For many families of adults with developmental disabilities or autism, life after high school can feel uncertain. Daily structure disappears, inclusive opportunities can be hard to find, and the search for purpose becomes deeply personal.
For many parents, one question lingers for years: What happens next?
HALO Group in
Perry, GA, helps answer that question with compassion, dignity, and community.
Through its vocational and life skills program, HALO helps adults with
disabilities build confidence, develop practical skills, and find a place where
they feel like they truly belong.
"Having spent many years
as special education teachers, the founders knew there was a need for more
options after high school." Said Angela
Barrett, Executive Director at The HALO Group of Middle Georgia, Inc. "We believe
God called us to meet that need."
HALO offers a
different path when options feel limited or impersonal. HALO's program helps
parents answer the question, "What is available for my child after high
school?" A sense of belonging is at the heart of everything HALO does.
HALO participants,
referred to as teammates, are encouraged to choose activities based on their
interests and abilities. That choice-driven model helps make each day
meaningful while building real-world skills in areas such as creating products
in HALO's on-site wood shop, helping with design, development, and sales in the
Perry storefront and at community markets; or growing produce and caring for
animals at the Starbucks Learning Garden and HALO Hearts and Hands Hobby Farm.
The culinary component of the program focuses on shopping, meal prep and
catering job opportunities.
HALO is about more
than job training. It is also a place for friendship, joy, and shared purpose.
Teammates participate in Special Olympics, Night to Shine, park visits, bocce,
and other activities that create connection and lasting memories.
"Since joining HALO, my son has made wonderful friends, experienced different vocational opportunities and expanded his social skills," said Angie Gardner, parent of a HALO teammate. "He is living his best life the way he wants to live it in a supportive environment."
The HALO Group recently
received a Retail Food Establishment License from the Department of Agriculture
and will be offering things like chicken pot pie and freezer casseroles to the
public, creating employment opportunities for teammates.
"We are grateful for God's continual provision through generous supporters as we empower and serve this incredible population"
Learn more at halogroupga.org or email info@halogroupga.org.
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About Cingo: The name Cingo means to surround and secure, conveying the company's commitment to home protection. The company has been protecting families in the Southeast since 1974. It provides home protection services throughout Georgia and South Carolina, including Atlanta, Augusta, Charleston, Douglas, Dublin, Milledgeville, Savannah, Vidalia, Waycross and all points in between. Cingo was named a Best Place to Work in Georgia by Georgia Trend Magazine and listed as a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Learn more at www.cingohome.com.