If you ask my four year old, “What does your Mommy do?”… she will gladly tell you her mommy works ‘with the angels.’ Yes, I surely do.
Let me take you inside Jacksonville’s little slice of heaven for children and adults with disabilities. Former Jacksonville TV news anchor Sally Fox started Angelwood in 1993 for her daughter with developmental disabilities. She wanted to make sure her daughter was well taken care of throughout her life. Sadly, Sally passed away two years ago. Her daughter is still with us. Angelwood is her home – her family.
In the past 22 years Angelwood has grown from one group home to six, also offering an adult day training program, summer camp, behavior programs, parents night out events and respite for families. We care for children and adults with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, down syndrome and intellectual disabilities. Some of our residents are non-verbal and need a wheelchair while others are Jags season ticket holders and wouldn’t even think about missing a game. Some of them go to school, some go to our Adult Day Training program and others work at local grocery stores. We are all about helping each individual live their best life.
Angelwood recently purchased a large warehouse space in an business park near Phillips Highway and I-295 to build our “dream” Career Development Center. It will be the future of Angelwood with a supported employment area, pottery studio, kitchen, computer lab and much more. It is our hope that with this new space we are able to serve more local families and their loved ones with developmental disabilities.
On a recent Saturday I asked my daughter to get ready to go because I was taking her to work with me for a few hours. Of course – going to ‘work’ with Mommy didn’t sound as fun as going to the beach or the pool that day. She then threw a major fit in the car because I wouldn’t let her take her Ipad. This little tantrum continued until we walked in the door at one of our group homes.
It was lunchtime. My daughter asked me if they eat macaroni and cheese and oranges for lunch – her favorite. I told her no and explained that some of our angels eat a special lunch in a special way. She watched as one of our residents was fed through a tube. We stayed for about 30 minutes visiting and talking and I watched as my daughter was taking everything in. Even though most of our angels at this particular home can’t verbally communicate it’s amazing what they will say to you with the twinkle in their eyes… their smiles – will melt your heart.
In the car on the way home my daughter was very quiet. I turned around and asked her what she was thinking about and what she thought of our visit. She said she really liked all the kids there. Even though she noticed some things about them were different she said she liked that the nice ladies (our amazing staff) sing songs to them and she was REALLY excited they liked watching the Lion King movie like she does. Then she said, “Mommy… I don’t need my Ipad today.” Wow! A feeling of momentary victory! She gets it. Even though she’s only 4, well almost 5… I want to make sure I instill in my daughter how important it is to always be kind, be a good friend and give back to the community.
We are currently calling angels to attend our fashion show fundraiser on August 7th. Angelwood is always looking for new volunteers and partners in the community, so please come, bring a friend and find out more about what we do!
Angelwood Fashion Show
Friday, August 7th, 2015
Sawgrass Marriott Ponte Vedra Beach
10am – 2pm
About the Author
Tera joined Angelwood as Development Director in January of 2015 after spending 15 years in the news business as a television news reporter and anchor. After graduating from the University of Florida, she spent time reporting in Gainesville, the Piedmont Triad and Chicago before moving back home. Most recently she worked as an evening anchor for Action News here in Jacksonville.
