A Year in Review
Growing Stronger Together
As we say goodbye to 2022, our hearts are filled with gratitude and hope.
This year, our teachers helped students take the skills they learned in the classroom and use them out in the community and at home. The individuals in our adult program secured new jobs and celebrated major workplace anniversaries. Our direct support professionals continued to provide structure and safety for the men and women in our residential program, allowing them to learn skills that further their independence.
It was a fantastic year at Eden, but our work is not over. And we need your help to continue to provide these services across the lifespan. From supplies for classrooms and adult day centers to community outings, every dollar donated helps support individuals with autism and their families.
Help make a difference in the lives of children and adults with autism by making a tax deductible year-end gift to Eden Autism.
Eden Voices: Letters from the Schwallie family
My brother Michael Schwallie started at Eden when he was 18 years old. This year, he turned 60. We celebrated with him in Atlantic City, where he loved the hotel and gambling the slots. We avoided the counting cards risk. 😉 Michael has enjoyed 42 years of being in the wonderful world of Eden. The Schwallie family could not be happier with his experience there.
At Eden he first garnered skills as a worker, then worked several jobs with the help of a job aid, including one job that honored him with the New Jersey Autism Worker of the Year award. Today he works at Wawa, typically five days a week. Michael spent his first of many years at the Sobolevitch group home, and around seven years ago he transitioned to the new Blue Devil group home.
The Schwallies are so very grateful for the quality of care that Michael receives at Eden. His housing is wonderful with activities that he enjoys with the other “Blue Devil” guys. Eden helps coordinate his love for bowling and Special Olympics (He has won many, many medals over the years). I am able to participate in meetings with his doctor virtually, and it is so wonderful to see the people at the work, therapy, and housing programs join in to make sure we have a comprehensive perspective on Michael’s health and progress in life.
We as a family recall when Michael started to call his group home “home” instead of the home our parents lived in. That was the day we knew Michael would have quality work to be proud of, and he would be taken care of in a wonderful place for the rest of his life.
Sincerely,
Cathy Schwallie Farmer
Michael’s Sister
Berkeley, California
“Eden is a place where hope is made possible. Parents can begin to hope again about their kids with autism in a way they weren’t able to prior to going to Eden. It’s where hope lives.”
– Eden Parent
Salad Express
Every Wednesday, two students can be found in the Eden School kitchen preparing salads for their teachers and classmates. These students handle every aspect of the meal, from taking orders and chopping the vegetables to filling the dressing contains and delivering the salads.
“Eden makes sure to get the most out of your child and make them the best they can be.”
– Eden Parent
