Laura Hope Whitaker’s Post

wheels up! ✈️ Can we get a GO DAWGS?!? We are headed to Austin — Java Joy was hired to bring the joy as we lead up to the Dawgs playing the Texas Longhorns! #godawgs #gojoy 🩵🐾

no one likes to talk about it. The middle. We all love a good beginning and end, but what about the middle? The middle is where we live, struggle, have little wins, grow. I’ve loved learning from Scott Belsky & The Messy Middle concept. Confessions of a middle child, I’ve only known the middle. But it’s much harder to live & lead in the middle. We have started using these ideas - endure moments and optimize moments. What about you— relate to the messy middle? https://a.co/d/4UaHXZy

✨ 20 Years ✨Today marks 20 years since we lost our Founder, Martha “Maff” Wyllie. It is hard to believe it has been 20 years. In some ways, I feel like she was just sitting in a metal chair, in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt at summer camp, smiling at all of our silly antics. ✨In 1986, Martha recognized the need for greater support for individuals with developmental disabilities and acted. She started ESP with just a single week of summer camp, bringing together 21 participants in borrowed spaces like schools and churches. Then she dreamed of something bigger—a permanent home for ESP. Martha and her family built what is now the ESP gym in Watkinville. ✨Martha left us too soon due to Pancreatic Cancer in 2004 but the seed she planted for just a few families has now grown to hundreds; one building to an expansive campus for the whole community; a few volunteers to thousands; one location to 3 soon-to-be 4. ✨For some reason, Martha saw something in me as a young 18-year-old, as she did for so many. She put me in a leadership role the summer before she passed. I think about her often as the honor of taking her legacy to more families is one I do not hold lightly & consider a tremendous gift. ✨The truth is I simply would not be here if she had not seen the ability in me. One woman, who chose to see what was possible - in me and in so many. Today, in honor of our “Maff” — who could you take a chance on? Instead of seeing what everyone else sees — what could happen if we chosen to lean in and sᴇᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ? esp, inc.

🎉exciting news!🎉 For nearly 40 years, we have built community with experiences, support, and purpose. We are now thrilled to bring that same esp, inc. magic to….. the heart of Savannah, Ga! This will be our first expansion since 2020 & we could not be more excited to bring our programs to Georgia’s coast. Savannah, you’ve inspired us with your energy and passion. Special shoutout to Becky Brown & Anna Salter for championing this dream for months and bringing it to reality! Savannah, welcome to the esp family! 🩵💛🧡 Know a friend in Savannah? Please share and make sure they know! 📢 Huge thanks to our team for helping us get us to this point— Troy V., Alex C. Perry looking at you! Ready for the next season! Rebecca Brown Caroline Gillespie Nick Westbrook Anna Salter Jamie McCurry

“People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou Our team was overcome by the generous hospitality bestowed on us at our staff retreat by WinShape Teams - we are ready & excited provide the same level of care to those we serve at esp, inc.

“confetti control” 🎉🪜 it’s a thing. we shoot confetti for new team members, big celebrations…. when we just need to have fun. And then this guy comes along with his ladder and grabby thing to clean it all up. It’s not always the one in the center who creates the magic, sometimes it’s the one behind the scenes, on a ladder, driving a vehicle or organizing the lost and found that truly makes the magic happen. Thank you Hunter Reynolds for making us better everyday!

If teamwork makes the dream work.......... then dreams are hard. 😂 Thanks to WinShape Teams, we spent a day intentionally working on our leadership team. We put the day-to-day work down, and all acknowledged the hard work it takes to be a team. There was laughter, experiences, honest candor, and a genuine appreciation for what makes us different, with a mission that brings us together. Will you join me in thanking the hard & giving work of our leaders at esp, inc.?! "the more you give, the more you get" Truett Cathy