Photo by Rachel Ravina | Media News Group.
‘Welcome home, you belong here,’ says Integrate for Good Founder and Executive Director Bev Weinberg
A local nonprofit now has a larger place to call home as Integrate for Good cut the ribbon on its new community hub.
The ceremony featured the converted space in an office complex at 3238 W. Germantown Pike, Suite B, in Worcester Township. The inviting space designed to have people gather together features bright colors, new furniture and values core to the organization that seeks to empower persons with disabilities across Southeastern Pennsylvania.
“Loneliness is an epidemic, but there is good news. It is 100 percent preventative, and Integrate for Good is the antidote,” Founder and Executive Director Bev Weinberg told the crowd.
Citing a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy that revealed a “public health crisis” surrounding loneliness and isolation impacting half of U.S. adults, Weinberg emphasized the role an organization like Integrate for Good can have on the community.
“They deserve an exciting next chapter, whether that’s employment or college or volunteerism, but what we don’t want is loneliness and isolation,” Weinberg told MediaNews Group. “So now that we have this space we can just serve so many more people. It just expands our capacity exponentially.”
The occupational therapist working in several Montgomery County school districts for more than three decades noticed a gap for individuals with disabilities who were graduating. While Weinberg “saw people with talent graduating,” she couldn’t find an organization to refer families to for continued services.
Heather Michaelson, 48, of Upper Dublin Township, left, and Cara Cushing, 24, of Chalfont, pose for a photo on Sept. 18, 2024 celebrating the grand opening of the new Integrate for Good Community Hub in Worcester Township.
People attending the Sept. 18, 2024 grand opening of the Integrate for Good Community Hub are pictured mingling in the new space located in Worcester Township.Launching nonprofit
Launching the nonprofit in 2019 out of her Skippack bedroom, Weinberg stressed there should be more to offer. But her first challenge was choosing a name for the organization, which eventually came after searching for the meaning of the word, integrate.
“When I looked up the word ‘integrate,’ it means to make whole, and we believe our community is whole when we don’t leave people on the sidelines of opportunity,” she said.
Weinberg then joined local chambers of commerce and learned the ropes of managing a nonprofit. Weinberg fostered partnerships with area colleges and libraries across Montgomery County to hold events and programming opportunities assisting those with disabilities ranging from autism to Down syndrome to cerebral palsy.
She underscored that finding a congregate space was always the goal.
“I think right now a lot of students that graduate high school, they end up ‘falling off a cliff’ as we say in this industry, where that loneliness, that isolation at home, where a lot of parents will say to us ‘if my son or daughter didn’t come to your program today, they would be home, and they would be lonely,’” Weinberg said. “It’s not healthy to be lonely. It’s not healthy to be unemployed.
“So we think we really can impact the social determinants of health in Montgomery County and beyond by having a place where people can come to learn to lead … to connect, belong, learn skills that they will then transfer into employment or college opportunities … and we’re so excited that people will have a place where they belong.”
Weinberg strived to significantly increase clientele in order to serve a “few hundred people” aged around 14 years and older. Programming includes empowerment labs, executive functioning seminars, leadership incubators, inclusive volunteering opportunities, and “lunch and learn” events. Visit the nonprofit’s website for more information at integrateforgood.org.
Leadership skills
Among the participants is 23-year-old Jackson Heller. Heller, who is autistic, completed an Integrate for Good leadership incubator course and became a program teaching assistant, Weinberg said. He’s now in his freshman year attending Villanova University.
“It [Integrate for Good] definitely has impacted me a lot because it showed me how to be more independent and confident in a lot of ways,” he told MediaNews Group. “Just great life lessons on how to handle communications, like communicating with one another as a team, and also just how we help each other out.”
Jackson’s father, Mark, couldn’t be prouder, he shared with the group during the September 18 event. When referring to the nonprofit’s new community hub, Weinberg indicated the space is in fact a “community center” and a resource for all.
“It’s not a separate place just for people who identify as having a disability, but that everything we do is inclusive,” Weinberg said, adding that “we want people who identify as having a disability, but [also] people who don’t identify, but want to be an ally, because loneliness is not a special need. It doesn’t just affect people with disabilities.”
Integrate for Good fundraising efforts remain ongoing, as Weinberg and other team members work to raise at least $30,000 in sponsorships. The self-proclaimed “dreamer” said they’ve amassed $27,000 ahead of a scheduled fundraiser on Oct. 24 at RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve, located at 100 Riverside Drive, in Phoenixville. Attendees encouraged people to turn out for the upcoming event that spotlighted keynote speaker Dani Bowman, of the Netflix series “Love on the Spectrum.”
Weinberg also encouraged further community participation and volunteering. Integrate for Good board members, staff, politicians, and representatives from local chambers of commerce were present to witness the grand opening.
“It takes a village to move our mission forward,” said Integrate for Good Board Chairwoman Denean Lear.
And as Weinberg prepared to cut the ribbon on Integrate for Good’s new home, she vowed that “loneliness will be banished here. I guarantee you.”
“Thank you for being part of this journey. Welcome home, you belong here,” Weinberg said.
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