This agency was created with great love and compassion. The prevailing sentiment of the day was to send children with disabilities to state run institutions. But these families wanted to keep their children close physically and emotionally by raising them in their own homes, and in their own communities. Love, compassion, friendship and a sense of community are pervasive in our organizational culture. That’s why we refer to those we serve as “friends,” rather than “clients” whenever possible.
In an era when the predominant belief was that people with disabilities should be institutionalized and isolated from the rest of society, our founders dreamed BIG DREAMS for their children. This same attitude of hope and expectancy permeates all we say and do.
Our founders sacrificed their time, money, and energy to make this agency a reality. We stand upon the shoulders of those pioneers who came before us. The willingness to work hard and to do ‘whatever it takes’ to get the job done is still a big part of who we are today.
Those early leaders made a number of strategic financial decisions that set us up for fiscal health today. Thanks to their wisdom and foresight – we have no debt, and we have funds in reserve! We still experience financial limitations and occasional shortfalls in our operating budget, but because we have no debt we enjoy unusual organizational stability. This stability enables us to operate with a long-term perspective, and to remain relentlessly focused on the well being of the friends we serve and the staff who serve them.