Mosiac tells its story: discover the possibilities for those with intellectual disabilities

On January 27, Mosaic, an organization that helps and advocates for people with intellectual disabilities, held an event they call a “Discover the Possibilities Tour” at the Eagle Grove Memorial Library. Sarah Holmes, Mosaic in Wright County’s community relations manager, said that she herself had discovered a lot about Mosaic when she started working for them last year.“I kind of fell into this by accident,” she said. Though her background was in banking, she was excited to begin working for Mosaic to have the opportunity to make a difference in the community.

Holmes introduced Brent Aberg, executive director for Mosaic in Northern Iowa, to give some background on the organization. Mosaic and its parent institutions have been operating since 1913, Aberg said, and Mosaic currently operates in 10 states and 250 communities. Wright County’s Mosaic location serves Eagle Grove, Belmond, Clarion, and Webster City.

According to Aberg, it takes a community to support someone with intellectual disabilities to be successful. He himself has firsthand experience with growing community support, because his parents helped establish advocacy organizations and a facility for people with disabilities near where he grew up to help his brother, Bruce.

“What we’re after is to create opportunities for people to advocate for themselves,” Aberg said.

For the full story, see the February 4 edition of the Monitor.