On the date of Thursday, June 14, 2018 the Artworks Gallery at Living Resources, Inc. celebrated the accomplishments of our individuals. Plenty of the subjects profiled in the photos are seniors of the College Experience as well as our ambitious alumni. The photography was captured using the talents from those in the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Program and students enrolled in the Arts Program. One of our alumni, Christina Sperrazza even delivered a public oration about her work with elderly residents at the Teresian House Center for the Elderly where she has been employed for the past few years. We are pleased that many of our College Experience students choose to remain in the Albany area after their graduation to make continuous contributions to the Capital Region.

The Artworks Gallery was funded by a grant from the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) and spearheaded by the assistant director of the Living Resources Arts Program, Sergio Camacho as well as our Employment Network Coordinator, Maggie Erlich. Of course, numerous other individuals had an instrumental role in making these images of success come to fruition in such a public fashion. Maggie Erlich put it best when she said, “The event is also in recognition of the businesses employing the talents of our individuals.” The individuals, of course, were the stars of the show!

Featured in these photos are Matthew Fonner who is a 2016 graduate of the College Experience and a new alumnus named, Amber Reda. Matthew has created a steady career at National Business Technologies, which sells computer and office equipment. Amber has been working at Dog’s Retreat as a student intern since September 2017. She helps to supervise the dogs and keep their play area clean. Dog’s Retreat is a family-owned and operated dog daycare center that offers kennel services and is located in Latham, NY. Also featured in one of the photos is Taylor McIntosh who offered this poignant perspective on her experiences at Merch Now, which ships vinyl records, CDs, and other related merchandise. Her dream job is to be a singer, but for now she is making important strides at her current career.

“I feel good about earning money because I work really hard for it,” Taylor enthused.

We wish all of the participants continued success in their career paths and appreciate all of the business that are taking a chance on these able-bodied individuals working to reach their potential.