CHARITY SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED From day training for adults to employment services and more, Gompers helps people with disabilities find their passion and maximize their abilities, says Gompers president and CEO Mark Jacoby ( bottom right ). AZ Charitable Tax Credit Give & Get up to $800 (602) 242-FOOD StMarysFoodBank.org EVERY 1= DONATED $ *Consult a qualified tax advisory for personal tax advice. (3663)

technology initiatives. The assistive technology implementation has allowed participants to tell staff about their career ambitions, point out places they’re in pain, start their own businesses and excel in jobs that used to be difficult or impossible for them. “We get to watch them flourish and be able to all of a sudden realize ‘I have a voice and I get to tell you what I want to do, not you staff get to tell me what I want to do,’” said Jacoby. Gompers has even implemented a new program called Readtopia to help members read, and come spring will be the only organization in the country to have rolled out this special education reading curriculum to adults. “We’ve had people who have tried to take reading lessons over and over who would take the book and throw it across the room,” said Jacoby. “Thanks to this program, now they’re actually holding onto the book. They’re starting to flip through it. They’re not reading yet, but they’ve made progress.” In addition, the employment services program is doing so well that an increasing number of Gompers members are being placed in jobs, acclimating to their careers and no longer needing Gompers’ support. “Our job here is to put ourselves out of business,” said Jacoby. “I would love for us to be able to get every single person at all three of these campuses to a point where they don’t need our service anymore, and we’ve done our job.” To learn more, visit gompers.org . Jamie Killin CONTRIBUTING WRITER @JamieKillin C E L E B R A T I N G 3 0 Y E A R S R E L A T I O N S H I P S M A T T E R 1 9 8 8 - 2 0 1 8