Better Together Center Opens for Adults with Disabilities in Utica!
And Heather Has something she wants to say…!
He’s probably blushing right now, and that’s okay. Mr. Modest never asks for the spotlight.
But the way Steve Gonyea helped rally his community around this is something we should all take notice of.
Steve doesn’t just talk about change. He builds it.
Through Finding Common Ground, I’ve watched him move conversations forward that most people avoid. He doesn’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. He looks at unmet needs and asks who needs to be at the table, then brings people together to get it done.
That approach is exactly how WorthDoing.org came to life. It’s how he saw potential in a building others might have overlooked. It’s how he connected veterans, people with disabilities, local leaders, and community members who cared, just like he did with the Ability Bus, and turned shared values into real-world impact.
Today, that work became something people can walk into a center with zero restrictions. Bring your one-to-one aide, bring your siblings, bring your family.
Come on your schedule, on your terms. This is a place for people who were told no. For people denied. For people who hit roadblocks that never should have existed.
It’s also important to acknowledge Kathy Caruso and the role Better Together played in helping move this forward. Kathy is a mom on a mission, and that persistence matters. Efforts like this don’t happen without people willing to keep pushing when things get complicated.
What this moment really shows is something bigger than any one person:
When we dedicate ourselves to finding common ground, we uncover solutions worth doing!
This is advocacy rooted in community, alignment, and the understanding that no one is coming to save us. We are the cavalry we’ve been waiting for.
Proud doesn’t even begin to cover it.
