01/23/2022
Owner being represented in YOU, Inc.’s 2010 Annual GALA! Sharing Travis’ story. The story reads as follows:
Topic: “Building Brighter Futures for Forty years”
“When Travis Caraballo was just 7* years old, he was placed in the custody of what was then the Department of Social Services. The ten years that followed included a long succession of foster homes and residential programs, where Travis’ incredible inner strength helped him defy the bitterness and despair that can overwhelm children in his situation.
At the age of fifteen, Travis was enrolled at You,Inc’s Mcgrath Educational Center in Millbury, and became a resident of our Oxford House residential program for adolescent boys. In these programs, Travis found the structure, respect, and genuine support he needed to work through the trauma of his childhood. Always a strong student, Travis flourished at McGrath, and quickly became a leader in the school - leading tours for potential students, seeking charitable donations for school needs, and volunteering in several capacities throughout the community. Culinary arts Teacher Wayne Gorlich recognized Travis’ special talents, and spent a great deal of his own time teaching him the ins and outs of catering and the food service profession.
Oxford House Program Director Deb Jensen and her Staff provided Travis with a safe and stable living environment, and the counseling he needed to stay on this positive track.
Despite the personal struggles he faced, Travis’ work ethic was remarkable; after securing his first paying job at age 16, Travis went on to find work near each residential placement, giving his best to every job and employer along the way. That determination to succeed led to Travis being chosen as the keynote speaker at his graduation from McGrath in 2008, where he received the agency’s Tenacity Award. From there Travis enrolled in Salter College’s Culinary Arts Program, and later became a part-time Chef at Y.O.U.,Inc’s Joy and Robert Wetzel Children’s Center. Always certain that he wanted to give back to the agency that had helped him so much, Travis later accepted a position as a Counselor at the Wetzel Center, where he worked for two years. Travis recently applied to Quinsigamond Community College, where he hopes to further his education in Human Services.
With quite strength and extraordinary resolve, Travis Caraballo has faced obstacles most of us could never imagine, and achieved more than we could ever know”.
Director of Adolescent Services; Shelly M. king, MA stated :
“We at the Wetzel Center are honored to be a part of Travis’ professional journey. The real-life experience he brings is an invaluable tool when working with the clients we serve”.
