Outlook
Creating Opportunities for People with Special Needs
INSIDE this issue
2 Roger Writes
Roger calls on us to contribute
to the disability movement.
3 News
Autism team participates in
health care symposium.
Thank you, Business Partners!
4 Spotlights
Welcome, new Board
Members!
5
In the United States today, “strength-based” and “person-centered” approaches that respond to each
individual’s gifts and goals are generally recognized as being most effective for helping people with disabilities
and their families. Yet, it has only been forty years or so since the cause of equal rights for people with special
needs came to the forefront of national awareness. In 1963 President John F. Kennedy made a momentous
speech that awakened public thought about deeply held negative attitudes and unequal treatment of people
with disabilities that were prevalent at the time. In mandating equal rights for people of color, the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 effectively set the stage for the enactment of similar legislation in support of people with
disabilities. In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act ensured that children with disabilities
would get a “free appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and related services
designed to meet their unique needs.” The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 further broke down
barriers to education, rehabilitation and employment of individuals with disabilities. In this issue, we look
at approaches to services for people with disabilities elsewhere in the world. These highly personal accounts
reflect the experiences and information available to each person whose visit is recounted in these pages.
An Adventure of a Lifetime
By Susan Thomas
Sue Thomas is a social worker at Franziska Racker Centers. She works with children and their families
through the Counseling for School Success Program at our Cortland BOCES site (see page 9).
In 2006, I went to the Philippines for a month via a Rotary
International sponsored program called Group Study Exchange
(GSE). The program’s underlying mission: to promote world
peace and aide through cultural and professional sharing. I was
thrilled to be given an opportunity to examine my profession,
social work, in a part of the world I never imagined I would see.
After several weeks of training and preparation I embarked,
with four teammates, on an adventure of a lifetime.
Close-up Views:
Disability services in
other parts of the world
The Caregivers Forum:
Dealing with anger
The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands located
in Southeastern Asia. It is a land of considerable geographic
beauty, and home to a population that I can only describe as
friendly, talented, generous and joyful.
10 Making Friends
How you can become a
Friend of the Centers
Generous gifts for key needs:
Emerson Power Transmission
J.M. McDonald Foundation
SPRING 2007
ABOUT this issue…
The Centers Section
11 Making It Happen
QUARTERLY
Writer and staff member of the Centers
Susan Thomas found both “depths of
poverty” and “a sense of amazement at
the resiliency and resourcefulness of
the Filipino people” on her recent visit
to the Philippines.
I lived with four different host families during my visit. Each
morning I would rise early (often to the crow of a rooster),
dress in my uniform for hot, sunny weather, then head out to
join my teammates for a day of cultural exchange and learning.
I met hundreds of Filipino people, and visited several schools,
orphanages, prisons and housing projects. I learned about the
substantial financial divide between the wealthy and the poor.
continued on page 9
Roger Writes
EDITOR/LAYOUT:
Costello Operating Solutions
CONTRIBUTORS: Karen Backer,
Kathy Berggren, Dawn Bricen, Joan
Costello, Perri LoPinto, Roger Sibley,
Susan Thomas
This week I only got two mailings about leadership.
One is an issue of a professional journal dedicated to the
subject, the other an invitation to attend a weeklong seminar
on Developing Leadership (as long as I pay). I belong to a service
organization at which we are reminded fairly often that we
are all leaders. Some of our employees have participated in
Leadership Tompkins and Leadership Cortland.
Executive Director: Roger R. Sibley
Medical Director: C. Philip Meyer, M.D.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Stephen Lipinski
Vice President: Robert Bantle
Treasurer: Mark G. Masler
Secretary: Robin Tuttle
DIRECTORS
If I were to ask you whether you would rather be a leader or a follower, what would you say?
It is nowadays a loaded question, like, “are you busy enough?” There is seemingly only one
correct answer.
As I am finishing my twenty-eighth year as an executive director, one could make an
assumption that I am a “leader.” It is true that I do lead sometimes. I also follow a lot. The
Centers is a member of state and national organizations, United Way in three counties, and
I sit on a couple boards of directors, where I am, pardon me, “one of the gang.” And inside
Franziska Racker Centers, there are a lot of people leading various things, and my role may
be follower, encourager, supporter, or just cheering from the grandstand.
A few years ago United Way of America adopted the phrase “what matters,” indicating that
United Ways across the country will focus on the important things. I am always interested
in “what works.” Gary Wills in his book Certain Trumpets said that successful organizations
need three things: leadership, “followership”, and a shared purpose or vision. He suggests,
and I agree, that all three must be present and functional if the organization, movement, or
whatever is to be successful.
I think about our little Franziska Racker Centers. There have been so many voices, so many
hands involved in our becoming what we are today. Knowledge, ideas, and enthusiasm have
come through a thousand doors, from staff, families, people getting services, Board Members
and volunteers, from our friends in the community. (I myself had an idea in 1983, although I
don’t recall exactly what it was at the moment.)
Much of our society, government especially, values hierarchy, regulation, and power. I believe
that those things stifle progress. Because you are reading the Outlook, you support creating
opportunities that include and welcome people with disabilities in your community. In that,
you might do a little leadership, a little encouraging, a little brainstorming.
Whatever it is called, whatever role you choose, the disability movement needs contributors.
You.
Franziska Racker Centers
Roger Sibley
Executive Director
2
Karin Burgess
Rick Cowan
Eugene C. Erickson
James Jones
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis
Heather Matthews
Brian McAree
William Motsko
Kate O’Connell
John Rudd
George T. Schneider
James E. Turner, Ph.D.
Rev. James Willard
Emeriti Directors
David Dunlop
Sam Forcucci
Margaret Gibson
Tom Longin
Dan McNeil
Dave Palmer
Chuck Tompkins
F. Ben Williams
Associate Directors
Dave Banfield
Carolyn Bartell
Sam Brewer
Daphne Cornell
John Crosby
Carolyn Greenwald
Richie Moran
Jack Murphy
Sarah Rich
Tom Smith
Paul Steiger
Jeff True
Mark Weidman
Tompkins County Sites
• Administration
3226 Wilkins Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: 607.272.5891 Fax: 607.272.0188
• Clinic
1001 W. Seneca St., Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: 607.277.8020 Fax: 607.277.7961
• TST BOCES
555 Warren Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
Tel: 607.257.2353 Fax: 607.257.2510
Cortland County Sites
• 882 NYS Rt. 13, Cortland, NY 13045
Tel: 607.753.9375 Fax: 607.758.9287
• OCM BOCES
1710 NYS Rt. 13, Cortland, NY 13045
Tel: 607.758.5100 Fax: 607.753.9546
Tioga County Sites
• 143 North Ave., Owego, NY 13827
Tel: 607.687.0678 Fax: 607.687.1723
• 1277 Taylor Rd., Owego, NY 13827
Tel: 607.687.8929 Fax: 607.687.8153
News
Franziska Racker Centers’ Autism Team
Participates in Symposium
Thank you
2006/2007
Business Partners
for your generous support and unfailing commitment
to the mission and vision of Franziska Racker Centers.
Members of the Centers’ autism team who attended the Martin Luther King,
Jr. Annual Symposium on Integrated Health Care are joined by Rev. William H.
Wilkinson, chaplain for Strong Memorial Hospital and Father Walter J. Smith,
president and CEO HealthCare Chaplaincy. The Centers team includes from left:
Meg Gillard, Annemarie Mattison, Dr. Karen Fried and Sheryl Edwards.
BorgWarner Morse TEC
Jeffrey J. & Mary E. Burdge Family Trust
Cayuga Helping Hands
Consulting Risk Associates, LLC
Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation
Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.
Emerson Power Transmission
Fred L. Emerson Foundation, Inc.
Ithaca Plumbing Supply Co.
J. M. McDonald Foundation, Inc.
McNeil Development Co., LLC
Novarr-Mackesey Property Management
NYS Elks Association
NYS Office of Children & Family Services
Pall Corporation
RMS Gravel
Senator James L. Seward
Siegel Foundation, Inc.
John Ben Snow Memorial Trust
Tioga United Way
Tompkins County Foundation
Tompkins Trust Company
A team from Franziska Racker Centers, led by Director of
Autism Services Dr. Karen Fried, participated in the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Symposium on Integrated
Health Care: Exploring Autism from Multiple Health
Professionals. Held in January at the Colgate Rochester
Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY., the symposium
was a collaboration between the Colgate Divinity School
and Ithaca College. The event brought together a panel of
experts from the fields of physical therapy, occupational
therapy, speech pathology, psychology, chaplaincy and
pastoral care. Panelists also shared personal experiences of
their own family members in the autistic spectrum.
In addition to Dr. Fried, the Centers’ team included
Occupational Therapist Meg Gillard, Social Worker
Annemarie Mattison and Speech Language Pathologist
Sheryl Edwards. The group presented their varied
experiences working with children with autism and their
families from each of their professional perspectives. Other
panelists spoke to the symposium’s overriding theme of
society’s ability to truly ‘make room’ for people who have
different needs and accept people for who they are, as well
as the difficulties children in the autistic spectrum often
have in social settings and how families often feel isolated.
Triad Foundation, Inc.
United Way for Cortland County
United Way of Tompkins County
Wegman’s Food Markets
The Centers offers extensive services for children in the
autism spectrum up to five years of age including integrated
classroom settings through the Partnership Program, early
intervention teams, diagnostic services and collaboration
with school districts that also want to use principles of
applied behavior analysis (ABA).
Our Business Partners are donors who make gifts of $1,000 or more.
3
Spotlights
Intr oducing
Our New Board Members
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis is a facial cosmetic surgeon on the medical
staff of Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca. Married to
wife, Kris, twenty-one years as of this June and with two
children, he has a passion for motorcycles and plays bass
guitar in a rock band. Ten years ago, Dr. Lewis responded
to the need for locally provided services to children and
adults with cleft palates and facial deformities by forming
the Cleft Palate and Facial Deformities Team. Recently
honored by Franziska Racker Centers with the 2006
Brick Miscall Community Service Award for the team’s
work with the special needs population, Lewis says of
his service on the Centers’ board, “It’s a ‘natural fit.’ My
interest and dedication to using my medical training,
background and experience to help children (with or
without disabilities) goes back more years than I can
count. I have been reasonably effective in both running
a small business and as a leader in different professional
organizations and believe those experiences will allow
me to contribute. I do think I have had moments of
effectively thinking ‘out of the box’ and seem to be geared
heavily towards efficiency, so that should serve the board
as well.”
New members of the Franziska Racker Centers Board of Directors include from
left: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, John Rudd, Brian McAree and Rev. James Willard.
John Rudd is senior vice president and chief financial
officer (CFO) of Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca,
a position he has held since he moved to Ithaca with
his wife and “two great kids” eleven years ago. With
experience on local boards including Challenge, Kendal
at Ithaca, The Investment Committee of Community
Foundation of Tompkins County, and the Planning
Committee of United Way, he observes, “Volunteer
service is important for me personally because I’m part
of the community and I need to give back. Serving on the
boards of local not-for-profits is a good way for me to
do that.” Rudd says his interest in serving on the board
of Franziska Racker Centers stems from “the quality
reputation of the organization and respect for Roger
Sibley.”
Rev. James Willard came to Berkshire, New York when
Brian McAree says that his “greatest career accomplishment” his youngest son was just one month old. He soon
is being vice president for Student Affairs and Campus
became the pastor of the First Congregational Church
Life at Ithaca College, where he is responsible for the
of Berkshire, where he has served for thirty-seven years.
leadership of a comprehensive student affairs and campus He and his wife, Karen, have four children and six
life program that includes nearly 200 employees in
grandchildren, with “one more on the way!” Rev. Willard’s
thirteen departments. He notes as his greatest overall
relationship with what was then The Special Children’s
accomplishment “being a good father and husband”—this Center started when he and his wife began attending
summer he is looking forward to celebrating twenty-five
classes for parents of children with disabilities. At four
years with his wife, Kris Corda, with whom he has three
months old his second son, Mark, was diagnosed with
children. McAree says he accepted board member Karen
Down syndrome. The early intervention that took place,
Burgess’s invitation to be the board representative from
he feels, was critical to Mark’s development. Rev. Willard
Ithaca College because he believes his past work with
readily agreed when member Bill Motsko asked if he
the United Way and the foundation of Cayuga Medical
would be interested in a Board position, saying, “I just
Center have provided him with experience that would
wanted to help other people understand all the great
enable him to contribute to the Centers’ board.
things the Centers can provide.”
4
11.02.07
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A Special Educator Visits Russia
By Karen Backer
“The travel time was long, the experience short, but well worth the
fatigue and jet lag that followed,” states Karen Backer of her recent
trip to Russia. Backer, a special educator at Dryden High School,
parent of a child with special needs and long-term Friend of the
Centers, received an invitation last spring from People to People
International to attend a conference in St. Petersburg, Russia on
inclusion and transition. “I thought long and hard about this, finally
found ways to finance the trip, and decided to go,” she says.
Special Educator Karen Backer attended a conference on inclusion and transition in
St. Petersburg, Russia that was sponsored by People to People International.
My heart goes out to the Russian people, especially those with
disabilities, as I do not feel that many are being given the
opportunity to reach their potential. In St. Petersburg, Russia,
students with disabilities are classified according to eight
categories of sight, hearing, physical and mental impairments.
Individual schools deal with a specific disability. Students with
emotional disturbances attend school with the general population.
Only about five to ten percent of special needs students are
integrated; the remainder attend special schools according to
disability.
Each special school develops an individual plan for students
using information from parents, teachers, psychologists,
psychotherapists, social workers, speech therapists, medics and
teachers. We visited one such school that was for students with
“hard defects of speech”—a direct translation. By our definitions
these students were students with a wide range of hearing, speech
and cognitive disabilities. I was happy to see small class sizes
ranging from six to eight students that were arranged by age/grade
and ability. Since all students had disabilities in language areas—
although different language areas and of different intensities—
approaches were designed to teach content and address language
arts deficiencies. The social segregation of these students from
their “typical” peers facilitated addressing both the content area
in concert with the language deficiencies. Some of these students
would go on to “college,” but most would obtain vocational
training, leave school and join the work force at about age sixteen.
It was interesting to note that the school building itself was very
old, in need of much maintenance and not handicap accessible.
5
continued on page 6
The Centers Section
The third site we visited was the Palace of Creative Work of the
Young. Housed in one of the Romanov palaces that had just been
restored for the centennial celebration of St Petersburg, this was
a youth center where the brightest and best students could study
music, art, sports, science and mathematics. However, there are
114 less competitive youth centers in the city where students can
participate in similar activities. While this center was in a restored
palace, the schools for children with disabilities were quite
decrepit. Separate, and very unequal!
GROWING UP in AMERICA: KAREN’S DAUGHTER, SHELLEY
As well as a special education professional, Karen Backer is the
parent of a child with special needs. Backer says of her daughter’s
educational experience in the U.S., “Even when Shelley was a
preschooler back in the early 1980’s, The Special Children’s Center
(now Franziska Racker Centers) provided early intervention services.
There were times when I had to butt heads with the schools to make
sure that Shelley received the least restrictive environment for her
education, but those accommodations were made. In many ways,
those with disabilities who are now pushing thirty paved the way
for kids today to be educated in a mainstreamed environment. The
schools were also able to provide therapists, counselors, nurses
and teachers who truly had my daughter’s interests at heart.
Programs like Care At Home,
Challenge, VESID, BOCES, Office
of the Aging and Long Term Care,
Medicaid and Medicare have all
contributed their part to Shelley’s
success. We are truly fortunate
to be Americans, and to live in
an area that is on the cutting
edge of acceptance of people
for who they are and recognition
Karen Backer’s daughter Shelley
of
their accomplishments and
now works as a secretary at
contributions to society.”
Franziska Racker Centers.
Culturally, this trip could not be beat. The sites were
extraordinary, and for a person who grew up when the Russians
were the “bad guys” and Sputnik was scary new technology, it was
“awesome” to be in Russia—in the literal sense of the word. But
the experience made me realize just how fortunate I am to be an
American citizen and educator. I know that we have a long way
to go in terms of equality. We are not always as successful as we
would like to be. Yet students, parents, related service providers
and teachers make every effort to provide for our students with
disabilities. I can go to bed at night knowing that the effort was
there, and that the students have gained something, even if not all
of what we wanted.
Community Based Possibilities in Mexico
By Joan Costello
Joan Costello is the former assistant director of Community Relations
at Franziska Racker Centers. She maintains her relationship with
the Centers as a freelance writer, editor, and designer of various
publications including this newsletter and the annual report.
Russia… from page 5
It was by chance that I visited Piña Palmera, a non-governmental
center for disabled and other children from communities in
the rural, southern coastal area of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Learning that it was just a short stroll down the beach where I
vacationed in early 2006, I ventured one morning into the bright
complex of stucco buildings whose roofs are thatched with the
palm trees that grace the property and give the agency its name.
Finding a cordial group of people eating in an open-air cafeteria,
I inquired in halting Spanish whether I might take a tour.
We also visited an orphanage. Here the atmosphere was very
warm, loving and supportive. Russian orphanages are quite
different from what Americans think of as orphanages. It appears
that there is little or no foster care in Russia. When children
are removed from parental custody (usually for drug or alcohol
related issues), they are placed in orphanages. This orphanage was
home and school for sixty children aged four to sixteen. Twelve
of them had lost both parents and the remainder had been
removed from their parents’ homes. All of these children were
classified as mentally retarded. They learned basic living skills
and were trained in very basic job skills such as sewing, cleaning
and cooking. At age sixteen or seventeen, these children would
be expected to find work and support themselves. Again, the
facility was not handicap accessible, and was very old and in need
of repair. These children were almost completely separated from
the outside world. They rarely left the facility except for some
extracurricular activities similar to our Special Olympics.
I was directed to the center’s office, where friendly staff quickly
found a guide. Sophia was a physical therapist and volunteer
from Sweden who also spoke English. She worked at the center
along with fifteen other international volunteers and twenty-four
Mexican staff where, she said, everyone—employees, volunteers
and extended-stay service recipients—had input in decision
making. The group I’d seen enjoying a balanced breakfast had
included anyone who wanted to come: people receiving services,
staff and their children, volunteers and “just lonely mothers.”
6
Mexico… from page 6
My tour included a medical clinic; facilities
for speech therapy, physical therapy,
occupational therapy, acupuncture and
massage; a small pool used for evaluations
and therapy; housing for visiting families
and volunteers; a vocational training area;
and a sales shop where items produced at
the center are sold. Ecological practices
abound: there is an organic garden,
composting, dry lavatories, water gathering
and saving measures, and contacts with a
nearby ecological rural reserve.
The Art of
Paper Recycling
at Piña
An institution at its founding twenty
years ago, at the time of my visit only four
individuals with severe disabilities lived at
Piña Palmera. The agency serves people with
both physical and mental disabilities and
“social” disabilities—children who, due to
conditions such as alcoholism or profound
deprivation in the extreme rural poverty of
Oaxaca, lack forms of stimulation that they
need for normal development.
Programs are designed to provide training
and basic elements and items of equipment
and support so children can be integrated
into their families and communities. This
is challenging in rural Mexico, where fear
and rejection are common reactions to
disabilities. At the heart of the services
provided at the center is Community Based
Rehabilitation (CBR), a model advocated by
the World Health Organization to “ensure
that people with disabilities have equal
access to rehabilitation and other services
and opportunities—health, education and
income—as do all other members of society.”
CBR operates on many levels out in the
seven rural communities that Piña Palmera
serves. The week I visited, a team of doctors
was expected to arrive from the United
States to perform eye surgery and provide
hearing evaluations and aids to people who
had signed up over the course of the year. At
least once a month, a team consisting of two
Manuel, a trainee, and Pi, an instructor
and volunteer, were waiting to provide
a demonstration at the vocational
training area’s first stop, paper
recycling. Manuel had been at the
center for sixteen months, learning how
to tear used paper, then mix it, blend it
and press it into a heavy handcrafted
paper using a glue-like cactus. Soon
Manuel would return with his skill to his
family and community. His paper would
be made into books and diaries, and
sold in Piña Palmera’s gift shop.
7
physical therapists, a social worker, psychologist,
special education teacher and sign language
instructor travels to each of the outlying
communities to provide services and training.
At the center itself, “access to rehabilitation and
other services and opportunities” is oriented
toward success in the community. Families come
for weeklong camps where children aged ten
and under are assessed for possible disabilities
and parents receive training in caring for a child
with a disability. Children with severe disabilities
and their families attend three-day mini-camps
where activities like workshops, music, theater,
painting, games and dance are used “to show
families that their children can be independent
and do things,” Sophia said.
In the vocational area, people with disabilities
learn skills that afford a level of economic
independence back in their home communities.
Volunteer Pi and student Manuel demonstrated
for me the art of using recycled paper to make
handcrafted paper, which would then be made
into books and diaries. In an immaculate,
well-organized carpentry shop, volunteer Al
showed me how they fashioned items ranging
from chairs and tables, to adaptations such as
crutches, walkers and special seating, to neatly
crafted wooden bird mobiles and jigsaw puzzles.
I went on to finishing where people with
disabilities learn to bring the crafts produced in
carpentry to life with colorful, carefully applied
paints. These items are sold at reasonable prices
in the gift shop near Piña Palmera’s entrance,
which is just off an international tourist beach.
As a physical therapist, Sophia said she utilized
tools readily available to her, such as arranging
hydrotherapy in the ocean. “We teach a child
how to play, stimulate them and do simple
exercises. It might just be to help someone have
the opportunity to enjoy being in the water.
Sometimes it’s not what we do,” she concluded.
It’s to show what’s possible.” From what I saw on
my visit that day, it’s like Al in the carpentry shop
told me. “Anything is possible at Piña.”
The Centers Section
The Caregivers Forum:
One Mother’s Anger
In this edition of Outlook, we begin a new
feature in “The Centers Section” in which we
invite caregivers of people with disabilities to
express their views.
We start with the first of a two-part essay on
anger by Kathy Berggren, “mom of sevenyear-old twins
Annika and Linus,
wife of Martin,
Senior Lecturer
in the Cornell
Communication
Department, and
Parent Advocate/
Family Support
to families with
disAbilities.”
Many of you may
Kathy Lee Berggren
recognize Kathy
from Outlook’s
former feature column, “Ask Kathy.”
If you are interested in submitting an article
or to respond to the current article, contact
Dawn Bricen, Assistant Director of Community
Relations, by phone at 607.272.5891 x 224, or
through email at dawnb@rackercenters.org.
American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist
Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “For
every minute you are angry you lose
sixty seconds of happiness.” An all
too common emotion that may mask
frustration, sadness and fear, anger
seems to seep into every crevice of
one’s life when raising a child with a
disability. Anger feels ever present and
increasing the more I learn and navigate
the landscape of the disability culture.
What am I angry about?
I am angry with myself for some of
my own attitudes, responses, and
feelings. I am angry at complete
strangers who say, “What is
wrong with her?” I am angry with
bureaucracies that seem more
interested in potential income that a
“consumer” represents than the well
being of that individual. I am angry
with professionals that promote
mediocrity rather than excellence.
I am angry at school systems that
value test scores over everything else.
I am angry with my husband for not
always being on the same time line
for worrying or reacting. I am angry
at extended family for overreacting
and being over involved at times and
apathetic at other times. I am angry
at attitudes that foster segregation
and separation of differently abled
or appearing individuals. What can
I do to quiet my discontent and
face the complex challenges more
constructively?
competencies to become more
effective in influencing policy
development at all levels.
I find support by helping others
and educating those around me; I
continue to learn through leadership
opportunities, education, and
peer support; I join groups and
organizations that represent equity
and opportunity for all individuals.
I serve as a parent advocate and
family support specialist helping to
keep children at risk of residential
treatment functioning in their
homes and communities. I recently
completed an eight-month Partners
in Policymaking program, an
innovative national model of
leadership training designed to
provide state-of-the-art knowledge
about issues and policies related to
disability, and to develop participant
I maintain diverse interests,
activities, and relationships in my
own life. I constantly strive toward
my own personal, professional,
and social development. For me,
returning to work after my children’s
health had stabilized was a lifesaver.
I realized I could not fulfill all of
their needs. I could, however, help
build a village of support that would
offer them diverse experiences,
views, and examples while also
fulfilling their needs. My children
teach me every day; they offer
profound insights from their unique
experiences and achievements.
8
I teach my seven-year-old twins,
Annika and Linus, to advocate for
themselves. For example, at school,
discussions arose as to whether
Annika should ride in a red wagon
through the halls to conserve her
energy. Instead of deciding for
Annika, we provided tools so that
she could decide for herself. Annika
chose to walk the halls on her
own, even if she went slower than
the other students. Over time, my
children’s many doctors and medical
treatments have been replaced by
an extraordinary support team of
therapists, teachers, family members,
and caregivers. I am overwhelmed
at the progress Annika and Linus
have made; I attribute their amazing
strides to this incredible support
system.
How dare I still be angry? Slowly, I
make progress towards happiness.
Adventure… from page 1
Hunger, contaminated water supplies,
and inadequate housing are huge public
health concerns in the capital city of
Manila. As the agricultural industry in
the Philippines has been outsourced
to other countries, many people have
migrated to the cities looking for better
economic opportunities. Because most
lack marketable skills, they end up living
in blighted areas under bridges and
beside rivers in shelters made of scrap
wood, boxes and corrugated iron. Water
is a luxury and must be carried in to most
of these areas.
Each day unveiled to me a deeper
understanding of the depths of poverty,
but with it, a sense of amazement at
the resiliency and resourcefulness of
the Filipino people. I witnessed an
inspirational children’s initiative called
F.A.I.T.H., standing for Food Always
In The Home. This school-based
project works to reduce hunger and
teach children self-sustainability and
independence by growing their own food,
using whatever resources available. The
schools were supplied with seeds and soil,
and the children were taught to utilize
any container they could find. Discarded
filing cabinets, recycled food containers,
even empty toilet tanks were used to
Children learn “self-sustainability and independence
by growing their own food” in the FAITH garden project.
grow vegetables. Children learned to
share responsibilities and generously
distribute the produce to those in need.
This strength-based, public school
gardening endeavor appeared to be the
means for daily nourishment and survival
for thousands of children. The sense of
belonging that resulted from F.A.I.T.H.
was truly beautiful.
The Filipino joy of singing and dancing
is an unexpected gift that I have brought
back to my work here. Karaoke is so
popular that there are machines even
in McDonald’s restaurants! People sing
while waiting for meals, before starting
meetings, and on their coffee breaks.
From day one, I had to set aside any
bashfulness and sing publicly. I have
found that Karaoke naturally elevates the
mood, so I have been doing it with my
students every Friday afternoon. They
love it.
Sadly, because human service work is so
focused on basic survival needs, mental
health awareness and special education
for children is decades behind. This
became apparent to me as several times
I observed the educated public using the
term “autistic” as a general definition for
a variety of disabling conditions. I did
visit one school for children with Down
syndrome. I was informed that only
the wealthiest families could afford this
school. Most children with disabilities do
not have access to public education.
I recognize how very fortunate we are
to have mental health and educational
systems that continue to research
and develop interventions that help
individuals with disabilities. I can now
share the knowledge I have gained
while working at the Centers with the
counselors and educators I have stayed in
contact with in the Philippines.
9
Working with the Earth
An employee of Franziska Racker Centers
since 1993, Susan Thomas works with the
Turning Point Program at our Cortland
BOCES site, where she holds positions as
both mental health therapist and admissions
coordinator for the Day Treatment Program.
As a therapist, she provides counseling
support and case management services to
at-risk high school students. Much of her
therapeutic work with youth is directly
connected to the McEvoy Children’s Garden,
a project conceived by Thomas to provide
a range of educational and therapeutic
opportunities for students with special
needs.
Sue Thomas and GSE are welcomed to the Philippines.
Thomas says of her trip to the Philippines,
“The desolation of the environment I
witnessed serves as a reminder about the
importance of educating and providing
opportunities for youth to interact with,
appreciate and respect nature. This can be
effectively done in public school gardens.
I am an avid believer that great healing
happens when one works with the Earth.”
Making Friends
United Way Member Organization
YES
Your Gift Makes a Difference
and We Thank You!
I want to be a
Friend of the Centers.
Enclosed is my gift in the amount of: $
When you become a Friend of the Centers, you help us
provide people with disabilities the services, supports and
opportunities they need to do the things that are important
to all of us: learn, have new experiences, enjoy friends and
family, and be contributing members of our communities.
.
Please direct my gift to:
Unrestricted Annual Support
Bohn Family Fund
Frances G. Berko Lectureship Fund
Frances V. Wilson Memorial Fund
Franziska W. Racker Memorial Fund
Richard M. Leavitt, M.D. Memorial Fund
Scriber/Cash Family Fund
Tompkins Trust Company Bridge Fund
My Gift is in
HONOR of:
Funding Options
Unrestricted Annual Support allows us to respond to areas of
immediate need.
Bohn Family Fund created by Donna and Tom Bohn, provides
resources and supports for families with children having
special needs.
MEMORY of:
Frances G. Berko Lectureship Fund created in memory of
Dr. Berko, the Centers’ executive director from 1964–
1974, supports community education and professional
development for those working in the disability field.
Please contact me for information on who to notify about my gift.
I wish to remain anonymous.
(You will be acknowledged in our Donor Report unless you request otherwise.)
I am interested in receiving information on the Centers’ Planned Giving
opportunities.
Frances V. Wilson Memorial Fund created by Margaret Gibson,
provides financial support for needed items not covered by
traditional funding sources.
I would like to leave a gift to Franziska Racker Centers in my will and
need advisement on how to do this.
Franziska W. Racker Memorial Fund created in memory of
our former medical director and the agency’s namesake,
supports early childhood services, an area that was dear to
Dr. Racker’s heart.
I have left a gift to Franziska Racker Centers in my will.
PAYMENT INFORMATION
Check made out to Franziska Racker Centers enclosed.
Please charge my donation to:
Visa
Richard M. Leavitt, M.D. Memorial Fund created by Judy Leavitt
and her sons, provides support for special experiences for
children and young adults with disabilities.
Mastercard
Card Number
/
Expiration Date
Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone
E-mail
Signature
Date
Scriber/Cash Family Fund created by Jody and Kent Scriber
and David and Lori Cash, supports community-based
experiences for preschool/elementary age children with
special needs.
Tompkins Trust Company Bridge Fund supports otherwise
unfunded clinical services for children throughout the year.
For more information on making a donation to
Franziska Racker Centers
call Perri LoPinto at 607.272.5891 x 234 or
or email perri@rackercenters.org.
Clip completed form and send to:
Franziska Racker Centers • 3226 Wilkins Rd. • Ithaca, NY 14850
~
Thank you. Your gift is tax-deductible.
10
Making it Happen
Emerson Power Transmission Makes $30,000 Gift
By Perri LoPinto, director of Community Relations and Development
Emerson Power Transmission has stepped forward with a generous
gift to cover the start-up costs of implementing a new software
package for Franziska Racker Centers’ Human Resources
Department. With over 600 people employed by the Centers,
the agency was in dire need of a new system that would handle
the many different human resource components seamlessly
and efficiently. This new web-based system, called Ceridian,
will be a benefit to all areas of the agency as supervisors will
have the ability to access staff information online.
Putting the system in place
was costly. Emerson’s gift of
$30,000 will cover training,
implementation and conversion
of all human resources data.
This gift is an investment in
the future of the Centers, allowing the agency to better serve
current staff and be poised for future growth. It is deeply
appreciated!
J.M. McDonald Foundation Supports Lectureship Fund
in Memory of Frances G. Berko
By Perri LoPinto, director of Community Relations and Development
The J.M. McDonald Foundation has made a generous gift of $15,000
to create a new fund in memory of Frances G. Berko. Dr.
Berko was the executive director of Franziska Racker Centers
from 1964 through 1974.
much of her time on informing
the community about the agency’s
programs and goals.
A graduate of Hunter College, Frances Giden Berko had a
law degree from Fordham University as well as an MA from
New York University. As a leader in the development of the
United Cerebral Palsy movement and a founder of United
Cerebral Palsy of New York State and of Kansas, she worked
energetically on legislation on behalf of the disabled. Dr. Berko
also had cerebral palsy.
In keeping with the culture
created under her direction, the
Frances G. Berko Lectureship
Fund supports community
education and professional
development for those working
in the disability field, which Dr.
Berko advocated for strongly.
Dr. Berko was devoted to the growth of the agency and gained
a tremendous amount of community support for its mission.
In accordance with her belief that the most important function
of the organization was “public education for more adequate
acceptance of people with special needs,” she concentrated
For more information on the
Frances G. Berko Lectureship
Fund, call Perri LoPinto at
607.272.5891 x 234 or email
perri@rackercenters.org.
Francis G. Berko strongly
supported community
education and professional
development for those working
in the disability field.
Mission~ Our Mission is to help individuals, primarily those with special needs, and
their families, achieve their goals for success and happiness. We do this by creating
opportunities for learning, having friends, making decisions and participating.
Vision~ We work within our community to celebrate diversity and promote human
Dr. Franziska W. Racker
with preschool children
interdependence. All people are welcomed and encouraged to participate in society.
11
Faces
Franziska Racker Centers
Serving the community for nearly sixty years
of the Centers
Twelve members of the Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey team took time over their winter
holiday break and busy practice schedule to visit the Childcare and Preschool
Programs at our Wilkins Road site. All of the children were very excited by the
visit and welcomed the ‘big kids’ into their classes. The Centers is teaming up
with Cornell hockey and Tompkins Trust Company for the second season to
support early childhood programs with Saves for the Centers. Funds raised are
based on the number of saves that the goalies
make during regular and post-season play.
Tompkins Trust Company has pledged $5 per
save. For more information on this collaboration
with Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey and Tompkins
Trust, contact us at 607.272.5891 or email
info@rackercenters.org. Above left: Goaltender
Ben Scrivens, Top right: Forward Topher Scott,
Bottom right: Defense Doug Krantz & Forward
Blake Gallagher, Right: Forward Tony Romano
Outlook
www.rackercenters.org
Who We Are~ Incorporated in 1948, Franziska
Racker Centers is a private, nonprofit organization
that works to provide opportunities, primarily for
individuals with special needs, and their families, to
achieve their goals for success and happiness. Each
year approximately 2,000 people—newborns to
senior citizens—participate in a wide range of
individualized programs, services and supports that
are structured to respond to personally defined goals
for having a nice life. The Centers:
•Employs more than 600 people
•Serves mainly the New York State counties of
Tompkins, Cortland and Tioga
•Works in the homes of individual families, in
area schools, in our facilities and residences, and
with other service organizations to provide
programs for those with special needs, from
infants to senior citizens. Our audiology clinic
and day care/preschool programs serve both the
special needs population and the general public.
For information, call 607.272.5891 x 224
E-mail: info@rackercenters.org
Franziska Racker Centers
3226 Wilkins Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Non-Profit Organization
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PAID
Permit No. 780
Ithaca, NY 14850