April has been hopping at The Guild! We've been celebrating Autism Acceptance Month in our community and beyond. Learn more about an ongoing relationship between the Sudbury House and the Irish Cultural Centre, an upcoming fundraiser, recent Guild School graduates, and what "autism" means to our community. The Guild has also been in the news, including a video feature of the school coffee shop and a panel discussion about autism in Bedford.

Read on for the latest news from The Guild:

Something is brewing at The Guild Coffee Shop

For more than 7 years, The Guild School has operated a coffee shop where roughly 300 students have been able to gain valuable work experience. Students are responsible for setting up the equipment, taking and preparing orders, operating the cash register, delivering to offices around the building, and cleaning up when the day is done.

The Guild Coffee Shop was recently highlighted by Meghan Smith of GBH News on Instagram. She spent the morning seeing how it operates and shared a video about the program and its impact. 

Creating community: Sudbury House & the Irish Cultural Centre

Community inclusion is integral to The Guild’s mission of educating, empowering, and encouraging individuals with IDD. For adult residents at Sudbury House, a genuine friendship with the Irish Cultural Centre has formed over the last 4 years.

Read more on our blog.

Autism is...

In recognition of Autism Acceptance Month, The Autism Society is inviting people to complete the sentence “Autism is…” to acknowledge the strengths and struggles, moments of joy and challenge, and lived experience of being diagnosed with or having a loved one diagnosed with autism.

For Corrina Riggs, Senior Clinical Advisor, "Autism is diversity. It is celebrating the different ways all of our brains think and finding the value in those differences."

Share your story here.

Guild CEO participates in a panel on autism in Bedford

We were honored to be part of a panel with other local leaders and organizations to address the dynamic needs of Bedford residents with autism. CEO Amy Sousa shared the Guild programming available in the area for youth and adults, as well as what businesses can do to employ workers with IDD.

"Our job is to look at the insights and experiences and what that person is telling us about their life so they can have the experiences of every other child, including dating, playing baseball, and reading poetry.”

Read more about the event here.

Spring graduates

The Guild School has celebrated the transition to adult services for several students in the last few weeks.

We want to extend congratulations to:

• Tiny
• Patrick
• Katherine
• Robbie
• Josh
• Austin
• Brendon
• Myles

Guild Trustees host 3rd annual fundraiser

Guild Trustees Valerie Frissora, Will Kinlaw, Andrea Kraemer, Mike McDonnell, and Robert Sousa are hosting a fundraiser on May 2 to celebrate the impactful work of The Guild and our amazing community.

Click here to learn more.