We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Peters a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

PossAbilities Plus is a center of hope for teens and adults with autism and related abilities. These individuals are undeserved in our community. They have less access to employment and social activities once they leave the structured environment of the school system. PossAbilities Plus provides job training opportunities, social activities, and life skills classes in a safe and engaging environment to help individuals with exceptional needs.find a place in our community.

Susan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a parent of two sons who have Asperger syndrome which is a form of high function autism. My goal in life was to be a primary teacher however I was constantly placed in a setting where I was serving individuals with special needs. So, after receiving my degree in education, I went back to college and completed my masters degree in special education with a special certification in autism. Through raising my sons and working in the school system, I became acutely aware of the lack of services available for individuals with disabilities in the school system, community, and work force. I tried to work within the system to create a change but this proved too difficult. I left the school system and opened a nonprofit where teens and adults with autism and related abilities can receive job training and social skills training to have more opportunities in the community. Most important to me was to create a place where these individuals could have a social opportunity to build their own network of friends and supports in an inclusive environment. Thus PossAbilities Plus was conceived.

PossAbilities Plus provides on the job training for teens and adults in a real working environment instead of a sheltered setting or classroom. Job training opportunities include all aspects of retail and stock in our boutique thrift store. We also provide opportunities for individuals to repurpose and recycle items and sell them in our store.

We also have a small tearoom cafe so that individuals learn the art of serving and customer service. In addition, our staff works to receive their food handlers certification that will allow them to work in any commercial kitchen. A great resume builder!

Behind our store we have created a secret garden where individuals and volunteers work in the butterfly garden and vegetable garden. Learning the skills of cultivating items to sell and use in our kitchen brings great satisfaction to all of us.

On Saturday evenings we host a one of a kind free social club called Sociabilities. Social Skills help with job skills and more. I can’t count the number of times one of our participants told me they didn’t have any friends. This is the saddest thing to imagine. At Sociabilities, participants build a community of friends. They also have a great time and reach out to our area community with service projects.

PossAbilities Plus is also proud to offer some innovative programs to our community for little to no charge. We have created a program called Building Better Job Skills through Music Therapy which is a three module adaptive job training program with a certified music therapist. This program is free to participants. Educational Drama Club Enhancing Social Skills is also a new program created by PossAbilities Plus and Players By the Sea. This four module class has been a hit from the start and will culminate with a showcase at Players by the Sea. Art in Parts is a new creative art program for our community which provides our group the opportunity to explore different art forms in a small group setting. PossAbiliites Plus has developed a life skills curriculum to help our participants build independence. These courses cover a myriad of topics including, benefits, safety, emergency procedures, transportation and much much more.

We also host a monthly parent and family support and resource group. This is an opportunity for parents and family to learn about services, benefits, and resources in the community that will enhance the lives of their special needs individual.

All of the opportunities offered at PossAbilities Plus are based on research and the desires of myself and families to have more support for our undeserved loved ones.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My journey to create PossAbilities Plus was met with many challenges. First of all, I need to make it clear that I am not, nor ever have been a business owner of any kind. Every step has been a new opportunity to learn a whole new world. Soon after we opened the thrift store, the pandemic hit! No one was prepared for what impact this would have on businesses. Thankfully we were considered an essential business due to the support we provided our underserved participants as well as our local community who had limited resources. However, progressing with city permits for our tearoom and connecting with Vocational Rehabilitation and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities proved to be a significant challenge as most government entities shut down. We were not able to receive PPE funding because we were a nonprofit with only one employee. However, community need and support helped us to prevail. Most importantly are the dedicated and talented volunteers who have come to help at PossAbililites Plus. I truly believe everyone has a unique talent to share and we have been fortunate to have some very talented volunteers. We welcome you to join our group as we continued to grow in business, in participants, in programs and in community.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Shortly after receiving my masters degree, I became acutely aware of the lack of services and resources provided to students with disabilities in the school system. During this time I was also taking care of my mother who had lung cancer. After she passed, I left the school system and used the small gift she left me to create PossAbilities Plus. Even though I had little knowledge of running a business, I did my homework. I took classes and gathered information from trusted individuals. I used my limited resources wisely and didn’t take a paycheck for over two years. As our small board of three began to grow, we held fundraisers and began to accept contributions and donations. Being new to the nonprofit sector, I naively believed I would be able to secure grants to support this important work. I found that entities must prove themselves financially before they can request funding support through grants. Most often a nonprofit must submit at least three years of financial history in order to apply for grants. PossAbilities Plus has just reached it’s third year!! We welcome financial support and donations to help us continue to grow and serve individuals with special needs in our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.possabilitiesplus.com/
• Instagram: possabilities_plus
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/possabilitiesplushome
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/possabilities-plus/