Posted on October 23, 2025
“It energizes me and brings meaning to my life.”
Angie Shaffer
Angela “Angie” Shaffer first joined Penn-Mar in 2012 as a Direct Support Professional (DSP). She spent two years working in a residential setting before moving over to the Day Program where she was a DSP for a year before becoming a Community Coordinator. Angie’s extraordinary management skills were put to good use there. She created a new Day Program curriculum and developed a monthly calendar that allowed DSPs to slot in their activity preferences.
Angie also set up activity stations where participants could move from one area to another to refine their gross motor skills, seek employment training, or learn more about art, math, and reading.
After two years working in the Day Program as a Community Coordinator, Angie transitioned to the role of Program Specialist for the next four years. She handled a caseload of 28 people, handling all the responsibilities of a manager apart from having staff to manage.
In her sixth year, March 2020, she was given an offer to join the management team as a Program Manager. Angie declined the offer, knowing that her true passion was working directly with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and supporting their volunteer activities.
Chris, Alexis, and Miriam stand next to a horse in a field.
Today, Angie manages the schedules of four people supported who volunteer at a variety of local non-profit organizations.
Once a month, the group picks up and delivers meals at a Senior Center in New Freedom. Angie uses the experience to teach volunteers how to organize boxes, compare inventory against the delivery list, and practice data entry using the GPS for deliveries. Going to the Senior Center also provides opportunities for working on the group’s “people skills,” as Angie encourages them to smile and make eye contact with the seniors.
The Penn-Mar group also volunteers at Whispering Rise Farm and Animal Sanctuary in Freeland, helping care for the pigs and supporting the farm’s daily operations. Their time there is full of teamwork and connection, often ending with a shared lunch and conversation with the staff.
Angie’s group also volunteers at the annual York Fair, helping care for the rabbits and keeping their area comfortable.
“The volunteers I work with have come a long way,” Angie said. “When I first joined them, they had already been volunteering for two years, so now I work with them to build and maintain their skills. I’m so proud of all of them.”
Angie also introduced the group to “Vision Boards,” where they write down the things they want and hope to attain in their lives.
Tyler pats a pig at the pig sanctuary.
The people Angie supports are achieving their goals and living their best life every day! For example, Miriam landed her dream job by consistently performing her tasks working for Tropical Smoothie Café in Shrewsbury. Alexis embraced her love of animals which helped her obtain the perfect job taking care of dogs at Central Bark. Christopher is a kind and caring individual who has overcome many adversities and makes everyone he encounters feel welcome. Tyler does an outstanding job with the pigs at the Sanctuary and works one day a week at Mickey’s Pizza.
“I love making a difference in the lives of the people I support,” Angie said. “It energizes me and brings meaning to my life. The vision I have for my job is to expose, educate, and provide meaningful experiences. I want everyone in my group to be more active and open to possibilities. I would love to be able to take them outside York County to learn about other places and things that will inspire them to thrive and find meaning in their personal and work lives. Most of all, I want them to be happy.”