Our History & Philosophy
Our mission to the community began in 1985 as a seasonal respite program operating in the lower level of the Prospect Town Hall, designed to support local individuals and their families during times of need and crisis. In 1987 the Company broadened its’ scope and vision to become a full service, twenty-four hour residential care provider, developing the first community residence in partnership with the State of CT, Department of Developmental Services. Currently, GIL manages and operates 4-facilities in Prospect and Cheshire, along with Administrative Offices located in Prospect. Operating a $2.7M budget while employing approximately 70 workers at any given time, GIL continues to pursue opportunities for community development, and partnering relationships with other private and public agencies, for new development, rehabilitation, and various nonprofit consulting projects which serve the special needs community. Joseph Mascia, who grew up and resided in Prospect for many years, has served as the organization’s Executive Director/Administrator since 1987.
Our Core Values
GIL residential programs are consistent with providing an optimal home-like atmosphere while maintaining an approach committed to core values. Our core values are anchored by a commitment to these tenets: to care, to serve, to train, and to encourage. This remains our pledge to each individual that has been entrusted to our supervision. People with special needs require people with a special quality to support them and care for them daily. As a private human service provider, we are dedicated to advance a sincere and genuine service-oriented motivation throughout our workforce. This kind of motivation doesn’t just happen, it is cultivated, and it is an essential ingredient to fulfilling the GIL Mission. For this reason, we resolve to hold fast to our service being “Grounded In Love” as the Foundation by which we perform. Commitment to these core values will continue to be our pledge, while a foundation of love will serve as our passion. We are committed to providing services and supports that are also culturally competent, valuing diversity in every setting. Cultural competence is defined as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations. Operationally defined, cultural competence is the integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services; thereby producing better outcomes. GIL will continue to press forward in the efforts to value diversity in every setting with the understanding that true cultural competence is in fact a work in progress.
Our Vision
Dedication, resourcefulness, creativity, and commitment throughout the organization will result in a greater overall quality of care. GIL realizes that in order to embrace our purpose in serving the individuals of our community residential programs, everyone must work together as a team, determined to look out for the interests of others. Our cooperative mission is to strive for excellence, offering the recipient of our service the most pleasant environment possible, while providing for the opportunities and challenges necessary to enrich their lives to the fullest. This is truly the essence of human service.
Our VISION – speaks of what we aspire to see…
“To envision individuals with special needs embracing both opportunities and challenges in order to enrich their own lives as well as the community in which they live.”
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