So I set out to create one. Ridgefield was preparing to demolish an old movie theater, and I saw a chance to save the building and create something new. With community support, I raised the money to open the nonprofit Prospector Theater in 2014. We screen first-run films, run a café and employ more than 100 people, 80 percent of whom have disabilities. We call our employees “prospects” because, like prospectors during the gold rush, we search for hidden treasures: people’s passions and talents. That’s what we call “sparkle.” Our mission is to help each person polish that sparkle, build their résumé and launch a career. Some have already moved on to jobs in real estate, banking, academia and retail.

Hope works all over the theater, from the box office to concessions to the clean team. Her favorite part? She’ll tell you herself: getting paid. She proudly juggles two paid jobs, one with us and one at a local elementary school.

When the pandemic hit, we knew we had to get creative to keep people employed until theaters opened back up. So we doubled down on popcorn production, and that part of the enterprise has truly taken off.

When Hope was born, the doctors suggested my parents send her to an institution. Instead, they brought her home. Decades later, she—and every prospect—shows how much is possible when people are given a chance.