By Andrew Welliver
Hope.Network brings together many people with the goal of giving back to the community through building the confidence and the strengths of the individuals involved.
Hope Club, one of the three strands of Hope.Network, is a vibrant group of young adults and older teens who have special needs, under the leadership of Dawn Corso. Hope’s Ambassadors, a dance troupe and Hope.Network, which focuses on mothers who have children with special needs are the other strands.
The club has brought together more than 40 individuals living with disabilities, each with a mentor, all with the mission of helping participants build relationships and connections through various activities.
On May 15, the organization celebrated a special new event, bringing participants to the prom.
The prom was organized by Corso, who has worked with the organization for 10 years and she was excited by the prospect of doing this event even as the idea took shape and changed along the way.
“It started out as an ice cream social, but we decided to do a prom,” Corso said.
Events like this aren’t out of the ordinary, as the club members meet every Monday to discuss their plans for the week.
The events are all thought of and voted on by the individuals and their mentors.
The role of the mentor is important for the development of everyone involved in the program.
Troy Griffith, 24, knows how important the mentors are to him, and others in the program. He took the opportunity they have given him to come out of his shell and give back to the community in various ways.
Hope.Network has experienced sustained growth since their founding 20 years ago by Lory Matthews.
Corso has since taken the lead and has created a program with staying power alongside other leaders like Lori Sill.
The leadership of Corso, Sill and others has organized many events to have the individuals volunteer, and take classes where they can learn from many organizations throughout the city.
They have helped organize events such as collecting cans and taking them to recycling centers, and learning firearms safety from educators at Syracuse University.
The prom, and other programs are run from the Northside Church in Liverpool.
At the prom parents and their children spoke about what this organization means to them.
Mary Cavallaro, a mother of one of the individuals involved in the program, knows how important this is to her daughter and others.
“Everything they do inspires my child,” she said.
The impact that the program has on the participants means a great deal to the parents as they see the positive impact Hope.Network has.
“Why was I ever concerned about my child?” Cavallaro said. “They prove themselves to you without even asking.”
To learn more about Hope.Network visit 211cny.com/helpmegrow.
