Open House 2008
On November 6, participants, families, staff and community members came together to celebrate the accomplishments of Community Gatepath and our participants at the “Imagine – Believe – Achieve” Open House. At an inspirational awards ceremony, a participant from each of our Adult Services was recognized for outstanding achievements in the past year. The honorees included:
Camilla Shelby—Individual Placement Trainee of the Year
Christine Swamy—Group Placement Trainee of the Year
Grethell Zepeda—Landscape Trainee of the Year
Daniel Iwanaga—Transition Services Participant of the Year
Mary Ann Wong— Senior Services Participant of the Year
Michelle Cirigliano—CIP Participant of the Year
Carmen Colon—CIP/WAP Participant of the Year
Juan Rocha—Life Skills Participant of the Year
Darrin O’Brian—Special Needs Participant of the Year
View all photos from the 2008 Open House
Following the annual meeting and awards ceremony, guests had the opportunity to tour each program and see first-hand what they do and all they accomplished in the past year. The halls were decorated with quotes and artwork inspired by the theme and designed together by staff and participants. After the open house, Lee McEnany Caraher, Chair of Gatepath’s Board of Directors, awarded each Adult Services participant with a certificate of appreciation. The participants’ delight was not only heartwarming but contagious. The sunny November day filled with joy and pride ended with a dance party enjoyed by all staff and participants.
This year’s open house also featured a participant art contest reflecting the theme of the Annual Meeting: Imagine – Believe – Achieve. Michelle Laurin’s piece, which represents her close relationship with her mother, was selected as the winner.
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2008 Artwork Winner Michelle Laurin
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Michelle Laurin has been part of Community Gatepath for many years, starting in Production Services and then moving to CIP/WAP in 2007. Michelle participates in numerous activities, including community outings where she learns life skills that are enabling her to grow as an individual and work activities such as tagging sunglasses and packaging tea. |
Michelle is a wonderful worker; she always welcomes her co-workers and staff each day with a smile and cheerful greeting. One of the various activities in the CIP/WAP curriculum is art, which offers participants a way to express their creativity. For her award-winning artwork, Michelle first traced her hand then placed a red heart in the middle of the palm. Michelle states that the heart is “pretty” and it reminded her of the love she has for her mother. The dark brown background is an expression of the sadness she feels when she misses her mother, and the two gold pom poms above the heart represent Michelle and her mother standing side-by-side.
2008 Gatepath Artwork
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David G.
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Mario U.
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David N.
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Steve M.
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