A Committed Few Inspire Many
The foundation for what we know today as Citizen Advocacy of Chester County was laid over 40 years ago, in 1977. At that time, people involved with local social services began informal discussions focused on what they deemed to be gaps in the services provided to people with disabilities. The nature of these gaps seemingly threatened both the safety and wellbeing of a vulnerable population.
By 1979, a small group of people involved in the earlier discussions determined that a need existed for some form of personal advocacy. To that end, they came to study the model known as “Citizen Advocacy” developed by Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger and John O’Brien. In due course, they selected this model as the basis for a new organization to be comprised of: a paid coordinator initiating many unpaid one-on-one personal relationships.
One year later, in 1980, the new organization officially incorporated as a nonprofit and opened an office. Immediately, it faced the challenge of meeting operational expenses. So dire was the situation, that times arose when they literally “passed the hat” at board meetings just to stay in business for another week. Despite financial insecurity, glimmers of hope arose from time to time. One such glimmer occurred when a man, having observed an advocate and partner together at a festival, was moved to donate $5,000.00 on the spot. That donation prevented the office from closing the following week.
Financial insecurity, however, lessened significantly in 1985 when lobbying efforts by the organization resulted in a significant grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. Through that grant, the organization was able to hire one full and one part time coordinator. Continued support from the Council over the next 15 years provided many training opportunities and allowed the organization to ensure long term sustainability.
From its inception until 1986, the organization occupied several offices within Chester County. In 1986, however, Citizen Advocacy of Chester County moved to its permanent base of operations within the borough of Phoenixville. That same year, the Running Races were established as a major funding source. In 1993 the Spaghetti Dinner, originally conceived as a breakfast event, added an additional funding source. Ten years later, in 2003, the organization added yet another funding source with its Theater Event at People’s Light.
Over the course of more than 40 years, many hard-working board (and staff) members of Citizen Advocacy of Chester County have brought to fruition the aspirations of a small group of concerned citizens. Through their efforts over 250 people have agreed to become citizen advocates in committed relationships with over 250 partners. Several dedicated coordinators initiated those matches.
Today, hundreds of donors and volunteers continue to support Citizen Advocacy of Chester County. Each plays a unique and essential role in keeping alive our mission to stand by, stand for and stand with a vulnerable population through a personal commitment – one citizen to another, one match at a time. Finally, there are currently over 45 committed relationships active in our communities and several have been active for more than 20 years.
To learn how you can get involved, contact us today.
The success of our mission depends on you.
Become an advocate.
Volunteer to help at our events.
Make a tax-free donation.