Erin Morris - Somerset County
Somerset County Freeholder Director Mark Caliguire joins Erin Morris and her children for a photo after presenting her with the 2015 Disability Advocates Award in the individual category. Through her fund-raising efforts and her success in recruiting many volunteers and supporters, the dream of a New Jersey chapter of GiGi's Playhouse became a reality in January of this year in Hillsborough Township. (courtesy photo)
The Somerset County Board of Freeholders recently honored winners of the county's 2015 Disability Advocates Awards at a freeholders' meeting.
Erin Morris, president of GiGi's Playhouse in Hillsborough, a Down syndrome achievement center, was selected in the individual category. The Jerry Davis Center for Children and Families in Manville was recognized in the business category.
Morris was chosen for her commitment to advocating on behalf of and promoting positive awareness of the needs of Somerset County citizens with disabilities, and for bringing to New Jersey a chapter of GiGi's Playhouse.
The goal of the GiGi Playhouse Achievement Center and its founder is to help people with Down syndrome strive for achievement, empowerment and self-confidence. The Playhouse currently runs literacy (tutoring) programs, fitness and nutritional workshops, physical therapy sessions and art classes, free of charge.
Somerset County Freeholder Director Mark Caliguire joins staff from the Jerry Davis Center for Children and Families in Manville for a photo after presenting a 2015 Disability Advocates Award to them in the business category. Pictured (from left) are Michelle Reilly, teacher; Jill Glassman, assistant director, early intervention; Melissa Krongold, therapist; Jen Orlick, director of the Center; Jo-Ellen Pozarek, therapist; Mary Atchey, family support coordinator; Dorota Surtel, teacher assistant; Elizabeth Hatto, teacher assistant; Kathy Shimmel, quality services; and, Lauren Panarella, executive director. (courtesy photo)
The playhouse also provides a place where families can gather to find comfort and information regarding day-to-day challenges.
Morris' long-range dream is to provide employment opportunities in the form of a Hugs for Mugs cafe, which would be a coffee shop run by adults with Down syndrome.
The nomination form states that through Morris' efforts, the lives of "specially-abled" individuals, and the way the community interacts with them, has changed.
The Jerry Davis Center for Children and Families is being recognized for its commitment to providing quality care and making a difference in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. The Center provides a broad range of support, including special education, therapeutic programs, family support and child care to children 2 months to 6 years of age, with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For the past 43 years, with support from the Arc of Somerset County, the Jerry Davis Center has provided services to children of all abilities, offering inclusion opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to learn alongside their typically developing peers.
The center's creative curriculum is an evidence-based program that has been nationally recognized for its success in meeting the specific needs of young children, regardless of ability. The program offers the only developmental daycare/preschool in and around Somerset County.
The awards are presented annually by the Somerset County Office on Aging & Disability Services as part of Disability History and Awareness Month in October.
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