November 2024
Dear Friends,
This holiday season, I’m thankful for happy hour. That’s what my wife, Tammy, and I call the hour we spend each Friday hosting our music class at Las Trampas. I think we enjoy it just as much as the participants…maybe even more. From Heather’s radiant smile to Danny’s energetic dance moves, every moment is filled with joy.
In the three years we’ve hosted music class, the best part has been witnessing incredible transformations. My son, Noah, took his time to get into it, but now he’s rocking to the beat. Darren has gone from being a quiet observer to dancing with Tammy in the center of the room. Even Stephenie, who was initially withdrawn, shocked me one day when she got up and started grooving around with the biggest smile on her face. Same person I’d been seeing for a year and half, and all of a sudden she’s come alive!
As the proud father of Noah, a day program participant, as well the Board Chair, I am overwhelming grateful for the haven that is Las Trampas. Noah is 24, and he has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism. He is a creature of habit. He loves his NASA backpack and wears it every day. Eventually the backpack wears out, breaks, we order him a new one, and the cycle continues. I remember a time not so long ago when his backpack had broken and we were waiting for a new one to arrive in the mail. Noah was understandably very unhappy, and when we woke up the next morning, we couldn’t find him anywhere in the house – a very rare and upsetting occurrence as he never wanders off. Fortunately, our fear was quickly alleviated when we received a call from Anna at the Las Trampas front desk. Noah had somehow managed to slip out of the house and walk half a mile to the campus!
It struck me that when things weren’t going his way and he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Noah sought out a familiar and comforting environment, which for him is Las Trampas. As I said, he’s a creature of habit, and his habit is Las Trampas. This is why I’m asking for your support, to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a place where they feel safe and supported.
One thing I think about is: what would our participants do if there were no Las Trampas? I think about what Noah would do, and I really don’t know.
There are so few resources for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) once they age out of school. Without Las Trampas, Noah would probably be at home, he wouldn’t be nearly as stimulated, and his days wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. I think that’s the case for most adults with IDD, and it makes me so sad to know that there are many adults with IDD who have been eagerly sitting on our waitlist for years. In fact, we now have a waitlist of 38 participants for our Adult Day Program.
While our new facility provides the space we need to accept all 38 additional participants, we—like most direct-service nonprofits—are facing profound staffing challenges. We need additional resources for staff recruitment and retention, so we can bring more participants off our significant waitlist.
It is your support for Las Trampas that allows us to build a community where people of all abilities feel a sense of joy, excitement, growth, and belonging. You can support our friends and neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities by making—and doubling!—your gift today. A group of generous early contributors including Eric Rudney, Sidne Long and Lisa Laird Long, and Karen and Tom Mulvaney, will match every gift received until December 31st, up to $20,000.
Las Trampas has got the formula down, and I want so badly to see us expand to serve more participants with the gold-standard services they deserve.
Will you make a gift to Las Trampas that is significant to you today? Your contribution will be doubled and will make it possible to support more participants to lead full lives and reach their highest potential.
With gratitude,
Mark Mahaney
Las Trampas Board Chair
P.S. Your gift supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful, joyful lives. Please give as generously as you can. Your contribution will be put to good use immediately!
