Building Belonging
At Oak Leyden, belonging grows through opportunities to learn, greater independence, meaningful relationships, and connection to community.
Building Belonging is where we share the people, progress and possibilities behind that work.
We are proud to share our FY 2026 Impact Report as the kickoff to our Building Belonging campaign. This interactive multi-media document is supported by four very important pillars: Learn, Grow, Live, and Connect. We will continue to share stories, insights, and examples of how we Build Belonging through those four intentions, making sure that you hear from voices throughout the Oak Leyden community.
This is why It matters.
Hear from the people who live it - participants, families, team members and leaders - about why belonging changes everything.
Learning opens doors to confidence, communication, independence, and a fuller sense of belonging.
One of the four cornerstones of Belonging.
Every achievement builds confidence, expands possibility, and helps each person move toward goals that are meaningful to them.
One of the four cornerstones of Belonging.
A meaningful life is shaped by personal choice, growing independence, and opportunities to participate fully in the community.
One of the four cornerstones of Belonging.
Connection grows through relationships, shared experiences, and communities where every person is welcomed, valued, and included.
One of the four cornerstones of Belonging.
Together, We're Building Something Bigger
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People Supported
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People Supported
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People Supported
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People Supported
Click on the photo above to spend a day with David Russ (top step, seated), one of four residents at Dora House.
See what Belonging looks like for one of our CILA residents.
Belonging isn't one program or one moment. It grows through thousands of everyday connections between people with disabilities, families, our team, and the community. Perhaps the best example of all of those connections is our Community Integrated Living Arrangement sites, home to over 50 adult participants with IDD. To gain an insight into what Belonging means to one of those participants, click on the photo to the left.
This video allows the viewer to walk in the shoes of one of our CILA residents, David Russ, as he arrives at our Lifetime Learners center for a full day of individualized skill development instruction. Then you'll join David as he returns home to Dora House and winds down after a long day just as you and I would--socializing with his roommates over a group dinner, doing some housework, and retreating to his private room to unwind from the day.
You Can Help Build Belonging
Your generosity helps Oak Leyden create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, learn, grow, and belong in their communities.
$50
Helps Build Belonging by buying one meal's worth of groceries for one of our Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILAs), where adults with IDD live with dignity and a sense of pride.
$100
Builds Belonging by filing up the gas tank of one of our many vans used to transport over 100 adults in our Lifetime Learning or CILA (resident) programs.
$250
Helps Build Belonging.
$500
Helps Build Belonging.
Belonging Doesn't Happen By Accident.
It happens because people choose to build it.
