Las Trampas and SEED invite you to “Navigating Tomorrow: Planning for Your Child (or Family Member) with an Intellectual or Developmental Disability’s Future” on May 4th from 10am-2pm. Expert speakers will present on government benefits, estate planning, and financial planning. Register now at https://bit.ly/48IjkrM

We are thrilled to announce that our very own Executive Director, Dan Hogue, has been selected to participate in this year’s O2 Initiative’s Sabbatical Award! This award honors dedicated nonprofit executive directors in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties with a three-month break for essential rest and renewal. While this award allows executive directors to recharge, it also empowers organizations in building their leadership capacity. Please join us in congratulating Dan for being a 2024 awardee! https://o2sabbatical.org/sabbatical-award/

Meet Betty, an Adult Day Program Instructor who has been with Las Trampas for almost 9 years! Betty says that our new state-of-the-art facility has been fantastic for both staff and participants. She especially loves spending time with participants in our safety-regulated kitchen and our accessible garden. Betty shares that Las Trampas has had a tremendous impact on her life. Seeing participants laugh brings joy to her heart, and she enjoys seeing community outings bring out the best in participants. Betty loves her job and all the participants at Las Trampas so much!

Our community came together today to celebrate the life of Jeremy, our beloved participant of 40 years. It was a beautiful gathering filled with lots of shared stories and love. Jeremy will be forever missed, but his memory will live on in the heart of Las Trampas.

Today, on National Caregivers Day, we celebrate the heart and soul of Las Trampas: our direct care staff! Our direct care staff provide a variety of essential services for our participants, including personal care and physical and emotional support. Our caregivers go above and beyond every day to empower adults with developmental disabilities to thrive at home, at work, and in the community. We are so grateful for all of their hard work and dedication, we couldn’t do it without them!

Join Las Trampas as we celebrate Black History Month and the incredible contributions of Black individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families to our nation’s history, culture, and progress. They face unique challenges due to intersecting systems of oppression, but their strength, resilience, and achievements inspire us all.

Read community member Elna Hall’s article, Autism, While Black, about the potential dangers that may come with police interactions for her son with autism: https://ncsa-admin.medium.com/autism-while-black-540d949ba662.

And check out https://blackdisabilitycenter.org for more related resources.

Today and every day, Las Trampas is committed to creating inclusive environments where individuals with IDD, of all races and ethnicities, can lead full lives.

Congratulations Carmen, Las Trampas’ 2023 Employee of the Year! Carmen has been with Las Trampas for 22 years. She is kind, caring, and empathetic towards the day program participants she supports. She always comes to work with a positive attitude, and her work ethic is impeccable. Participants state that Carmen “knows what she is doing and she knows us very well.” Thank you, Carmen! We appreciate your many years of dedication to Las Trampas and your embodiment of Las Trampas’ mission to support adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead full lives!

We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Spirit of Las Trampas recipients: Bob Damaschino and Terry Murray! Bob and Terry were extraordinarily dedicated and generous with their time and talent while on our Board of Directors. Since retiring from our Board last July, both have stayed on as exemplary committee members. Thank you, Bob and Terry, for being driving forces in support of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.

Meet Anne, one of our Adult Day Program Instructors who has been with us for 6 years! Anne finds her job fun and rewarding – she loves seeing how excited participants are arriving to our beautiful campus each morning, doing art projects with them, and going on outings. Her favorite outing has been to the NIAD Art Center in Richmond, a studio and gallery that supports adult artists with disabilities, and seeing how inspired our participants were by the work taking place there. Anne is excited for more upcoming outings in San Francisco and Oakland!