Towanda, Penn. – Gaining employment experience is essential for young people and particularly invaluable to individuals who have disabilities.
Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Bradford County connects high school students and adults who have disabilities or face other employment barriers to on-the-job training opportunities. The program — a partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) – would not be possible without the support of Bradford and Sullivan County businesses.
“I am retired but returned to the workforce because I believe in YAP’s mission of helping youth and their families. My YAP experience has been very rewarding. I love giving back to the community, and I am grateful that local businesses stepped up to assist us in our work,” said YAP Bradford/Sullivan County Employment Specialist Rachelle “Rocky” Thibault-Finan.
YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and Washington, D.C. YAP works to keep young people safely home and out of congregate residential care and youth incarceration by providing community-based services as an alternative to child welfare, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities placements. Headquartered in Harrisburg, YAP is a 47-year-old organization serving 150 communities including Bradford and Sullivan counties.
This holiday season, YAP would like to recognize all Bradford and Sullivan County businesses that have opened their doors to allow our program participants to get real world work experience, which includes:
- Pam’s Restaurant
- Hurley’s Supermarkets – Dushore and Towanda
- Sinclair’s Hardware
- Rainbow Riders
- Bradford County Humane Society
- Nana’s Country Kitchen
- Beeman’s Restaurant
- Animal Care Sanctuary
- Athens Public Library
- Riverside Cemetery Association
- Child Hunger Outreach Partnership of Towanda
- Happy Tails Animal Shelter
- Comfort Inn Sayre
“For 30 years I have been blessed to live in this close-knit community that is kind, welcoming and open to lending a hand to help our young people.” said Thibault-Finan.
If your business would like to be involved, please call the office at (570) 268-5777. For more information about YAP, visit yapinc.org. Follow the nonprofit @YAPInc.
