AbilityFirst Magazine - Winter 2010

Winter 2010 Volume 1 / Issue 1

Lee Meriwether There’s beauty in her actions, too

CaMp paivika A place to be me

Matteo paturzo A day in the life

CaMp paivika

Camp Paivika

600 Playground Drive

Crestline, California 92325

909.338.1102

[email protected]

www.abilityfirst.org/camppaivika

For special needs kids and adults, AbilityFirst Camp Paivika is an oasis of possibility.

It is a place where lifelong friendships are made, and where campers blossom and thrive.

It is a place of safety and compassion.

Campers experience the wonders and fun of camp including horseback riding, swimming,

adaptive sports and recreation, and more. The rewards are great. Families gain a much

needed respite.

Camp Paivika Memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

1

2profiLe

Lee MeriwetherAlways Here

As an AbilityFirst

Honorary Chairperson

4 feature

Toyota Getting Involved-Making

a Statement

5profiLe

Barbara Rosas An Independent Life

through AbilityFirst

6profiLe

Michael GriggsSoars at Camp Paivika

In this issueDear Readers,

Welcome to AbilityFirst Magazine, spotlighting the people we touch in the many communities we serve.

In this issue, you will read about giving and caring people who help move our organization’s mission forward – program participants, donors, staff and businesses. You will also meet several of the individuals in our programs and learn how their lives have been enhanced by AbilityFirst.

Matteo Paturzo is our cover story. This remarkable teenager is never left out. It takes a team of people, family and AbilityFirst staff, on a daily basis to maintain his maximum level of care. AbilityFirst is there to accommodate Matteo with care and an understanding of his needs.

As you read, keep in mind that it is your continued financial support that enables us to provide the best programs in nurturing environments. Our ability to do this has always been – and will continue to be – directly correlated with your desire to support us. State budget cuts will affect people with disabilities who are most vulnerable and who strive daily to build their self esteem, confidence and independence. We are trying to keep all cuts as far from the lives of people with disabilities as possible. Will you help us? Please visit our website to make a donation of any amount.

Sincerely,

Lori GangemiPresident and CEO

Our missionAbilityFirst provides programs and services to help children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities realize their full potential throughout their lives.

Editor Carolyn Aguayo

Writing Lynne Heffley

Design FreeAssociates

Photography Jim Douglass and Ed Krieger

8profiLe

Rick WatsonCommunity Role Model

“It’s like a love that was just

there to be found”

10profiLe A Day in the Life:

Matteo PaturzoMatteo thrives in the

AbilityFirst – Anaheim

Program

12feature

Building Independence—Celebrating CommunityThe Joan and Harry A. Mier

Center Capital Campaign

builds momentum

13profiLe

Joetta Di BellaTouched by AbilityFirst

Legacy Society member

leaves her mark

14GaLLery Around AbilityFirst

16annuaL report Financials 2008 and 2009

17ConneCtion Directory and Leadership

always2

hereLee Meriwether:

always3ProfIlelee MerIWether / honorary ChaIrPerson

here for abiLityfirst

The Miss America pageant, that is.

Winner of the Miss San Francisco and

Miss California pageants, Lee was a drama

student at City College of San Francisco

when she was crowned Miss America

of 1955 in the pageant’s first live telecast

which aired in September, 1954.

The young beauty queen’s professional

acting career began in the Philco

Television Playhouse, a distinguished

anthology drama program. She used her

pageant scholarships to study in New

York with legendary acting teacher Lee

Strasberg and famed tap dancer and

choreographer Paul Draper.

Soon, Lee was one of Hollywood’s busiest

actresses, with starring or recurring roles

in multiple TV series. Her small screen

credits range from “Dr. Kildare,” “Time

Tunnel,” “Mission Impossible” and

“Barnaby Jones” to her current continuing

turn as Ruth Martin in “All My Children.”

Among her favorite big screen roles are

“Angel in My Pocket” with Andy Griffith

and “The Undefeated” with Rock Hudson

and John Wayne. (And “Batman” buffs

take note: Lee was slinky, seductive

Catwoman in the original 1966

“Batman” movie.)

Currently, Lee is featured in two upcoming

independent films: “Much Ado About

AbilityFirst has been blessed with

many loyal supporters since

its inception as the Crippled

Children’s Society of Southern California

in 1926. For more than three decades, Lee

Meriwether—a former Miss America and

an actress instantly recognizable from her

rich and varied career in film, television

and theater—has been one of them.

A frequent participant in AbilityFirst’s

“Hooray for Hollywood” events at the

Lawrence L. Frank Center, Lee began

helping with fundraising efforts and

raising awareness for the organization in

the 1970s. It was then that the late Christie

Palmer, another longtime AbilityFirst

supporter, invited Lee to participate in an

upcoming fundraiser.

Lee, who has lent her name and support to

numerous charities throughout her career,

responded with characteristic enthusiasm

and found herself at “The World’s Greatest

Working Truck Show,” a former annual

benefit for AbilityFirst.

She returned year after year as chairperson

of the benefit. With the advent of other

fundraising events, “I just stayed on and

have been one of the honorary chairs who

helps out whenever called upon.”

Lee also became a frequent visitor to

AbilityFirst community centers, because

she was struck, she says, by the progress

that she observed individual young

program participants make over time.

“I saw what was being done and what was

being taught and what was being learned,”

Lee says. “That, more than anything else,

has probably spurred me on to say ‘yes’

whenever anyone called, to help out in any

way I can.”

Lee also uses her celebrity status during

appearances at memorabilia shows to

spread the word about Camp Paivika,

AbilityFirst’s fully accessible recreation

facility for children and adults in the San

Bernardino Mountains. “I let people know

that the money that they’re giving me for

signing autographs and for pictures goes

to Camp Paivika,” Lee says. She tells fans

that they can write a check to AbilityFirst

directly, too.

Lee’s commitment to helping others

began early in life. As a teenager, she

was a member of the International Order

of Rainbow Girls, a youth organization

for girls and young women dedicated to

leadership and service. When she became

“an aide to a nurse’s aide” at the Shriners

Hospital for Crippled Children in San

Francisco, she “began to look forward

to helping in any way I could,” and

remembers successfully feeding one little

boy who had been refusing to eat by telling

him about a Western she had seen.

“I was thinking of working with

emotionally disturbed children and using

theater as a teaching tool. Of course, I got

sidetracked with the pageant.”

A successful acting career and charitable work keeps this former Miss America busy and happy

Continued on page 4

4

Middle School,” and “Touching Home”

with Ed Harris.

Lee’s first love however, is the theater.

She is closely affiliated with Theatre

West, a respected professional theater

company in Hollywood, and among her

many other stage credits are national

tours of the all-star 20th anniversary

run of Dan Goggin’s riotous comedy

“Nunsense” and Neil Simon’s “Plaza

Suite,” the latter with her actor-playwright

husband, Marshall Borden.

(Lee’s daughters by her first marriage,

Lesley and Kyle Aletter, have followed in

their mom’s professional footsteps: Lesley

is a stuntwoman who has doubled for Lee,

and Kyle, an actress, has performed with

her mom on stage.)

Lee is now at work on her own one-

woman show, “The Women of Spoon River,

Their Voices From the Hill,” based on the

female characters in the Edgar Lee Master

classic, “Spoon River Anthology.”

Despite her full schedule, Lee continues

to find the time to be of service. She is

grateful that her career has allowed her to

“give back by caring for people and taking

care in a small way.” Helping AbilityFirst

in its efforts to help others, Lee says, is

always close to her heart.

“I don’t know why more people don’t

volunteer,” she says. “Maybe it’s difficult

for them. Maybe they don’t see the hope

that’s there. “

Continued from page 3

toyota: GettinG invoLved and MakinG a stateMent

Corporate partnerships are the mainstay of many AbilityFirst programs and services. Some of these vital partnerships support specific programs. Others underwrite AbilityFirst events or donate products or services in-kind. Some provide direct financial support.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., is one of the companies whose partnership is helping to advance the AbilityFirst mission. An annual donor since 2005, the Torrance-based company has contributed a $5,000 grant and financial sponsorships of $2,500 each for AbilityFirst’s 2006 and 2007 Festival of Fall annual fundraisers.

In addition, Toyota has generously donated two accessible vans to AbilityFirst community centers. The East Los Angeles Center received one of the vans, valued at $40,000, in 2005. The other van, a 2009 donation valued at $34,000, went to the Harry A. Mier Center.

“The event sponsorships support our Afterschool Programs,” says Mary Beth Perrine, AbilityFirst’s Vice President of Development, “and the two vans are significant gifts that go beyond their monetary value. We keep them for years and use them every day to accomplish one of our key initiatives: the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community.”

“We understand that, and we’re in the transportation business, so it works well,” says Michael Rouse, Toyota Motor Sales’ Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Affairs. Rouse notes that his company donates 50 to 60 vehicles to nonprofit groups each year, for either in-service use or for fundraising purposes.

Since 1991, Toyota as a whole has contributed more than $500 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S., with an emphasis on diverse communities and local organizations and a focus on the environment, education, safety and initiatives in other areas of need.

“Supporting local communities is important to the company,” Rouse says. “We want to give back to the communities that have supported us. It’s our small way of saying thank you.”

The “lion’s share” of Toyota’s support benefits education in various categories, Rouse says. “All of our affiliates are involved in supporting education. It goes to a core belief: An educated person has a better chance for success in life.”

In addition, “diversity is a major overlay to everything we do. When we’re looking at the various populations that we want to pay attention to and support, AbilityFirst falls under that heading of diversity. It goes a long way toward helping those with different abilities to realize their dreams.”

Harry A. Mier Center Activity Leader Rick Watson and program participants (l-r) Corinthia Brown, Shane Gray and Antonio Rosas get ready to travel into the community in a new Toyota van.

5ProfIle

IndependentBarBara rosas / res Ident and Work Center eMPloyee

In June 1961, high school

senior Barbara Rosas was

about to graduate. Like

most teens her age, she was

thinking about her future.

For Barbara, that meant a job

and independence. She knew,

however, that her epilepsy

would pose a challenge for

prospective employers.

Opportunity, however, was

closer than Barbara realized.

Throughout high school,

Barbara had been involved

in programs offered by

AbilityFirst (then the

Crippled Children’s Society)

and was a participant in the

afterschool program at the

Woodland Hills-based Paul

Weston Center.

(Established in 1954 by the

Crippled Children’s Society as

the Rancho Del Valle Center,

the facility was renamed to

honor big band leader Paul

Weston, a former board

member and supporter of

AbilityFirst.)

Barbara had noticed

adults with physical and

developmental disabilities

coming by bus to a large red

barn on the center grounds.

She learned that these adults

were employees of the center’s

work program who were

paid to perform assembly,

packaging, sorting and

other tasks.

“I felt it was time to start

looking for a job,” Barbara says,

“and it was right there

on the property.”

By July 1962, Barbara was

part of the center work crew.

She has been there ever

since, although the barn was

replaced in 1979 by the newly

built Paul Weston Work Center.

Barbara achieved another

personal milestone in

1989, when she left her

parents’ home in Encino and

moved into the AbilityFirst

Rancho del Valle residential

apartments that had just

opened on the center grounds.

“Everybody needs their own

place, but I didn’t know if I was

going to end up moving out,

because,” Barbara observes

matter-of-factly, “there’s not

many people who take to

people who are epileptic.”

Barbara adds that she was glad

when, in 1999, the Crippled

Children’s Society officially

became AbilityFirst. “That was

pretty nice,” she says. “It fits.

It means that what we can do

comes first.”

The Paul Weston Work Center

program is a growing success.

Last year marked a 70% rise

in productivity, and among

the businesses served by the

program are Union Bank,

Countrywide Financial and

the California Health Institute.

Work Center Director Don

Costill notes that plans are

underway to expand the work

program offerings with seven

additional staff positions. New

programs under consideration

include a computer lab and a

day program for seniors 55

and older with an optional

work component.

In the computer lab, an

instructor from the Los

Angeles Unified School

District would teach center

clients how to navigate the

internet, put together a resume,

fill out a job application and

what to expect in an interview,

Costill explains. “Anything

that’s connected with their

getting a job outside of

AbilityFirst.”

The center also hopes to

enhance its supported

employment program with

food service training.

throuGh abiLityfirst

barbara rosas:

Life

Barbara Rosas has been a Paul Weston Work Center participant since 1962.

bea pLaCe just to

6

the same life experiences. I make a lot

of wonderful friends who are staff every

year. And of course, there is Kelly (Camp

Paivika Director Kelly Kunsek) who is

awesome,” he adds.

“One of the most important things that

happens at camp is the forming of life-

long friendships,” Kunsek says. “The

individuals that come to Camp Paivika

for a summer are a unique, diverse group

of people. We come together for a week of

fun and friendship in a completely barrier-

free environment, which opens up so

many possibilities for our campers as well

as staff. Camp is not only a place for new

friendships, but also for annual reunions

as so many of our campers return year

after year.”

Every summer at camp is a life-changing

experience, Michael feels. Campers of

all ages come from different walks of

life, “with thoughts and views about our

disabilities.” The staff, too, he notes, have

different experiences and interactions with

the disabled population. “But somehow all

those differences seem to disappear and

after one or two hours we’re all just one

big happy family.”

People with disabilities, Michael notes,

“just want to be accepted for who we are,

and we don’t always get that from regular

society. Camp Paivika is a place where

we know that we are valued and that

we matter.”

Going away to summer camp for

the first time could give any

9-year-old a few butterflies. For

a 9-year-old in a wheelchair due to severe

cerebral palsy, the prospect of leaving the

security of home for the great outdoors

was downright unsettling.

Fast-forward 13 years. Michael Griggs,

once that frightened little 9-year-old,

is now 22 and a seasoned veteran of

AbilityFirst’s Camp Paivika summer

program for adults and children with

disabilities.

When he arrived at Paivika all those

years ago, Michael says, in no time the

scenic beauty of the site and the warm

welcome that he received took away his

fear and insecurity.

He has been making annual trips to the

camp’s location in the San Bernardino

Mountains on National Forest land ever

since, experiencing a sense of freedom

there inspired not only by the stunning

vistas of mountains, sky, majestic trees and

valley views, he says, but by the fact that at

Camp Paivika, “I can just be me.”

“That’s a welcome change,” Michael

observes. “Sometimes I try so hard to

over-compensate for my disability that

I don’t let people see the real me. But at

camp that is not an issue. Everybody there

gets to see the real Michael.”

That was a revelation that Michael felt

at the very beginning of his Camp

Paivika experience.

“When I first went there, it was the first

time that I actually saw myself in a

positive light. I was like, maybe I don’t

have to always focus on my disability.

Maybe I have a lot to offer people in spite

of my disability.”

“It was the first time,” he says, “that I

learned that your disability only defines

you if you let it.”

Camp Paivika opened in 1947 as one of

the first fully accessible resident camps

in the United States, where adults,

teens and children with mild to severe

physical and developmental disabilities

enjoy a traditional year-round camp

experience — swimming, archery,

horseback riding, sports, arts and crafts,

performing arts, talent shows, hiking

and nature walks, campfires, camp-outs

and more — creatively adapted to enable

full participation.

The opportunity to socialize and converse

with peers is another draw for many

campers like Michael. Gregarious, with

a philosophical bent, a head full of ideas

and a gift for writing, he has made long-

term friends at camp, particularly among

Paivika staff.

“I love to hang out with the staff and the

other campers,” he says, “but the staff

are around my age, so we have a lot of

7MIChael GrIGGs / PaIVIka CaMPer ProfIle

me AbilityFirst camper Michael Griggs soars at Camp Paivika and in life

8

Children at the Harry A. Mier Center inspire Rick Watson

modelroleRick Watson’s plate was already full

when he discovered the AbilityFirst

Harry A. Mier Center in his Inglewood

neighborhood more than 12 years ago. A

former U.S. Air Force fireman and a father

of two, Watson was a special education

teacher, a PTA president, a Cub Scout

leader and a coach year-round for kids

basketball, baseball and football.

Yet Watson found that he had still more

to give, signing on to become an Activity

Leader in the Center’s afterschool

program for children with physical and

developmental disabilities, under the

guidance of the program’s beloved, long-

time supervisor, Hattie Bell.

So, when Watson’s day ends as a special

education teacher for 6th to 8th graders

at Johnny Cochran Middle School in Los

Angeles, he heads back to Inglewood

where he devotes the rest of the afternoon

to engaging his group of five 8- to 10-year-

old special needs children in a variety of

enriching, educational—and just plain

fun—activities.

“When I first get here, we do homework.

Then we have games and puzzles and

outside activities like volleyball, baseball

a

9ProfIlerICk Watson / aCtIVIty leader

modelsomething that he hopes will come to pass

when the Center realizes its $5 million

Capital Campaign goal and is able to move

forward with plans for expansion.

New buildings and modern facilities will

benefit the children and adults at the

Center, he notes, and allow it to expand

its programs to more individuals with

disabilities in Inglewood and in the under-

served surrounding communities.

Watson became interested in working

with children with special needs when

he joined the Los Angeles Unified School

District’s PSI (Preschool Intensive)

program 17 years ago.

“It was funny, here I am, a six foot-six,

280-pound black man with a bald head,

working with these little autistic babies,”

Watson says, amused by the image, but

invoking it for a reason: He would like to

see more men become involved and serve

as role models in this crucial care-

giving field.

His own reason for staying in it, despite

the challenges? That’s easy.

“They just need me,” he says simply,

referring to the children in his care. “And

I need them. It’s like a love that was just

there to be found. This place is the best

thing that ever happened to me.”

and horseshoes or, we swim. And we make

snacks—that’s a favorite with my kids.”

Watson is also an avid gardener and his

children at the Center always share in the

bounty when Watson harvests the crop

from his prized apple tree.

“I bring the apples in and my five children

clean them and peel them and core them,

put them in the pot, boil them down, add

some butter and cinnamon. I have a great

recipe for applesauce,” Watson enthuses.

He is looking forward to creating a hands-

on garden project on Center grounds,

Become a team member and/or sponsor a team member as we cross the finish line together at these events:

los anGeles MarathonSunDAy, MARch 21

santa anIta derBy day 5k run/WalkSATuRDAy, APRIl 3

Visit www.abilityfirst.org for more information.

for an enriChinG Life

Rick Watson keeps an eye on Harry A. Mier Center Participants Jalisa and Joselyn Williams.

Get invoLved. and inspired.

We thank the Forest Lawn

Foundation for their challenge grant. Funds that we raise above $130,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000!
























giving field.




























We thank the Forest Lawn Foundation for their challenge grant. Funds that we raise above $130,000 will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000!

10

lifedaya in the

have conversations to distract Matteo

when we’re changing him. We try to make

him as comfortable with the process as

possible.”

Bayani and the other staff members get to

know the children and teens in their care,

learning over time the best approach to

use with each individual participant when

difficult situations arise.

“If they seem upset, we ask what

happened,” Bayani says. “If they’re not

having a good day we are considerate of

their feelings. We try to cheer them up, get

them involved in activities.” Those who

remain upset can feel safe in a room set

aside for supervised alone time until they

feel able to rejoin their peers.

Matteo, however, is “always happy, always

joyful, he smiles all the time,” Bayani

says. “Try to get him not to smile and he’ll

smile all the more.” To communicate with

Matteo, Bayani asks questions with two-

option answers, using his right and left

hands as visual aids. Matteo nods at the

hand that represents his choice.

Despite his limited movement, Matteo

isn’t left out of activities at the Center that

range from board games and arts and

crafts, to adaptive outdoor activities like

basketball and trips to the local park.

High school freshman Matteo

Paturzo likes pretty girls,

dancing and basketball. Typical

teenage boy stuff. But Matteo’s life is far

from typical.

This growing adolescent, with an

infectious smile that lights up a room and

eyes that sparkle with interest, doesn’t

speak or walk, due to a neurological

disorder that was diagnosed when he was

10 months old. Matteo, 14, is unable to take

care of his personal hygiene needs and is

at risk of choking when he eats. He needs

maximum assistance.

Matteo’s day begins when his mom,

Sharon, wakes him up at 6:15 a.m. She

rolls her son on his back and onto wedge

pillows so that he can sit up. She changes

him, washes and dresses him, puts on

his leg braces, then transfers him to

his wheelchair.

Before Sharon seats Matteo, she supports

his weight so that he can stand and stretch.

“He touches his toes, he stretches his arms

as if he’s touching the sky,” she says. “He

loves to stretch.”

Matteo then watches cartoons from the

dining room while Sharon prepares his

usual breakfast – “pancakes, bananas

and whipped cream” – and feeds him.

After breakfast, Sharon gives her son his

medication for a mild seizure disorder

and prepares him with extra sanitary

protection as a precaution against Matteo’s

hour-long bus ride to school. She brushes

Matteo’s teeth, washes his face and

hands, combs his hair and puts on his

wrist braces.

When the transport bus arrives at

7:20 a.m., “Matteo has a big smile for

everybody,” Sharon says, especially, she

adds, for the pretty young woman who

drives the bus. Because of Matteo’s seizure

disorder, an aide provides one-on-one

support during the ride.

When his school day ends at 3 p.m.,

Matteo and other special needs students

have an activity-packed afterschool

program waiting for them at the

AbilityFirst-Anaheim Program, where

Matteo has been a regular since 2007.

Matteo knows the Center’s schedule by

heart and greets each day’s activities with

unflagging enthusiasm, Sharon says. “If I

give him a choice of staying home or going

to AbilityFirst,” Sharon says, “he always

wants to go.”

When Matteo’s bus arrives at the Center,

AbilityFirst staff member Robert Bayani

takes over. Bayani, 21, a psychiatric

technician student at Cypress College, has

been one of Matteo’s usual caregivers at

the Center for the past two years.

“When Matteo is dropped off from school,”

Bayani says, “we bring him inside and

take care of hygiene first.” Bayani notes

that consideration for Center participants

who need toileting care is a priority. “We

Continued on page 12

Robert Bayani and Aileen Obedoza from the Anaheim Program assist Matteo Paturzo out of his wheelchair.

11Matteo Paturzo / ProGraM PartICIPant ProfIle

life Matteo Paturzo, AbilityFirst Anaheim Programday

12

Snack time is definitely a highlight for

Matteo, Bayani laughs. “He loves pasta.

That’s all he requests. We chop it up so he

doesn’t choke. He can chew and swallow,

but he needs help getting the food into his

mouth, so we feed him. He drinks out of a

cup and we hold the cup for him.”

During sports activities, Bayani motivates

Matteo to participate and move to the best

of his ability. He places a ball in front of

Matteo’s wheelchair and encourages the

teen to kick out at it. For basketball, “we

put the ball on top of his table and he

holds it down while we maneuver him

around the other participants and then we

help him throw the ball into the hoop.”

Matteo needs no encouragement to dance.

Bayani explains that he holds Matteo

upright so that the teenager is able to move

his legs “and jump up and down to the

beat. It’s great exercise for him.”

For stories and movie time, Bayani

transfers Matteo from his wheelchair to a

beanbag chair. “We try to get him out of

the chair as much as we can each day and

have him stretch and reposition.”

Bayani has come to view the children and

adults with disabilities at the Center “like

a second family,” and is pursuing a career

as a psychiatric technician.

“Being at AbilityFirst has just opened my

eyes to how many people are in need of

assistance,” he says, “And how even with

their conditions, they can have a happy

outlook. I love to be in that environment.

It makes me happy when they’re happy. I

love hearing their stories and I love telling

them my story.”

Sharon is grateful to the AbilityFirst-

Anaheim Program, she says, because

Continued from page 10 where others may see children like Matteo

as a burden, AbilityFirst, “just kind of lets

them thrive. They’re just looking for them

to be the best that they can be and have a

happy life.”

Besides, she notes, a residential babysitter

will only do so much. “They may not want

to lift him. And it takes a special person to

change a teenage boy,” she says matter-of-

factly. Before Matteo came to AbilityFirst,

he was in other afterschool programs that

couldn’t accommodate the level of care

he needed. At one facility, “I was running

back and forth to change him and feed

him.” At another, “they couldn’t lift him

because of liability.”

The AbilityFirst staff, however, are

“well-trained, professional and they

have a genuine concern for the kids. It’s

like a family. It’s just a phenomenal

organization.”

Since 1976, the AbilityFirst Harry A. Mier Center has provided essential services to children and adults with special needs in the Inglewood and South Los Angeles area.

Time has taken its toll on the 1930s-era buildings, however. In recent years, the limited square footage and the deterioration of the structures have restricted AbilityFirst’s efforts to introduce much-needed new programs and

to extend its reach to the area’s large, disabled population.

That is why, in 2007 we launched a $5 million capital campaign: Building Independence—Celebrating Community: The AbilityFirst Capital Campaign for the Joan and Harry A. Mier Center. It will allow us to replace the existing Harry A. Mier Center buildings with a proposed 8,000 square foot community center. With that expansion, we will more than double the capacity of the children we can serve daily from 25 to 60, and more than triple the number of adults, from 30 to 100.

The Forest Lawn Foundation provided a lead gift of $250,000. By December 2007, we had achieved 100% giving from our AbilityFirst Board members. Now we are seeking support from individuals, corporations and foundations, asking that they become part of this urgent and meaningful project.

We are grateful to the generous donors who have committed $10,000 or more to the AbilityFirst Capital Campaign for the Joan and Harry A. Mier Center:

R.C. Baker Foundation

Steve and Mary Brockmeyer

Cacique Foundation

The Capital Group Companies

Charitable Foundation

Ray Cherry

Blanka and Jim Douglass

Lena M. Echols

James and Barbara Feiga

Forest Lawn Foundation

FreeAssociates Group, Inc.

John & Jacqueline Furby

John & Lori Gangemi

Dr. Philip & Tanya hart

Jay Henneberry &

Roberta Manshel

Lorna M. Johnson

Jane Kaczmarek

John & Jennifer Kelly

David & Sophie King

lawry’s Restaurants, Inc.

Lena Longo

The Estates of Joan and

Harry A. Mier

Eyal & Christel Mintz

Mordena M. Moore

Thomas E. Nix

Mr. & Mrs. Timothy P. O’Brien

Mary Beth Perrine

Angela J. Reddock, Esq.

Mr. & Mrs. Ted Rogahn

Dave & cindy Seastrom

Jaclyn Smith

Sanford “Sandy”, Linda &

Taylor Smith

Stuart & Patricia Wilkinson

Estate of Celestine Woods

For more information contact Mary Beth Perrine Vice President of Development, AbilityFirst, at 626.639.1743.

AbilityFirst Board Member and Capital Campaign Donor Mordena M. Moore shares a special moment with Harry A. Mier Center Program Participant Antonio Rosas.

13ProfIleJoetta dI Bella / leGaCy soCIety

Legacy Society member Joetta Di Bella leaves her mark Emmy Award-winning

producer Joetta Di Bella was

introduced to AbilityFirst in

2007, when she was asked to

assist the communications

department with a special

event for the organization.

Di Bella has been part of

the AbilityFirst family ever

since, serving as Chair of

AbilityFirst’s Marketing

Committee and sitting on the

agency’s Capital Campaign

Communications Committee.

Di Bella is also a member of

the AbilityFirst Legacy Society,

one of the generous donors

who support AbilityFirst

through planned or deferred

giving options that may

include a will, a charitable

gift annuity, a trust or an

insurance policy.

What attracted Di Bella

to AbilityFirst? When she

observed the organization in

action, “I knew that this was

my charity.” One of the first

things she noticed, Di Bella

says, was the warm interaction

between adult employees and

the supportive staff at the

AbilityFirst Lawrence L. Frank

Work Center in Los Angeles,

reflected in the pride that the

employees took in their work.

Di Bella, an Emmy winner

for her “Tournament of

Roses Parade” productions

and producer and writer of

six Hollywood Christmas

Parades, is Archivist and Event

Producer for the Pasadena

Tournament of Roses. “So,

I have an idea of how a

volunteer organization can

make a huge impact. You see

a group like AbilityFirst

function as they do with a

small staff of people and what

draws me to them is their

strength of character and

generosity of spirit.”

Di Bella decided that she could

best enhance her financial

support for AbilityFirst by

including the organization

in her will. She recognized

that such deferred giving is of

vital importance in enabling

AbilityFirst to continue to meet

the needs of the disability

community. It also helps

support the organization

in tough economic times,

Di Bella points out.

“It’s a difficult economy

for everyone right now, so

charities are struggling,”

she acknowledges. But by

becoming a Legacy Society

member, a donor can help

“sustain the organization and

assure that it will continue to

operate long after we’re gone.”

“I think that it’s important

for us to leave our mark on

this planet. Don’t we owe it

that? And I think that I owe

AbilityFirst for giving me

a vision of how joyous life

can be—no matter who you

are, no matter what your

disabilities.”

For more information contact

Mary Beth Perrine

Vice President of Development,

AbilityFirst, at 626.639.1743.

AbilityFirstTouched

After visiting the Lawrence L. Frank Work Center and witnessing the adult employees and staff at work, Joetta Di Bella was inspired. She decided to become a Legacy Society member.

by

Jim: please make sure

Joetta is not too pink in

the face.

14

1 Program participants from the Newport Mesa Center performed a dance to the song “Silly Hat” during the center’s 10th anniversary party attended by families and friends.

2 AbilityFirst Gourmet Festival of Fall Steering Committee member Gale Kohl and chair Richard R. Frank celebrate another successful event at the South Pasadena home of John and Diane Mullin.

3 AbilityFirst friends John and Diane Mullin (left), with AbilityFirst President and CEO Lori Gangemi, graciously opened their home for the AbilityFirst Gourmet Festival of Fall, a food and wine tasting event benefiting the Lawrence L. Frank Center and Pasadena Work Center.

AbilityFirstAround

4 Proceeds from the AbilityFirst Long Beach Center Guild’s Annual Fashion Show went towards paying for the center’s indoor warm water pool that was damaged by fire. Guild President Mary Alice Braly (right) and Event Chair Melina Morgan (center) welcome Lori Gangemi to the event.

5 The Weston Work Center Marathon Campaign Team, staff and program participants gather for an official photo for their webpage.

6 The Harry A. Mier Center received a $10,000 check from The CarMax Foundation. Pictured at CarMax in Inglewood are (L-R): CarMax Location General Manager Andy Thalken; Harry A. Mier Center Director Monique Watts; CarMax Purchasing Manager Dennis Hayes; Lori Gangemi; and CarMax Location General Manager John Stokes.

7 The annual AbilityFirst Board of Directors retreat took place at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. Pictured (L-R) are Jose Marquez; Sanford “Sandy” Smith; David M. Seastrom. Middle row: Mark Fedde; Lori Gangemi (President & CEO); Angela J. Reddock, Esq.; Mordena Moore; Stuart M. Wilkinson; Farid Hassanpour, M.D.;

Jay Henneberry. Front row (seated): Maria French, Ph.D; Carol Llewellyn (Chair); Steve Brockmeyer; Patricia Vick, Esq.; Ray Cherry. Not pictured are Berlinda Fontenot-Jamerson; David W. King; Richard R. Frank; Philip S. Hart, Ph.D; John Kelly.

8 The Pasadena Work Center held its holiday party at Brookside Park. The annual event also presents awards to its business services customers. Lori Gangemi and program participant Christie Warfield present the Customer of the Year Award to Robert Hoyt, President of Lather.

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3

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2

46

15GalleryfaCes & PlaCes

9 At the Honda Center, Anaheim Program participants attended a private ice skating lesson with the stars of Disney on Ice. Program participants, including Mark Wolffer (pictured), also had a “meet and greet” with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

10 The Lawrence L. Frank Center launched a new tradition – Christmas caroling. Children sang favorite holiday songs through the Chapman Woods neighborhood of Pasadena. Resident Loretta Hoffman and son (pictured) welcomed the group into their home for hot chocolate.

11 L. L. Frank Work Center Director Fennie Washington (left) and Program Participant Antoine Stamps in their finest at the center’s annual Holiday Ball. This year’s event was held at the USC Radisson Hotel and celebrated another successful year of providing business services to Los Angeles.

12 Broadway L.A. hosted a performance of “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at the Pantages Theatre. The “KTLA Morning News” team (pictured) invited viewers to purchase tickets with a portion of proceeds benefitting AbilityFirst. Prior to the stage show, the newscasters appeared on stage

alongside AbilityFirst Honorary Chairs Jane Kaczmarek and Lee Meriwether to read portions of the book How The Grinch Stole Christmas to the children of AbilityFirst and their families, and the entire audience. Gathered in the theatre lobby are (L-R) Eric Spillman, Frank Buckley, Jessica Holmes, Mark Kriski, Michaela Pereira, Jane Kaczmarek, Sam Rubin and Lee Meriwether.

13 Lee Meriwether and Lori Gangemi get together with program participants from the Newport Mesa Center at the benefit performance of “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at the Pantages Theatre.

12

13

10

98

7

14

11

14 Captain Henry Romero (left) of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deparment arranged for Santa Claus to arrive by helicopter at the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station where East Los Angeles Center program participants, including Brent Romero (right), were waiting.

16

Financial highlights 2009abiLityfirst stateMent of finanCiaL position

assets as of June 30, 2009

CURRENT ASSETS

Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 2,742,479

Interest Receivable 41,568

Investments 1,800,000

Receivables (Net) 1,224,330

Receivables – Bequests/Trusts 819,247

Pledge Receivable (Net) 437,032

Prepaid Expenses 125,604

Due from Sponsored Housing Corp. – Current 28,988

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 7,219,248

OTHER ASSETS

Long Term Investments 26,472,134

Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts 3,651,612

Beneficial Interest in Charitable Remainder Trusts 1,942,054

Security and Insurance Deposits 72,013

Due from Sponsored Housing Corp. – Non-Current 125,453

Property and Equipment (Net) 11,537,533

TOTAL OTHER ASSETS 43,800,799

totaL assets 51,020,047

LiabiLities and net assets

CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accounts Payable 378,313

Accrued Expenses 1,165,282

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,543,595

OTHER LIABILITIES

Note Payable 3,272

TOTAL LIABILITIES 1,546,867

Net Assets 49,473,180

totaL LiabiLities and net assets 51,020,047

operatinG expenses

Program Services 80%

Management & General 13%

Fundraising 7%

sourCe of funds

Government Program Revenue 55%

Private Program Revenue 18%

Individuals, Corporations, Foundations 17%

Legacies & Bequests 10%Please see our website (abilityfirst.org) for a copy of our audited Financial Statements and IRS Form 990.

17ConneCtIonloCatIons and leadershIP

Headquarters1300 East Green StreetPasadena CA 91106626.396.1010626.361.1021 [email protected]

Department ManagersCarolyn Aguayo, Director of CommunicationsLaura Beck, Director of Human ResourcesJoel Bronson, Director of Information TechnologyDan Detwiler, Facilities ManagerSyed Kazmi, ControllerIsis McDonald, Director of Business and Employment ServicesNeomia Phillips, Director of Housing

Kelly Privitt, Director of Programs

CampCaMP PaIVIkaKelly Kunsek, Directormail:PO Box 3367Crestline CA 92325location:600 Playground DriveCrestline CA 92325909.338.1102

Community CentersanaheIM ProGraMCindy Valencia, Director2660 West BroadwayAnaheim CA 92804714.821.7448

DirectoryClareMont CenterJulie Martin, Director480 South Indian Hill BoulevardClaremont CA 91711909.621.4727

east los anGeles CenterMonica Alcantar, Director154 North Gage AvenueLos Angeles CA 90063323.268.8178

harry a. MIer CenterMonique Watts, Director8090 Crenshaw BoulevardInglewood CA 90305323.753.3101

laWrenCe l. frank CenterMichael Barkyoumb, Director201 South Kinneloa AvenuePasadena CA 91107626.449.5661

lonG BeaCh CenterBarbara Schlosser, Director3770 East Willow StreetLong Beach CA 90815562.426.6161

neWPort-Mesa CenterJoy Thomas, Directormail:PO Box 3985Costa Mesa, CA 92628location:1060 Paularino Avenue Room ACosta Mesa CA 92626714.546.6727

Employment ServicesEddie Zhang, Supported Employment Manager3447 Atlantic Avenue, 3rd floorLong Beach, CA 90807562.570.3661

HousingaBIlItyfIrst aPartMents heMet1360 East Acacia StreetHemet CA 92544951.766.7089

aBIlItyfIrst aPartMents IrVIne14501 Harvard AvenueIrvine, CA 92623877.768.4600

CroWn house3055 East Del Mar BoulevardPasadena CA 91107626.440.9090

IVy Glen aPartMents133 North Cedar StreetGlendale CA 91206818.241.3888

lakeland Manor aPartMents13331 Lakeland RoadSanta Fe Springs CA 90605562.944.9650

MaPle Park aPartMents711 East Maple StreetGlendale CA 91205818.507.1969

Moreno Valley aPartMents24545 Bay AvenueMoreno Valley CA 92553951.247.0230

PaCIfIC rIM aPartMents230 South Grevillea AvenueInglewood CA 90301310.672.7221

ranCho del Valle aPartMents6560 Winnetka AvenueWoodland Hills CA 91367818.347.1440

sea Breeze Manor aPartMents2067 Alamitos AvenueSignal Hill CA 90806562.494.9086

sIerra rose3053 ½ East Del Mar BoulevardPasadena CA 91107626.578.0118

VIlla MalaGa aPartMents4704 East Dozier StreetLos Angeles CA 90022323.980.8402

Work Centersl.l. frank Work CenterFennie Washington, Director

3812 South Grand AvenueLos Angeles CA 90037213.748.7309

Pasadena Work CenterPeter Yoou, Director

2570 East Foothill BoulevardPasadena CA 91107626.449.5662

Paul Weston Work CenterDonald Costill, Director

6530 Winnetka AvenueWoodland Hills CA 91367818.884.5112

Board of DirectorsexeCutive CoMMitteeCarol Llewellyn, ChairSteve Brockmeyer, Vice ChairBerlinda Fontenot-Jamerson, SecretaryDavid W. King, TreasurerRichard R. Frank

MeMbers

Charles F. Axelson, HonoraryRussel Burkett, HonoraryRay CherryMarshall Chuang, HonoraryJim Douglass, Honorary

LeadershipMark FeddeMaria French, Ph.D.Richard N. Frank, HonoraryPhilip S. Hart, Ph.D.Farid Hassanpour, M.D.Jay HenneberryJohn KellyJohn Kmett, HonoraryRalph Laster, HonoraryMordena MooreAndrew Peterson, Esq., HonoraryAngela J. Reddock, Esq.David M. SeastromKenneth Simon, Honorary

Sanford “Sandy” L. SmithPatricia Vick, Esq.Stuart M. Wilkinson

Honorary ChairpersonsJane KaczmarekLee MeriwetherJaclyn Smith

Housing Governance BoardJose Marquez, ChairAlbert Y. M. Huang, Vice ChairHerbert H. Simmons, TreasurerMilton Merrill, Secretary

MeMbers

John Elizalde Barbara Feiga Estabrook “Skip” Glosser Luis M. Gonzalez Darrin Lyons Jose “Joe” Mercado David Oesterreich Michael Prabhu Mark Trabing Betty R. Wilson

Corporate offiCers

Lori E. Gangemi, President and CEOSteven Schultz, CFOMary Beth Perrine, Vice President, Development

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AbilityFirst Magazine - Winter 2010

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