The Council on Mental Retardation will be
moving its office to 1151 South
Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40203 on
May 20, 2008. Please note this
address change. Our telephone and fax
numbers will remain the same.
Welcome to the Council
on Mental Retardation
Our Vision "It
is the vision of the Council on Mental Retardation that all
children and adults who have mental retardation be included,
empowered and valued in the community."
Our
Mission "It
is the mission of the Council on Mental Retardation to
advocate for children and adults who have mental
retardation."
The Council on Mental Retardation was
founded in 1952 by parents seeking services for their
children with mental retardation. In the early years, the
Council demonstrated that children with mental retardation
could learn and develop in school programs, and adults with
mental retardation could work and contribute to the
community. More recently, the Council has advocated for the
development of a wide array of services that help adults and
children with mental retardation live successfully and
contribute their gifts to our community.
The
Council fulfills its mission of advocating on behalf of
people with mental retardation through the provision of a
variety of services:
Parent Outreach provides families with information and
training and brings families together for mutual support
and understanding.
Educational Advocacy supports parents in seeking
effective and appropriate educational services for their
school-aged children.
Citizen Advocacy matches a trained volunteer with a
person with mental retardation who needs a friend,
mentor, or representative.
Help Now provides crisis prevention and intervention
services to persons in crisis, as well as family members
seeking to prevent crisis.
Governmental Advocacy seeks to increase funding for
services by educating leaders and legislators about the
needs of people with mental retardation.
Faith in Action provides resources and support to enable
faith communities to be successful in their inclusion of
people with mental retardation and their families.
Leadership Institute provides training and information
to consumers, families, service providers, and direct
service professionals.
It is the vision of the Council that all children and
adults with mental retardation be included, empowered,
and valued in the community.
When
Shirley and John learned that their new baby had Down
syndrome, they didn’t know where to turn for help. When Rick
graduated from high school, his parents didn’t know where he
could go during the day while they worked. When Abby’s
elderly caregiver-parent passed away, her brother didn’t
know where Abby could live and get the care she needed. The
Council was there for each of them.
The
Council on Mental Retardation offers hope to individuals and
families, a vision for the future, and a voice to bring this
vision to fruition. The Council is a Metro United Way
agency, and is supported by federal, state, and local
grants, as well as by many private contributors.
A VISION FOR COMMUNITY
is the Council’s first public capital campaign in its
54-year history. The goal of A
VISION FOR COMMUNITY is to raise $750,000 for the
renovation of 1151 South Fourth Street in Old
Louisville. The building is directly adjacent to the
Council’s current office and was purchased in September
2005 with the vision of transforming it into much needed
expansion space for a training and office complex. The
8000 square foot building will include a 2500 square
foot a state-of-the-art conference and training center.
The
renovated center will be totally accessible and is
located near a major intersection (Fourth and Oak
Streets), which is accessible by affordable and regular
TARC bus transportation. The Center is located on a
major artery between the University of Louisville and
the central downtown business district and is only a few
blocks from an on-ramp to I-65, linking the neighborhood
to the entire metropolitan area. Expanded off-street
parking will be included in the office complex plan.
A VISION FOR COMMUNITY
is about improving a building, improving a neighborhood,
improving an organization, and, most importantly,
bringing programs and services to children and adults
with mental retardation and their families. As you
review the information below, I hope you will be
inspired to join us in making our
VISION FOR COMMUNITY a
reality.
Art from the Heart raised $85,000 (net proceeds) for
the Council. Four hundred guests enjoyed an evening
that included dinner, music, and a silent and live
auction of art and the "art of fine living" items.
For additional details about this event, please call
the Council at 584-1239.
Art from
the Heart Sponsors for 2008
Thank you to the
artists, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters who
made Art from the Heart 2008 a success!
We would like to Thank
our Art from the Heart 2008 Sponsors...
The Kaiser Family Foundation
encourages non-profit organizations, government agencies, academic
institutions, and other organizations to link to its online
information.
A new feature of the Council's
web site will post the issues of concern to citizens with disabilities
and their families.
The Council on
Mental Retardation 1151South
Fourth Street Louisville, Kentucky 40203-2997 Phone: (502) 584-1239 Fax: (502) 584-1261 info@councilonmr.org
This
web site possible with the outstanding support and contribution of Xpressions
Interactive.
Copyright
1996-2006. All rights reserved. Comments on Web site can be directed to
info@councilonmr.org
Art
from the Heart 2008 was held on March 1, 2008 at the
Henry Clay. We were honored to have Martin Rollins as
our Artist of Distinction this year.
