The Able to Serve News was created, written, conducted, and produced by Participants at Able to Serve. This issue includes a weather update, inside look at some of our favorite activities, Bowling & Variety Shows, and our recent Mother’s Day event. We are so proud of our participants and how they brought these news stories to life!
REPORTERS: JEREMY, CAMILLE, ABIANNE, MARIA, STEPHANIE
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: THE GRACE GROUP: KARLIN, DRAKE, ELIZABETH, JASON, BEKA, BERYL, DAVID, ADAM, JIM, CORBIN, ELI, ALEX
STORIES BY THE HOPE GROUP: AVERY, DYLAN, HERVEY, KRYSTEL, COLE, CATHY, STEVE, PEYTON, JOSEPH, CHRIS, MIKE, BEKCY, DAVID, GERRIE, TERESA, TYRA, DEBBIE, KAYLA
PROPS/SET: THE JOY GROUP: TRENTON, WILL, ZACH, JACOB, AUTUMN, NATHAN, BEN, MELISSA, REBEKAH
Christopher Beckett is a devoted Christian, husband, and father who entered the teaching field nearly 5 years ago following his service in the United States Marines. He has worked both in public schools and in psychiatric care settings, serving his community to improve the chances of success in life for those under his tutelage. Chris joined the Able to Serve team in November 2021.
Jacob graduated from Campbell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with a minor in Business Management. Jacob comes to Able to Serve with a variety of ministry experience in Digital Marketing, serving at a local church as the Kid’s Ministry Director, and in several positions with LifeWay Christian Resources CentriKid Camps. Jacob joined the Able to Serve team in October 2021.
There’s no other way to say it—Anne loves children. She loves the service of teaching and watching her students learn. Anne holds a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has forty-one years of teaching experience, both in the private church setting as well as over 31 years in the Wake County Public School System. Anne and her husband, Alan, belong to St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Raleigh where Anne has taught Sunday School, VBS, co-chaired the Children’s Ministry and is a Wake Interfaith Volunteer. When Anne retired, Brenda Hammond invited Anne to visit Able to Serve where she continues to teach and serve. Anne joined the Able to Serve team in 2016.
Before coming to Able to Serve, Trista worked as an Administrative Assistant for a local church. She is an active church member at Aversboro Road Baptist Church and volunteers with the women’s ministry. Trista dedicates her time to being a wife to her husband Kurt and mother to her three children – Scott, Brandon, and Ryanna. Trista has an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Medical Office Administration. Trista joined the Able to Serve team in March 2021.
Before coming to Able to Serve Sophia worked in management for the Department of Corrections and in childcare development. She also dedicated time to being a stay-at-home mother and wife to her three children – Cody, Bradley, Grace, and her husband Donnie Ray. When Sophia and her family discovered that Grace has a rare brain disorder, her interest in the medical field and her passion for working with people with special needs piqued. She went back to school and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Liberty University with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Office Assistance. After graduation, her job search led her to Able to Serve. Sophia says, “I have found my ‘why’. It has been, and is, to serve Christ with my whole heart, and in so doing, serving Him the in the exceptional abilities community. I thank God for my faith, my family, and the many doors He has opened that brought me to this point.” Sophia joined the Able to Serve team in 2019.
Amber believes everyone is called to serve God and serve others. For nearly 10 years, she has served in the local church with children, youth and outreach. She also worked as the Graduate Assistant for Church Relations at Campbell University’s Divinity School for four years before joining the Able to Serve team. Amber has a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity from Campbell University.
Nick Graduated from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2016 with a Bachelors in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science. Nick also worked for a company called A Small Miracle, where he received special needs training and worked with clients one-on-one for over a year before joining Able to Serve.
“People with cognitive/physical disabilities are able to serve.”
The above quote is a closely held belief that Carlton had long before it became the name of the organization he would found in 2003. For the first four (4) years, he held the titles of Van Driver, Volunteer, and Chairman of the Board. In 2009, he stepped down from the board to accept the vacant part-time position of Executive Director, and a year later, moved to full-time, while managing a staff of three (3) program coordinators to facilitate the daily operations of the growing organization.
Carlton is a graduate of Campbell University and has a Masters of Divinity in Christian Education from Southeastern Theological Seminary.