April is Autism Acceptance Month

Please join us during Autism Acceptance Month in celebrating people of all abilities. Thank you for striving toward making acceptance the new normal.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. This special recognition, created in 1972 by the autism community, was changed from autism “awareness” to “acceptance” because the community wanted to move the conversation away from “awareness,” a word it considers stigmatizing, as if autism were a threat about which we must be vigilant.

Autism is certainly not that. Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a developmental disability characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. There are many subtypes of autism, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. Over 7 million people in the United States are on the autism spectrum–people from all racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. According to the CDC, one in 44 children is diagnosed with autism.

The increased prevalence of autism, and a growing understanding of what it is and what it is not, underscores the urgent need for education, equitable access to diagnostic evaluations, and early interventions that have a significant impact on lifelong outcomes. Young people and adults with autism urgently need greater access to employment. Up to 85 percent of college educated adults with autism are unemployed, and over 70 percent of adults with autism are underemployed or unemployed. Especially in a time of chronic labor shortages, companies could benefit by hiring more people who have autism and are neurodiverse—these individuals bring a wide range of skills to the workplace that can be harnessed with modest accommodations.

The companies of The Fedcap Group have long embraced best practices around autism evaluation and early intervention, providing evidence-based treatment for children and their families living with ASD. Our companies are at the cutting edge of advocacy, employment, and support services for young people and adults living with autism—having just established the Greenleaf Neurodiversity Center in Austin TX, helping young people transition to rewarding, community-based jobs. These services have had a profound impact on so many lives—and stand as a powerful rebuke to the stigmatization of autism, and a resounding affirmation of acceptance. All of our lives are richer when people of all abilities participate fully in community life.

Please join us during Autism Acceptance Month in celebrating people of all abilities. Thank you for striving toward making acceptance the new normal.

March 10, 2022March 11, 2022

Celebrating the Strength and Tenacity of Women

March is National Women’s History Month, which recognizes the contributions of women to history, society and culture. The month-long observance, celebrated since 1987, honors women who changed history—women like Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks—and countless others who, despite systemic discrimination, fought for equality and justice, and achieved greatness in their chosen field of endeavor.

Despite the incredible courage and hard work of generations of women, we are still a long way from an equitable society. Women constitute 27 percent of Congress, but over half the population. At Fortune 500 companies, women account for just over seven percent of CEOs. Women make up only 28 percent of the STEM workforce. Women’s median earnings are 80.8 percent those of men. A black woman has to work 19 months to earn what white men do in a year, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families. Latina women earn $0.57 for every dollar earned by white men.

Across the U.S., 15.5 percent of women live in poverty compared with 11.9 percent of men. Retired women are twice as likely as retired men to live in poverty. Workplace sexual harassment and assault are common, and drive many women from their jobs. Sixty-six percent of female service members report sexual harassment or assault. As many as one in four women are victims of domestic violence.

These inequalities and injustices were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on women’s participation in the workforce, placed greater burdens on paid and unpaid caregivers, and increased rates of domestic violence. Today, the constitutional right to abortion is threatened as States seek to restrict and deny critical reproductive health care and bodily autonomy.

Yet women everywhere, inspired by heroines who changed history, are making great strides in the ongoing fight for equality. According to A Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2022 by President Joe Biden—“Women of the labor movement are achieving monumental reforms to help all workers secure the better pay, benefits, and safety they deserve. LGBTQI+ women and girls are leading the fight for justice, opportunity, and equality — especially for the transgender community. Women and girls continue to lead groundbreaking civil rights movements for social justice and freedom, so that everyone can realize the full promise of America.”

The companies of The Fedcap Group are represented by women at every level, and we are stronger for it. Please join us during this Women’s History Month in honoring women who have changed the world, and those who continue the struggle for equality and fairness.

January 24, 2022February 8, 2022

Easterseals NY Holiday Outreach a Success

Easterseals Holiday Community Outreach, an annual event in Port Jervis, New York, was a great success this year in providing food and other essentials to people in need in the Port Jervis community. Learn more about their outreach efforts, and about Project Discovery at Port Jervis, on the Easterseals New York website.

December 2, 2021November 30, 2022

Celebration of The Power of Possible Gala 2021: A Tremendous Success!

Impact Amplified, the theme of the Gala, was on bold display throughout the evening, as a series of stories and testimonials from across our global footprint celebrated the innovative work, partnerships and deep commitment to improving people’s lives that define our work.

The Fedcap Group’s 2021 Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala was a remarkable success. Impact Amplified, the theme of the Gala, was on bold display throughout the evening, as a series of stories and testimonials from across our global footprint celebrated the innovative work, partnerships and deep commitment to improving people’s lives that define our work.

Standing together to achieve the Power of Possible—it is the heart and soul of our work, and at the Gala, joined together in spirit and mission by video with our colleagues from around the globe, it resonated most deeply.

One by one, leaders from The Fedcap Group companies told stories of innovations and partnerships at the very cutting edge of service delivery. The settlement of immigrants and refugees in Maine, building networks of support for people in need in the Boston area, improving long-term economic prospects for people in Canada through innovative workforce training, the life-changing supports provided by Fedcap UK, and in Texas, filling a critical service gap by helping young people with autism transition to adulthood—these are just some of the testimonials spoken of at the Gala, and affirmed by the moving testimonials of those we serve.

Mark O’Donoghue, The Fedcap Group’s board chair, thanked the 118 board members of the 23 companies of The Fedcap Group for generously volunteering their time and talents to meet and exceed targets–whether it be in the number of people placed in jobs, children with disabilities advancing grades, young people going to college or adults completing their education.

Mark also recognized our caring and committed partners “The important work of The Fedcap Group is not possible without our partners,” he said. “This is one of the essential ways we amplify our impact, through smart, top-tier partnerships with over 10,000 business and community partners across our footprint.”

“Stand By Me,” a popular song derived from a classic spiritual, provided a rousing closing to the event, summing up perfectly one of the Gala’s central tenets—that we are better together.

Thanks to Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City for hosting this very special event. The 340+ people in the room, and hundreds more who joined us virtually, will not soon forget this inspiring affirmation of the impact of the work we do every day. Thanks also to our partners, donors, funders and friends worldwide who make our work possible. Standing together, we are stronger than ever. See you next year!

September 1, 2021February 10, 2022

Seacoast Pathways Earns Accreditation by Clubhouse International

Seacoast Pathways, a company of The Fedcap Group, is proud to announce that it has received accreditation from Clubhouse International (CI), a membership organization representing more than 300 locally managed Clubhouses in nearly 40 US states and more than 30 countries. Learn more about this process via Seacoast Pathways News.

Executive Director Ann Strachan noted that accreditation is significant because it signals to mental health organizations, state agencies, and members of the community that the clubhouse is always improving, and accreditation opens up more opportunities for funding and partnerships. Read more about the significance of accreditation on the Seacoast Pathways News website.

June 4, 2021June 4, 2021

Wildcat NYC and The Women’s Project Helps Women Heal

Join us on June 9, 2021 for Building Bridges to Community: A special virtual event to support The Women’s Project

The Women’s Project (TWP) is a community whose collective work serves as an alternative to pre-trial detention and incarceration. Born out of conversations seeking ways to permanently decrease the number of women detained in city jails and state prisons, it is part of a larger partnership between Wildcat/The Fedcap Group, public defenders, and district attorney offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

A community of shared experience and expertise, TWP aims to create a space that “stops the noise that often prevents women from finding their individual power, the power that will help them live the lives they want and make their dreams real, no matter what challenges await,” said Valentina Morales, Senior Director of Justice Initiatives and Director of TWP.

Women are generally referred to TWP while they are detained. Working together with staff, community members focus on overall wellness, accessing services and resources related to health, healing and recovery, as well as furthering economic stability and building strong community support. A core tenet of TWP is building positive communications among community members, who learn together and grow together.

Learn more, and purchase tickets for a special virtual event to take place on June 9, 2021, on the Wildcat website.

November 10, 2020November 11, 2021

Honoring Our Veterans: Thank You to Employees of The Fedcap Group Who Have Served

October 8, 2020December 17, 2020

Hardship to Hope: Combating Situational Poverty

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tens of millions of people to lose their jobs—people who have worked their entire lives. The Fedcap Group is committed to helping these individuals develop new skills required to become employed in high demand, skilled trades.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health emergency and has triggered job losses and business closures not seen since the Great Depression. The economic crisis has resulted in a massive spike in those facing situational poverty—external circumstances or events that push jobholders and working families below the poverty line.

A sudden illness or job loss can plunge a family into a circumstance called situational poverty. People who have had regular employment and have strong work skills are suddenly out of work and unable to meet their day to day financial obligations. It can be tremendously frightening for the individual and their family. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted millions in this way, threatening the well-being of individuals, families and entire communities.

Industries that employ tens of millions of people, including hospitality, food service, retail and transportation, may permanently downsize or change. Permanent job losses due to the pandemic are expected to be between 6.2 million and 8.7 million by the end of 2020, posing dire threats to individual and national economic recovery. “We know that as people spend more time unemployed, their labor market skills atrophy, their connections to the employers weaken and many start getting discouraged and ultimately leave the workforce,” Marianne Bertrand, a leading expert on the pandemic’s labor market, told the Washington Post.

Millions who face situational poverty will need to upgrade existing skills or acquire new ones, now and in a post-COVID-19 environment. The Fedcap Group’s recent acquisition of Apex Technical School, a well-known vocational and technical school in Queens, New York, greatly expands our capacity to help individuals out of situational poverty and into sustainable, well-paying jobs.

Founded in 1961, Apex Tech serves about 1,400 students annually with seven 900-hour certificate courses in skilled trades including refrigeration, automotive service, auto body, welding technology, electrical and advanced electrical, plumbing and construction. Apex certificate programs are highly regarded and have been shown to have a substantial positive impact on economic mobility—leading to entry level careers. Apex is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and licensed by New York State Department of Education.

The combination also complements and expands our existing career training platform offered through the Fedcap Career Design School where we offer training in high growth sectors such as Security, Culinary Arts and Total Facilities Management followed by job placement and post placement supports.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020