Thrive To Host Graduation for LEAD Program

Thrive Support and Advocacy in Marlborough believes that by taking a little extra time and effort, any child can grow to become a leader.

Mike Rodrigues, President of Thrive Support & Advocacy in Marlborough says recognizing the potential of individuals with disabilities is the key.

“There really is no limit to what any of us can do. Here at Thrive, we recognize that young people with disabilities can-and in fact, should be-leaders,” says Rodrigues.

The LEAD Program was designed for young adults with developmental disabilities that were already interested in community service. “Here, we certainly give young people the opportunity to be active and contribute to their community, but my thought was-what’s the one level higher? And the one level higher is community leadership.”

Each leader is paired up with a mentor-often someone from the corporate community to help guide them as they work on a service project that takes a big group effort. “This all leads up to a very visible public service project that the group selects, plans, budgets for, recruits a diverse group of volunteers for, and then performs out in the community.”

When WMCT News came to one of their meetings, future LEADers were busy writing thank you letters to First Responders for the upcoming Hero’s Cup.

“There is certainly no reason why any young person that wants to be a leader in his or her community can’t do that.”The Thrive LEAD Graduation will be held at the Marlborough Senior Center on June 14th from 6-8PM.