A Partnership to Strengthen the Community

Laura Robert was the first student in the Vocational Opportunities Independence Continuing Education program.

She was affectionately dubbed the “pioneer girl” by teachers.

Now, at age 21, Laura will graduate in August from the program, for students 18-22 years old with learning and developmental disabilities.

VOICE focuses on providing students with skills for the real world, and for real work.

Students begin the day in a classroom at Marblehead High School, then they travel to internships.

Internships can range from food service to childcare to administrative work, and the program strives to find something each student is good at and enjoys doing.

“Laura is a real success story,” says her teacher Barbara Dennis. “She has moved through the program and tried different internships, and she has found her calling in daycare. We call her the “baby whisperer” because she is so talented with babies and small children. She is so nurturing and warm.”

Laura is currently in an internship at the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA in the babysitting room.

“Everyone loves her there, and she’s a huge help to the staff,” says Dennis.

Laura commutes from Essex to Marblehead for this program.

“The Marblehead school system has such an excellent special education program that we make the trip,” said Laura’s mom, Patricia Robert. Laura graduated from Marblehead High School in 2009, and has been continuing in the VOICE program ever since.

“Laura is really flourishing and maturing in this program. She has found something she’s good at and she’s appreciated for exactly who she is,” said Robert. “She absolutely loves this YMCA and the daycare.”

Students in the program are shadowed by teachers until they are independent enough to work without them. Laura has not only reached this point, she has been invited to return to the daycare to work on her own next year after completion of the program.

“This is such a stable, wonderful environment for her to be in,” said Robert. “We love the Y near us as well, but the Lynch/van Otterloo Y is like a little village. I believe ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is an apt theory, and here especially — it fits.

We all need a village, especially one like the Y, which is so inclusive and defends all.”

“Everyone wants to be a productive member of society, and that’s what we strive for here,” said Dennis. “We have six students in the program now, and we are committed to each one of them being successful and finding work they love.”

The Y offers many adaptive programs, striving to create well rounded opportunities for children and students in the community with special needs.

“The world is big, and there’s room for everyone. Places like the Y provide inclusive, welcoming communities where people help you catch up if you fall behind,” said Robert. “The partnership between the VOICE program and the Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA has given my daughter a fantastic opportunity to mature and be happy in a productive atmosphere.”