Multicultural Community Services in Springfield celebrates their frontline workers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Multicultural Community Services in Springfield held a picnic Wednesday to recognize their front-line employees as part of National Direct Support Professionals Week.

The local non-profit has 19 group homes that support individuals and families with disabilities. Almost 800,000 in Massachusetts have disabilities, according to MRC.

Executive Director Karen Fletcher told 22News about the importance of celebrations like this picnic. “We are appreciating all the people who do the work directly with the people that we support because we recognize that our supports are only as good as the people providing them. So we really want to give back to our employees to have them recognize how much they are important to us.”

Fletcher also told us their retention rate is only 6.5%, beating the national average of over 40%.

National Direct Support Professionals Week lasts from now until September 13th.

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