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By MARK MARONEY
mmaroney@sungazette.com
Hope Enterprises has spent over 70 years serving an often neglected population of Lycoming County.
"Our staff has always provided high-quality services to people with disabilities," said Rob Labatch, president and CEO.
Staff at Hope Enterprises, 2401 Reach Road, have promised to continue with that commitment in 2023.
Over the next year, Hope will continue to grow the organization and serve its mission of enhancing lives.
Hope employees do this to remove any false stereotypes of those they serve.
Hope was founded in 1952 by physician Dr. Max E. Miller, and his wife, Leona, as well as other parents and community leaders in Williamsport.
From the start, the organization was a front runner in providing community services to people with intellectual disabilities.
Families were faced with the care of their special needs children, but no community services were available for them.
The only options were to keep their children at home or place them in an institution.
That didn't happen because of Dr. Miller and his wife who considered this community with its diverse and varied abilities and special needs their lifelong commitment to service.
In the early years Hope provided classes for children and adults with diverse abilities.
Over the years, Hope expanded to assist their families with securing medical services, companion services and guidance and then spotting any missing areas or gaps in families' needs.
Hope established group homes, training and vocational services and workshops.
Today, Hope recognized through its decades of service that the needs of these families were greatly varied -- "there are all unique needs -- they're all different," Labatch said.
The successes Hope has seen stem, in part, from "always listening to what people's needs and their wants are, what they need out of a service," he said.
In 2023, Hope will:
• Lend an ear to its workforce, team members and the individuals who are supported.
• Listen closely to the community for what it needs and then act on this feedback.
• Empower those in need in the community.
• Seek out and create new opportunities for people, new partnerships.
"Developing partnerships to support community inclusion is the future of Hope's services," Labatch said.
Another of the Hope management also believed the future success depends on partnerships.
"By pairing the needs of our community with the interests of those we support, we will continue to build relationships that are meaningful and beneficial to all," said April Shimel, director of CHOICE Services.
Enhancing the lives of people with intellectual "disABILITIES," by providing them with caring support and responsive services," is what will take place in 2023 and beyond.