The boards of My Possibilities, a pioneer in vocational learning for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD); and LaunchAbility, the leading supported employment and job placement for adults with IDD, have announced they have merged, effective Jan. 15. After conducting a thorough assessment over the last several months, both boards believe the merger will have a greater impact on this under-served community by combining the resources of both organizations.
The merged organization will retain the name My Possibilities, and the programs of both organizations focused on the vocational training, placement and supported employment will combine and function as the LaunchAbility Career Center at My Possibilities Campus for Higher Learning.
“My Possibilities is extremely excited to have LaunchAbility join our team. LaunchAbility’s reputation, along with their highly-regarded staff, will create more possibilities for our Hugely Important People (HIPsters) and the IDD community in North Texas,” said Charmaine Solomon, board chair of My Possibilities. “The alignment of our missions and desire to serve this extraordinary population made this decision incredibly easy.”
LaunchAbility, founded in 1963, started as the Special Care School to provide education and training to school-age students with disabilities. Now, LaunchAbility concentrates on disability hiring and strategic talent management. LaunchAbility is one of the only programs in North Texas that focuses on inclusive employment for all adults including specialized expertise with cognitive disabilities such as Autism.
“Throughout our discussions with My Possibilities, we were gratified to learn that the services of both organizations were highly complementary,” said Bill Murray, board president of LaunchAbility. “We clearly believe that the combined organization offers more resources to our clients and leads to greater independence.”
This organizational integration allows My Possibilities to serve in a more efficient and effective way, creating a broader continuum of services ranging from education and independent living skills to employment.
The Better Together fund, a coalition of foundations and organizations in North Texas that supports collaboration among nonprofit organizations is a key contributor to the successful merger. The Better Together Fund recognizes that the two organizations can serve a larger population in a greater way, and has provided the resources necessary to enable a quick and effective merger between My Possibilities and LaunchAbility. The boards of both organizations would like to thank the Better Together Fund and its partners for the support this past year.
My Possibilities’ is currently constructing a new campus, opening in April of this year. The campus will serve as an educational environment, modeled after a college campus, designed specifically for adults with IDD. Presently, My Possibilities serves more than 400 HIPsters a week. With the completion of phase one, buildings one and two of the new campus, My Possibilities will serve more than 700 HIPsters.
The LaunchAbility Career Center will open with building two of the Campus for Higher Learning. All staff will move into the My Possibilities Campus for Higher Learning in April.
To learn more about My Possibilities’ new campus, visit the website below.
My Possibilities >
Above information provided in a press release from My Possibilities.
