Voices for Independence Celebrates 30 Years

By Lois Thompson

Following years of renovation and capital funding, the new building housing Voices for Independence (VFI) in Washington, PA, opened in December; however, Nick Consoli believes the opening is only the beginning. Consoli is chief development officer of VFI, a center for independent living that provides resources and services to individuals with disabilities in the community, enabling them to live more independently.

Washington's TRPIL (Transitional Paths to Independent Living) became affiliated with VFI in October 2019, and VFI is now celebrating 30 years of serving the community throughout 27 counties. During that time, the organization has been helping clients with everything from nursing home transitions to home modifications, from an assistive fitness center to an assistive technology department.

As someone who just joined the organization about the time of the new opening, Consoli admits he isn't too familiar with what took place in the past. However, while he agreed it's difficult to determine what will be accomplished in 2024, he said it will be "a celebration of what we've done in the past 30 years, and also being prepared for the next 30 years."

Educating people about VFI is one of Consoli's priorities. As he said, "I've been surprised in my first few months here how many conversations I've had with folks who said, 'I've heard of you guys, but what do you do?' So we are working to be able to educate people; we're looking for opportunities to sit down with them and say, 'This is what we do, this is what we can offer.'"

For that reason, the organization is looking for support during their ongoing 30th year celebration. However, Consoli clarified: "We're not just asking for funding for the sake of asking; we're asking so that we are able to offer more services in return. We can do a lot more, and that's going to be a focus of mine." He explained, for example, that while VFI may have been able to help 150 people, there are 300 more who need assistance, and to be able to do that requires additional funding.

Steve Johnson, director of marketing for VFI in both Washington and Erie, concurred. "The capital campaign for this building is over; we're not looking to do more renovations, we're looking to serve more people in bigger and better ways. That's why it's so important that everyone knows what we do and why we do it. It's equally as important to know that while we're asking for donations and support, it's on behalf of those who still need our help."

Consosli concluded, "This is one of the best organizations for individuals with disabilities in all of Western Pennsylvania. While we are celebrating 30 incredible years of service to those in our community, we have just scratched the surface in regard to the number of people we can help."

For more information, call (724) 223-5115 or visit vficil.org.