Options For All

As a small community school Principal, our time spent partnering with Options For All and our staff and students are some of the most rewarding to participate in and witness. The way the students faces light up when they see the clients to the cafeteria path high fives shared are magical and heart warming. I get to see how the clients benefit from the interaction but I believe our campus may get just as much if not more from the partnership. OFA is so beneficial to our community and I’m so proud we get to collaborate.

I have been to two Holiday Fund Raisers. Both times I have been very impressed with the staff, and the clients. The compassion from the staff and the joy I see in the clients faces and eyes cannot be described. It's special.... Employment and Community Options is awesome...

It was greatly appreciated that I had a chance to be a participant in Employment & Community Options (ECO) under Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)in San Diego. Being 50+ job seeker, there was a barrier in employ-ment considering the present economy hence, ECO with the help of all staffs of the tremen- dous organization meet the needs of seniors like me by conducting workshops such as resume development, interviewing strategies, searching labor market and basic computer skills. I was placed on intership with a host site (Mercy Clinic) for a job experience. This will give me a current and local work refe-rence that can validate my work habits and skills. Without experience even with school certificates cannot help me to be employed as med. asst. The clinic is so happy being me as volunteer to them. ECO offers assistance in finding job leads considering a stipend that was regularly given to me every 15 days. A really great help! I am looking forward to continue this tremendous assistance of ECO/SCSEP to my fellow seniors to resolve and overcome problems in finding employment.

Working with Employment and Community Options has given me a chance to help others become more independent and sociable. It gives me great pleasure to go to work because I know I will be able to make a difference in the individuals that I work with every day. The people I work with are happy to be in the community and when they have a chance to volunteer they tell me how much they like to work.

I have had the privilege of co-charing a Gala Fund-raiser for this organization. I was able to see first-hand how dedicated the CEO and her staff are at providing employment and training options for disabled individuals. It is an excellent organization, efficiently run, making very good use of limited donated and public funding to provide for a better life for the disabled. It strives to give them a sense of purpose and pride in themselves by being able to contribute to society, and live as independently as possible.

I have observed the program in action and worked closely with staff and management. This organization provides an important public service in a highly professional and caring way. Their consumers are their top priority and the organization takes its responsibilities to them very seriously. Nancy Batterman provides tremendous leadership and is always looking for new ways to further the organization's goals.

As a volunteer for the past 5 years with this organization, I have seen first hand the incredible work Employment and Community Options (E&CO;) does in helping the developmentally disabled adult community. Many employees go beyond their work hours to ensure these consumers of services are respected, engaged, and shown compassion. The leadership of the President/CEO Nancy Batterman is outstanding and this organization is very fiscally responsible in meeting the needs of the developmentally disabled.

Hi, my daughter, Megan, is more involved than I but she tells me how, why, what the company is doing to help challenged individuals. I'm involved with a woman at our church and she is a great person, because she is in a program that helps her not hinders her and that is what E&CO;does. I've attended some of your fund raisers; they've been welcoming and a lot of fun. I'll continue to help where I can. Laura Stephens

Our daughter Elizabeth has been served by Employment & Community Options (E&CO;) since July 2002. Within two days of starting, E&CO;had located suitable employment for Elizabeth with Old Navy Stores in Fashion Valley. Elizabeth has been continuously employed by Old Navy Stores since that time. The supervision she receives from her Job Coach, Carla, is nothing short of outstanding. She also receives transportation services from another E&CO;support specialist, Charlie. Charlie is very reliable and helps Elizabeth tremendously. Elizabeth, her mother and I are all very happy with E&CO;, as is evidenced by Elizabeth being there for 7 1/2 years. Keep up the great work! E&CO;is a very valued asset to the community.

Our son Michael DeGraw as been with Employment and Community Options for about six years. We couldn't be more pleased with the service he has received. This group has connected him up with Pizza Port in Solana Beach. His current job coach, Anne Donahoe, is outstanding. Besides supervising his work, she has found many other opportunities for volenteering for him. This group is a very caring and responsive organiztion. We owe them many thanks. Monte and Janice DeGraw

My son has cerebral palsy and developmental delays. He was fortunate to obtain a placement in the Poway program one year ago. He absolutely loves going to his "job" and seeing his job coaches. The staff is caring, always available for consults, and they work hard to make sure all consumers are happy and productive. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a caring, clean, and happy work site for their loved one!