Deneen

A reporter once asked Jonathan Peterson-Bernhard how long he has been figure skating. Jonathan answered, “About 15 minutes.” Indeed, Jonathan, a young man with autism, has been training for much longer than that. He was introduced to the sport in 2012 when his former recreation coordinator enrolled her residents in a weekly therapeutic skating class. Jonathan had never skated before but picked it up quickly. He took to it so well that in the spring of 2016, his coach invited him to train for competition in the 2017 Special Olympics New York State Winter Games, held in Poughkeepsie. Not only did [...]

Jesse Saperstein, a Living Resources employee, autism awareness advocate, and person with Asperger' Syndrome is excited to share his COVID -19 vaccination journey to inspire others to “Have a Heart, Do Your Part and Get Your Shot.” Jesse works as a Habilitation Liaison and Creative Writing Instructor and he is a member of our training staff. As such, he qualified for an immunization. On a personal level, Jesse decided to get the vaccination to keep his individuals safe, saying, “I work for an agency where it can easily spread due to the group living situation. I don’t want to give the [...]

Katie Kelly, who receives support from Living Resources, certainly has reason to celebrate. Her success at Price Chopper/ Market 32 over the past 30 years speaks for itself. As Jacquie Slater of WNYT - TV reported, “In a store with more than 200 employees, Katie Kelly is one of a kind.” More of Ms. Slater’s story is presented below: “Born with an intellectual disability, her family says Katie has defied the odds since the day she was born. She thrives on her routines. She loves people and helping others. Katie’s sister and guardian is Saratoga Springs Mayor Meg Kelly. When Meg [...]

The College Experience students recently had a SWEET time learning about the Culinary Arts. For six Fridays in a row, eleven College Experience students participated in a virtual culinary class with Matthew Williams, Executive Chef at the Albany Marriott International. The hour- long classes covered a lot of ground. Among other topics, students learned about the differences between commercial and home kitchens, were shown proper sanitation procedures, introduced to The Ten Essential Cooking Methods, and shown how to read recipes, nutrition, and food labels.  During one class, the students watched Chef Matt prepare two breakfast recipes -Oatmeal Bake and Stuffed French [...]

Our CEO Elizabeth Martin got her first COVID 19 Vaccination and encouraging anyone she speaks with to do so when they are eligible! She said, "I’m doing this for myself and others. I have hope that in the months to come, the data will show being vaccinated not only protects me but helps prevent me from accidentally giving someone else COVID. I’m doing this because I’ve become incredibly impatient. I want this pandemic to end. I’m sick and tired of masks, social distancing and Zoom. And I’m sick and tired of the unbelievable stress this pandemic has had on our staff [...]