Al Cassidy has been interested in characters and stories from a very young age. Growing up, his father's work in sales and marketing took the family of six all over the US-from Florida to California, Minnesota to Utah, and everywhere in between. Having to adapt to new places and relationships on the fly made him a talented observer, and he learned to quickly hone in on the defining characteristics that make each person, place, and situation unique. By age three, Cassidy was learning to draw animals, people and materials. This began a great enthusiasm for crafting characters based on observations gleaned throughout his travels and using them to tell stories. He pursued the arts through high school and college, graduating second in class from The Art Institute of Philadelphia then diving into the working world, merging his skills as an artist with communication in business. He learned the ropes of branding, marketing and advertising while working with agencies whose clients included nationally recognized brands, small businesses, musicians, individuals and everyone in between. After 15 years primarily serving for-profit clients, Cassidy chose to redirect his focus to non-profit organizations. Like the characters in his childhood comics, Al Cassidy believes each person has a certain something that sets us apart, and that we all have something valuable to contribute to society. This belief was the drive behind the creation of Freeing Linhurst. Having witnessed firsthand the prejudice those with intellectual disabilities face, he observed the many conflicting lenses people view the crumblin