Celebrate Independence with Melinda Clayton and the Tipton County Adult Developmental Center

A satellite office of the Helen R. Tucker Adult Developmental Center of Ripley, Tennessee, TCADC is located in a modest, one story brick building known to older locals as the Old Owen School, an elementary school closed decades before. After many years of neglect, a group of parents, determined to find a building to house services for their adult children with physical and developmental disabilities, spent eighteen months remodeling the old building.

Plumbing was reworked, walls were rebuilt and windows were replaced until finally the TCADC opened its doors with a clear mission statement: "...[T]o offer day habilitation services, vocational services, personal assistance, and residential services to adults with intellectual and physical challenges and/or developmental disabilities for the purpose of promoting independence, productivity, and integration into the community."

What does this mean for my brother Sam? It means he has a place to go to meet friends and learn skills that will assist him with becoming more independent and integrated into community life. It means he no longer has to spend his days bored and lonely with little social contact. It means peace of mind for my parents, who, as they age, no longer have to worry Sam may lose the skills he fought so hard to gain in the public school system.

TCADC currently serves seventeen adults with physical and/or developmental disabilities. As in all human service fields, money is a constant concern. TCADC operates on a shoestring budget, with a payroll of less than $100,000 for a staff of six.

As a professional in the field of mental health and developmental disabilities, I hold centers such as TCADC near to my heart. As Sam's sister, I am forever indebted to them for the services they provide my brother.

For these reasons, my fabulous publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing, and I have come together to donate $1.00 of the profits for every edition of Return to Crutcher Mountain sold during the month of October to TCADC. You can buy it now; just click on the book cover on the left to be taken to Amazon.

As I said in the dedication at the front of Return to Crutcher Mountain: "This book is for my brother, Sam, who has inspired and influenced all of us more than he'll ever know. This book wouldn't exist without you." Here's to you, Sam.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Return to Crutcher Mountain
• Down Syndrome
• Developmental Disabilities
• Donation
• Celebrate Independence
• Ebook
• Print Edition