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Hope Enterprises Celebrates 70 Years of Serving Pennsylvania’s DisABILITY Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2022

Contact:
Mackenzie Howe | 570-326-3745

Hope Enterprises, a non-profit provider for people with intellectual disabilities, announces its 70th anniversary. Founded in 1952 by Dr. Max E. Miller and his wife Leona, Hope Enterprises started as a school for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Parents and local leaders in the Williamsport area worked alongside the Millers to grow an organization that supported each person’s needs, regardless of their perceived disability.

“Hope was founded on a deep desire to provide an everyday life,” said Robert Labatch, Hope’s president/CEO. “For seven decades we have aimed to innovate services that help people rise above their challenges and achieve personal goals and ambitions. Everyone at Hope is passionate about continuing Hope’s legacy as we continue to break the status quo for the next 70 years.”

Examples of this innovative spirit date back to the beginning. At the time, a school for children and adults with intellectual disabilities was quite unique. Since then, Hope has continued to redefine what a truly inclusive community can look like. In 1972, Hope’s residential services gave families an alternative to having loved ones live in institutions. Instead, this service enabled and encouraged community living.

In 1993, Hope introduced job training and placement services to provide integrated and supported employment opportunities so individuals could experience a natural work environment. Then, in 2015, Hope led the transition away from sheltered workshops (still in use by some organizations) by discontinuing the service that paid people with disABILITIES a subminimum wage. Those workers were transitioned to a new, integrated employment service known today as MaxWorx.

Most recently in 2020, Hope formed CHOICE services to support each person’s goals through a one-to-one model that pairs one individual with one Hope social worker. Very few organizations offer a one-to-one model, but Hope sees it as the path to the next level of community involvement and socialization.

In the future, Hope will continue to innovate on behalf of people with disABILITIES. “Every aspect of this organization is centered on people,” said Labatch. “As we evolve, families want services that provide the best advancement and growth for their loved ones. And with each new level we achieve, we can see the next opportunity to improve their lives.”

Employees will support change to empower, respect, and reflect the goals of people living with intellectual disABILITIES in the region. To lead innovation, the organization is hiring more employees who are dedicated to Hope’s mission.

Today, Hope Enterprises serves Lycoming, Clinton, Northumberland, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union counties. The nonprofit offers support services in community participation, in-home support, employment services, and living options. The full range of services benefits individuals with intellectual disABILITIES in every aspect of their lives.

Learn more about Hope Enterprises, Inc. and support The Hope Foundation, at www.HopeAbility.org.

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Message from StationMD:

We are honored to share that our CEO and Founder Dr. Matthew Kaufman has received the 2022 Leadership Award given by the distinguished American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). This award is presented for courage and dedication resulting in an outstanding contribution to the field of developmental disabilities. All of this year’s AAIDD Award recipients can be seen here.

Behind his expertise and leadership, StationMD has grown into a robust system of specially trained and board-certified doctors, technologists, and support staff. Our team delivers superior care to individuals with I/DD, reducing stress and costs for not only the patients but also their circles of support.

We are proud to be on the forefront of a paradigm change in delivering care to people with disabilities.

For more information on StationMD, please contact us today.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Ed Lada Excited to Propel Goodwill’s Mission Forward
New CEO eyes workforce training initiatives in emerging technologies for the jobs of tomorrow

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Mark McGaffin
P: 717-525-6205
C: 717-743-5827

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2022) – Sometimes one moment changes a life. For newly appointed Goodwill Keystone Area President and CEO Edward Lada Jr., it was attending a Goodwill awards ceremony honoring achievements of people with significant disabilities in Louisiana.

“I saw people who had every excuse or reason not to succeed and yet they had overcome and were thriving,” Lada recalled. “I witnessed pure joy in their families and friends as their loved ones earned their recognition, and the transformative impact that opportunity and success can have on a person and their family.

“In that moment, I realized there are rarely any excuses or barriers that you cannot overcome to achieve the most in life. When one overcomes and succeeds, we all succeed.”

Something fundamentally shifted for Lada that day. It changed his personal and professional relationships. He saw the potential in everyone. From that day forward, Lada was hooked on the mission of Goodwill. He knew he could take his entrepreneurial skills and business acumen and propel the Goodwill movement to a new level.

Earlier in his career at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana while achieving his master’s degree in public administration, Lada developed a vision for Goodwill focused on modern and advanced technology and streamlined operational efficiencies. Most importantly though, he casted a vision to provide training opportunities for employees to gain skills that would be essential for the workforce of tomorrow.

Lada took that vision with him to Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (MoKan) in Kansas City where he served as CEO. There he launched an initiative to train individuals in emerging technologies. To Lada, the future state of technology is what will allow people to discover their fullest potential and adapt for the future through the power of work.

“I am excited to build upon the great work Goodwill Keystone Area has done for more than 70 years and to help this organization be on the leading edge of workforce opportunities that train individuals in future technologies for the jobs of tomorrow,” Lada said. “We have an amazing opportunity to grow our tremendous legacy by leveraging technologies in an ethical and responsible way, to augment the human experience, not replace it, and to create truly integrated and inclusive work environments.”

Before joining Goodwill Keystone Area, Lada served as president and CEO of MoKan Goodwill. Here, he led an historic financial turnaround for the organization and also launched a successful initiative to train those with barriers to employment in cutting-edge technologies. Lada joined MoKan Goodwill after serving as vice president of contracts and facility management services for Goodwill of Southeastern Louisiana.

Prior to launching his Goodwill career, Lada was director of business development and operations with Jani-King, one of the nation’s largest commercial cleaning providers.

Lada holds a master’s degree in public administration and ethical leadership from Marist College and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Loyola University of Louisiana.

About Goodwill Keystone Area

Goodwill Keystone Area serves 22 counties in central and southeastern Pennsylvania. As a nonprofit, 75 percent of revenue is generated from the sale of donated goods in its retail stores and online auction site. This revenue directly supports Goodwill’s mission to help people with barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow careers. To learn more, visit yourgoodwill.org.

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