. I want to thank all of the staff at ICS for giving me the opportunity to be part of something.” - Renee
A difficult recovery journey and countless barriers earlier in life made Renee feel like employment was impossible to achieve. So often at ICS, we meet capable, passionate individuals who have so much potential, yet have few opportunities to share it.
Renee has flourished in the years we’ve known her. With her sights set on getting her driver’s license, she decided to face a lifelong challenge: her access to literacy education. She dedicated herself to learning, squeezing in tutoring sessions before her work shifts. Renee now drives herself to work and can confidently use the computer and her email. Eager to grow at GEM, she has learned about horticulture and how to run a small urban farm. This year, Renee oversaw GEM’s fresh produce delivery service. We are truly proud to work alongside a leader like Renee.