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12/27/2023 08:52 AMA new facility and project called Gavin and Friends is a community-focused day support options program by SARAH Tuxis that focuses on cultivating independence, building life skills, and fostering social involvement for young adults with developmental difficulties, according to SARAH Tuxis officials. The facility and program project has been helmed by local mother Linda Toscano, mother of Gavin, to create a young adult day program, which Guilford currently does not have.
Toscano and her husband, Kurt Popick, purchased the property at 69 Boston Street, which also includes the property next door at 71 Boston Street, after several years of searching for the right location.
According to Toscano, the facility will be a nonprofit day program for young adults with disabilities, operated in partnership with SARAH Tuxis. Toscano said her hope was that the location, right in the heart of Guilford, would evolve into a center for young adults with differing needs and become a platform to connect with the community.
“It will be run by SARAH Tuxis…we hope to serve 12 to 17 individuals at varying times,” said Toscano. “Individuals may come in for a couple of hours a day or a full day, depending on what they need. They will work on activities of daily living, work in social programs, and work with the community and local businesses on some programs. Here in this location, we hope to build a whole community where our young adults can work locally and continue to have a meaningful life.”
Toscano explained the difficulties families can face when those with disabilities age out of current programming. Though there are responsive initiatives across much of the shoreline’s school systems and other facilities that cater to young adults until age 22, options for care for those above that age demographic become scarcer and more limited.
This facility and its programs will be the first to focus on those with disabilities over the age of 22, according to Toscano.
“My son Gavin is 19 now. I became a realtor 15 years ago, and when I thought about what is going to happen to Gavin, I knew he would never live independently, and I was getting worried. I did not want him to be in a home where I couldn’t have some control. I knew I wanted him to be near the Green because he would never be able to drive. Somewhere where he would be able to live for the rest of his life,” Toscano said.
Despite being a Guilford realtor, Toscano said it took time to find the right fit for what she needed for her son. The property has two houses on it, both of which Toscano and officials from SARAH are developing as separate facilities to meet future needs.
“There were a couple of houses I looked at but passed on, and when this came on, it came with two houses, and I thought I couldn’t afford one house, never mind two, but it all worked out,” said Toscano.
Toscano said after collaborating with several of Gavin’s teachers, Keri Climie and Tara Beatty, she eventually partnered with SARAH Tuxis and formulated a plan where one property could host daily activities and foster social behaviors for clients and utilize the second house as a permanent home for both Gavin and several other young adults, where they will have access to 24-hour care.
“I brought the folks from SARAH here, and I asked, ‘Why can’t we do a program here?’ and they said, ‘Let’s do it,’” said Toscano.
After a year of renovations and collecting the necessary permits and authorization, the facility had its grand opening the first week of December.
“We feel this location will be just great. We are all really excited about what the programming has to offer. What started out as just worrying about my own child… I feel like I can leave this earth knowing that my son will have a meaningful life. Just knowing that he will have a place where he can have social interactions and not just sitting by himself in a room watching TV is a relief. There will be people around him who care for him and keep him active and safe. We are so excited about the project; it has evolved, but it really is incredible. We are very fortunate.”
Beth Kinnare, CEO of SARAH Tuxis, said the new facility is a crucial need for young adults in Guilford and hopes to forge partnerships with area entrepreneurs who want to participate in the organization’s mission. According to Kinnare, the facility will be managed and operated by SARAH Tuxis in conjunction with its other facilities and programming.
“A good part of what we will be doing is just making connections with local businesses,” Kinnare said. “Volunteering and getting out and giving back to the community. So, not necessarily work opportunities right now…but it will mainly be directed toward volunteering and community interactions. So many of the day programs in the past were kind of just a room where people would go. And I try to think of it as, if I had a disability and I had to go somewhere 30 hours a week, what would I be comfortable in? What would I want it to offer me? I just try to find things that are going to be different, that are going to enhance people’s lives and be creative. I think families and individuals should have choices about where they want to go. It is so exciting, and I think it draws in a great quality of staff as well.”
According to Kinnare, anyone interested in utilizing the facility or job opportunities can contact SARAH Tuxis. Private tours of the facility are available by appointment, and organizers stated the facility's goal is to begin active programming in January.