Vibrant Community March Meeting
Vibrant Community focuses on identifying and building employment and volunteer opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. This collaborative effort seeks to foster meaningful interactions by cultivating partnerships between individuals with disabilities, regional businesses, faith communities, and service organizations.
The March meeting will feature an engaging panel discussion and time for our working groups to meet. This meeting is open to guests. We encourage you to consider inviting others to join you.
Please RSVP by March 23!
Contact:
Keli KrausePeaceful Living
610-287-1200
kkrause@peacefulliving.org
Following the panel discussion, the four working groups (Faith, Advocacy and Collaboration, CCRC (Life Plan Communities), and Transition and Employment) will discuss their progress since the last gathering and identify future actions.
Our Panelists
Melissa Smith is a suburban-raised, physical therapy trained farmer's wife turned organic farming educator and shepherdess. Passionate about connecting people and nature to improve the health of our community, she is the Executive Director of Willow Creek Farm Preserve, located in Worcester, PA. She was the co-founder and marketing manager for 8 years of Willow Creek Orchards, the first certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in Montgomery County, PA. In addition, Melissa has 5 years of physical therapy clinical experience working with older adults and holds an MBA with a concentration in Health Care Management. She lives with her farmer husband and three daughters on their farm where they enjoy the daily surprises and challenges of raising a variety of small animals.
The Rev. Kim D. Guiser is the Interim Pastor/Mission Developer at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Souderton.
He is a recently retired mission developer and entrepreneur who has spent the last 30 years developing mission congregations in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Pastor Guiser has developed mission congregations, schools, and community centers. His ministry has had an emphasis on building partnerships between religious and non-profit organizations.
Pastor Guiser spent many years serving the Lutheran Church in America and is now serving the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. He is a member of Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Phoenixville. In September 2016, the Lutheran Church asked Pastor Guiser to serve as an Interim Pastor/Mission Developer at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Souderton, where he is currently serving.
Pastor Guiser is married to the Rev. Dr. Asha George-Guiser, a marriage and family therapist, and has one daughter, Preeya. The Guiser family lives in Collegeville.