Coatesville, PA – Out among the vast empty fields of Gap, Pennsylvania, interspersed with farmhouses and cow pastures, lay 120 acres of land, dedicated heart and soul to the betterment of the local community, and the aid of those in need.
At the moment, only about a half an acre of the 120 is being used, but the building which stands there, the Family Center at Gap, is exactly what it’s name suggests it to be. It is a place full of caring and compassionate people, whose first priority is to help those who need helping, and to lend a hand to those who need one.
As part of its community outreach, the Family Center has joined forces with the Discover Program at the Child and Career Development Center in Coatesville to help students with special needs transition from school to the workforce.
Joanna Smith, a vocational specialist for the Discover Program, feels lucky that she gets to take her students to the Family Center.
“The students really love coming here,” said Smith. “There’s a great vibe and a great atmosphere here. And the meaning behind the place is all about giving back, all about community.”
The students and their job coaches go to the Family Center every Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. and spend their day doing various maintenance jobs like sweeping, dusting and vacuuming.
“We work with teenagers who are in the transitioning from school to work,” said Smith. “As a part of that, the students volunteer at a variety of local businesses and organizations.”
According to Smith, these experiences provide students with opportunity to develop the vocational skills and behavioral skills necessary when the time comes to seek paid employment.
“The kids learn a lot when they’re here,” said Smith. “They learn that people rely on you, and they learn the whole idea of responsibility. They get to interact with people, and really learn about the employer-employee relationship.”
Although the Family Center has only been open for little over a year, it has already made great strides towards its goal of community unity, according to Executive Director Bethany Woodcock.
The Family Center plays host to an ever growing list of programs, such as an early care and learning center, an after-school program, an adult daily care program, a café and public library, a counseling center, and much more.
The Family Center even has a full gymnasium and conference rooms, which are available for rent to area businesses. And, according to Woodcock, they are always looking for new services to offer.
“The intent in this,” said Woodcock, “ is that because this is such a sparsely populated area, we wanted to have one place where many different things services could be offered and activities could be hosted.”
As for the Discover Program, they’re looking to carve themselves a niche at the Family Center, and seem well on their way to doing so. The Family Center does not have any maintenance staff at the moment. Instead, employees are asked to take care of any cleaning as needed.
“We want things to look nice for people when they come in,” said Nancy Clegg, Services and Relation Development manager for the Family Center. “And that’s where the Discover students come in because they are learning how to care for beautiful things, and in turn know that they’ll be cared for.”
So far this joint venture has become a win-win situation for both sides, and with the gained independence of the students, and the increase of philanthropic efforts of the Family Center, it seems to have become a match made in Heaven. Or Gap as the case may be.
