Two years ago, Target Community & Educational Services, Inc. was my client.
Today, I serve as its Director of Content Development and Communication.
That journey began when I was hired as a freelancer for the organization and even had the organization on my podcast. Through that experience, I met the people behind Target Community and saw its mission in action.
I fell in love with both.
I had always wanted to work with people with disabilities and find a meaningful way to give back to my community. Target Community gave me that opportunity.
But the longer I have been here, the more I have realized that Target Community does not simply serve our community.
It strengthens it.
The Cheat Code to a Better Day
The impact of Target Community becomes obvious when you spend time with the people it supports.
I sometimes call the participants a cheat code to a better day.
They bring an incredible amount of energy, joy, humor, and positivity into every room they enter. Spend a little time with them, and whatever bad mood you brought with you usually does not stand much of a chance.
But their impact goes far beyond making people smile.
The adults with disabilities supported by Target Community are neighbors, coworkers, students, volunteers, friends, and active members of our community. They have goals to pursue, abilities to contribute, and lives they deserve to direct.
Target Community helps create the opportunities and support that make those things possible.
What Target Community Makes Possible
Target Community empowers adults with disabilities to live full, productive lives.
That work takes many forms.
Through residential services, people receive the support they need to live in homes within their communities.
Through employment services, individuals build skills, explore careers, and contribute in meaningful workplaces.
Through community-based programs, participants learn, volunteer, build relationships, and take part in everyday community life.
The Target–McDaniel College Master’s Program educates future leaders in human services, helping strengthen the workforce responsible for supporting people with disabilities.
These programs may look different, but they share one purpose: creating greater choice, opportunity, and belonging.
That is what inclusion looks like when it moves beyond speeches and slogans.
The People Who Make the Mission Possible
My role is to tell the stories of Target Community.
The real impact belongs to the people doing this work every day.
I have the privilege of witnessing staff who show up with patience, compassion, creativity, and tireless dedication. They help people pursue personal goals, develop new skills, navigate challenges, and experience greater independence.
Their work is meaningful, demanding, and often unseen.
They build trust. They create opportunities. They recognize each person’s abilities and help those abilities grow.
I am simply grateful to help more people see their work and understand its impact.
Why This Matters to the Greater Community
Our president and CEO, Dr. Matthew Ramsey, often reminds us that inclusion strengthens the entire community.
That becomes clear when people with and without disabilities have opportunities to work together, learn from one another, and contribute alongside one another.
People with disabilities gain greater access to employment, education, relationships, and community life.
Employers gain dedicated workers.
Organizations gain volunteers.
Students become stronger human-services professionals.
And all of us gain perspectives, relationships, and experiences we might otherwise miss.
Target Community helps create those opportunities through exposure, employment, and education. It brings people together and gives them the chance to recognize abilities that too often go unnoticed.
That exposure matters.
It replaces assumptions with experience. It helps people see one another as individuals. It reminds us that every person has something to contribute and every one of us has something to learn.
Inclusion is not charity extended to someone else.
It is how we build a community where more people can work, participate, form relationships, and live with purpose.
That benefits all of us.
There Is a Place for You in This Mission
My job allows me to share Target Community’s stories. But those stories are not only about our organization.
They are about the kind of community we are choosing to build.
You can be part of that work.
You can volunteer your time. You can sponsor a program or event. You can make a donation that helps create more opportunities. You can employ someone with a disability. You can introduce others to Target Community and the people we support.
Most importantly, you can choose to see adults with disabilities not only as people who receive support, but as people whose talents, perspectives, and contributions make our community better.
That is what Target Community has come to mean to me.
It is a place where people are recognized for what they can contribute and are supported in building lives filled with purpose, opportunity, and belonging.
After two years here, I am more certain than ever that when everyone is included, the entire community becomes stronger—and life becomes richer for all of us.
