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Clearbrook marks Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

  Kenny Dempsey of Palatine carries his plate to a table during a pizza party at Clearbrook’s 1815 Employment Day Program on Friday in Arlington Heights. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Participants in Clearbrook’s 1815 Employment Day Program noshed on pizza during an event Friday marking Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Amy Majewski of Arlington Heights enjoys a slice of pizza during a luncheon Friday at Clearbrook’s 1815 Employment Day Program in Arlington Heights. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Clearbrook CEO Jessica Smart thanks Aurelio’s Pizza CEO Joe Aurelio for the pizzeria’s donation of 3,000 pounds of food Friday. “Pizza brings all kinds of people together like nothing else and we wanted to come together with this community to say we see you and you’re important,” Aurelio said. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com

Clients of Arlington Heights-based nonprofit Clearbrook noshed on pizza and shared conversation Friday at a party marking Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Aurelio’s Pizza served pizzas and risotto balls Friday afternoon at the organization’s 1815 Employment Day Program in Arlington Heights, where participants engage in arts, games and jobs with local businesses. The pizza party was part of Aurelio’s donation of nearly 3,000 pounds of food that also will be served in Clearbrook’s clinical care and residential facilities throughout the Northwest suburbs.

“Individuals with intellectual disabilities may occasionally be excluded from festivities, leading them to feel isolated from the community,” Clearbrook CEO Jessica Smart said. “At Clearbrook, we prioritize community integration as a central piece of our mission to empower individuals with disabilities to lead enriched lives and embrace their full potential.”

Clearbrook, the state’s largest provider of home-based services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, serves more than 8,000 clients at some 80 locations.

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