The Results Are in!

Congratulations to the following agencies for earning a spot in the winner’s circle:

First Place – Tie

1. Kota Connections (MN) for their pilot program with Lyft that turned into a full service program to assist individuals with transportation and provide employment opportunities.
   
2. Via of the Lehigh Valley (PA) for Reducing Staff Turnover rate from 53% to less than 25% by instituting practices that identified what employees needed to be successful and grow. Secondly for keeping staff engaged and focused on effective training/career development and wellbeing

Second Place – Tie

1. Trillium Employment Services (WA) for finding practical and successful ways to Automate, Scale and Focus on Quality Services to break down barriers, promote equal opportunities, and foster inclusive societies.
   
2. Greenleaf Job Training Services, Inc. (OH) for sharing how Greenleaf began as a private for-profit organization that transformed into a nonprofit organization with a board of directors that contributed towards expanding Greenleaf’s services and bringing more depth/richness to the populations they serve.

Third Place –

1. Lighthouse Vocational Services (PA) for finding a way to grow their employment program to new counties

Runner Ups –

1. Adjoin (CA) for sharing how they transitioned from a traditional fully-insured group health insurance plan to a self-insured health benefit plan to better serve their employees as well as cut/stabilize costs.
   
2. Innovative Services NW (WA) for sharing how they personalized support and broke down barriers for one of the individuals they served, empowering them to do what seemed unlikely, become a yoga champion.   
   
3. Link Associates (IA) for developing a state-of-the-art sensory room and building a Link & Learn affordable childcare center that contributes towards making employment possible by solving one of the major challenges of the direct support professional cohort.
   
4. Options for All (CA) for helping one of the individuals they serve who has autism write and publish a dynamic 43,000 word superhero novel he had memorized. The novel has glowing 5 star reviews on its publishing platforms.