My Possibilities Career Services Building Ground Breaking

May 13, 2022

My Possibilities Career Services Building Ground Breaking

My Possibilities breaks ground on new Career Services Building slated to open in mid-2023.

On Thursday, May 5, 2022 My Possibilities broke ground on its second building, the Career Services Building. When the Career Services Building opens in mid-2023, it will provide job training pathways and certificates in the field of customer service, retail, administrative support, culinary arts, technology basics, and hospitality, among others.

At capacity the building will provide up to an additional 300 adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), lovingly referred to as Hugely Important People or HIPsters, with programming that focuses on career readiness, job placement, and extensive coaching for both HIPsters and the companies employing them.

“I have referred to this second building as the light bulb. This building to me is an acknowledgement of the right for the HIPsters to be a part of the workforce. For many people, when they get to a certain point in their education where they figure out what they want to do in the world, their next step is to get more education, more training. They need more time, more skills, to choose that career path, to be who they want to be in the world, to contribute in a way that is important to them. Our HIPsters have not been given that same opportunity. It has simply never been an expectation or a plan that they will graduate and then take that same next leap into training and education,” said Michael Thomas, Executive Director of My Possibilities.

“This building is more than just double in space, more than providing support to another 300 HIPsters on a weekly basis. It is about providing a pathway to inclusion through the workforce in ways that the disabilities space has never seen before,” said Thomas. “We hope that this building serves as the example, a beacon, and a light bulb for organizations and people across the country that this population should be given an opportunity to continue learning, continue training, and to step into a job that they are proud of, and the world will accept them for.”

The Rees-Jones Foundation Staff join MP CEO Michael Thomas at the ground breaking of its new Career Services Building.

When complete, the 20-acre MP Campus for Higher Learning, just north of George Bush in Plano, will house the Fischer Family School of Life Skills, the Career Services Building, powered by Bread Financial as well as a therapy and communications center, wellness center, outdoor sports complex, dormitories, and retail center focused on training and employing adults with IDD.  Additionally, My Possibilities is developing a 300-home, 180-acre inclusive residential community in Garland, Texas known as Mission Hills.

The Rees-Jones Foundation contributed $2.5 million toward the capital campaign for construction of the Career Services Building, and was in attendance at the ground breaking.

“The Career Services Building at My Possibilities will provide young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities with opportunities not previously available to them. The ability to continue their education in a college-like setting is a unique experience, and one that we hope to explore and grow alongside My Possibilities,” said T. Hardie, President of The Rees-Jones Foundation.

The Rees-Jones Foundation supports organizations that serve individuals with a broad range of disabilities and chronic conditions. This includes programs that assist youth with the transition to adulthood, continue to higher education, and secure meaningful jobs. The overall goal of the Foundation’s Disability Inclusion portfolio is to improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. A foundation of community, friendships and meaningful employment is key to this.