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Villa Esperanza |
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When unannounced visitors recently walked into a bustling classroom in Pasadena, a middle-schooler named Simone stood up from her desk to greet them with a beaming grin. She guided the visitors to her desk and, with a flourish, showed them her latest creation: a portrait of Santa Claus, highlighted by splashes of glitter and multi-colored crayons.
"Look at my Santa!" she said with evident pride.
For Simone and other children diagnosed with autism, communication remains a daily and daunting challenge. She has learned how to navigate her disability at Villa Esperanza Services in Pasadena, where trained teachers provide education, speech and behavioral instruction, and music and physical therapy. Now, Simone can share her needs and desires with family, friends, schoolmates and teachers – and even unexpected guests. Her life has been transformed from one of frustration and adverse behavior to one with a future.
"The progress she's made is just amazing," said Gioia Pastre, Villa Esperanza's Vice President of Development "She's come a long way."
Villa Esperanza has come a long way since 1961, when a group of concerned parents banded together to ensure that their special needs children received quality care and education. The concept was considered a breakthrough because, in years past, developmentally disabled individuals were kept hidden from society, either in institutions or in private homes. The founders of Villa Esperanza believed otherwise, insisting that their sons and daughters had the right, as well as the capability, to lead more productive lives, if given the chance.
From that modest beginning, the "House of Hope" has grown to serve the entire special needs population, ages 2 to 92, in ways that empower their lives. Daily, teachers at Villa tutor 85 students -- most of whom are, like Simone, autistic -- from 24 school districts throughout Southern California. Meanwhile, adults and seniors from 41 cities in the area can choose from myriad services. Those with moderate disabilities can train for employment; alumni work in landscaping, light maintenance, and the food industry (among others). Small groups of adults and seniors can live independently and semi-independently in Villa's nine homes and six bungalow-style apartments in L.A. and Ventura counties. They also can participate in the Dimensions program, which offers adult day care and community activities.
These programs bring peace and stability to the families of the developmentally disabled. "In 1961, parents dreamt of having a place for their special needs children to learn and grow," chief executive officer Dottie Cebula Nelson said. "But Villa also recognized that these kids would eventually become adults, and then seniors, and that they would need a place when they got older. That's why we decided to provide comprehensive programs for children, adults, and seniors."
Even as the mission of the non-profit has expanded, Nelson and her 23-member Board of Directors recognized two looming challenges. The number of children with autism has increased dramatically; according to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control, as many as 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with the disorder. On the other end of the demographic spectrum, the aging disabled population continues to grow.
With these trends as backdrop, Nelson and the Board recently embarked on detailed strategic planning sessions to prepare Villa for the future. This included sending surveys to stakeholders, conducting focus groups with clients, staff and families, and evaluating its programs and resources. They concluded that, in order to better serve its clients, Villa needed to strengthen existing infrastructure in three crucial ways: leadership, capacity, and scope.
To accomplish this, Villa applied for and received a three-year, $830,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation, as part of the Foundation's Developmental Disabilities Initiative. That funding, said Nelson, gave Villa the resources to peek into the future and to implement change. "The Weingart Foundation recognized that nonprofits like Villa are barely able to do their work on a daily basis," Nelson said. "We don’t have the luxury of stepping back and evaluating ourselves because we're too busy doing what we do."
Among the goals of Villa's ambitious, multi-pronged plan: professionalize existing staff and attract quality employees with competitive salaries and benefits. They also want to expand programming options in L.A. and Ventura counties. Behind the scenes, Villa wants to build board capacity; increase fundraising and donor participation; develop innovative and effective marketing strategies; and create a master design for Villa's sprawling campus in the San Gabriel Valley.
By 2009, Nelson and the Board hope that the institution will become a recognized Center of Excellence. "We had a vision for where we wanted to go, but we had to find a way to make that happen," she said. "The Weingart Foundation understands the challenges that we and other nonprofits face every day."
Already, the funding has allowed Villa to surge ahead. To build employee capacity, Villa has created a career ladder to mentor existing staff and to encourage them to pursue higher education degrees. These measures help create better trained teachers as well as a continuity of leadership. "It's very difficult to find qualified teachers," Nelson said. "We want to build from within by encouraging our own employees to keep improving."
That includes Villa's own board of directors. Board members have pledged to "raise their game," according to Nelson, by redoubling fundraising, marketing, and advocacy efforts. "We intend to reach out more, so we can get our name out there," she said. "We want to be able to reach new donors."
That effort may well fulfill another element on Nelson's to-do list: an upgrade of Villa's physical campus. It has grown haphazardly, with multiple and disparate units added in the past 40 years. A master design that will seamlessly integrate these dwellings is necessary, as is a capital campaign to raise money for construction.
That will take time, perhaps as long as 15 years. But Nelson is committed to home improvement, so that Villa can present itself as a warm, family-friendly place. "It's much harder to have a center of excellence in deteriorating buildings," she said.
Ultimately, the Weingart Foundation grant will help Villa strengthen its core function: to provide quality, innovative programs for the developmentally disabled. The organization has enhanced current programming, and developed new ones, for those with moderate to severe disabilities graduating from high school, as well as aging adults with Alzheimer's and related disorders. According to Pastre, youngsters growing into adulthood "need services so that they can transition to the next stage of their lives. Given the tools, they can go on to work in the community."
Indeed, the painstaking efforts to improve the lives of the developmentally disabled continue apace at Villa. On a recent afternoon, inside a Craftsman-style home that has been turned into the organization's Speech and Language Center, a teacher holds a one-on-one tutoring session with an autistic preschooler. "Timmy, what animal barks?" the teacher asks.
He fidgets and grunts, then taps on what looks like a mini-touchscreen. The answer emerges in seconds: "D-O-G."
Then, to ensure that Timmy can communicate in different ways, the teacher asks him to spell out "dog" in sign language. He gives a sly grin as his fingers effortlessly supply the correct answer.
"Great job," the teacher says. "You're so smart, Timmy."
That sort of interaction, Nelson says, will keep Villa on the path to excellence. "The special needs of our kids drive us every day," she said. "Their spirit inspires and challenges us to grow and adapt as their capabilities demand."
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