EDMESTON – Pathfinder Village, a remarkable residential community dedicated to people who have Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities, will mark its 30th Anniversary with events on Oct. 1 and 2.  The celebration coincides with the start of National Down Syndrome Month, an annual event established to call attention to the talents and contributions of America’s citizens who have Down syndrome.
The formal observance of the Village’s Anniversary will take place with a reception and dinner at the Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, on the evening of Friday, Oct. 1.  The keynote speaker for the event is Andrea Roberts, founder of Reece’s Rainbow, an organization that promotes the international adoption of children with Down syndrome.  Mrs. Roberts was featured last March in People Magazine’s “Heroes Among Us” column, and is “in the running” for the magazine’s Hero of the Year Contest.
Mrs. Roberts gave birth to her son, Reece, who has Down syndrome, in April 2002.  Through research, she learned that children born with developmental disabilities in other countries are often abandoned at orphanages, where they receive inadequate care and few educational or therapeutic support services.  She now heads a 501c3 organization that promotes the international adoption of children with Down syndrome and raises funds to help families with these adoptions.  To date Reece’s Rainbow has helped place nearly 200 children in loving supportive homes, and has brought the plight of hundreds of others to the attention of “forever families.”  More information may be found on the Reece’s Rainbow web site, www.reecesrainbow.org.
Other speakers that evening include Daryl Forsythe, Norwich, chair of NBT Bank and NBT Bancorp; Marian Mullet, Edmeston, founding chief executive officer of Pathfinder Village; and Edward Klees and Jane Warriner, Philadelphia, long-time supporters of the Village and its education, outreach and research entity, the Kennedy-Willis Center on Down Syndrome.  The Pathfinder Village Bell Choir will also perform.
The two-day Anniversary celebration is sponsored by New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Edmeston.  Other sponsors include Anniversary Hosts James and Barbara Edwards, Greenwich, Connecticut; Michael and Margaret Nicolais, New York; Thomas and Alison Novack, Norwood, New Jersey; Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, New Berlin; and Thomas and Laurel Scott, Annapolis, Maryland.
Events return to the Village on Saturday, with a “Friends and Family Day.”  The schedule includes a breakfast with Chief Executive Officer Paul C. Landers, creative art workshops with staff members from the Arc-Otsego’s Center for Self Expression, dance workshops with hammered dulcimer virtuoso Dan Duggan, and art exhibits and displays by the residents.  The day will culminate with a presentation of skits by the residents and a fireworks display, sponsored by Federated-Clover Investment Advisors of Rochester, New York.
Pathfinder Village opened on July 29, 1980 following five years of planning, fund raising, and working with state officials by parents and board members.  Through quality residential, educational, vocational, and recreational programs, individuals living at the Village grow towards fulfillment and independence, while giving back to local communities.
The Village is licensed by the State of New York and its programs are regulated by the State Department of Education, Department of Health, and the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. It is located on New York State Route 80, two miles east of Edmeston and 15 miles west of Cooperstown.  For more information, please contact Joseph V. Mahon, Vice President–Development, at (607) 965-8377, ext. 114, or email jmahon@pathfindervillage.org.