Perspective of a Longstanding Donor

August 10, 2019

CAA is such a great organization; I am amazed at its growth in just a few short years, all because of the persistence of leaders like DeAnna and Pam.


I trained and worked as a high school English teacher, many years ago. My students were awesome. Many of them were “Communication Skills” students, 9th and 10th graders who could barely read. How they had graduated to the high school was perplexing. They had a reading teacher, and I was their writing teacher. There wasn’t much to that for most of them. Getting the thoughts down on paper was working, but getting capital letters at the beginning of sentences and periods at the end was not working for all of them.


I couldn’t believe that so many people were so challenged. I sent the most writing-challenged to the counselors for evaluation. They came back to me with the answer that yes, they had identifiable problems, but no, the services were not available to help them. Ugh. At the same time, I continued my education by taking special education teacher classes, and getting my Master’s Degree in Education with a secondary emphasis. The topic of my thesis was based on audio versus visual learning in the classroom. I didn’t prove much, but I learned a lot about people and their brains.


That was many years ago. I left the education field and went into the business world, which is where I met DeAnna Pursai, at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. She and Pam were getting into the non-profit world. I was amazed at their goals, which aligned with my own experience. By this time, I had my own special needs son, whom my husband and I helped navigate through both public and private education. Today he is a successful special needs adult.


Donating to CAA helps other special needs adults to grow, prosper, and enjoy being successful. Success is different for every human. I encourage donating to CAA, so that more adults will have the opportunity to find their success.


Erin


Erin Benford

REALTOR®, MA

Erin@BenfordRealEstate.com

(408) 644-5159

www.BenfordRealEstate.com

CalBRE# 01372912

Condos to Castles in Silicon Valley

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find. CAA Story #12: Student Andre C.

By DeAnna Pursai • May 11, 2026
At only 5 years old, Andre lost his parents and began a long and painful stay in the foster care system, not really having anyone to trust or love him. Eventually he started hanging out with the wrong people and faced his share of troubles. Being developmentally and physically disabled, people often took advantage of him or tried extorting him for money. He met two friends, Nancy and Kristin, through his church and they began helping Andre turn his life around.. Both women began helping Andre at first with essentials, making sure he got meals and into a safe housing situation. Nancy helped Andre get set with a bank account and taught him basic budgeting skills, while Kristin got him involved in stable social environments like College of Adaptive Arts. Now, at age 67, Andre is one of the oldest students currently enrolled in College of Adaptive Arts (CAA), a nonprofit providing higher education for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Every week, Andre looks forward to attending his Innercise class, which focuses on mindfulness, meditation and introspection. “The class helps me feel good about myself,” said Andre. “It helps me calm my mind.” According to Nicole Kim, Executive Director of College of Adaptive Arts, students like Andre who have been sidelined from traditional education are exactly who they are trying to reach. “Andre is proof that education has no expiration date,” said Nicole Kim, Executive Director of College of Adaptive Arts. “No matter your age or ability level, you are never too old to learn, grow and cultivate meaningful relationships” According to Nancy and Kristin, CAA has helped Andre further his education but also regain the trust to make friends and find a safe community of like-minded friends. “After our church closed, Andre really missed being able to share things with others that were important or special to him, and I think he’s found that at CAA,” said Nancy. Since meeting both women and attending CAA, Andre has said he has made the choice to change his life, and that he chooses “The New Andre” everyday.

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn’t Find. CAA Story #11: Mimi Giannini and the Bill and Linda Giannini Family Foundation

By DeAnna Pursai • May 4, 2026

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn’t Find. CAA Story #10: Ann Lunt

By DeAnna Pursai • April 27, 2026
When Ann Lunt was recovering from foot surgery two years ago, she came across a story about CAA on Channel 7’s “Localish” TV show and she immediately knew it was a place where she belonged. “I love CAA,” Ann said. “Everyone is really friendly and the teachers understand us.” Ann has lived on her own for 20 years and navigates to and from campus by herself. In 2002, she went deaf but was able to get a cochlear implant in 2003 which now helps her hear, however the hearing loss still affects her speech. Despite that, or maybe because of it, Ann’s favorite thing is singing and music. Some of the CAA classes which she enjoys are Adaptive Guitar, Choir, and Music Appreciation. One of her goals is to get into the Songwriting class and learn how to write a song. At age 57, Ann is proof that you never stop learning and growing. “In this world, we need to learn as much as we can,” Ann said. Ann is extremely compassionate and had the idea during Compassion Week to make video messages for foster youth. Growing up in group homes for nearly 15 years, Ann could relate to those experiencing the foster care system and wanted to reach out to them. One of the things Ann loves most about CAA is socializing and making friends. “I’m proud that I have friends who I can talk to,” Ann said. “We have each other’s backs and all root for one another.” Ann is excited to continue her learning journey and hopes that one day she might become an Associate Professor at CAA.

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