After last year’s brutally cold dip in Alum Creek, Laura DeWert felt more than ready to retire from the signature Special Olympics fundraiser. She even announced her intention. And then, a few weeks ago, she signed up for what will be her 16th Polar Plunge. “Just like Tom Brady, I can’t quite quit,” she said. …

Though he has moved into the director’s office, no one should be surprised to see James Leonard back in the garage now and then. Troubleshooting mechanical problems comes naturally to Leonard, who has been peering into engines since he was a teen. “I just like doing it,” he said. “It’s the challenge of not letting …

Mildred “Millie” Blumenfeld, who championed the rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families for more than 50 years, died on Dec. 11 at the age of 98. Blumenfeld started out advocating on behalf of her son Lee and soon found herself taking on battles both large and small. She pushed for everything from …

Chelsi Davis can barely remember a time when she wasn’t interested in helping – and learning from – people with disabilities. Her mom, a former bus assistant for the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, always brought Davis along during Take Your Child to Work Day. Davis also visited her grandfather, who worked in the …

Each year, the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities turns to the public for input on an important community survey and needs assessment. Responses and comments from people we serve, family members, staff, providers and others help us to shape plans for the coming year. We review these responses and consider them in the final …

Many years ago, long before he was in charge of the Transportation Department at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Bill Ryan happened upon a colleague strapping his own daughter into her seat on the bus. The girl had significant disabilities and couldn’t speak. That didn’t stop her dad from chattering away, holding up …

Gwen Mouat doesn’t think too much about what she wants for Christmas. She’s more focused on what she can do for other children with her Toys for Tots gift drive. “I just really like to help people,” Gwen said. The New Albany High School student first saw a toy collection box a few years ago …

As far as Murriel Thompson is concerned, bum knees and senior status are no reason to hang up her bowling shoes. “To see people — that’s what I like,” she said. “And I’m pretty good, right?” Thompson definitely is a good bowler. And at 78, she’s also the oldest female athlete actively competing as a …

The aquatics center at West Central School is a wonderful resource, and the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities is again making it available to people served by the board, their families and FCBDD employees. The Monday Night Swim event had been on pause most of the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. …

For nearly a decade, Honeywell has partnered with ARC Industries to employ people with developmental disabilities. The crew started with six people, has grown to 24 and now makes up the largest on-site crew in ARC’s group employment program. Paula Daugherty heads up value-added services at Honeywell’s PPE distribution center in Groveport, where the ARC …