Pride in North Carolina (PRIDE) is a private organization established in 1988 to provide services to persons of all ages with mental illness, mental retardation and behavioral disorders. PRIDE provides a community-based network of services designed to serve an individual’s needs in the least restrictive and most appropriate setting. Services are developed based upon the premise that programs should be as flexible and nonrestrictive as the individual’s needs allow. Additionally, these services should change as the needs of the individual changes. PRIDE services are rooted in the concept of normalization – the belief that all persons, regardless of the nature and extent of disability, should be integrated into their community and enjoy all the residential, recreational, educational, vocational and social benefits the community offers. This approach maximizes continuity with the individual’s own family and community network.