May 4—Tiffany Thrash, executive director for the Green River Area Down Syndrome Association, announced her resignation with the organization, which will be effective at the end of May.
The resignation, she said, comes following a relocation assignment for her husband's job to Arkansas.
"It's most definitely not a decision I had planned on making," she said. "As far as I knew, I would be with GRADSA forever, because GRADSA was really an extended family of mine. I feel like I've really grown close with most of the families, and I'm going to miss that tremendously."
Thrash celebrates her fifth year with GRADSA this month and noted that the anniversary is bittersweet for her this year as she looks to step down. However, she said she is proud of the many accomplishments the organization has seen during her tenure.
One of the biggest feats, she said, has been the family involvement with GRADSA and the number of clients it serves, which has more than doubled since she began.
Additionally, she said the organization's largest annual fundraiser, the Buddy Walk, has more than doubled in attendance, as well as in the amount of funds it brings in each year.
GRADSA will host a second annual fundraiser this month, the Poker Run and Car Show, which will debut May 21.
The organization also found a home in its new facility on Friendship Drive, something that was a long-term goal for the GRADSA board and was accomplished just 31/2 years into Thrash's leadership.
GRADSA has also developed its own brand of coffee to help raise awareness for Down syndrome and has developed the first all-Down syndrome basketball league in the state.
Thrash said she planned to try and expand the basketball league to include other sports. She hopes to see that mission carried out by whomever succeeds her.
Lastly, she said one of the biggest accomplishments the organization has seen in recent years is the expansion of employment opportunities for GRADSA adults entering into the workforce.
"It's a vision I had since the moment I started, was to give our adults more options in the workforce, and there are many that have established long-term careers that will have those jobs for long after I'm gone," she said.
Thrash said she is proud of how the organization has grown in recent years, including client involvement, growth in programming and its community presence.
"We've really got a bigger presence in the community," she said. "When I started, I got asked if we were involved with GRADD all the time. People now know what GRADSA is and what we stand for.