Picture this- you just graduated high school and are excited about your last summer before your adult life begins. You have a huge graduation party where all of your friends and family attend, and you are asked the same questions over and over again. “What are your plans for the fall?”, “What are your goals?”, “What do you hope to accomplish after high school?”. For most, the answer is fairly simple. Usually, these plans have been thought through in great detail, and eventually a majority fall into a college, university, trade school, a gap year, or you may go straight to working. We are truly blessed to live in a society that makes the option to further our education and become successful and independent adults accessible to most. 

However, that is only the case for some. For individuals who are a part of a special education program, and are impacted by developmental disabilities, there are usually 2 main options. Option 1: Graduate high school after 4 years, live with your parents, and try to sustain on limited resources and funding. Or option 2: continue into a “transitional” program and attend classes until age 22 when you age out and are left to your own devices. Regardless of which option is chosen, there is a severe lack of resources available for those individuals with developmental disabilities who have aged out of the public school system. Families are left searching for a place that will help their loved ones blossom into independent and self-sustaining adults. 

For the longest time, there was little to no support in this field, and as a result in 2018, several moms of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities set out to change that. These Moms were seeking a place to provide their loved ones with the resources to successfully transfer into adulthood, become self-sustaining, and find a community of support. Their searches led them nowhere, so in 2018 they founded

Beacons Incorporated.  Located in Carlsbad, California, their mission is to empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their vision of success, with purpose and joy to the best of their ability. They offer vocational training, opportunities for social development, individualized hands-on support, and self-expression through the arts. 

It is a normal human feeling to have the drive to serve the members of your community, however, there is often a stigma attached to people with developmental disabilities working jobs where they interact in a business setting. To close this gap, they have partnered with local businesses to provide on-site job training to promote a sense of independence and individuality within their trainees. They are even working towards opening a functioning coffee shop at their facility exclusively run by their trainees. 

It is with all of my love that I share with you that California Rainbow will be partnering with Beacons Incorporated, as our 2025 Grand Service Project! I thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to share with you an organization that truly has an impact on those around us. There is zero doubt in my mind that as a jurisdiction we can support this wonderful cause, and together we can promote the independence of everyone, regardless of their abilities. Thank you!

For more information about Beacons Inc. see their website https://www.beaconsnorthcounty.com/