We want to thank you for your interest in exploring vacation opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities! Yes, the wonders of travel excite, inspire, educate, amuse, and refresh us. Rich in diversity, it takes us beyond our immediate reality and shows us new ways of seeing both the world around us and ourselves. It is through traveling throughout this amazing and beautiful world, that we seek to provide outstanding, safe, and fun experiences that truly engage our travelers with the essence and uniqueness of their chosen vacation.

From our early beginnings as a program provided by a local human services agency for persons with developmental disabilities, to a separate corporation within that agency, to our eventual independence as a not-for-profit corporation on our own, we have always endeavored to provide the highest quality services for those involved with us. We are forever grateful for the opportunities and support that our original parent agency, People Inc., of Buffalo, New York, provided to us for so many years.  We will always have a special light in our hearts for all the kindness, flexibility, patience, and humor they have shown us over the years!

My own background spans over 35 years of experience in therapeutic recreation with persons with developmental disabilities, during which time this vacation service was created in 1975, so many years ago. I confess to a childhood fascination with the world ~ its people and places ~ collecting maps from National Geographic, writing to the tourism centers of every state and country as I read about each of them in the World Book Encyclopedia, and then mapping "pretend" journeys around the United States and the World!  All of this before the age of 10 ! 

We can add to this a love of exploring the world, a master's degree in Experiential Education and International Business, and a great love for nature, animals, and the outdoors, with years of adaptive outdoor activities for persons with disabilities while living in Colorado. So it seems as though my mind and heart have been seeking to travel and experience the world for most of my life!

Additionally, in partnership in managing People and Places, is Patty Brown Schieder, joining us first as a volunteer tour escort for many years, and then as Assistant Director and Vice President. Patty was also absorbed with travel as a child, spending countless hours gazing through her Viewmaster at pictures of various national parks, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Wall of China ! After student teaching in Adelaide, in southern Australia, lots of personal travels around the world, a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling, and years working in residential services with persons with developmental disabilities, she brings to the program a rich diversity of education and travel experiences.

Also supporting our vacation services and managing the vast array of paperwork, is Michele Venezia. She is the friendly voice you hear when you call our administrative office with questions. You will find her organizational and creative talents expressed in your Acceptance Package, Itinerary, and even your Account Information ! While our tour escorts guide you on your vacation, Michele is your pre-trip vacation guide ! She brings to us her professional background of 20 years as a senior level accountant at a local CPA firm, as well as her personal cheerfulness, her love of travel, and her passion for rescuing animals.

And, yes, speaking about our incredible vacation escorts: You will find that our passion and caring for persons with developmental disabilities and the world around us is shared by our many volunteer tour escorts. We are deeply grateful for their generous spirit, their professional and personal commitment, and their invaluable contributions in providing outstanding vacation experiences for each traveler.