HORIZONS A Newsletter for Families and Friends of Crotched Mountain February 2002 Vol. 2 No. 1 Major Wheelock Announces He Will Retire June 30 The man who has served Crotched Mountain as our president and chief executive officer since 1995 announced he will retire on June 30. A national search for Major’s successor is underway. A search committee is made up of representatives of the Board of Trustees, including parents of children with disabilities with assistance from a professional search firm. “We are optimistic that we will have a new president and chief executive officer named by early spring,” said Bruce Macey, vice president of human resources. In addition to leading Crotched Mountain to become an internationally recognized center and model for its expertise and as champion of advocating for people with disabilities, Major passionately campaigns for finding accessible, affordable housing for people with disabilities. Instead of only asking for people “to come to ‘the mountain,’” Major has fostered the position of also “taking ‘the mountain’ to the people.” During Major’s tenure as president, many important changes to benefit people with disabilities occurred, including the expansion of the Brain Injury Center and Crotched Mountain School, and the creation of the Children’s Specialty Hospital. New initiatives begun under his leadership include the School Partnership Program, Outpatient Services, the Family Resource Center, and the SupportNet/Video-Conferencing initiative in Greenfield. In the last seven years, Crotched Mountain renovated manor buildings on campus and built community housing for people with disabilities in Portland, Maine; in the Albany, N.Y., area, and in Whitefield, N.H. His achievements also include a greater focus on community programs, such as the expansion of community care and respite services, and the creation of a Family Resource Center. Today, Crotched Mountain has more than 750 employes, annually serves more than 2,000 people, has an annual operating budget of more than $30 million, and an endowment of nearly $70 million. “Major Wheelock,” said Dr. Gilbert Fuld, chairman of the Board of Trustees, “has served Crotched Mountain during a crucial period in the organization’s evolution. Major’s leadership, vision, wisdom, compassion, and passion are stalwart qualities that have prepared Crotched Mountain for an exciting, bold future.” As for his own future, Major Wheelock said he is hopeful to continue to serve Crotched Mountain as a member of the Board of Trustees and to assist in fundraising and advocacy for people with disabilities. SupportNet/Video-Conferencing Project Receives $240,000 Grant A $240,000 federal grant to enhance a distance learning program has been awarded to Crotched Mountain to extend our expertise to children with disabilities in rural areas of New Hampshire. Crotched Mountain calls its secure video-conferencing program SupportNet. Using state-of-the-art video-conferencing technology, Crotched Mountain will provide clinical evaluations of children with special needs, consultations with parents and health-care providers, and training for special education teachers on a variety of developmental and behavioral issues. In New Hampshire, there are more than 15,000 children with developmental disabilities who could benefit from specialized supports and services to maximize their health and educational experiences. This grant provides an innovative opportunity for families of children with special needs and professionals throughout the state and beyond to access Crotched Mountain’s expertise in developmental pediatrics and other disciplines. “We want to make use of new communication technologies to reach families and community-based professionals in all localities,” said Dr. Carl Cooley, medical director of Crotched Mountain.“ "Most clinics in the state have two-to six-month waiting periods to provide minimal follow-ups. School systems are similarly burdened,” said the medical director. “For those reasons, we are hopeful this project will serve as a model for professionals to use technology to provide comprehensive diagnostic and assessment services to families in their home communities.” Crotched Mountain calls its secure video-conferencing program SupportNet. Project Coordinator Philip Girard explained that “Crotched Mountain is a member of statewide video-conferencing partnership that has the capability to reach every part of New Hampshire.” One distance-learning program currently under way – ”AIDEing Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” led by Dr. Ludwig von Hahn – takes special educators, health professionals, and parents through the clinical and educational responses to autism. This seven-part series is being transmitted to the Londonderry and Kearsarge School Districts simultaneously, and allows participants to ask questions to a multi-disciplinary team made up of a developmental pediatrician, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, and a psychologist along with a parent whose perspective ties in the overall theme. “We are now in a position to reach families in distant communities with education and support, helping them sort through the developmental paths of their children,” said Mr. Girard. Crotched Mountain is one of 74 nonprofit organizations through-out the nation to receive a TOP grant. More than 600 applied for the funding. “We want these grants to demonstrate how the most up-to-date technology can assist the delivery of services to Americans of all ages and backgrounds,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Nancy Victory. TOP grants extend the benefits of advanced telecommunications technologies to under-served communities and neighborhoods, said the assistant secretary. From the President Major Wheelock, President The time is drawing near for me to curtail my active, full-time working career. By June 30th of this year I will have completed seven and one-half years in my current role at Crotched Mountain (the second longest tenure of any job I have had in my adult life). At that time, I want to relinquish all operational authority and responsibilities and focus my attention, as a part-time employee, on advocacy, fund raising and enhancing our external relationships with government agencies, other non-profits, and the public in general. It is my hope that this will enable my successor to work in an unfettered manner (with-out a predecessor looking over her/his shoulder), but with the assistance of someone dealing with the external forces for a limited period of time while she/he becomes comfortable with our internal programmatic and administrative operations. Almost a hundred years ago, Teddy Roosevelt said, “Far and away, the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” All of us who have been privileged to be associated with Crotched Mountain in any way know the validity of that comment, and I believe that we go about the “work worth doing” called for in our mission statement with the same bullish enthusiasm as was characteristic of that former president! I feel honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to work shoulder-to-shoulder with my colleagues here at Crotched Mountain in what we have sought to accomplish these last several years, and I shall always be grateful for their superb, unending efforts to make Crotched Mountain the very best for the children and adults we serve. A Search Committee has been formed, comprised of Board Members and relatives of students/clients, with assistance from some staff representatives. The committee’s task will be to determine what skills and characteristics will be most important for our new leader to possess, to conduct a nationwide search for the very best candidates who meet such qualifications (with the assistance of a professional executive search firm, but without prejudice to potential internal candidates), and complete a selection process by sometime in the spring so as to have the new person on board before my resignation becomes effective on June 30. Finally, I want everyone to know that I intend to continue working “full-out” for the rest of my tenure here, both for the remaining time in my current capacity and, subsequently, as I assume my part-time duties and they gradually diminish in the year or so following my successor taking office. The work that needs to be done is too important to be done with a “lame-duck” attitude, and I intend to give it my “best shot” to the very end! My thanks to everyone at Crotched Mountain–students, parents, clients, families, staff, Board members, friends, and benefactors–for your past and continuing support. Major Wheelock President Dr. Gil Fuld Elected Trustee Board Chair At the October meeting of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Gilbert Fuld, a primary-care, community-pediatrician in Keene, N.H., was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees. Dr. Fuld has served on the Board for three years. He succeeds Manchester attorney Ben Gayman, who served three years as Board chair and a member of the board since 1985. Mr.Gayman will continue on the Board and has agreed to chair the Advancement Committee. Dr. Fuld retired last June from the Keene Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic (formerly known as Keene Clinic) after 30 years of service. In 2000, he was selected the New Hampshire Pediatric Society’s “Pediatrician of the Year.” He is an adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H. For six years he was a member of the Board of Directors and District 1 chair (New England and Eastern Canada) for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As a member of the AAP Board of Directors, he served on the Council on Government Affairs and was chair of many committees, most recently as head of the Subspecialty Workgroup that developed proposals for continued patient access to pediatric subspecialty care. In addition to serving as an advocate for people with disabilities, Dr. Fuld campaigns to make children and parents aware of the effects of media on children. Dr. Fuld has served as president of the Keene Clinic, on the board of directors of the former New Hampshire Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cheshire Medical Center in Keene. He has served as physician consultant for Keene Head Start; Keene Daycare Center; and Monadnock Regional School District. He also has served on child abuse prevention teams and coached youth baseball. The new board chairman earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh and his bachelor of arts degree at Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y. NH Fire Chiefs Bring Festivity Continuing a 30-year Crotched Mountain tradition, fire chiefs from 16 communities representing all corners of New Hampshire came to Crotched Mountain Dec. 13 to the excitement of Crotched Mountain School students and adults in our Brain Injury Center. In all, about 30 fire chiefs, including four from the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands, delighted all with an afternoon program presented by Crotched Mountain chaplains Father Robert Campbell, the Rev. Daniel Osgood, and Sister Pauline Lafond. The program, held in Carter Hall, featured a Holiday Show and Christmas Pageant with a band featuring five of the fire chiefs. Following dinner, Sparky the Fire Dog and Smokey the Bear preceded the arrival of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at each of the student residences, the Children’s Specialty Hospital, and the Brain Injury Center. Gifts were handed out by Santa. The thrill shown on the faces of everybody was a great joy to behold. Pennsylvanian’s Artwork Adorns Hayden These beautiful mixed media art pieces by Cynthia Nixon are on permanent display in the Children’s Medical Residence and Specialty Hospital and the connector to Crotched Mountain School. At first glance, the pieces appear to be watercolors. In fact, the works are intricately hand painted and quilted pieces of colored fabric created by State College, Pa., artist. Ms. Nixon’s works have been commissioned for display at the Renwick Gallery of the American Art Museum under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and in American embassies in Turkmanistan and Bangledesh. Ms. Nixon’s works at Crotched Mountain are titled “Picking Apples” and “Taking Flight.” The works were commissioned to honor the contributors who made major gifts as part of the fundraising campaigns for the construction of these buildings. A plaque next to the quilts lists the generous benefactors: The Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation; The Cogswell Benevolent Trust, The Erma V. Fisher Trust, The Austin I and Winona V. Hubbard Trust, the James L. Jenks, Jr. Charitable Remainder Trust, The Agnes M. Lindsey Trust, The Rowland Foundation, Viola Sweeney, Tyco International (US) Inc., and the Gilbert Verney Foundation. Fall Festival Was Colorful Time For All Though a bit cooler than some years, the weather did not deter nearly 250 people from turning out for the full day of Fall Festival events. Herb Simpson and his Masonic friends from Massachusetts not only made their annual contribution of more than $1,000, but also were hosts for the noon barbecue lunch. Events of the day included open houses for Crotched Mountain School, the Adult Brain Injury Center, Outpatient Services, the Children’s Specialty Hospital, and the Media Center; a family swim; drumming with JoAnne VanDuesen in the gymnasium; and a school dance. Dr. Ludwig von Hahn also presented a program of “Interactive Discussion on Developmental Disabilities with Emphasis on Autism,” which additionally demonstrated Crotched Mountain’s video-conferencing capabilities. Dental Program Wins Lots of Smiles Patients and dentists have big smiles for Crotched Mountain’s pilot dental project in Portsmouth, N.H. Inaugurated a year ago, the program was extended for an additional year. The two-year grant is due to the generosity of the Roger R. and Teresa Thompson Endowment Fund. Dr. James S. Fishbein of Portsmouth, one of 12 dentists participating, said he finds the programs tremendously gratifying. “I am very pleased to be participating. The patients sent to us by Crotched Mountain Community Care have been wonderful. They are so appreciative. That means a lot to us because, you know, it isn’t often that a dentist hears that his or her work is appreciated.” To date, 37 patients have been served, reports Ann Schwartzwalder, Crotched Mountain care manager and coordinator of the dental project. “As hard as it is to believe,” said Ann, “some of our clients have not been to a dentist in 40 or 50 years. I am so pleased to hear how happy they are about the program and how excited–genuinely excited– they are to be going to the dentist. Most of us aren’t quite as enthusiastic.” Costs of services have ranged from $120 to $3,000. “For me,” said Isobel, “it has boosted my whole self-confidence because I’m no longer afraid to smile. See!” Said Jim, “I have all new dentures that I could not afford. The old ones were dropping out.” Due to the popularity of the program, Ann is hopeful the program can be continued. Many more clients would like to be included in the program. “While it is a lot of work to coordinate the program and enlist dentists who are willing to maneuver our clients into their bustling practices (I won’t mention transportation issues), this is truly a wonderful program,” said Ann. “It’s tremendously gratifying to hear clients tell how pleased they are and to receive thank-yous from the dentists for being included in the program.” SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ARCHIE CAMPBELL I got into education by mistake; I stayed on purpose! Who said, “School principals aren’t fun”? Archie Campbell–because of his good, fun-loving nature–probably has more soup labels due to his last name than any principal anywhere. And he loves it. He even encourages the kidding from his kids, teachers, and staff. Archie always promotes ways to have fun. When he was selected last summer to be the 8th principal of Crotched Mountain School, he immediately organized “The Great Race,” a high-spirited competition between him and his associate principal, Dick Tuohy. All had great fun rooting for their favorite contender. “Look,” said Archie, “we–kids, teachers, staff–are engaged a very serious enterprise. Plus, we just need to lighten-up more. We can’t be serious all the time. Good education should be fun.” With that in mind, he encourages everyone to suggest many events throughout the academic year (Crotched Mountain School, unlike public school, runs all year long with different vacation schedules). Though Archie has been principal only since June, he has inaugurated several culturally enriching and amusing events, from crazy-hat days, sports days, talent shows, and Spanish musicians performing Celtic dances and songs. And he injected time in the school schedule for a presentation by a group of Tibetan monks visiting the region who were interested in sharing their culture with the school students. “We want to enrich the lives of every one of our kids so that they all have something to look forward to.” Archie’s enthusiasm for his profession can be witnessed everyday. He is continuously on the move with a myriad of meetings, but he always has time to talk or joke with kids and staff. “I have the greatest job. It’s really fun. I get to see all the kids, teachers, staff, and clinicians every day. I gain a great perspective on everything that goes on.” Make no mistake about Archie’s seriousness for his work. Up close, you see a deliberative, insightful, thoughtful school administrator who passionately believes in his school and fervently knows what is needed to serve his students well. He works from the early morning hours to late at night. He attends and convenes numerous meetings and committees. Paperwork he must complete or oversee could be thrice that of a public school of equal size (124 students) and likely would tower over the Crotched Mountain (2,000 feet above sea level) on which the school resides. In the short time he has been principal, Archie has initiated a restructuring of academic departments to implement what he calls “commonality,” which, in simple terms, is making academic departments more homogeneous. “Our common goal is for each of our kids to achieve success in being all that they can be through access to all of our resources,” explains Archie. One example he cites is the way the Communication Disorders Department addresses challenges, such as using objects for schedules for those children with lesser communication skills to understand: A ball could be used to indicate it is time for physical education, or a spoon could mean lunch. The emphasis is for everyone in the department to have a unified or common structure in training and topics. Archie has implemented new ways of working with other Crotched Mountain departments outside the school to assure that schedules are appropriately arranged to be complementary to the school’s schedules. Archie’s path to Crotched Mountain was not intentional, at least not at first. In college, he was an economics major. His goal was to become head of the Federal Reserve, but one summer during college he worked in a program for people with dyslexia. “I loved it! This was how I want to spend my life,” I decided. “With an economics degree in hand, I headed straight to work for a small school in Massachusetts that specialized in working with kids with dyslexia.” In those days, Archie explained, you did not have to have a degree in special education. But he surmised the degree’s importance for his future and earned a master’s degree at night. Then 11 years ago he saw an ad in the newspaper for Crotched Mountain. He applied, and, as they say, “the rest is history.” “I got into education by mistake. I stayed on purpose and can’t leave for anything. I’ve never regretted my decision,” said Archie. Maria Gendron, Teacher Extraordinaire When Maria Gendron broke her back a year ago, she said it was traumatic. Yet it turned out to be a professionally enriching episode in her life. Maria, who has worked at Crotched Mountain for 17 years, teaches kids with physical disabilities in kindergarten through second grade. A nagging back problem turned into a broken back when she was lifting one of her kids. “Best thing that could have happened to me!” she proclaims. “That experience gave me a new perspective, a much better empathy for my kids. It also provided me an important perspective to share with teaching assistants to explain how really important are certain procedures and concerns that kids may be experiencing. I know because I experienced them. I was in a body cast, then a walker, then a cane, and now I can leap like those ballerinas in “The Nut-cracker.” OK, maybe not the latter, but I feel great.” “Maria,” says Archie Campbell, principal of Crotched Mountain School, “is a teacher exemplar. While she was out on medical leave for her back, she called her classroom every day, and at the end of every school day, her kids called her. She is extraordinary and represents the enthusiasm and commitment of all of our teachers.” In addition to her work as a classroom teacher, Maria’s expertise has put her in demand to be an evaluator in Crotched Mountain’s School Partnership Program (SPP). Once a week she is an SPP team member who works with New Hampshire schools providing consultation services to help them improve educational programming for children with disabilities. Her specialty fields include physical disabilities, communication disorders, and emergent literacy in children using augmentative and alternative communications. Maria’s eyes sparkle and her hands enthusiastically gesture as she talks about her students and their progress. There’s John who learned to hug his father and Chester who now is independently operating his power chair, and Paul, who has learned to read. “Every child has the capacity to learn. I look forward to each day when I can help a child move closer to mastering a new skill.” Like so many other fellow teachers and therapists, Marie Gendron embodies a dedication and commitment, second to none. PHILANTHROPY TOPICS Gifts That Keep On Giving! A Crotched Mountain Charitable Gift Annuity is a special type of donation that not only helps support the programs for people with disabilities of Crotched Mountain – but at the same time gives you fixed payments for life. Have you noticed how low the interest rates on your savings accounts and certificates of deposit have become? There is a way to receive payments for life that are immune from interest rate fluctuations. It’s called a Crotched Mountain Charitable Gift Annuity. Here’s how it works. Through a Charitable Gift Annuity you can support the work of Crotched Mountain and at the same time provide income for yourself or a beneficiary. Your annuity payments vary with the amount of your gift and your age at the time of the gift. But compared with the rates now paid by banks for most savings accounts and CDs they are higher and they never change. Some sample rates are presented below: If your age is: 60 the rate is: 6.6% If your age is: 65 the rate is: 7.0% If your age is: 70 the rate is: 7.5% If your age is: 75 the rate is: 8.2% If your age is: 80 the rate is: 9.2% If your age is: 90+ the rate is: 12.0% Rates that include a survivor beneficiary are somewhat lower. If you’re interested in learning more about a Crotched Mountain Charitable Gift Annuity, please contact: Michael Redmond, Vice President for Advancement Crotched Mountain Foundation 1 Verney Drive Greenfield, NH 03047 ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’ This year’s annual holiday musical was presented Dec. 18 in the newly refurbished Carter Hall. Morning and evening performances drew packed houses and rave reviews. Some 90 performers (students, teachers, and staff members) participated in the production of the musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s “HowThe Grinch Stole Christmas.” Music Teacher Bonnie Arpin coordinated and directed the show. Grand Piano Donated As this issue of Horizons was going to press, a new, 7-foot studio grand piano was donated to Crotched Mountain by the parents of a Crotched Mountain School student. The donation was the result of an article that appeared in the fall edition of Horizons. More information will appear in an upcoming edition. Horizons is published by the Office of Advancement, Crotched Mountain Foundation. For more information, please contact: Pat Whitney Director of Development Crotched Mountain Foundation 1 Verney Drive Greenfield, NH 03047 603-547-3311, ext. 471 patricia.whitney@crotchedmountain.org As a service to our readers, please write us at the above address if you wish to have your name removed from our mailing list for fundraising requests supporting Crotched Mountain. Visit www.crotchedmountain.org