What started as a personal journey to help her own daughter has become a rewarding program for many adults with special needs. Chief Executive Officer Michelle Jericevich founded Great Prospects, a Sandy Springs-based nonprofit, to help her daughter, Indya, after a virus and seizures left her with developmental disabilities.
“I wanted to have my daughter to reach her full potential.,” said Jericevich.
Using guidelines laid out by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities for providing care for individuals with disabilities, Great Prospects provides enrichment programs that go far beyond “adult daycare.”
“Who wants to put their child into a daycare when they have so much to learn and give,” added Jericevich.
Parents and caregivers of adults ages 21 to 35 often find many services available for students when they are in school. But once they have aged out of high school, the options are limited. Great Prospects fills this gap by providing meaningful continued educational enrichment, social interaction and challenging recreation programs. Their humble goal is to offer parents a place to drop off their son or daughter and go to work knowing they will be well cared for in an enriching environment.
Programs range from fitness training, art and music therapy, dance and yoga to community service, learning to live a healthy lifestyle, self-determination and social skills.
Qualified candidates can enroll in a year-round Therapeutic Day Program or monthly social activities. One Saturday each month, Great Prospects also offers a Respite Day. There is also a summer program for students still in high school to experience the program before they graduate.
“Most people have a self-directed waiver from the state to fund three days a week,” said Jericevich. For families seeking additional days or still waiting on state funding, the program keeps services at a reasonable cost through grants and fundraising events.
This month, and each year in November, Great Prospects conducts a month-long Giving Thanks fundraiser.
For Jericevich, a former ballerina and teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance in London, she never expected to be running a program for adults with special needs. Despite the challenges she says, “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
Visitors can see the brilliant things going on at Great Prospects in December when their facility at the Rivercliff Community Center, Building B, 8750 Roswell Road, is on display during Sparkle Sandy Springs.
Like all nonprofits, volunteers are needed and welcomed along with financial donations. Details: www.greatprospectsinc.org.
About the Author
