Click here to view the Enriching Lives Breakfast 2020

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020 | 9AM – 10AM

The Enriching Lives Breakfast is an uplifting hour of high impact stories directly from people Melwood serves, and the “village” that supports them to be successful—the staff, the donors, our business partners and YOU. This is a fundraiser, but there is no pressure to donate. If you are inspired by the stories you hear, you’ll have opportunities to support in a way that’s meaningful for you.

Please join us on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 from 9-10 AM EST for the Enriching Lives Breakfast. This FREE event is the feel-good culmination of our 2020 Neurodiverse Employment Conference: Breaking Workforce Barriers. Now, we can pivot from great conversations to action!

At this event, people of differing abilities will share how their lives have been transformed by Melwood’s programs, how much is left to do to create a world where people of differing abilities are fully included, the challenges that have been presented during COVID-19 and what YOU can do to help. Here’s a sneak peek:

• Morgan Delk, a Melwood Board member and a person of differing abilities will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies.
• Joe Klemm and His Family Share How Melwood Has Impacted Their Lives: His parents were told he wouldn’t live beyond his third birthday. At school, he faced isolation and acted out in frustration. He was at the top of his college math class but was returning carts at a grocery store. But at Melwood, Joe Klemm became a core team member of the External Affairs department and now, is a graduate of abilIT and a qualified IT professional.
• Direct Support Professionals — Compassionate Care in the Community During COVID-19: James Verkerke and Davonne Hatton, the Melwood Direct Support Professional (DSP) who has helped James stay connected to the world during COVID-19 share their story.
• Jobs of the Future with Employers Committed to Inclusive Workplaces: Our abilIT program provides skills and creates jobs. Now let’s scale it up! Cody Hart, Melwood abilIT graduate and Junior Data Annotator at Enabled Intelligence and Lauren Bacon Smith, Director of Culture & Inclusion at Enabled Intelligence share their experiences of creating an inclusive workplace.
• Talent Unlocked and a Partnership Formed: Brian Callaghan is self-taught in three programming languages but struggled to find a suitable job. KPMG hired him as part of their commitment to an inclusive workplace. We brought them together – with great success.

What do these stories have in common? They had people in their lives who believed in them and their inclusion in society. Join us and feel inspired as we usher in the holidays and look forward to a better future in 2021.

Who Should Attend? Everyone! But particularly people of differing abilities and their families, other individuals and organizations providing services in the community, businesses creating inclusive workplaces, policymakers and elected officials, and all who believe in an inclusive society.

RSVP HERE and enjoy an “Enriching Lives Breakfast” gift from the Sunflower Bakery, a local Maryland small business that is providing skilled training and employment connections to adults of differing abilities, or Together We Bake, a Northern Virginia nonprofit that is providing workforce training and personal development program for women in need of a second chance.

If you have any further questions, please contact [email protected].