One octogenarian from New Jersey is making a big difference in the lives of young adults with autism. After a career that culminated as president of Katharine Gibbs finishing school, Beverly Ficon now helps students with autism land jobs. Seventy to eighty-five percent of young adults with autism are unemployed after high school. Ficon is out to change that.
Volunteering is an excellent way for seniors to provide a lifetime of expertise to those who need it. Ficon is a program manager at Spectrum Works, which teaches job readiness for factory work and computer skills for design work.
Ficon enjoys working alongside people of all ages, both those she teaches and her colleagues. Being around young people keeps her young and allows her to learn from them. She believes that staying active is what keeps her going strong well into her eighties.
Read HERE to learn how one young adult with autism found himself fully employed at PBS after the program. Who knows, seniors who volunteer with younger generations may finally learn what TikTok is all about.