News Release | PDF

RELEASED BY:
Welcome House, Inc. • 20575 Center Ridge Rd. • Suite 200 • Rocky River, OH 44116
440-356-2330 • 440-356-9421 Fax

CONTACT:
Tony Thomas, LISW • Executive Director

RELEASE:
Immediate

DATE:
September 20, 2006

Welcome House's Silver Celebration celebrates 25 years with guests the Hon. Dick Ambrose and Connie Dieken

Party will kick off campaign to raise funds for new MRDD housing

ROCKY RIVER, OH–Welcome House, a residential provider and service organization for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a party, a Silver Celebration to be held October 8, 2006 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cleveland.

Helping in the celebration are the Hon. Dick Ambrose and Connie Dieken. Ambrose is judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. He is perhaps best known outside his legal career as a middle linebacker for the Cleveland Browns from 1975-85, starting in 65 consecutive games and turning to law when an injury sidelined his career in professional football. The Westlake resident is a member of the board of SAW Inc., a division of the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities adult workshop unit, and many other civic organizations.

Dieken spent more than 20 years in television news and reporting in Cleveland, Nashville and New York, and as a host of the Morning Exchange in Cleveland. The winner of multiple Emmy and Telly Awards, she has been inducted into the Radio and Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She is currently president of OnPoint, an advisor to businesses who want to optimize communications, and author of four books.

The presence of Dick Ambrose and Connie Dieken makes the Silver Celebration a great time to kick off the Welcome House’s fundraising effort for its new housing complex. The facility, in North Olmsted, will be specifically designed to meet the special needs of the aging IDD population. How better to celebrate your past success than by taking on the opportunity to do more of it?

The new complex includes construction of an 8,000-square foot, single-level home designed for the aging IDD population, renovation of two existing Welcome House homes, and a garden and recreational area, on a four-acre site, for a total project cost of $2.5 million. The complex, designed by Fogle-Stenzel Architects, Inc., of Cleveland, adds to local residential options for an aging IDD population, a growing need in our area.

“As a result of the tremendous advances made in healthcare, the life expectancy of individuals with IDD continues to increase,” said Tony Thomas, executive director of Welcome House. “We have more than 2,000 adults in Cuyahoga County with IDD who are approaching the age of 50 and need a place to live and the type of assistance unique to the IDD population. These new homes will allow us to expand our support to this important segment of our community.”

Welcome House was founded in 1981 and is partially funded by the West Haven Foundation, which was established in 1972. Primary operating funds come from other government and private sources. Welcome House has a staff of 200 dedicated caregivers that provide services for more than 120 individuals with IDD living in group homes or supported living sites in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties and to many others who live in family homes. Welcome House is located at 20575 Center Ridge Rd., Suite 200, in Rocky River, OH. Visit Welcome House on the web at www.welcomehouseinc.org