For Peg Doherty, the concept of The Guild as a special community really hit home on Easter Sunday.

On that exact day a couple of months ago, her son, Christian, expressed his desire to return to his residence at Sudbury House after spending a few hours visiting with his parents. They asked him why he wanted to go back so soon.

“Because I like being there,” he answered, a few words delivering a powerful message.

Boston Parents Paper

The Next Wave of Recess Renaissance

By James V. Major

At The Guild for Human Services in Concord, the challenge of designing an accessible, inclusive playground was not only accommodating differences in physical ability but age as well. The Guild, which serves individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism and behavioral/mental health challenges, operates a school and residential program for 85 youth ages 6-22 and a residential program for 55 adults.

More than 100 individuals experienced the glitz, glamour and excitement of Hollywood at the annual Spring Dance with this year’s theme: Hollywood Comes to The Guild.

Even when she was just 5 or 6 years old, Nin Chan displayed the extraordinary compassion, enduring patience and sunny disposition that has made her a standout in the field of human services.

Chan recalls her kindergarten schooling in Lowell when a classmate was not readily accepted by most of her peers because she had a disability and had difficulty speaking.

“I was always the first one to grab her hand and say, ‘I’ll be your partner,’ ” she remembers. “From then on, I realized that the smallest gesture could make a difference in somebody’s life.”

Our 29-year-old son, Christian, was born prematurely after his heart stopped beating. His brain did not receive oxygen for 12 minutes and he suffered brain damage similar to a significant stroke. He’s had hundreds of hospitalizations and 80 surgeries, including 40 neurosurgeries. He has cerebral palsy and is visually impaired. He has significant difficulty communicating, knowing what he wants to say but not being able to say it. In spite of all this, he is still his own person.

It doesn’t take long for a visitor to Burlington House to determine that the residents of this home, atop the hill, have formed a special community.

On this evening, perpetual prankster Lukas spots fellow housemate Melissa’s new glasses on the dinner table while she is out of the room. He jokingly decides to put on the ill-fitting spectacles. Melissa returns, Lukas grins broadly and cries out, “Gotcha!” The housemates and staff share a laugh: Lukas has struck again.

The Guild for Human Services’ annual Adult Residential Program Awards Ceremony recognized 50 individuals for their accomplishments over the past year.

Family and friends joined the honorees at the event, which was held on Sunday, Oct. 14 at The Westin in Waltham.

“We are proud to recognize and celebrate the individual achievements of the individuals we support in their adult homes,” said Maureen Costello-Shea, chief program officer.

Honorees included:

Although he first arrived at The Guild for Human Services nearly 14 years ago as a young boy, it’s not easy for staff to recognize Kevin Clark these days. The 24-year-old resident of Dedham House is a changed man.

While he was with The Guild’s youth residential program, he exhibited some challenging behaviors. There was even some consideration given to discharging him from the program.

Mustapha Abdulai draws parallels between his work at The Guild for Human Services and the research he conducted for his doctoral thesis.

The director of The Guild’s 11 adult residences, Mustapha has found that his position today is surprisingly relevant to the thesis he completed for his Geneva Graduate School of Governance PhD that compared human rights in Togo and Ghana.

It’s Kyle S.’s 26th birthday, and there’s plenty to celebrate for this resident of The Guild for Human Services’ Framingham House.

He just moved down the hall to his new room, which he is eager to show off to a visitor. He’s also excited about his mom Nancy’s birthday gift, a small baboon that immediately takes up residence in his vast collection of stuffed animals. He points out the recently earned Special Olympics swimming medals hanging from his bed post. His dad, Hank, calls on the phone to wish him happy birthday and they talk for several minutes.