Geraldo Rivera's Charity Tag Sale to Benefit Life's WROC

Geraldo Rivera's Charity Tag Sale to Benefit Life's WROC

Come out this Saturday the 27^th for a great cause!

We will be hosting a charity tag sale for Geraldo Rivera where a portion of all the proceeds are going to a wonderful organization, Life’s WORC.

Geraldo has been working with this charity for over 25 years hosting their annual Geraldo Rivera Golf Classic. They are champions of people with autism and developmental disabilities.

This much needed organization was born out of Geraldo Rivera’s report on the Willowbrook State Institution. 

Beginning as Women’s Organization for Retarded Children, WORC, a group of volunteers offered their time at the Willowbrook State School, an institutional setting for children and adults with developmental disabilities.  In 1971, Vicki Schneps whose daughter resided in the Willowbrook State Institution met a dedicated and aggressive young journalist and together worked to expose the horror of Willowbrook.  It was brought before the public eye through haunting images of abuse and neglect broadcast on the nightly news by Geraldo Rivera, an aggressive reporter, who opened the doors of Willowbrook in a comprehensive exposé.  

Ms. Schneps was convinced that individuals such as her daughter needed a more nurturing home environment which could not be provided through institutional settings. She rallied her friends, political contacts and Geraldo Rivera to help advance the cause of people with developmental disabilities.  WORC became known as Working Organization for Retarded Children and began educating the public to the needs of people with disabilities, working closely with Geraldo Rivera.  Mr. Rivera began an organization, One to One, and lobbied for funding and better quality supports and services for these children.  After many years of fund raising, meeting with community leaders and educating the public, a donation from One to One funded the down payment on the purchase of a home in Little Neck, Queens.  This first group home in the Borough of Queens for individuals with developmental disabilities was opened in 1977.  The residence was home to eight individuals who had all resided at the Willowbrook State School.  The home was dedicated with a ribbon cutting and a plaque which read: “This house is now a home”

WORC continued to develop new homes throughout the Borough of Queens and in many communities throughout Nassau-Suffolk counties on Long Island.  In 2000, as we entered the new millennium, WORC began a multi-year long process of empowerment.  At the request of our stakeholders we changed our name to Life’s WORC and we no longer identified the supports or services of the agency by a disability.  The diversity of services and resources offered to the individuals and families we support continued to evolve to include, LifeLinks Day Habilitation, Art & Music Therapy for children with autism, Life’s Connections through Music, At-Home Residential Habilitation and many other much needed Respite / Recreation Programs along with continued expansion in Residential Opportunities.

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