A rendering of the new campus.
(The following information was provided by the Meyer Architecture and Design Firm.)
Meyer, a national award-winning architecture and design firm, is proud to partner with Variety — the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley — on the construction and redesign of its sprawling 77-acre campus in Worcester.
Meyer’s updates to the campus will be the first new construction at Variety in more than 40 years and will help to bring the 70-year-old campus up to the universal accessibility standards of today. This work will allow Variety to expand its year-round vocational training for children and young adults with disabilities in a modern, safe, and nurturing environment that is accessible for all participants, their families, and staff.
The reimagined facilities will include a 3,000 square-foot cabin with classrooms, a completely updated, 19,200 square-foot community gym and sports center and an all-new 8,600 square-foot VarietyWorks headquarters and welcome center with dedicated training spaces and simulated work environments to support VarietyWorks, the organization’s innovative programming model for workforce development and community-based employment.
"The revitalization of our aging campus infrastructure will help us deliver the highest quality vocational training and programming in a safe, modern and accessible environment,” said Variety Chief Executive Officer Dominique Bernardo. "Meyer has been an invaluable partner, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to bring this transformational project to life.”
A longtime supporter of Variety’s mission, Meyer is leveraging its industry-leading expertise across disciplines to provide architecture and design services for this project, which will incorporate the principles of flexibility, wellness, and universal design.
"We are thrilled to marshal Meyer’s considerable expertise and resources to help Variety execute its long-term strategic vision and create facilities that match the organization’s expanded mission of offering robust year-round vocational training,” said Meyer Principal and Variety Board Member Phil Burkett, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP, LEED AP.
Founded as a children’s fundraising organization in 1935, Variety originally served as the region’s first summer camp for child survivors of polio, after the Posel family gifted the nonprofit its expansive "country estate” in 1949. Over the decades, Variety’s 77-acre property in Montgomery County has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of children and young adults with a range of diagnoses through year-round programing, including camps, educational services, and vocational training.
Recently, the organization launched VarietyWorks, which exposes young adults to different career opportunities and matches them with community-based employment based on their unique interests, skills, and levels of independence. Slated for completion in late 2024, the VarietyWorks headquarters building will feature dedicated areas for job coaching, administration and assessment needs and space for vocational training in simulated retail, warehousing, and office environments.
"With Meyer’s help, Variety will be well-prepared to meet the unique demand for new offerings at VarietyWorks, with modernized and improved spaces that respond to the changing needs of those we serve,” said Variety Board President Maribeth Roman Schmidt.
The Meyer team includes Phil Burkett, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP, LEED AP; Principal Debra Breslow, NCIDQ, IIDA, WELL AP; Senior Project Manager Glenn Sarsale, AIA, NCARB; Architectural Designer Sam Turner; and Visualization Lead Vaughn Forman.
Meyer and Variety are actively engaged in ongoing collaborative visioning sessions for the campus. Construction on the first cabin began in 2023, with completion slated for early 2024. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
