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Shooting Stars
Shake Shack’s Isaiah Lombardo shares employment journey at Anniversary Conference

Full time Shake Shack Watertown staff member Isaiah Lombardo shared his employment journey and more as the Keynote Speaker at MDSC’s 40th Anniversary Conference at the DCU Center on March 23. “My life has been pretty amazing so far,” Isaiah shared. “I have been working since my junior year in high school. I have had […]

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Omar Masood, recipient of the Exemplary Employer Award

Omar Masood, founder and president of Omar’s World of Comics, was named MDSC’s Exemplary Employer at our 40th Anniversary Conference on March 23 at the DCU Center. The award was presented on stage at the 40th Anniversary Awards Luncheon by Roxanne Hoke-Chandler, MDSC Honorary Board member and Joshua Komyerov, Director of Communications & Operations. “I’m […]

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John Dunleavy, recipient of the Philip Donahue Employee of the Year Award

Named after Philip Donahue, who retired in 2022 after 27 years of loyal service to Market Basket, MDSC’s Employee of the Year Award was presented at the MDSC 40th Anniversary Conference at the DCU Center on March 24. The honor went to Boston Bruins veteran employee John Dunleavy of Winchester. After 13 years in his […]

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MDSC awards inaugural Employee of the Year Award to Lowell’s Philip Donahue, who has worked at Market Basket more than 25 years

Burlington, MA. (May 1, 2022) – The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC), the premier resource for Down syndrome information, advocacy and networking in Massachusetts, is proud to present Philip A. Donahue of Lowell with MDSC’s inaugural Your Next Star Employee of the Year Award. Philip, 53, has worked at Market Basket for a total of […]

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Forbes: Collette Divitto, Cookie Entrepreneur, Stars In New Peacock Docuseries

Reprinted from Forbes online by Steven Aquino Contributor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion NBCUniversal-backed Peacock launched an original documentary series late last month called Born for Business, which premiered on August 23. The show chronicles the journeys of four entrepreneurial disabled people who are running their own small business. In a press release, Peacock describes the series as “powerful” […]

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Market Basket celebrates Phil’s 25 years of employment

With the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, our Your Next Star ambassador Phil Donahue took some time off from his job at Market Basket in Tewksbury. However, he was invited back to Market Basket to celebrate his remarkable 25th Anniversary! So, after 3 months away from the store, Phil returned to celebrate with co-workers and […]

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On the cusp of adulthood

We are excited to share this powerful blog post from our Your Next Star collaborators, Work Without Limits, and written by AIM dad Scott Borchardt, a partner at PwC, another YNS collaborator. By Scott Borchardt Our daughter, Noelle, is on the cusp of adulthood. She’s an engaging 21-year-old with Down Syndrome, who is excited about […]

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Your Next Star Ambassador Collette Divitto’s Business is Booming

We couldn’t be prouder of our Your Next Star Ambassador Collette Divitto, whose business is booming a year after the 27-year-old’s story went viral. As our YNS Ambassador, Collette is a shining example of what people with Down syndrome can do if given the opportunity. BOSTON (CBS) – You can’t blame Collette Divitto for feeling […]

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People with Down Syndrome Need Jobs, Not ‘Special Jobs’

We loved this promo featuring Glee’s Lauren Potter (who happens to be a good friend of the MDSC and special guest at our Buddy Walk). As she says, “What we really need” is nothing special ~ a quality education, friends, acceptance and, of course, good job opportunities.

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This Determined Chef wouldn’t let Celiacs stand in her way

Tess Keijser couldn’t have been more excited when in high school, she signed up for a culinary class. She knew right away what kind of career she wanted to pursue – something that involved cooking. But there was one complication – she became very ill with celiac disease, and while she got well in due time, she had to quit class and began pursuing some of her other interests.

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