Box 3, Folder 16, Document 13

Box 3, Folder 16, Document 13

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AN 101 Marietta Street Bldg. « Atlanta, Georpia 30303 e

T. M. Parham

Executive Administrator

Ivan Allen, Jr., President

Allen Foundation, Inc ° ~\Q
29 Pryor Street, NE ;
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Dear Mr. Allen:

' .

This is a direct appeal to Atlanta area civic clubs ‘and

-July 16, 1959

philanthropic foundation thought to have some concern fox the
welfare of the young people living in our community. Through
my work as EOA consultant in mantal retardation and special
education I have become aware of the large number of mantally
retarded children residing in EOA target areas who are not
receiving adequate services from area agencies responsible

for the care of these children. Many area children have never

received service from any agency. To me, this is an incredible

Situation. Perhaps as a professional person I have bean too
far renoved from reality to feel the urgency of the need these
children have for training in self-care skills. After evalu-
ating the programs and community facilities for the retardad,
I am well aware of the dasperate situation facing these nag-

lected children. The public schools can care for only a
fractiou of our mentally retarded children; private commanity
agencies provide programs for even smaller groups, and’ this
leaves most of our children with no programs of any kind.

I feel that eacn of the fourtean EOA Neighborhood Service
Centers should have at least one program serving from twelve
to Fireeen netgnvothoed children. At this time, only four
of the Centers have programs and two of those are for the
current summer only.

Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc., has no funds for this
specific area of naed. Their centribution thus far has been
in the form of senior Aides, Neighborhood Youth Corps trainees,
surplus food comnodities and transportation services provided
by individyal Centers. Each Center probably has sufficient |
flexible Eonttewes sponsor a neighborhood program for the men-
tally retardsad, However, due to tne organization structure Of
Sanighinerhsed Sarvice Centers too little time is left before
the committment of 1969-70 funds to fully infoxm each group
of the urgency of need for this particular kind of service
program. This makes it necessary to seek other sources of
funds for staffing to insure the extension of some of our
established programs beyond this summer. By budget planning
time for 1970-71 all Central Neighborhood Action Committees

will be throughly familiar with the necessity of establishing
neighborhood programs for their mentally retarded children.
An additional source of funds for ths soning fiseal year is
the Georgia State Department of Public Health - the agency
which is legally charged with tha responsibility of providing
services for these children. In the meantime, if even a few
of the many target area children needing services are to be
served, civic organizations, church groups, and private foun-
dations need to provide financial support with which to staff
neighborhood programs fox the current fiscal year. I firmly
believe in the concept of local responsibility for local pro-
grams and the situation regarding the care of mentally retarded
children in this community is a severe local problem.

If I have been smotional I do not apologize. My sense of
professional and personal integrity is outraged by such naglect
and we simply wast not allow this to continue. Please do every-
thing possible to enable the economically daprived areas of
Atlanta to staff neighborhood programs for their mentally cetar~
ded children.

Enclosed is a copy of a proposal for a small neighborhood
program which can be followed by any sponsoring agency with
enougn concern for mentally retarded children to initiate action
to provide them with the services we take for granted for our
own children. I will be glad to maet with your group anytime

during tha week to answer any questions you or they might have

about the proposal, and discuss ways in which your group might
Ne

make a concrete contribution to the welfare of our grossly

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neglected mentally retarded children.

Sincerely,
e aa wpe a? ee
Nee Ge tho WS, Ve.

pet

**

(Mrs.) Jean D. Zorn, /Consultant
‘Mental Retardation /

and
Special Education

Enclosure
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