One day while getting routine lab work done, I started a conversation with a lab technician who asked me where I worked. I told her I worked at Peckham and she immediately started to cry. I took a big gulp and asked why she was upset. She said, “You all changed my life. I am a mom and my son has autism. He struggled finding his place in school, he struggled finding his place at other jobs. I worried so much about him and what his future would look like and he was getting so depressed. Then, he got a job at Peckham. It changed his life. He is so happy to have a job where he is respected and valued and he wakes up every day excited to go to work. He is a different person now. Because you changed his life, you changed mine.”

This is just one of thousands of stories from the communities in which we work. For the last 45 years, Peckham has been driving this mission of providing opportunities for people with disabilities to thrive, not only in work, but in their community and in their personal lives. The rippling effects of this mission have extended well beyond our wildest imagination. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of individuals have been able to reach their full potential and achieve their personal goals, and it is because of the contributions of amazingly talented people with disabilities that have truly made Peckham the successful, long-standing organization it is today.

This year proved to be another year of endurance, as we worked to resume a sense of normalcy, returning to hybrid work environments, growing contracts, and a need for hiring like never before.

While the unexpected extension of the pandemic has increased our efforts to support employee mental health and wellbeing, that same uncertainty has also created many opportunities for innovation and collaboration in new and exciting ways across our lines of business. From our team members, customers and staff, to our partners, donors and advocates, Peckham is made up of a rich community that is resilient, tenacious and driven to discover new and equitable pathways for those with barriers to reach a greater sense of self-sufficiency.

The strength, steadiness, integrity, compassion and professionalism of our team members and staff continues to inspire me, the stories like the one from the lab technician continue to humble me, and the unending support of this amazing community will continue to uphold the deep legacy and mission of this organization for years to come.

We thank each of you for these four-and-a-half decades, because of you, we are “Peckham Strong - 45 and Forward!”