Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC)

07/18/2025

This month, we celebrate Disability Pride Month and the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Join the Worcester EPIC Service Warriors next Wednesday, July 23rd, from 11am-3pm on the Worcester Common to celebrate Disability Pride Month and 35 years of the ADA at

This community event will feature live music, speakers, and community resources. The Worcester Service Warriors will also be present, painting a Disability Pride Mural that will be displayed in Worcester City Hall.

We hope to see you on the 23rd!



(ID: 1. A colorful promotional poster for Out to Lunch Disability Pride Month event. At the top, in blue script text, it reads “Celebrate Disability Pride Month!”. Below that, the event logo is featured prominently in red and white with a scalloped edge sign that says “OUT TO LUNCH – Festival and Farmers’ Market”.Icons surround the logo: A badge reading “JUNE – AUGUST”, a mouth with the words “FOOD TRUCKS”, an orange oval that says “ARTISTS + CRAFTERS”, a green oval that says “FARMERS’ MARKET”, a blue guitar icon labeled “LIVE MUSIC”, and a yellow sun icon labeled “COMMUNITY”. Key event information is displayed in bold text: FREE!, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, 11 AM to 3 PM, Worcester Common Oval, 455 Main Street (Behind City Hall). The bottom of the image includes the URL: OUTTOLUNCHWORCESTER.COM and logos from sponsors. 2. a Disability Pride Flag.)

07/02/2025

Happy Disability Pride Month! At EPIC, we celebrate Disability Pride every day, but July is the opportunity for everyone to join us in celebrating all the things that make the Disability Community EPIC. Our advocacy, beauty, leadership, history, culture, and pride.

We hope you will take this month to learn more about the diversity of the disability community, our history, the disability rights movement, and support disability organizations and advocates.

Happy Disability Pride Month!



(ID: the background is the disability pride flag. In white text, it says “Happy Disability Pride Month!” and there is a white EPIC logo.)

06/27/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us last Saturday for our Boston Honoring Young Leaders event! It was an EPIC evening of celebrating the accomplishments of the 2025 Boston Service Warriors, kicking off the 2026 Service Warrior year, honoring partners and alumni, and spending a great evening with the EPIC Community!

Thank you to Ewidji, the Service Warrior speaker, for sharing your EPIC story. You did an amazing job!

Shout out to our keynote speaker, Ellice Patterson, for sharing your leadership with EPIC Service Warriors.

Congratulations to Malden High School for receiving the EPIC Community Leadership Award, and to Austin and Tatiana for receiving the Corre Legacy Award!

And congratulations to the 2025 and 2026 Boston Service Warriors! Your leadership is what makes our communities stronger. Keep up the great work!



(ID: 1. A group picture of all the Boston Service Warriors wearing their EPIC jackets and smiling at the camera. 2. Ewidji standing at a podium holding a microphone as he gives the graduation speech. 3. Two EPIC Advisory Board Members standing with Charlotte and Kathryn from Medford High School as they smile at the camera holding the EPIC Community Leadership Award. 4. Austin standing with two Advisory Board members as he accepts the Corre Legacy Award. 5. A Warrior giving a peace sign as she smiles at the camera with her mother. 6. Dorothy, EPIC staff with four male Service Warriors. They are all smiling at the camera.)

06/21/2025

Tonight is the night to celebrate the leadership and accomplishments of Boston Service Warriors at our Honoring Young Leaders event!

It’s going to be an EPIC evening honoring the work of the graduating 2025 Service Warrior team and cheering on the 2026 team as they put on their EPIC jackets to officially begin their year of service.

Join us tonight at 6pm at the Boston Nonprofit Center to celebrate these young leaders with disabilities.

Today is also the last day of our EPIC 20in20 fundraiser. Please show your support by donating today. All donations will go directly to supporting young leaders with disabilities as they serve their community. Donate now at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID 1. A group photo of the 2025 graduating Boston Service Warriors. 2. A group photo of the 2026 Service Warriors. 3. An image of the Honoring Young Leaders event invitation.)

06/20/2025

Tomorrow is the day! The Boston Honoring Young Leaders Event is tomorrow, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

We hope you will join us for this EPIC Event to celebrate the graduation of the 2025 Boston Service Warriors and to kick off the 2026 Service Warrior year of service officially!

🗓️ Saturday, June 21, 2025, 6-8pm
📍 Boston Nonprofit Center, 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111

👩🏻‍🎓 Service Warrior Graduation Speaker: Ewidji V.., ’24 SW & ’25 SL

🎤 Keynote Speaker: Ellice Patterson, Abilities Dance Boston

🏆 Corre Legacy Award Honorees: Austin C., ’14 & ’19, & Tatiana T., ’19 & ’24

🏆 EPIC Community Leadership Award Honoree: Medford High School

We hope you can join us for this EPIC evening to celebrate the power of young leaders with disabilities! To learn more, visit https://www.epicleaders.org/bostonhyl

To support these young leaders, please join our 20in20 fundraiser by donating $20 today. Learn more and donate at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID: The image of the HYL event invitation. The background features paint strokes in different shades of blue against a white backdrop. The invitation includes the name of the event, as well as the date, time, and location information above.)

06/18/2025

Today is Day 17 of the EPIC 20in20 Fundraiser, and we are excited to introduce you to two EPIC Alums, Austin, ’14 & ’19, and Tatiana, ’19 & ’24. These two EPIC alums have individually done great work in continuing to meet their personal goals while advocating for people with disabilities. They have also worked with other self-advocates to co-found Access 2 Friendship and Community, a group for young adults with disabilities aged 22 and above, to ensure that people with disabilities continue to have access to social opportunities after transitioning out of high school.

For all their great work since graduating from the Service Warrior program, we are excited to announce that Austin and Tatiana will both be receiving the 2025 Corre Legacy Award at this weekend’s Boston Honoring Young Leaders Event. The Corre Legacy Award is named after an EPIC alumna, and each year it is given to an alum who continues to lead and serve their community while meeting their goals. Tatiana and Austin are both shining examples of what the Corre Legacy Award is all about.

Join us this Saturday at our Boston HYL Event to learn more about these two EPIC alums.

Congratulations, Austin & Tatiana! 🎉

Help us build more advocates and leaders like Tatiana and Austin by supporting our EPIC 20in20 fundraiser. Learn more and donate today at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID 1. an image of Tatiana and Austin smiling at the camera. There is a stamp on the image that says “EPIC 20in20, Day 17. 2. an image of Tatiana smiling at the camera as she is kneeling next to a box of painting supplies. 3. An image of Austin smiling at the camera as he holds a sign that reads, “My name is Austin. I’m EPIC because I did EPIC!!”)

06/17/2025

Our Boston Honoring Young Leaders Event is almost here, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

We hope you will join us for this EPIC Event to celebrate the graduation of the 2025 Boston Service Warriors and to kick off the 2026 Service Warrior year of service officially!

🗓️ Saturday, June 21, 2025, 6-8pm
📍 Boston Nonprofit Center, 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111

👨🏾‍🎓Service Warrior Graduation Speaker: Ewidji V.., ’24 SW & ’25 SL

🏆 Corre Legacy Award Honorees: Austin C., ’14 & ’19, & Tatiana T., ’19 & ’24

🏆 EPIC Community Leadership Award Honoree: Medford High School

We hope you can join us for this EPIC evening to celebrate the power of young leaders with disabilities! To learn more, visit https://www.epicleaders.org/bostonhyl

To support these young leaders, please join our 20in20 fundraiser by donating $20 today. Learn more and donate at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID: The image of the HYL event invitation. The background features paint strokes in different shades of blue against a white backdrop. The invitation includes the name of the event, as well as the date, time, and location information above.)

06/16/2025

Calling all Service Warriors, EPIC alums, and other young leaders with disabilities, check out this opportunity!

Applications are due June 30th

The Paul Spooner Leadership Summit is Coming!

For the past two years, BCIL has worked with the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC), the Disability Policy Consortium, and other partners to hold the Paul W. Spooner Generational Leadership Summit. This event aims to empower emerging activists and community leaders from across Massachusetts to take up the mantle of the disability rights movement by championing access, inclusion, and independence for all. https://www.paulspoonergenerationalleadership.org/index.html

We are excited to share that the 2025 Spooner Summit will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, MA from September 29th through October 1st - and applications are now open to attend!

If you are an emerging leader with a disability, please click here to learn more and apply. https://www.paulspoonergenerationalleadership.org/application.html

The application deadline is Monday, June 30.

To make a donation in support of the 2025 Spooner Summit, please go to https://bostoncil.org/donate/.

06/15/2025

LAST NIGHT WAS EPIC!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the leadership of the Worcester EPIC Service Warriors.

Thank you to Councilor Ojeda for sharing your leadership with us.

Congrats to Sara Y, EPIC Alum, and the Central/West Inclusion Network on your awards.

Teni, thank you for sharing your EPIC story. Your speech was a definite EPIC moment!

And congratulations to all the Warriors!

It was an EPIC evening in Worcester, and we can’t wait to do it next week to celebrate the Boston Crew!

Please show your support for young leaders with disabilities by donating today to the EPIC 20in20. All donations will go directly to supporting the EPIC Service Warriors as they serve their community. Donate now at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID: 1. A group picture of all the 2025 and 2026 Worcester Warriors in their EPIC Jackets. 2. Teni standing at a podium giving the Warrior Graduation Speech. 3. City Councilor Ojeda receiving and EPIC Jacket. 4. an image taken from the back of the event room of all the people facing a large screen at the front of the room. 5. An image of two female Warriors smiling at the camera. 6. A Warrior with her mother and Councilor Ojeda smiling at the camera. 7. A 2025 Service Leader with Ethan, EPIC staff, smiling at the camera.)

06/14/2025

Tonight is the night to celebrate the leadership and accomplishments of Worcester Service Warriors at our Honoring Young Leaders event!

It’s going to be an EPIC evening honoring the work of the graduating 2025 Service Warrior team and cheering on the 2026 team as they put on their EPIC jackets to officially begin their year of service.

Join us tonight at 6pm at the Pakachoag Center to celebrate these young leaders with disabilities.

Show your support by donating today to the EPIC 20in20. All donations will go directly to supporting young leaders with disabilities as they serve their community. Donate now at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



(ID 1. A group photo of the 2025 graduating Worcester Service Warriors. 2. A group photo of the 2026 Service Warriors. 3. An image of the Honoring Young Leaders event invitation.)

06/12/2025

“I have learned that I can make a difference.”

For Day 11 of the EPIC 20in20, we are excited to introduce Sara, 2021 Service Warrior and 2024 Service Leader. Today, Sara is a Community Volunteer supporting and mentoring the new Service Warriors through their year of service.

In addition to these roles, we are excited to announce that Sara will be receiving the 2025 Corre Legacy Award at this weekend’s Worcester Honoring Young Leaders Event. The Corre Legacy Award is named after an EPIC alumna, and each year it is given to an alum who continues to lead and serve their community while meeting their goals. Sara not only continues to make a difference at EPIC but also puts her advocacy to work every day by educating others to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.

Join us this Saturday at our Worcester HYL Event to learn more about the work that Sara is doing.

Congratulations, Sara! 🎉

Help us build more advocates and leaders like Sara by supporting our EPIC 20in20 fundraiser. Learn more and donate today at https://www.epicleaders.org/epic20in20



ID: an image of Sara smiling with blue paint on her face and holding a paintbrush in her hand. There is a stamp on the image that says “EPIC 20in20, Day 11”. 2. A picture of Sara and another Community Volunteer smiling at the camera. 3. An image of Sara and a Warrior painting a picnic table.)