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COMMUNITY
GILBERT SUN NEWS | OCTOBER 23, 2022
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This month evokes memories of a survivor BY RACHEL ALLEN GSN Guest Writer
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o a lot of people, this month means the rusty, earthy hues of autumn but there’s another October color – a bold purple meant to bring awareness to domestic violence and the many resources available. To me, October always brings me back to the time I met a now beloved survivor. Through her story, I came to realize that domestic violence can be any mix of abuse: physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and financial. A phone call came in about the needs of a woman over 1,200 miles away. The woman’s safety plan included moving to Arizona and she needed Winged Hope’s help. This woman and her teen fled their home with only two backpacks crammed with a couple changes of clothes. They stayed in emergency lodging while we gathered donations and prepared an apartment. Because their move-in was late at night, we took over beds in my truck and left the other
things for the next trip. While my husband and I stood outside of her door, a woman with a contagious smile and a small load of groceries stepped out of an Uber. Looking back over her scattered grocery bags, I asked what she had put back or reluctantly walked past in the store. Her list included simple things such as hand soap, plates, silverware and towels. I took to social media, desperately enlisting help from my friends and family. Using every penny received, we extended her wish list so much that the shopping cart became hard to see over and difficult to maneuver. I saw a lift in the mom as some burdens fell off her shoulders when she saw the bags. I eagerly presented this mother with a new, soft comforter in her favorite color… purple and saw that spark of hope she carried with her fully ignite. She hugged me and then the blanket before hurrying down the hall to make her bed. I didn’t know it then but this
Gathering beneath the Gilbert Water Tower as its lights change to mark October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month are, from left, Winged Hope board President Joyce McLaren, Emily Caron, Gilbert Family Violence Unit victim advocate; and Winged Hope founder Jessica Nicely. (Courtesy of Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation)
see WINGED page 25
Gilbert deli joins Bell Bank Park in autism project GILBERT NEWS STAFF
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Gilbert restaurant has teamed up with Legacy Cares Inc., the nonprofit that owns Bell Bank Park in Mesa, and two other entities to create a program called Not Your Typical Workforce, a workplace development program aimed to address the employment gap for young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. “The program, which will launch this winter, provides a safe, friendly, exciting, and challenging environment for these individuals to succeed in a typical work-
force environment,” Legacy said of its partnership with Not Your Typical Deli in downtown Gilbert, the Autism Academy and Lexington Services. Young adults involved in the program will be scheduled over the course of 10 weeks to serve in various capacities at Bell Bank Park. They will learn basic communication and life skills with staff, procedures and responsibilities for positions in the ticketing, operations, guest services, and food and beverage departments, as well as participate in team building activities hosted by the Legacy Cares team.
When Not Your Typical Deli owners Chef W and Chuck Depalma learned how much people with developmental disabilities struggled in the workforce, they felt something should be done. So, they focused much of their hiring on developmentally disabled teens graduating from high school and struggling to enter the workforce. In 2016, they opened Not Your Typical Deli in Gilbert Town Square and now that they’ve moved to downtown Gilbert, they still serve up the same family-friendly fare and have kept their mission alive in a scaled-down version of their old digs.
“Douglas Moss, president of Legacy Cares said, “We plan to shatter the stigma of Americans with autism through leading by example and showing companies what Americans with autism and developmental disabilities are capable of achieving in the workforce and beyond.” “I’ve worked with Not Your Typical Deli for over 3 years. As a young adult with autism, I was hesitant about working with the public. I am very grateful to Chuck, Pam, Chef W, Vanessa and the entire team at NYTD for giving me the opportunity
see DELI page 26