Melissa and Armando Bernasconi moved into their home in downtown Flagstaff in 1999, with Armando’s college roommate Ben Sufcliffe. Ben had Cerebral Palsy. He was intelligent and driven, but had no control of his limbs and was not able to speak, walk or care for himself. Ben required total assistance with his physical needs – toileting, bathing and feeding.

The Bernasconis wanted to help give Ben access to the same life experiences that they got to enjoy. They took him everywhere, making sure he had the opportunity to do all the things that young people in their twenties do, including some activities that were frowned on by others at the time. Ben truly became part of the family.Ben wanted two things in life more than anything: a girlfriend and a job. He wanted to be self-sufficient and pay his fair share of taxes.

This became the mission of Quality Connections – to help people like Ben become independent, productive members of our community. Quality Connections was formed, and Ben was hired as the Webmaster. His job was to upload products onto the website using his communication device. Several years later, Ben was married to the love of his life. Armando was his Best Man. Sadly, Ben passed away in June 2013, but his legacy lives on at QC Office, which now helps many other people in pursuit of their employment dreams.