In the summer of 1947, the
late Richard Cardinal Cushing purchased approximately 175
acres of land in Hanover, Massachusetts, to found a school
for "exceptional" children. Realizing he would
need a team of experts to manage the school, he turned to
the Sisters of Saint
Francis Of Asissi of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who had established
their expertise in the field at the turn of the Century. At the request of his Excellency, five sisters
relocated from the Midwest to co-found St. Coletta's by
the Sea, the first school of its kind in the Northeast.
Initially, thirty-five children were educated in two buildings
functioning as both residences and classrooms. Thus began
the pioneering spirit of St. Coletta in Massachusetts. Understanding
that those with mental retardation had been marginalized
by society and remained terribly under-served, the Cardinal
in 1957 donated approximately five acres of additional land
in Braintree, Massachusetts, to the Sisters. Later that
same year Braintree St. Coletta Day School was opened.
Given the tremendous
demand for services, the Cardinal was able to procure a
donation for the construction of a residential dormitory
on the Hanover campus from the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation.
In 1957, the dormitory was dedicated along with a swimming
pool and tunnel connecting the school and dormitory buildings.
Also during this period, the Cardinal acquired a number
of small residential homes and property abutting the Hanover
campus, which allowed for increased student enrollment.
Cardinal Cushing's ongoing commitment to the two schools
and the children they served was epitomized by his continued
involvement in fund-raising efforts, garnering community
support and his frequent visits with the students. In November
of 1970, Richard Cardinal Cushing passed away and was buried
in the Portiuncula Chapel overlooking the campus of St.
Coletta by the Sea in Hanover. In tribute to the late Cardinal
and his immeasurable contributions, the school changed its
official name to the Cardinal Cushing School and Training
Center.
During the early
1970s, the organization continued to grow to meet the needs
of individuals with developmental
disabilities.
On the Braintree campus, a new 22,500-square-foot building
was constructed in1972 to help accommodate the demand for
special education programs. Fully handicapped accessible,
it included a multi-purpose area intended specifically to
provide adaptive physical education. In a similar vein,
that same year construction of a physiotherapy center on
the Hanover campus was completed. These structures provided
a wide range of services designed to enhance all aspects
of a child's life.
In addition to the physical improvements,
the organization continued to exhibit its groundbreaking
spirit by introducing a number of new programs. The Braintree
campus developed the "Cooperative Work Experience Program"
for young adults ranging from 16-22 years of age. This novel
idea became the model widely used today on which vocational
training programming is based. The focus was and continues
to be on the development of job skills that will allow young
adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to
gain competitive employment in community-based settings.
The acquisition of these skills encourages individuals to
build and maintain self-esteem and self-sufficiency throughout
their lives.
The recent past
has given rise to a number of changes in our organizational
structure as well as the educational, clinical, and vocational
areas. We have developed adult services supports to provide
residential and vocational options to individuals within
the community over the age of 22. The organization also
built Cushing Residence, a 150 unit, HUD sponsored development
primarily serving low and moderate income elderly and disabled
citizens.
As we look forward,
the organization has a bold vision for the future. We are
embarking on a capital development plan designed to dramatically
alter the delivery of residential services. We are in the
process of designing homes that will provide small group
settings for all the children residing at Cardinal Cushing
Centers at Hanover. To view the vision of our future, click
here.
