BETHEL, Conn. — One of the state’s largest providers of disability services has received a sizable grant to help further its mission.
According to a release on Wednesday, Ability Beyond was granted $30,000 from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, which will benefit the community by funding the Pathways to Excellence employee training program.
Ability Beyond was founded over 70 years ago and provides services to more than 3,000 people with disabilities in Connecticut and New York, according to its website. Ability Beyond’s mission is to discover, build and celebrate the ability in all people.
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation works with local organizations, nonprofits, businesses, government and philanthropists to address challenges and identify opportunities to create a strong, more vibrant region, its website said. The foundation has awarded more than $390 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and the surrounding areas over the course of three decades.
The Pathways to Excellence employee training program helps medical professionals improve their shared decision-making, leadership, safety, quality, well-being and professional development. Through the program, Ability Beyond direct care employees will be able to train to become certified Direct Support Professionals and go on to earn advanced certifications in specialty areas such as clinical care and wellness, behavior support and mentoring and supervision, the release said.
When the certification is completed, graduates earn a stipend while acquiring knowledge and skills to support them in advancing into new specialty or management roles, according to the release, which said that the curriculum was developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota.
“We are excited that the Fairfield County Community Foundation recognizes the value of this critical professional development and, through this grant, is helping us offer advancement opportunities for our front-line caregivers,” Ability Beyond CEO Jane Davis said, in the release. “We are committed to offering opportunities for our team members to grow their careers while also having a direct and positive impact on others.”
The release noted that the program not only improves the care for those served but also has positively impacted employee retention during a period in which the direct care service industry faces staffing shortages annually.
“This (grant money) allows Ability Beyond to have knowledgeable, engaged and highly skilled long-term direct support team members. Since the program’s implementation, Ability Beyond’s turnover rate has been reduced dramatically to less than 18% - far less than the 50% industry national average,” the release said.
For ways to give back to Ability Beyond, one can click here. Donors help Ability Beyond empower all individuals, regardless of ability, with the tools they need to live independent and productive lives, according to the website.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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