Beyond The Secret
Kentucky has a well-kept secret — and it’s called Zoom Group.
For 40 years now, Zoom Group has served members of the community with intellectual or developmental disabilities, allowing them to grow their careers while engaging with their passions, too.
“Zoom Group is a health and human services organization that provides support and services. We’ve been in existence since 1986, so we are embarking on our 40th year,” says Melissa Marvel, president and CEO of the nonprofit. “We provide a wide array of services from behavioral support to housing, to transportation, to employment, to transitional programs that work with students and families in school to help them transition not only into careers, [but] try to provide a wraparound service to help them be successful. Our mission is to assist them, to help them explore, create and realize their journey, because every individual is different.”
Originally started by parents of children graduating high school, and partnering with the local Council on Developmental Disabilities, Louisville Diversified Services was established. In 2013, the organization became Zoom Group. Since its inception, it has partnered with the federal government, as well as large logistics companies such as UPS, and has provided vocational training. Now, the group has expanded to include a host of programs: a life skills program (LifeWorkZ); a transportation service (RideWorkZ); a Level 2 family home provider service (LifeStyleZ); and a Positive Behavior Support service to provide behavioral therapy (SupportWorkZ).
They even host StudioWorkZ, “our flagship art program. Individuals with disabilities who want to learn a variety of mediums in art are in that program; we have an art gallery, so their work is available in our gallery that’s open daily, Monday through Friday, for sale. It’s basically self-employment for the artist.”
While located in Louisville, many of Zoom Group’s services range statewide and are incorporating online programming and satellite partners so that families who cannot come to one of the two Louisville campuses can still have access.
“If there are families that are interested in our services in their area, I would encourage them to reach out to us,” Marvel says.
Even those who do not use Zoom Group’s collection of services can still be involved.
“We would love volunteers to help us with our nonprofit fundraising events, to help us out with job fairs. We have volunteer days where we’ll have groups and individuals come in. We’ll have artists come in and teach classes to our artists in our programming,” Marvel says.
The group also looks for business partners to expand vocational training and partnership opportunities, including hosting field trips so that participants can learn more about career options.
“We also do offer community workforce training,” Marvel adds. “Oftentimes, you have a person with a disability going into a workplace, and people there have never worked with someone with a disability, so we do a little bit of education and culture engagement for the business as well, to make the transition or the integration as smooth as possible.”
As its 40th anniversary approaches, Zoom Group hopes to make its presence in the local community more apparent. To celebrate, they will host a masquerade gala — and anyone is welcome to share in this fun evening, hosted at the Olmsted on Sept. 19. If not attending as a guest, community members can also serve as volunteers or sponsors.
“That’s where we can have community come in and support what we do and really be impactful,” Marvel says. “This 40th anniversary, it is my hope that we’ll no longer be a well-kept secret, [but] that we’ll be a known, successful entity. Because 40 years of success in this environment — we should be very proud. I would like to not be such a secret.”
As it is, Zoom Group already has around 500 individual program enrollments and an active waiting list. As they prepare for another decade of service, they look ahead to more growth and more one-on-one connection. One of the biggest changes will be serving children from a younger age.
“Typically before, it was 18 and above,” she says. “Post-pandemic, we started working with students and families at age 14, and now we’re going to go to as soon as the child’s been diagnosed. My passion is [to change] the dynamics for those in the future so that they readily know what those resources are, that we meet those families when their children are younger, because it’s no different than preschool for children — the more you can get them started on a good, strong foundation when they’re young, the more likely they’re going to have greater success as they get older. And it’s no different for any child, regardless of their abilities.”
Ultimately, supporting Zoom Group is all about supporting the reach and accessibility of its services.
“I’m so passionate about making sure that families [with] a child that has the need for these resources have the ability to reach out to an organization that will help support them, providing those resources and making them feel like they’re not walking alone,” Marvel says. “Everybody’s disability is different. That’s really what I find Zoom Group trying to be — you walk into our array of services, and you feel supported in many different ways and feel successful, and obtain the goals that you desire, to the best of your ability.
“At the end of the day, we are all human. And we all need to be included and respected and appreciated for who we are.”
Ultimately, Zoom Group is more than a collection of services; it’s a bridge to bring the Kentucky community together in ways we never have before. The Zoom Group family has been thriving for 40 years, and they only plan to continue. And no matter the background or ability, Kentuckians are a part of that family — and that journey — too.
For more information about Zoom Group, including a list of all available programs, enrollment and ways to get involved, please visit zoomgroup.org.
