About Us
At Griffith Centers for Children Inc (GCC), we offer an array of residential services and pride ourselves in taking the time to identify the criteria you are looking for. Each placement is carefully selected and as a team, we help identify the best for pairing each member. We offer ongoing support to ensure our member’s care and independence are the priority. We ensure all providers are well trained to the specific needs of the member.
Services
Join Us
Find out how you can get involved. Support GCC our mission and provide essential services to those in need. Be a part of a dedicated team of professionals.
Laura Arisohn
Director
Meet Laura
Laura Arisohn is the Director of PASA Programs at Griffith Centers’ PASA. Laura oversees Individual Residential Services and Supports/Host Home, Respite Services, Supportive Community Connections, Supported Employment, Pre-Vocational Services, Personal Care, Home Maker Services (Basic and Enhanced), Mentorship Services, and Behavioral Services. She is a master at wearing many hats.
Laura’s involvement and commitment to people with disabilities began when her son was diagnosed with his first brain tumor at the age of 2. This motivated Laura to learn about disability support and the opportunities available to individuals that need it most. Her son lived an independent and happy 29 years with Laura’s love and support. With each member she works for, Laura equips them with the necessary skills to be as independent as possible. Laura is a strong advocate for an individual’s rights. She is dedicated to programs running with a person-centered mindset.
After serving in the US Air Force, Laura began her career as a group home manager in Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in Human Services. Next, she went on to at the Exceptional Family Member Program and Family Advocacy Program, Special Olympics, Candler Hospital in geriatrics, and become a NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally III) Educator in Georgia. Since being in Colorado Springs, Laura has worked as a PASA Case Manager for six years. Laura’s decades of experience and education are pioneering the opening of Griffith Centers’ PASA.
Laura’s overall goal in support of the Griffith Centers’ PASA’s Mission is to educate and equip people with I/DD with the knowledge to live an independent life and advocate for themselves. Each new member is empowered with choices and the knowledge that we work for them!
Griffith Centers for Children Inc (GCC) is in a unique position to help individuals with developmental disabilities. GCC has a 93-year history of working with youth and families in Colorado. GCC also knows and understands that youth who are placed in our residential childcare facilities and our foster care youth are either adopted, returned to family, or emancipated out of the system. Sadly, teenagers who have developmental disabilities are harder to stabilize with their biological families as they do not know how to meet their needs and they are harder to place in adoptive homes.
GCC wants to help these youth transition into adulthood without disrupting everything that is familiar to them. GCC’s goal is to collaborate between GCC’s programs and other available services to help the youth with developmental disabilities find the best host home placement to meet their needs. GCC believes there are no other agencies in the county that offers this type of service. GCC will also help others who need placement in a host home or PCA setting.
GCC offers culinary classes to those members having an interest in cooking.
