Ben, who graduated from CIP in December, is a shining example of a young man who made the most of the program and everything that our services have to offer. In addition to obtaining his college degree while he was enrolled in CIP, one of Ben's major goals was to develop greater independence.
Ben being within an hour's distance of the CIP Center enabled him to work on his independent living skills and develop new friendships and support systems, while still remaining in close contact with his family. Ben's family has major celebrations for birthdays and holidays so he was able to drive home to participate in the festivities!
Ben became more independent in many areas. He became a budgeting pro, totally in control of his own finances for the first time. Ben was fairly frugal when he arrived at CIP, but he managed to set savings goals for himself and end each month with a rather large checking account balance. At least in comparison to many other college students!
Ben honed his cooking skills while at CIP. Armed with a cookbook sent along by mom, Ben dove into it and experimented with many new recipes. From Chicken Kiev to homemade apple pie, nothing was too challenging for Ben to attempt.
Ben also cultivated many new friendships at CIP - he was one of the regular participants in our weekend activities, from rock climbing to painting pottery. Ben is possessed of a fun-loving attitude and willingness to try new things. Although he has graduated from the program, Ben still stops in on a regular basis to smile, say "hello" and let us know how he is doing. We look forward to his visits!
Ben graduated from Erie Community College in January with an Associate's degree in Information Technology with a certificate in Web Design. Ben is a creative web designer, with knowledge and experience using a variety of programs and software - HTML, Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign to name just a few.
Ben obtained a job through a temporary agency at a local company in the Buffalo area called Lornamead. He is currently employed doing general labor at the factory, which can include maintenance-type and production tasks. While this may not seem to fit in with Ben's long-term career goal of becoming a web designer, Ben is learning valuable workplace skills.
He continues to do web design projects on a free-lance basis in his spare time and is currently working on a web site for a friend of his mom's. Ben is available for hire and looking to build up his portfolio, so if anyone is looking for someone with web design skills, contact him.