What began as a family's love and concern for their developmentally disabled son has, over the past 25 years, blossomed into Lifetime Assistance - an organization that now serves more than 1,500 individuals at more than 40 locations. The grass roots organization first served 32 people at its inception in 1978. At the July 13 town board meeting, Clarkson Supervisor Paul Kimball and the town board, declared July 13, 2004 as Donald and Donna Lowry Day in Clarkson. "We are very proud of these local residents," Kimball said. "Lifetime Assistance has gone from one small house with a handful of clients to a prosperous care-giving agency that offers help to so many in need." Kimball read and presented a proclamation to the life-long Clarkson residents. "Your hard work and dedication has truly called attention to the need for high quality education for developmentally disabled individuals." Don said Clarkson has been a good host for the organization. "Who knows what the future holds for us," he said. "We have a waiting list for those who need treatment and it's so gratifying to see what we've accomplished." James Branciforte, Lifetime Assistance's chief executive officer who has been with the organization for close to 16 years, said it is an exceptional organization. "It's a grassroots organization that helps people improve their lives," he said. "People with developmental disabilities need a level playing field and that's what we offer." One of the programs that Donna says she is most proud of is the day activities that Lifetime Assistance offers. "Every day, every individual, no matter their functional capability, is offered an activity," she said. "When we started there was nothing like that offered. So many of the people just sat in chairs rocking all day - we changed all of that." The Lowrys were also the recent recipients of the nation's highest care-giving recognition - the Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Award. This is the first time in the history of the award that a New York caregiving organization has been recognized. The Rosalynn Carter Institute was established in 1987 to recognize individuals for leadership and innovation in caregiving. The Lowrys also have the distinction of being the first-ever award recipients representing the field of development disability services. Donald and Donna Lowry whose son, Greg, was born with Down syndrome in 1957, have been the pioneers in advocacy for individuals with disabilities. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Lowrys advocated for better public education and took their battle to public school officials, legislators and school boards. And in the mid-1970s the Lowrys found that services for their son Greg were almost non-existent. It was in 1978 that Donna and Don joined forces with five other parents of children with developmental disabilities to establish and incorporate Lifetime Assistance, Inc. The Lowrys have also received a statewide advocacy award, the Martha Fitzpatrick Citizen's Advocate Award, the Lifetime Humanitarian Award and in October 2003 the Brockport Day Treatment center was officially named the Lowry Center to honor the significant contributions of Don and Donna. For the past 25 years, the Lowrys have remained steadfast in their commitment to Lifetime Assistance. Don is chairman of the organization's board of directors and Donna remains an active member of the board after having served two terms as its chairman. |
