Norwell: Friendship Home celebrates success of recent gala
Apr 06, 2011

Norwell: Friendship Home, Inc. hosted its third annual gala. The Welcome Home Gala celebrated Friendship Home’s amazing success in building the Home with a Heart, a retreat-style center offering day and evening educational, vocational and recreational programs for individuals with developmental disabilities that opened last July.

The Gala committee was chaired by former State Treasurer and Congressional candidate Joe Malone and his wife Linda Malone, and the Vice President and Financial Consultant for Rockland Trust’s Investment Management Group Susan Daileader.

Also in attendance were: Doris Buffett of the Sunshine Lady Foundation, a major Friendship Home contributor, former New England Patriot Steve Nelson, who donated a golf outing and posed for pictures, Actress Erica McDermott from the “The Fighter” and Comedian Steve Sweeney. The event raised $300,000 from two anonymous Norwell families and $200,000 from tickets, raffles and auction items.

Monies from this year’s event will serve to complete construction for the upper level respite units of the Home and will enable Friendship Home to launch its Overnight Respite Program.

After 12 years of working to build the Home with a Heart, Friendship Home opened the doors to the program and activity level last July, while continuing to raise the necessary funds to finish the respite and retreat units. Through this unique facility, Friendship Home is maximizing its capacity to provide much needed educational, vocational and social opportunities to people with developmental disabilities and their families across Southeastern Massachusetts.

Following the event, Friendship Home’s Co-founder Wilma Goodhue commented “it has been amazing to witness the support of our community over the years. We are immensely grateful for their role in making our dream a reality. Of course, we owe our largest debt of gratitude to Doris Buffett, whose significant contributions allowed us to begin construction on the Home with a Heart.”

While raising funds for the Home with a Heart, Friendship Home developed Friendship Club, a bi-weekly program designed to teach life and social skills to individuals who had aged-out of publicly-funded programs typically offered through the public school system. In 2010, Friendship Home launched three new programs,

Bridges to Work Vocational Program, Individual Support Services and Travel Club Program, while also beginning their work with young adults through a Young Adult Friendship Club, started in late 2009, and through Young Adult Travel Club offerings.

A new Club for middle school age children begins in Apirl. Friendship Home works to enhance community awareness and continually finds ways to support those it serves and their families to live full and productive lives within communities that understand and embrace them.

Friendship Home has been operating since 1999 with a mission to enrich the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families by providing quality respite care and support services in a safe and caring environment. Friendship Home serves those with pervasive developmental disabilities such as autism and Down Syndrome.

For more information on Friendship Home’s programs and services, visit www.friendshiphome.net.