A participant identified as Kyle at The Nicholas Center, created a T-shirt design that raised more than $1,000 for California fire relief.
The funds will be donated to a Southern California nonprofit that provides support and resources to disabled populations in underserved communities.
The Nicholas Center, founded in 2011 by Stella L. Spanakos, Nicole Ferrara, and Patrick Bardsley, was created to address the lack of meaningful post-graduation opportunities for autistic individuals.
With over 30 years of combined experience in autism education and nonprofit work, the founders developed a person-centered, community-driven program as an alternative to traditional “day habilitation.”
“As a person-centered program, this project speaks to the heart of what we do at TNC – to draw upon the interests and skills of our participants while offering meaningful vocational experiences,” said Boris Yagudayev, supervisor of vocational services at The Nicholas Center. “In this case, Kyle was moved to help after seeing the devastation from the California fires. Using his design, we created an apparel project offering valuable job training for our participants, who assisted with apparel orders, heat pressing, packaging, sales and more.”
The Nicholas Center has “revolutionized the way autistic individuals live, learn and work in the community,” Yagudayey said. “The center is proud to partner with The Art Guild to offer this special art experience.”
For more information, visit tncnewyork.org and tncchocolatelab.org
