Orange Grove Center
Summer Hamilton is an experienced professional in supported living and community service coordination, currently serving as a Supported Living Coordinator at Orange Grove Center since May 2019. Prior experience includes roles as an Operations Assistant at The Shepherd's House, where responsibilities encompassed staff support, client relations, and volunteer coordination, as well as grant funding development. Summer's service with the Corporation for National and Community Service as an AmeriCorps NCCC Member involved over 1,700 hours dedicated to community strengthening, hurricane disaster relief efforts in Texas, and tax assistance for low-income individuals in Sacramento. Educational qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from Appalachian State University.
Orange Grove Center
Orange Grove Center, established in 1953, is a private, non-profit, community-based organization providing support services for nearly 1,200 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Hamilton County, TN, and North Georgia. Orange Grove seeks to be a movement, not a place; seeks to be a community, not a setting; and seeks to be a practice, not a promise. We strive to insure that everyone enjoys a truly inclusive daily experience by having partners and a purpose in the greater community. Programs include: therapy services (physical, occupational, speech/language and nutritional management); residential services (including retirement homes for the aging with intellectual disabilities); adult services (community supports, personal assistance, vocational training, employment experiences and services to Georgia residents); health care services (medical and special needs dental clinics,); children’s services (exceptional education and vocational training); recycling services; art, music and dance programs; and activities to engage, stimulate and employ the meaning of living across the lifespan. Orange Grove is home to a dedicated center for innovation, the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center, and is also on the brink of significant research relating to autism. The center has research affiliations with universities and holds faculty positions. The State of Tennessee’s Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) names Orange Grove Center a 4-Star Award recipient for outstanding services to people with intellectual disabilities.