Honoring the boys and girls who grow in individuality and independence
at the Devereux Kanner Center
History Takes Root
 January 1, 1918, Helena Devereux strode up the hill from the Devon train station to see a house for rent on a lovely property dappled in shade from stately maple trees, or as Miss Devereux taught her students, the botanical aceraceae. Her “experiment” in residential therapy for children with mental retardation had shown success in just six short years. Despite the strong concerns of even her closest friends, Miss Devereux knew it was time to rely on her strong convictions and move from her parents’ home in South Philadelphia to create a school based on her theories of individualized, positive approaches.
With all she had, $94 of her savings, and $6 borrowed from a friend, Helena Devereux rented the Devon home for $100 a month. May 1st 1918 she and her 12 students started the “Acerwood Tutoring School”, named after the shady maples which adorned the property.
New Growth at the Devereux Kanner Center
Miss Devereux’s spirit of innovation continues to grow at the Devereux Kanner Center. A strategic plan, completed in 2002-2003, identified emerging trends and needs of the children served by Kanner’s talented, dedicated staff and the best programmatic response to further enhance our quality of care.
One of the most urgent needs is radical redesign of the children’s residential and campus environment. The staff envisioned small cottages, home to 16-20 children, which would combine the best of state-of-the-art safety and therapeutic residential design. These goals would be accomplished in a warm, welcoming environment. Every room, whether an instructional kitchen or an activity area, would provide opportunities to practice skills needed to live as independently as possible as adults. Surrounding these new cottages would be a renewed campus, where traffic would flow external to the children’s living space and lush green spaces would encourage the boys and girls to walk, play and safely enjoy the outdoors.
Realizing the importance of this mission critical project, the Devereux National Board of Trustees approved this transformation and committed $5.1 million of Devereux’s financial resources to its completion. They, the Pennsylvania Advisory Board and the Campaign Committee, committed to raise the remaining $6 million required to fulfill this dream.
Planting the Seeds of Future Growth
The redesign of the road system required the removal of a number of trees along Boot Road as well as in the campus interior. These trees would need to be replaced by those lost to the new campus environment. Devereux, working with local civic leaders, committed to save as many existing trees as possible as well as to plant new trees in clusters throughout the renovated campus.
More than 170 trees which will soon add to the natural beauty of the campus. Just like the shady maple trees in Devon, a variety of trees will shade and shelter the developing independence and individuality of hundreds of boys and girls for decades to come. The new Kanner Center trees will be a living symbol of the determined spirit of Helena Devereux and her belief in the right and ability of every person to achieve happiness and personal success. In her honor, these newly-planted areas will be named Acer Groves at the Devereux Kanner Center. Like Miss Devereux, our dreams will come true with the support of our families and friends. Your generous gift to help establish Acer Groves can be made in tribute of a loved one. All donors and honorees will receive a commemorative pottery maple leaf, hand-made by the children.
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Grow Your Gift
Gifts received by April 30, 2008 are eligible for the $1 million Hays-Genuardi Challenge Grant, which will match donations dollar-for-dollar that support the capital projects at the Devereux Kanner Center.
Make your gift today! |
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