New facility for adults with disabilities celebrates opening
Published 8:00 am Friday, June 4, 2021
- Jodi Mazzolini with the Exceptional Way (third from left) laughs after cutting the ribbon for The Exceptional Way’s ribbon cutting. With her are Dale Jackson (far left), executive director Cindy Skipworth (middle left) and Mayor Jim Thornton (right). --Shiann Sivell
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Staff and participants of The Exceptional Way facility had a lot to celebrate Wednesday.
The day program, which strives to serve differently-abled adults in Troup County, joined the county’s Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting, three weeks after establishing its facility.
Members of the Troup County community, including Mayor Jim Thornton, Dale Jackson, chair of the Troup County Chamber of Commerce and George Childress, chair of the board of directors for Exceptional Way, all spoke at the ribbon-cutting, expressing their appreciation for the facility and the service it will provide to the community for years to come.
The day program and facility promotes social and relationship development along with community involvement for individuals with disabilities, Childress said.
As a parent of an adult child with disabilities, Childress was exceptionally grateful that those with disabilities will have a place to go once they age out of the school system, he said.
“What happens sometimes is that once they age out of the school system, many of them may lose their day-to-day social interactions, and they don’t continue to blossom as much,” Childress explained.
“[The program] helps build and foster relationships.”
The facility will serve 18 individuals and has a capacity for at least 20, Childress said. Ultimately, individuals in the program will participate in social activities, a regimented schedule and sometimes field trips and community activities.
Participants have to meet an admission criterion before entering the program, Childress said.
Thornton congratulated the ceremony as adding an “exceptional place” to an “exceptional community.”
“The great thing about our community, and I see this time and time again, is that people come together to do amazing things for each other,” he said.
“We’re willing to serve, put in the money, the sweat equity, and build the relationships to try to make it work.”
The Exceptional Way is a four-day-a-week program, Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit https://theexceptionalway.org/
