The What Not Shop Thrift Store helps meet the needs of supported people not met otherwise. Back in 1957, the most commonly recognized medical treatment for children with intellectual disabilities was for the family to bring them to the State school at Pownal, and many were told to just forget about them. Sadly, many families did just that. The other option at that time was to basically isolate children with disabilities from the community. Fortunately, there were families here in Rumford and Mexico that challenged that medical advice and knew that they could do something better that would allow their children to be counted as valuable members of this community. They didn’t quite know how, but they knew that they had to start somewhere. So, they started with school aged children and started educating their children at the Mechanic’s Institute in Rumford. In order to support this program, parents and friends started to raise funds through bake sales, garage sales and personal donations. Volunteers were recruited to educate their children in the basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills of the day. However, more importantly, the children were educated in daily life skills that would help them to integrate more easily as part of their community. Social skills; like manners, dressing, good hygiene and courtesy were reinforced on a daily basis. Fun activities that allowed the children to learn good social skills were an important part of the curriculum, and as these skills developed, the original parents knew that a bigger more formal school was needed. By 1961, these parents had raised enough support to purchase a large home on Maple Street in Mexico that would become one of the state’s first schools for children with Mental Retardation (now referred to as Developmental Disabilities). The Association officially incorporated as the Oxford County Association for Retarded Children in 1961. This school was very successful and before long, word started to spread across the state about what was happening in Rumford and Mexico, and families moved here just to allow their children with disabilities an opportunity to be educated in and to be a part of this great community. The Hope School flourished and grew until the early 1980s when other towns and communities really started to build a new paradigm of encouraging people with disabilities to be a part of their school and community. Soon, it was legislated that all public schools were required to provide special education services. The need for the Hope School was past and it found itself closing its doors in 1985. This was somewhat of a sad situation, but in many ways it was a reason to celebrate because
children across the state of Maine were now receiving wonderful educational opportunities. Many of the youngsters who completed their education through the Hope Training School now graduated and were in need of day and vocational training that would again foster their involvement in the community. In 1974 the Adult Activity Center was developed by many of the same parents and friends who started the Hope Training School, and in 1976 the old Saint Rocco’s Hall on Waldo Street was purchased and for 20 years served as the Adult Activity Center. In 1976, the Association’s opened its first 13 bed residential home called Horizons Unlimited. Parents and friends of the Association wanted to make sure that as they aged, their children would have a place that they could call their “home”. In 1986, as the Hope School closed, a decision was made to turn the school into the Association’s second residential home. This was an 8 bed home that was quickly filled to capacity. In 1989, the Association built a 3rd 4 bed home that was specially designed to accommodate individuals with ambulatory needs. The Fourth Street home had wide hallways, handicap accessible bathrooms and wide open living and kitchen areas. In 2008, the Association established a 4th residential home on Kimball Avenue in Mexico to serve the needs of 3 residents. It’s interesting to note that all of these developments have been related to meeting individual needs, so it was only natural to look at Supported Living, Independent Living, Nursing Home Outreach and Shared Living programs that were designed to meet personalized needs of each person served. In 1996, the Association took a huge step of faith and purchased the old Rumford Armory building on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Hancock Street. This purchase would allow for the consolidation of 3 buildings into one central location, and it would allow for continued growth into future supports and services like the Rural Employment Network and more. Hope Association is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. It is the policy of HOPE ASSOCIATION not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, age, weight, height, color or handicap.
