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Lesher Foundation Award

We are thrilled and honored to announce a generous donation from the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation! The Lesher Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all residents in Contra Costa County by supporting children and families, education, and arts & culture.

This incredible gift from the Lesher Foundation will help us replace much-needed laptops, boosting staff productivity and program efficiency. With these updated tools, our team can continue delivering exceptional, person-centered care to the growing IDD community. Thank you, Lesher Foundation, for your generosity! Your support makes Contra Costa County a better place for everyone! https://lesherfoundation.org/

Giving Tuesday 2024

Dear Friends,

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who participated in #GivingTuesday! On this day of collective giving, our Las Trampas community came together to raise $26,000 for our friends and neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities!

Your generosity is making a real difference in bringing a sense of joy, growth, and belonging to the Las Trampas community. With your donations, we can supply our Day Program art and cooking classes for one year, host our annual Participant Appreciation Party, certify 15 staff to use an EpiPen, and bring our residential participants on a fun community outing!

Thank you for sharing your kindness with Las Trampas,

Mark Mahaney

Board Chair

Participant Appreciation Day 2025

We had a blast at this year’s Participant Appreciation Day with Mexican food, snow cones, tattoos, pumpkin decorating, and more! Thank you to all our staff, participants, and families for coming to celebrate the community that we have built where all individuals have the right to lead meaningful, self-determined lives. Happy Halloween Eve!

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! This month, we are celebrating the value and talent that our participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) bring to the workplace. This includes employed participants in our Independent Living Services (ILS) program, as well as those rocking paid janitorial work in our Adult Day Program (ADP).

At Las Trampas, we are committed to building a world where everyone has the chance to succeed in a great job. Want to learn more about disability inclusion in your workplace? Visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam/year-round

World Cerebral Palsy Day

Oct 6th is World Cerebral Palsy Day! This global movement started in 2012, and it brings together people with cerebral palsy, their families, supporters, and organizations. Did you know that over 17 million people worldwide live with cerebral palsy? Today, we celebrate their strength, resilience, and spirit.

Let’s work together to ensure that everyone with Cerebral Palsy has the same rights, access, and opportunities as everyone else! https://worldcpday.org

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October was first recognized as Down Syndrome Awareness month in the 1980s, and it has been recognized every October since!

Down Syndrome is the most common type of intellectual disability, and it occurs when an individual is born with a full or partial extra copy of the 21st chromosome. According to the CDC, about 1 in every 640 babies born in the United States each year have Down Syndrome. Individuals with Down Syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, have meaningful relationships, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.

This month, Las Trampas is committed to celebrating individuals with Down Syndrome, recognizing their accomplishments, and spreading awareness! https://ndss.org/down-syndrome-awareness-month

2024 Fall Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Another summer has flown by, filled with sunshine, smiles, and new achievements. We are excited to share the wonderful accomplishments of our participants and staff last season.

CDSA DSP EMPOWERMENT AWARD WINNER

We are thrilled to announce that one of our incredible Day Program Direct Service Providers (DSPs), Carmen Sanchez, won the California Disability Services Association’s DSP Empowerment Award! This award recognizes DSPs state-wide who are making a significant impact in the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Carmen has been with Las Trampas for 23 years and continues to inspire us with her dedication, compassion, and positive attitude.

We nominated Carmen because of her devotion to independence, advocacy, and personal growth among those she supports. For example, Carmen supported a participant in tying their own shoes, a skill they previously relied on staff for, by patiently modeling the necessary actions. In another instance, Carmen encouraged a participant’s independence during meals by arranging their food and providing assistance as needed, enabling them to eat independently for the first time. One of the participants she supports is non-ambulatory and non-verbal. Through her connection with both the individual and their family, she has mastered interpreting this person’s expressions and unique methods of communication, and built their trust. Armed with this insight, she not only provides support but also educates the entire staff on the best ways to build relationships with the individual. Carmen’s exceptional ability to understand and articulate the distinctive needs of each participant ensures they receive the highest standard of care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when our day program was closed, Carmen was the first day program DSP to volunteer to work with Las Trampas’ Supported/Independent Living Services participants in their homes. By providing consistent support during the pandemic, Carmen ensured that the individuals did not feel isolated or neglected, maintaining a sense of normalcy and connection in uncertain times.

This award is extremely well deserved and we are so grateful for all the amazing work Carmen does!

UPDATED MISSION, VISION STATEMENT, AND CORE VALUES

Over the past few months, our Board of Directors, staff, and participants have embarked on a journey of self-reflection and renewal. We’ve carefully updated our mission, and crafted a new vision and core values that better align with Las Trampas’ aspirations and the needs of our community. We are excited unveil the following:

Mission:

Las Trampas’ mission is to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to discover their capabilities and lead full lives in their homes, at work, and in the community.

Vision:

We envision a world where:

  • People of all abilities feel a sense of belonging, inclusion, and friendship in their communities, and are valued for their contributions.
  • All people are empowered to make choices about their own lives and achieve their highest level of independence and potential.
  • Las Trampas serves as a leader and model of excellence for innovative person-centered services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Core Values:

Choice: Las Trampas respects individual autonomy and the rights of people of all abilities to make choices about their own lives and achieve their highest levels of independence and potential.

Impact: We are dedicated to positively impacting the lives of not only the people we serve day to day, but our entire community. We achieve this by providing person-centered innovatively-designed programs that serve a full diversity of needs.

Inclusion: As an organization that serves a historically marginalized population, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging must be a cornerstone of all our services. We advocate broadly for policies that support inclusion and opportunity for all.

Teamwork: Las Trampas is committed to a culture of collaboration and helpfulness while honoring a flexible and caring approach to building lasting partnerships.

Commitment: We are devoted to improving the community we serve with integrity and accountability. We provide the highest quality services in a safe and caring environment.

Fun: Las Trampas goes above and beyond meeting our participants’ basic needs, believing that all people deserve to have fun and fulfilling lives, in their homes, neighborhoods, and work places. When our participants are having fun, we are having fun.

2025 SPRING GALA

Save the date for our Celebration Gala on Saturday, March 8th, 2025, at the beautiful Blackhawk Country Club! More details on sponsorship opportunities and tickets to come.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT CLASS

The new semester at our Adult Day Program has brought with it an exciting addition, our Music & Movement class, by the request of our participants and staff. This class has quickly gained popularity, offering a diverse range of activities including dancing, karaoke, musical instrument sessions, and educational explorations into music and culture. By adding this class, our day program now boasts a total of seven class offerings: Art, Health & Wellness, Life Skills, Adventurers, Advocacy/Volunteers & Occupations, Explorers, and Music & Movement. These class offerings empower our participants to make choices to govern their own day-to-day lives.

NEW BOARD CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST

We were very excited to welcome Anthony Foglia, our new Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), who joined the Las Trampas team in July! With over two decades of experience working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Anthony is passionate about building strong relationships with our participants and empowering them to “develop skills that allow them to live the life that they want.” We are incredibly grateful for Anthony’s valuable skills and expertise.

RESIDENTIAL HOMES

From apricot picking to relaxing at Lover’s Point Beach, the residents of Maureen and Sheila Houses made the most of the summer outdoors. Both homes achieved outstanding results in their recent unannounced Quality Assurance inspections, surpassing expectations and earning praise for being a model of excellence for how these types of homes should operate.

It was a busy summer, and we are incredibly grateful for the support of our donors, volunteers, and staff who make it possible for our friends and neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities to discover their capabilities and lead full lives. Together, we are creating a brighter future for everyone. 

As you may know, my sabbatical is beginning next week, and I will be returning on January 2nd. The Las Trampas community will be in my thoughts, but I feel confident that our team will continue to flourish in my absence. During my sabbatical, please direct all of your communications to the most appropriate contact below.

With gratitude,

Daniel Hogue

Executive Director

Click here to view our full fall newsletter!

DSP Appreciation Week

This week, we are celebrating our incredible Direct Service Providers (DSPs)! Their dedication and compassion make a world of difference in the lives of our participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thank you all for providing high-quality support and being the backbone of our IDD support system. We are continually impressed by your commitment to supporting our participants in leading full lives. #nationaldspweek #impact #disabilities

Meet Anthony

Please join us in welcoming Anthony, our new Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), who joined the Las Trampas team in July! With over two decades of experience working with adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Anthony is thrilled to be back in a clinical role. He is passionate about building strong relationships with our participants and empowering them to “develop skills that allow them to live the life that they want.” We are incredibly grateful for Anthony’s valuable skills and expertise. A fun fact: Anthony moved to the Bay Area from the East Coast in 2015!

Summer Celebration

We had a great time celebrating our amazing staff and board members at a summer get-together at Board President Mark Mahaney’s home on Saturday. Food and fun filled the afternoon as we recognized everyone’s incredible dedication to supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to discover their capabilities and lead full lives. Thank you all for making a difference!