THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508230139
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 172 lines
TIMIDLY, TABITHA Copeland touched the aqua-tinted whipping cream. Quickly, a grin spread across the 2-year-old's face as the gooey fluff squished through her tiny fingers.
Nearby, 2-year-old Tanasia Powell manipulated a hand-puppet to plant a kiss on her mother's cheek. Two other toddlers pounded on table tops with rubber hammers, the noise drowning out all conversation.
The pre-schoolers at The Children's Center's new Suffolk home seem much the same as other youngsters playing happily in a nursery filled with colorful toys.
But these children are special. Each has a developmental delay that, if untreated, could mean a permanent handicap. Their play - guided by trained specialists - is work.
``That's how they learn,'' said JoAnn Temple, day care coordinator. ``The thing children do naturally is what they need most.''
It's the way these children overcome difficulties or cope with situations that otherwise might be insurmountable problems.
``Early intervention'' is the key phrase at the nonprofit organization, which was formed in 1983 to work with disabled children and their families.
``The earlier the intervention, the less likely it is to be a problem or the less severe it is going to be,'' said Tamie Rittenhouse, early intervention coordinator.
The Children's Center served nearly 500 families in western Tidewater last year, said executive director Barbara Mease. Of those, 152 were in Suffolk, 263 in Franklin and neighboring Southampton County, and 45 in Isle of Wight.
Some clients also come from North Carolina and other South Hampton Roads cities.
The staff works with children who have cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, problems with hearing, vision, speech or coordination and a number of other disabilities.
And the requests for services, which are mandated to localities by the federal government, are escalating, Mease said.
This fall, The Children's Center's ability to help such children will be greatly enhanced by new facilities with room for additional programs and expanded existing services.
In Franklin, a new building under construction on Campbell Avenue is expected to be completed in late November. The Texie Camp Marks Children's Center will provide space for the early-intervention, rehabiliative therapy and developmental day-care programs now offered at cramped quarters on Third Avenue and day-care provided at the Bethel Friends Meeting in Hunterdale.
The new facility will be able to handle 85 children in day-care, more than twice the number now being served in the Franklin area. And much needed space for additional offices and treatment rooms for therapy sessions will be available.
This spring, The Children's Center moved into a permanent home in Suffolk - a former office building on Executive Court, just off Wilroy Road near the U.S. Route 58 Bypass. The 3,854-square-foot facility will allow programs to expand.
In September, mainstreamed day-care will be offered in Suffolk for the first time. The staff is expecting about 50 children this fall. And the early intervention programs will be strengthened by having non-disabled children as role models, Mease said.
The site required only a few renovations - more bathrooms and outside doors, an extension on the deck and a ramp.
``It's like, 20 years ago, someone built a perfect building and put it in a perfect location for us,'' Mease said.
Until April, services in Suffolk were limited. Early-intervention programs were held three days a week at Magnolia United Methodist Church on Wilroy Road.
``The church was very generous with its support,'' Rittenhouse said. ``But the building wasn't ours, and we couldn't leave things set up.''
The staff operated out of closets, pulling out their equipment in the mornings and putting everything back at the end of the day.
``We've always prided ourselves on being able to provide quality programs wherever we were,'' Rittenhouse said. ``But we have a much nicer facility now.''
Anne Fischer, a board member, knows first-hand the benefits of The Children's Center. For two years, the staff has helped her son, Harris - a bright-eyed, 27-month-old with Down syndrome.
She believes the attention he has received at The Children's Center has made a big difference in his development. Doctors didn't expect him to walk before he was 2, but he surprised them, she said.
She credits much of his successes to the stimulation provided by ``playing'' at the center, the work done by the therapists and the parental training to teach ways to reinforce lessons at home.
``It takes constant working, over and over and over,'' she said.
Support groups also help parents cope with disabled children, Fischer said.
She and her husband, George, were not prepared for Harris' diagnosis after what seemed a normal pregnancy, she said.
``But the beauty of this program is they're also here to help you,'' she said. ``They're here for support.''
Fischer is active in area organizations dealing with disabilities.
``In getting involved with all this, I have found The Children's Center sets the standard for how early intervention is done, at least in this area, and probably in the state,'' she said.
In September, Harris will begin a pre-school program for developmentally delayed and non-disabled children at Mount Zion Elementary School.
Although she feels the staff at The Children's Center has prepared him for this step, she will miss the care and support they have provided.
``This is the warm and fuzzy part,'' she said, in the midst of the children's play area.
Harris will continue to come there for therapy. And Fischer also plans to bring her daughter - due any day - to day-care, which is open to anyone in the community.
Tests have shown this child will not have Down syndrome though she could have other problems, said Fischer, 41.
If so, Fischer knows where to get help.
She plans to remain involved in efforts to provide services to other disabled children.
``There's going to be a lot more Harrises born,'' she said.
But buildings and programs to work with disabled children are expensive, said Anne Williams, fund-raising coordinator for the Texie Camp Marks Children's Center.
That facility is a $1.2 million project - ``just to get in the door,'' Williams said. That doesn't include playground equipment and furnishings.
Although they have a little more than $1 million - most of it from large donations - fund drive officials are counting on community support to raise the rest.
The building will have 14,000 square feet - nearly five times the current amount of space. The 2 1/2-acre site was donated by Paul D. Camp Community College at the edge of its campus.
The Children's Center board had not planned to undertake two funding drives at once. But the opportunity to buy the Suffolk facility was too good to miss.
``Fortunately, the board said everything was right except the timing,'' said Mease, the executive director. ``And sometimes you just can't change your timing.''
The board was able to make the down payment, thanks to help from the United Way of South Hampton Roads, and other donations.
Contributions are being accepted for the Suffolk facility, although a fund drive has not officially started. Plans are being finalized now for the effort, which is expected to kick off this fall.
``It's going to take parental support and support from the community,'' said Fischer, the board member and parent.
She hopes the community will respond generously because of the services the center provides.
``This place maximizes the potential,'' she said. MEMO: For more information on The Children's Center's services or to make a
contribution, call 538-2523 in Suffolk or 562-6806 in Franklin.
ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
SPECIAL PLACE FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN
ON THE COVER
Two-year-old Tanasia Powell manipulates a hand puppet to plant a
kiss on her mother's cheek at The Children's Center on Executive
Court in Suffolk. Staff photo by John H. Sheally II.
Lucy Humphrey helps Kyle Watson wash his hands at The Children's
Center.
Harris Fischer goes shopping in a play area of the Suffolk
building.
Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
``That's how they learn. The thing children do naturally is what
they need most,'' day care coordinator JoAnn Temple says about the
pre-schoolers at The Children's Center's.
Instructor Christine McInerney helps Shane Winslow work a puppet in
front of a mirror.
Three preschoolers at The Children's Center are busy with meal
preparation in the play kitchen area.
by CNB