A History of People
At TradeWinds Rehabilitation Center, we are defined by a strong foundation of people;
from the children and adults we serve to the men and women who champion our cause.
Our goal...
is to help individuals grow to their potential success. This long, often winding
road to success began its journey in the early 1940’s where TradeWinds traces its
roots back to the Lake County Association for Crippled Children, TradeWinds’ Parent
Organization. The Association provided speech, hearing and therapy services for
children with disabilities. At that time services were offered wherever space was
available—church basements, schoolrooms, YMCA’s and rented storefronts.
Time passed...
Ted Dombrowski, Original Director of the Lake County Society for Crippled Children
and Adults
and in the late 50’s and early 60’s another visionary Ted Dombrowski the Society’s
Director helped inspire volunteers from labor, business, and civic organizations
to band together for the building of TradeWinds’ original 15,000 Square foot building.
The building was coined the “Labor of Love”. The “Labor of Love” was a true testament
of what people can do when the cause is greater than themselves. When it was finished,
Trade Winds received a Presidential Commen Dation for being the largest rehabilitation
center built entirely by volunteers in the United States.
Although TradeWinds...
had been completed; there was no operating capital to begin serving the community.
Once again, the community rose to the ocassion. Forty-six men, who later became
known as the Pirate's Organization, put up enough capital so the center could
begin services. Dombrowski had a completed building, and the needed funds to begin
operations, but he was still without a name for his beloved agency. A contest was
offered up at the area schools, and a Brunswick Elementary child, Greg Corwin named
TradeWinds in this 1966 contest. He wrote; "Just as the TradeWinds propel sailors
on the seas, so will TradeWinds propel handicapped children to a better quality
of life."
As the children...
grew into adulthood, the need for expanded services became apparent. Attaining a
“better quality of life” meant learning to live as independently as possible. This
meant attaining the skills needed to obtain jobs! The early 70’s brought the development
of vocational training and employment programs for adults as well as the need for
more space. As those programs flourished, volunteers came forward again and added
three new wings to the original structure. Today TradeWinds is home to training
and production operations that are a living testament to what the human spirit can
accomplish. If you are interested in job opportunities click on our Human Resources
page.
Hundreds of people...
donated their time, their money, and their expertise, forming a volunteer spirit
and vision yet to be matched in its magnitude.