Emily Miller and Nate Orr
Photo by Sarah Morreim
Reach for Resources held its annual summer gala on July 19 at LTD Brewing Company. Money raised supports the organization’s mission to help individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness reach their full potential. Reach provides services including adaptive recreation and inclusion, community living and employment support, and more.
Emily Miller: I’m the director of adaptive recreation and inclusion at Reach. I’ve been in this field for more than 10 years, and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I have a cousin with Down syndrome who I’m really close with. Being with her and seeing the simple joys and being so happy every day is what brought me to this field.
Anthony Jay Alwin: I’ve been involved with Reach for Resources for more than 20 years. They have fun activities. It’s a friendly place to meet people and make new friends. I go to the adult dances at St. Louis Park High School. I like to dance—it’s my favorite thing to do at Reach.
Jim Sillery: My son Adam is 25 years old. Reach for Resources provides Adam with a social network. He gets to make friends, and that’s very important for his development. Adam, like a lot of people who have autism, is not interactive. Through socialization, he’s much more conversant and will talk in sentences. When he was smaller, he would grab your arm and take you over to the refrigerator. Now if he wants something, he will come up and ask for it.
Kari Schamber: My son Jonathan is 41 years old now, and he is still doing things with Reach for Resources. Right now he’s playing softball. He enjoys going to the dances. My son has made so many friends over the years. He didn’t have the opportunity to play sports competitively, and Reach for Resources gave him that opportunity. It’s wonderful to have that outlet for him to be normal.
