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FORConn
Friends
of Retarded Citizens
of Connecticut
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BIOGRAPHIES
Sally
Bondy
Sally is a mother of a
son who formerly lived in a children's group home in the community
in Massachusettes, (because there was nothing available in Connecticut
at that time). He now lives in Southbury Training School (STS).
Sally has been President of the Home and School Association
at STS since 1985. Member of the Human Rights Committee at STS.
Formerly on the Cottage Services Committee at STS.
She was a Board Member on Outreach, a private group home in
the community (now amalgamated into a larger private provider). Recording Secretary of FORConn's Health
and Aging Committee, and originator, in 1986, of the FORConn
Monthly Mailing, which she continues to assemble for us today!
Karen
Hlavac
Karen is the parent of a young adult son, Todd. Todd is diagnosed
with severe intellectual disability ( mental retardation) , autism
and bipolar disorder.
Todd resided at home with his parents and siblings for the
majority of his life. He now resides in a public sector ICF facility. Karen is a registered nurse and holds a Master
of Public Health degree. She is a member and Vice-Chairperson of the
CT. State Council on
Mental Retardation. She is also an elected member of the Wallingford
Board of Education. Previously, Karen has served on the Connecticut
State Advisory Council on Special Education and the Board of
Directors for the Connecticut Federation of Families for Children's
Mental Health.
Gil C.
Kellersman Jr.
A Fairfield
resident for many years, MR. Kellersman and his family now
reside in Huntington. He is a University of Bridgeport
graduate with a BS in Economics and an MBA in finance from Long
Island University. He spent 37 years in various sales and
management positions in the computer industry. He retired
in 2006.
A long time
Kennedy Center volunteer, he has served on the Board of
Directors for more than ten years., is currently Vice-Chairman,
is a past Treasurer and is Chairman of the Investment Committee
and also a member of the Budget and Finance Committee. Gil
is on the Board of FORConn and is a member of the DMR West
Region Advisory Council. He and his wife, Dottie, have two
children, Gil lll and Lisa, who has attended Project Pace for
the past 16 years. They have one Granddaughter, Ella, two
years old.
Evelyn
Kennedy
Evelyn
Kennedy is a founding board member of FORConn.
In 1943 Mrs. Evelyn Kennedy's first
experience in hearing the term 'Mental Retardation' was when
her doctor told her "You have a mentally retarded son".
Their lives were centered on their son and they soon found out
there was no place to turn for help, not even books in the library.
When her son Brian was 5 she went to the Superintendent of Schools
in Bridgeport only to be told there were no programs for children
like hers. Special Classes were for children with IQ's over
50. There was no obligations for children like her son Brian.
On
a snowy February night in 1951 12 families came together at
Mrs. Kennedy's house to see what they could do for their children.
They pleaded with the Board of Appropriations in Bridgeport
to help them to keep their children home, and out of that came
funds for two classes to start at Columbus School in Bridgeport.
These trainable classes were the first of its kind in the New
England States. They named their association 'The Parents and
Friends of the Mentally Retarded' and held meetings twice a
month.
Other
communities wanted help in starting their parent groups so they
traveled around the state in helping other groups get started.
Their next need was a center for a nursery program. The Bridgeport
Brass Good Neighbor Fund purchased a lot and with the money
they had in their treasury designed and built a building with
help from local contractors. It then took 18 months to complete
it. Their programs soon expanded to their full capacity and
it was time once again to move. The Mayor of Bridgeport gave
them 3 acres of land on Virginia Ave. and Washington D.C. gave
them a federal grant for $100,000. They also raised $375,000
to cover the cost of the new building. They realized all to
soon, after the building opened, that they could not continue
the expense, the demand was so intense for services, and it
was overwhelming.
Their
only alternative was to have the Department of Mental Retardation
take the building over and provide the services desperately
needed. Evelyn Kennedy made a trip to Hartford to insist that
Bridgeport was past due in having a Regional Center. They then
turned the building over to the DMR for $50,000 the amount owed
on it. That was the beginning of the Bridgeport Regional Center.
In 1951 they decided to take the older children and open another
facility. They opened in one building, moved later to another
one and finally to a factory building on Garden Street in Bridgeport
that was donated to them. They also received a donation of about
1 million dollars to renovate the building and The
Kennedy Center opened in the early 1970's.
Evelyn
Kennedy has graciously written a letter
of support for the FORConn website.
Dexter
Picozzi
Dexter has a son
who lived in the Mansfield Training School until its closing
at which time he was moved to the Ella T. Grasso Regional Center
in Stratford CT. In 1997 as a result of the Mansfield decree
he was moved into a group home in Stratford, CT. run by St.
Vincent's Special Needs Services. Dexter is Vice- President
and Treasurer of FORConn. He is also President of the Grasso
Association for Special People (GRASP). He is also Treasurer
of the St. Frances of Ann Men's Roundtable and President of
the Parish Lay Advisory Council.
Cynthia
Stramandinoli
Parent of twin boys B. J. & Mark. B. J. was in a Greenwich ARC Group home
but now he and Mark live in Lower Fairfield Regional Center.
Cindy is Vice President of Parents & Friends of Lower Fairfield
County, and on the Program Committee of Greenwich Arc. as well
as a past Board Member.
Cynthia
was on the Task Force
that developed the Registry of Abuse and Neglect. She is a member
of
the
Council
on Mental Retardation,
a member of the DMR Work Group on Abuse and Neglect and a member
of the Advisory Council for Department of Investigations. She
also was on the Advisory Council for Protection & Advocacy.
Please see a letter from Cynthia's daughter on the Lower Fairfield
Center 26 mile California fundraising marathon!
Edward
D. Walen , President
Ted has a son, who is diagnosed
as profoundly retarded. His mental age is around 2. In spite
of his handicaps, he is increasingly leading a full life at
Southbury Training School. He frequently
goes on outings in the community. He has a work program on the
Southbury Training School Campus, where he also has a weekly
session at the Sloan Fitness Center.
Ted is President of FORConn and active on the following Boards concerned with mental
retardation: The Home and School Association of Southbury Training
School, Inc., The Southbury Training School Foundation, and a
member of the Council on Mental Retardation.
Robert
Wood (Past President)
Robert is the parent of a
daughter with Down syndrome. Mary lives in a group home run by VARCA (Valley
Association for Retarded Children and Adults). Mary also works
in VARCA a Community Work Center in Derby. Robert is President of VARCA. He was appointed to
the task force that developed the Registry of Abuse and Neglect
of the mentally retarded by Governor Rowland. Robert is a past
member of the Advisory
Board of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with
Disabilities, a past member of the
DMR Nutritional Work group, a member of the Connecticut
Council on Mental Retardation and
a member of the Presidents' Committee on Mental Retardation,
CT Team.
Members who
have passed on but still remain in our hearts:
Richard
C. Brown
Grace M.
Curtis
Fritzie
Levine
Board Members who have retired:
Ken Jetter
Volunteers
Dr.
Philip Bondy
Dr. Bondy graduated from Harvard Medical
School in 1942. He taught and practiced medicine for almost
50 years, as a professor and chair of the Department of Medicine
at Yale, Professor of Medicine at the Institute of Cancer Research
in London, England and Chief of Staff at the West Haven Veterans
Hospital. He was especially interested in diseases of the endocrine
glands and cancer. He retired from medical practice in 1989
and since then has devoted most of his time to studying the
problems and promoting the rights of people with mental retardation.
He is a member of the Connecticut Council on Mental Retardation,
the Board of Trustees of Southbury Training School, the FORConn
Committee on Health and Aging and the Board of the Southbury
Training School Foundation, where he heads the guardianship
program.
Mary
Potter - Webmaster for FORconn website,
and prior board member when living in Connecticut
Mary is a parent to Amanda
who has Rett Syndrome. Amanda lives at
home with her mom, Mary Potter, and dad, Clark Eid in New York.
Amanda attended public school until she was 10 1/2. At age 10
1/2, Amanda became critically ill due to uncontrolled seizures
and other progressive symptoms of Rett syndrome, and now receives
school services (from the public school) in her home. Clark
and Mary recently completed a national awareness campaign and
fundraiser for Rett syndrome research called the Great Mississippi
River Race for Rett Syndrome, May 2001 and the Mississippi Challenge
for Rett Syndrome and Leukodystrophy, May 2003. Mary
has volunteered to help FORConn and other charities with website
development. Mary Potter has a BS in Computer Science, and worked
in the computer field as a programmer, analyst and team leader
prior to becoming a stay at home mom to take care of her daughter,
Amanda.
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FORConn
- Working since 1984 For Connecticut Residents
who have Mental Retardation.
Contact Us!
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