Home > News and Events > News and Events > 2006 News Articles Archive > Loving Our Disabled Neighbors

Loving Our Disabled Neighbors “Love your Neighbor as yourself.”  -Jesus, Matthew 22:39. Northeast Residence, a non-profit organization caring for developmentally disabled children and adults, found themselves in a tight situation last year. Northeast offers extended day care for their clients and had met great success. Their mission is to provide rest for families of DD adults and children as well as a break for those struggling with the disability. The organization had outgrown the space at John Glenn Middle School and was in need of a new home for the after-school and summer care programs. This was the second time that Northeast had found themselves outgrowing their space and the idea of another move was not exactly pleasant. The needs of Northeast demanded that a new place be found to accommodate their ever-growing number of clients. Through the search for a new location Northeast came across Woodland Hills Church. The space met the needs of Northeast and Woodland Hills was happy to provide the space needed. Now the clients and staff of Northeast Residence are at the church Monday through Friday from 2:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and during breaks from school they are at the church in the youth area 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. When asked how the move went, Corrine Schmidt, a representative of Northeast was very pleased. A move is never easy, but she continued to emphasize how welcomed they felt by Woodland Hills. She stated that Woodland Hills had been very supportive, giving, and loving to the residents and staff of Northeast Residence since their arrival. When asked what she enjoyed about the new space, Corrine expressed that the DD clients really enjoyed the youth activity area, especially the foosball table and pool ball ramp. The staff and clients also have about four times the space that they had before which makes the time they spend at the church more enjoyable. One of the biggest advantages, Corrine expressed, is that Northeast staff and clients feel welcome and wanted. “We really feel as if the church is embracing us.”  Northeast is very happy to be at Woodland Hills Church. The organization hopes to help others experience what developmentally disabled adults have to offer and they feel that the Woodland Hills vision for reaching out to the community is aligned with theirs. “It’s about getting to know people as people, not disabilities, and Woodland Hills supports that.” says Corrine. “We are very pleased and happy to have been given this opportunity. We hope that this relationship will continue to grow.” article by Lauren Taggart e-mail her at laurentaggart@hotmail.com