The Resource Exchange Welcomes Former Client Emerald Doyle to Board
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By Helping Others, She Completes the Circle
Emerald Doyle, left, with her mother, Cass Daley.
T
he Resource Exchange (TRE) recently welcomed a new board member who has been a client at TRE, Emerald Doyle. She will serve on the board as a self-advocate, contributing her unique perspective on the organization from someone who has received services. Additionally, she has a keen interest in the current state of TRE, and what its future holds. Emerald was adopted from China when she was 11 years old. To her mother, Cass Daley, it was apparent that she had received very little schooling, if any. Besides starting behind, it was discovered that Emerald also had intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, dyslexia and dysgraphia — that’s why her family came to TRE in 2018. Despite her setbacks, Emerald finished in the top third of her high school class and went on to earn a degree from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. “Emerald is a really exceptional young lady, and she has worked so hard,” her mother, Cass, says proudly, tears in her eyes. She may further her education, as she is especially interested in American Sign Language (ASL). Emerald studied ASL in college, which she took to quickly, presumably due to its similar structure to her first language Mandarin Chinese. “She is always learning something, and education is the big push to get more independent. She is still behind, but I believe she can do it,” says Cass. Emerald loves learning and loves helping people. She was the ARC Pikes Peak Region’s Volunteer of the Year in 2020. Emerald was awarded the Girl Scout Ambassador Gold Award in 2020 also, for raising thousands of pounds of food and hygiene products for residents of the impoverished Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. “I really like helping people out — helping them to succeed in what they want to do for their life,” Emerald says.