AbilityFirst Names Joan and Harry A. Mier Center Pavilion in Honor of LA Cnty Spv Ridley-Thomas

LOS ANGELES - Jan. 29, 2015 - PRLog -- AbilityFirst has named its Joan and Harry A. Mier Center’s Pavilion in Honor of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas because of his support of the new 6,500 square foot center in Inglewood, California and the services it provides to the community.

The pavilion is within AbilityFirst’s center that offers programs for children and adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and epilepsy. The programs include an Afterschool Program, Adult Day Program and Aquatics Program.

“Simply put, AbilityFirst’s enrichment programs are first rate,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose office contributed $50,000 to complete the building and now has the pavilion named in his honor. “They focus on what is possible and that philosophy has changed the lives of countless people with disabilities and their families. It has been a pleasure supporting them.”

The recent naming ceremony was attended by Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Inglewood Councilman George Dotson, AbilityFirst Chairman of the Board of Directors Steve Brockmeyer, AbilityFirst Board Member Mordena Moore, AbilityFirst CEO Lori Gangemi, as well as many of the children who use the center and their parents.

“For more than 88 years, we have been looking beyond disabilities, focusing on capabilities, and expanding possibilities,” said Lori Gangemi, President and CEO of AbilityFirst. “We offer a broad range of programs and services to help children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities realize their full potential throughout their lives.”

The guests toured the new facility and viewed a special “I Have A Dream” themed art work display produced by the center’s children in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.  The children showed their own art work and expressed their own dream to the visitors.

The center and its swimming pool is the only one of its kind that serves a ten mile radius focused on the South Los Angeles area, including the communities of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Los Angeles, South Bay, Westchester, Torrance and Lennox.

About AbilityFirst
Established in 1926 AbilityFirst (http://www.abilityfirst.org/index.aspx), formerly Crippled Children’s Society of Southern California, provides programs and services to help children and adults with disabilities reach their full potential. Through 25 locations (http://www.abilityfirst.org/locations/locations_intro.aspx)across Southern California, they offer a broad range of employment, recreational and socialization programs (http://www.abilityfirst.org/programs/programs_intro.aspx)as well as accessible residential housing complexes and an accessible camp, Camp Paivika (http://www.camppaivika.org), for both children and adults.

PHOTO CAPTION: Back Row L-R - AbilityFirst Board Chair Steve Brockmeyer , AbilityFirst CEO Lori Gangemi, L.A. County Supervisor District 2 Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor of Inglewood James T. Butts, District 2 Councilman Alex Padilla. Front Row L-R -AbilityFirst Board Member Mordena Moore and program participants.