Celebrating growth and new opportunities as Ability Options

Our CEO Julia Squire recently marked a significant milestone with our new colleagues in Yamba. Hosting a Community Morning Tea, Julia acknowledged the final stages of CHESS Connect joining the growing Ability Options family and celebrated their wonderful legacy of service. 

On behalf of CHESS Connect and Ability Options, Julia welcomed participants, employers, community services and Council representatives, including Clarence Valley Mayor Peter Johnstone. Together we celebrated new opportunities, the ongoing advancement of high-quality, exceptional supports and continued partnerships in our Region. 

Julia spoke of CHESS Connect’s positive impact within the community and long-standing history of fostering greater social and economic engagement, wellbeing and inclusion for the people we serve. 

“We are thrilled to welcome new colleagues, participants and programs from CHESS Connect into Ability Options and are excited to continue CHESS’s legacy of partnership and support within our communities. 

As our footprint continues to grow, so too does our commitment and investment in the communities we care deeply about.  Ability Options has a long track record on the Mid North Coast. We are committed to connecting and investing in these communities which enables us to provide assistance to those who need our support. This is about ensuring people feel fully included in their communities. Whether that is finding ongoing and meaningful work, or getting great outcomes from NDIS funding, Ability Options partners and provides services so people have choice.  

CHESS Connect officially joined Ability Options in October. During this time, there has been a lot of work to support our new colleagues to adopt Ability Options’ systems and processes, all whilst continuing to deliver great service to our participants. 

While the CHESS Connect organisation has integrated into one of the largest not-for-profit providers in New South Wales, the heart of what we all do remains the same – a shared vision of inclusion and a mission to inspire, support and lead communities. Our strong connection with our communities in the Mid North Coast gives us the local focus people choose and love. 

We thank our new colleagues for their enthusiasm, patience and resilience as they navigated changes to their way of work. Looking ahead, we are excited about the positive strides towards growth and the new opportunities that await us.