The Achievement Centers for Children
Personal reflection by Raven Gates
Introduction
Over the Summer I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Achievement Centers for Children. While there I was able to join one of the autism classes. During this time, I was introduced to some of the most energetic and friendliest group of children I have ever encountered. In 1907, after a tragic car accident which left 80 injured and 9 dead, one was including Homer Allen, Edgar Allen’s 18 year old son; Allen and the city of Elyria realized there was a great need for hospitals in the area seeing as how some of the victims could have been saved had there been a proper hospital. Allen spent a lot of his time at the Elyria Memorial Hospital, where he met a young boy named Jimmy who suffered from infantile paralysis. Meeting Jimmy sparked Allen’s interest in the care of crippled children. After a survey, it was found that over 200 children living in Elyria were crippled and their only care was from families. Allen realized there should be more hospitals strictly focused on the care for crippled children. In September of 1915, Society for Crippled Children (SCC) was founded as well as the Gates Hospital for Crippled Children. The SCC was dedicated to serving children and provided them with the care and resources that they needed. Within the 1930s and 1940s Bell Greve alongside many others helped establish an SCC in the Cleveland area. From this launched the Achievement Centers for Children. The first headquarters was located at 2239 East 55th Street. Due to an increase in demand for services, a second branch opened up in Lakewood, Ohio. From then on branches have formed in Westlake as well as Highland Hills; which is where I had the pleasure of volunteering. The Achievement Centers for Children focuses on helping children with disabilities.
In 1947 Camp Cheerful was first introduced. It became known as the first camp with recreation programs for children and adults with disabilities. Camp Cheerful took regular camp activities such as swimming, fishing, arts, sports, etc. and made it so that all of the campers could take part in all the activities. Through Camp Cheerful, adults and children are able to gain independence. It was shown that their confidence levels also increased. Like at all camps, friendships were made stronger. The Achievement Centers also offers classes throughout the year for children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome. Recently in 2010, Wheelchair Cavaliers Jr. Basketball started up giving those bound to wheelchairs the opportunity to play basketball and compete in games and tournaments.
Summary
Walking in close to the end of their naps all I see is sleeping children. When the time comes to wake them some pop up with excitement. They see you and cannot wait to pull out toys. They are filled with such joy and excitement that they sometimes forget they have to put away their blankets and pillows. On the other hand, others are harder to wake; you gently tap them and call their name but they will not budge. You can try to turn on the lights but nothing happens. All you can do is keep tapping them and hope that this time they will respond when you call their name.
Snack time is different each day. Sometimes all the children eat and some days only a few will engage in snack time. You sit back and watch the children, occasionally you have to move to help them open up their snack or keep another student from eating somebody else’s. It’s never a dull moment. You do not mind the occasional spillage of yogurt or cheese its. You can see it on their faces that they did not meant to
After snack time it's play time until it is time to go home. On rainy days you stay inside, sit on the carpet and construct a pen for all the dinosaurs to live in. You pretend like you know nothing about the animals and allow the children to tell you all they know about their favorite animal. You move to the table where on one side they play a matching game and on the other they make various shapes out of rubber bands on boards with tiny pegs sticking out of them. You show them all the cool ways to make squares, triangles, and stars. You watch their face light up as they show what you just made to the other kids and you become delighted when suddenly they all rush to you with their boards asking you to make cool shapes. The same feeling comes over you when you are asked to draw a mermaid. You know your mermaid is terrible but the kids look at it like how an art enthusiast looks at a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Soon your terrible drawing of a mermaid is all over on other children’s papers. You encourage them to make their own and tell them how good their drawing is but nothing compares to the drawing you did.
On sunny days you are pulled into line and wait for the door that leads to the playground to swing open. You soon find yourself in jail; hands held behind your back and you are being lead to the fake gas stop that doubles as a jail cell. You run away and then find yourself working up a sweat from the game of tag. You try to rest on the swing but you’re it and you have to chase the little ones around the play set and up the hill and between the trees. It’s too hot and suddenly you start filling up water bottles and making sure everyone has the right one. You go back outside and try your hardest not to start up another round of tag or hide-n-seek. Instead, you sit on the swing and let the kids join you and push the chair until it’s time to leave.
The children become your little siblings; they are wild and energetic. They brighten up your day and all you can do is laugh and smile when you are around them. You watch each of them pack up their bags, gather all their things, and wait for their parent. You say goodbye to them and give them all hugs. Walking out the door you wave goodbye until next time.
Reflection
Looking back, I am glad that I chose the Achievement Centers as my placement. I love working with younger kids. Being in the classroom allowed me to experience things that normally, you do not get the chance to see. One of the boys when I first met him I thought was just sky and timid. After a few visits in the classroom I realized that his vocal skills were not as good as the rest of the kids his age. I noticed that sometimes he often shied away from adults except for his mother. One of the other boys, at a certain time each day had to be reminded that he would be going home soon. One day the teachers forgot to keep reminding him and when it was time to go he threw a tantrum and did not want to leave. Going in to the classroom not knowing a lot about Autism, I did not understand the behaviors expressed by the two boys. After doing some research, I realized that their actions were because of their autism. Autism impacts people differently and in the case of the first boy he often avoided eye contact and has troubles expressing his thoughts. I learned that the second boy has troubles adapting to changes in routine. The children in the classroom all meet some criteria based off of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Smile* needed more attention than the other children. At first, I was nervous to work with her, but eventually she came right up to me and gave me a hug. She would walk over to me while I was sitting in the sand box and just sit next to me and play. Smile always had keys on a keychain with her. All the other kids knew to always make sure she had those keys with her. Some may wonder why I chose to give her the nickname Smile. The answer is she was always smiling. She had one of those smiles that when you saw it you automatically smiled. Even though she had physical disabilities, it did not stop her happiness. Except for the few times when she had her moments and fits like all children do, Smile was the happiest girl in the room just waiting to give someone a hug.
Encounters like these are the reasons why I am glad I was able to volunteer at the Achievement Centers. The most important aspect that I got while spending the summer there is the experience. I will admit that going in I was unsure of how the children would react to me. I was afraid of the unknown. I did not know a lot about autism and how children who have it act. The only time this worried me was on the first day. After that day, I learned that each child is the same. They all have uniqueness to them but they are all still children who at the end of the day just want to play twenty plus rounds of tag. The children opened my eyes and really expanded my knowledge on autism.
Conclusion
Volunteering at the Achievement Centers is not for everybody. I learned that one of the most important things to remember is that when it comes to children, patience is key. I had to think back to my childhood and remember that sharing was hard. The same rules apply to the children at the Achievement Centers. If one’s toy is taken away,that sometimes leads to a tantrum. I witnessed multiple tantrums and all you can do is try to explain to them that they have to share the toys and give other children a chance to play with the toys. Energy is always good to have. On several occasions I found myself “it” in the game of tag. I was running all around the playground. Creativity is also important. For those few times when I was tired or not up for a game of tag, I had to improvise fun activities to do so that the children and I were still having fun. To volunteer at the Achievement Centers you have to remember that the kids do have disabilities. This means that some of the things that they do or the way they act they cannot help it. You cannot get mad if they do something they are not supposed to. You may think they know it’s wrong but that does not mean that they understand why it’s wrong. Ultimately, the children at the Achievement Center are amazing. The feeling you get while walking into the door of the classroom is unlike no other.
Bibliography
"Achievement Centers for Children." The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. 09 Apr. 2014 <
"Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 07 Apr. 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 08 Apr. 2014 <
"Care Of the Crippled Child."Disability history museum. 20 Apr. 2014 <
"Cerebral Palsy (CP)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 20 Mar. 2014. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 07 Apr. 2014 <
"Edgar F. "Daddy" Allen Page."The Joseph A. Caulder Collection. 21 Apr. 2014 <
"Facts about Down Syndrome." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 06 Nov. 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 06 Apr. 2014 <
"History of the Achievement Centers for Children." ACC History. 09 Apr. 2014 <
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