The story of Community Partnerships, Inc. began in the early 1980s with two separate nonprofit agencies, both operating in Wake County and both working to create new opportunities for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. It’s the story of dedicated people recognizing a need. It’s the story of people with the vision and the passion to help address that need.
Specialized Services for Children provided early intervention therapies to young children with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Employment Opportunities helped working-age job seekers with disabilities find jobs in the community that paid competitive wages. Then in 1992, as a way to improve their economic efficiency while better serving the community, the two organizations moved into shared office space. Shortly thereafter, after working together day in and day out, they came up with a unique idea – a creative vision for the community.
The vision was to merge the two organizations into a single operation, creating a nonprofit that could provide critical services to people with intellectual/developmental disabilities throughout the continuum of their lives – from infancy through adulthood.
The idea had great merit. Intellectual/developmental disabilities do not go away. They cannot be cured or “fixed.” These are lifelong disabilities, and the people who have them need ongoing support to achieve their goals and live full lives. Why not create one agency to provide a lifetime of services?
Why not indeed? The two organizations then legally merged to form Community Partnerships, Inc. Although the name and vision of Community Partnerships didn’t begin until 1994, the agency already had over 20 years of experience providing supports for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities at inception.
Staying true to its vision-driven roots, Community Partnerships has added several programs over the years in response to the changing needs of the people we serve and the emerging needs of the community. Today, the agency operates programs for people in need in Wake, Durham, Forsyth, Mecklenburg, and Pitt Counties and serves approximately 1,100 people a year.
Though we have grown, changed, and expanded our reach, our commitment remains the same: to provide services that empower people to live the lives they want to live – regardless of disability or socio-economic status.
This is our story. This is our passion.
