Dirigo and Seven Hills Rhode Island Partner to create meaningful employment opportunity. September 28, 2026, 11:39 GMT Sabrina Howard joins Dirigo as Logistics Support Specialist through partnership supporting employment opportunities Sabrina is part of the team," Hebert said. "She has work that needs to get done; she takes ownership of it, and we count on her. That's what matters." - Tim Hebert WARWICK, RI, UNITED STATES, September 28, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - Dirigo and Seven Hills Rhode Island have partnered to create a new employment opportunity at the Dirigo Center in Warwick for an individual supported by Seven Hills. As part of the partnership, Sabrina Howard joined Dirigo on August 25 as Logistics Support Specialist, supporting the day-to-day preparation and operation of the Dirigo Center. Her responsibilities include organizing training materials and activity kits, monitoring program supplies, preparing classrooms and gathering spaces, and resetting rooms between programs and events. The opportunity grew out of Dirigo's existing relationship with Seven Hills. Dirigo has worked with Seven Hills on leadership and culture development, including programs focused on organizational accountability. Through that work, Dirigo founder and CEO Tim Hebert came to know Marissa Ruff and better understand Seven Hills' work supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During conversations in late 2025, Ruff and Hebert began discussing employment and whether Dirigo had work that could become a meaningful role for someone supported by Seven Hills. "We didn't want to create a job for Sabrina," Hebert said. "We wanted to identify real work that needed to be done and give someone the chance to own it. Sabrina has done the rest." Valerie Larochelle, Job Developer, and Kristen Gagnon, Employment Coordinator, worked with Dirigo to identify the right candidate, introduce Sabrina to the workplace, and provide ongoing support. Since joining Dirigo, Sabrina has taken responsibility for work that previously fell to other members of the Dirigo team. "The work Sabrina is doing is work that has always needed to be done," said Garry Foisy, Partner and Principal Activator at Dirigo. "Before she joined us, it often meant one of us coming in early, staying late, or trying to squeeze it in between working with clients. Sometimes it didn't get done when it should have. Sabrina has taken real ownership of that work. When our facilitators walk into a room and the materials are ready, the kits are complete and the space is prepared, we can focus on our clients and the experience we're there to create." Gagnon, who has worked with Sabrina, said she has seen a noticeable change since Sabrina began working at the Dirigo Center. "I've been working with Sabrina for a while, and I've never seen her this engaged," Gagnon said. "When she comes through the door at Dirigo, she knows what needs to be done. She doesn't stand around waiting for someone to give her the next task. She sees what needs to be organized or prepared, and she gets started. Watching her become more confident, take ownership, and really make this role her own has been such a joy." For Sabrina, one of her favorite parts of the position is preparing materials for Dirigo's leadership programs. "My favorite part of my job is putting all the kits together and making sure everything is ready," Sabrina said. "I like knowing where everything goes and what needs to get done. And I like the coffee, too." The partnership reflects Seven Hills' work helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities find employment and participate in their communities. It also gave Dirigo an opportunity to look at work already being done within its organization differently. "Sabrina is part of the team," Hebert said. "She has work that needs to get done, she takes ownership of it, and we count on her. That's what matters." About Seven Hill RI Seven Hills Rhode Island provides supports and services designed to help individuals with disabilities and other life challenges live meaningful, self-directed lives in their communities. Its work includes programs that help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities build skills, pursue greater independence, and access meaningful employment opportunities. About Dirigo(TM) Dirigo is a Warwick, Rhode Island-based leadership firm built around a simple purpose: to elevate human potential. Through leadership programs, workshops, consulting, and facilitation, Dirigo helps people become better leaders and organizations become better places to work. Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. You just read: September 28, 2026, 11:39 GMT EIN Presswire's priority is author transparency. We do our best to weed out false and misleading content. The content above is the sole responsibility of the author who makes it available. If you have any complaints, kindly contact the author above. Garry Foisy +1 401-529-7014

Worcester nonprofits team up to launch $1.1M child care business incubator. April 7, 2026 Seven Hills Foundation and Affiliates, the Guild of St. Agnes, and The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts have partnered to launch a new $1.1-million incubator space in Worcester designed to help child care providers launch their own businesses. The Family Childcare Success Project incubator is the first of its kind in Central Massachusetts, according to the three Worcester-based nonprofits. The incubator aims to provide resources and training for those interested in launching their own child care businesses while providing on-site care for area families, with a capacity of 20 children. Participants will have up to two years to build their businesses while operating from the space while they develop their client base and work toward establishing a permanent location. The incubator will operate from two classroom spaces at an existing child care center operated by the Guild at 129 Granite St. The project was launched with $1.1 million from The Health Foundation's Synergy Initiative, which provides funding for projects targeting community-identified health issues in Central Massachusetts. Seven Hills Foundation and Affiliates is the largest human services nonprofit in Central Massachusetts, with $466 million in revenue and 1,923 local employees, according to information provided to the WBJ Research Department. The Health Foundation is the seventh largest grant-making foundation and nonprofit in the region, with $88.25 million in assets. The Guild of St. Agnes generates $33 million in annual and has $17 million in assets, according to nonprofit financial tracker Guidestar. Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries. - Digital Partners -