Chrestomathy
by David Hadlich
“Chresto- what?” This is what Executive Director Linda
Moore often hears when asked the name of her company. “Chrestomathy.
It was selected from the Greek derivative meaning of ‘useful
learning.’ We are a day training and habilitation service center
for adults with developmental disabilities,” is her reply.
But it is more than that. Chrestomathy specializes in serving adults
with complex needs, and has a client to staff ratio of two to one.
Founded in 1985, Chrestomathy operates three sites located in South
Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, and Burnsville. The organization serves
a little over 100 clients, some of whom have been with it from the
beginning. The enhanced staff ratio allows them to serve individuals
with many types of behaviors, including, but not limited to, aggression,
elopement, self-injurious behavior, spitting, toileting problems,
and others.
Even with these challenges, it is the firm belief of Moore and the
staff that everyone deserves an environment which allows them to
develop self-worth through meaningful activities and work. Due to
these issues, Chrestomathy is the only place for many of their clients,
and Moore and her staff are happy to serve them.
With a positive, pro-active approach, and a commitment to excellence,
even the most difficult clients to work with see progress, even though
it may be measured over months, not days or weeks. Every client gets
the opportunity to participate in the renowned Chrestomathy artwork
programs, which also can provide a small income for the clients.
Handmade soaps, hand stenciled t-shirts and sweatshirts, birdhouses
and birdfeeders are available to the public, all created by clients.
This July, Chrestomathy celebrates its 20 year anniversary. When
it first began, Moore and some associates were providing residential
housing to individuals who had come from state institutions and
were “difficult to handle.” Hennepin County invited
the group to submit a proposal for a Day Training and Habilitation
Center. The idea was to provide better services to these difficult
individuals. With only a dozen clients at first, Chrestomathy opened
up in South Minneapolis at the Sabathani Community Center. To this
day, it still maintains a relationship with Sabathani.
Moore, a licensed psychologist
over those 20 years, takes a personal interest in the clients,
and the programs that are developed. “Clients
all have different passions and interests, and it is critical that
we tap into these for their benefit and progress. Over time, focus
and positive attitude and art help to reach and engage difficult
clients.”
Crystall Corell knows the difference that time can make. For almost
18 years, she has been a fixture at Chrestomathy’s Sabathani
site. She started out as a direct care worker and is now a supervisor.
When asked what makes a Chrestomathy employee successful, she replied, “A
sense of humor is important, but caring deeply about what you are
doing; caring about the clients, not what your experience will
be.” “Everyone should work at Chrestomathy at least
once in their life,” says Corell. “It stays with you.” She
is right. As a former employee, it has stayed with me for all these
years.
One of the changes over
the past twenty years is that clients now tend to come from a family
home, instead of an institutional setting. This necessitates the
addition of parents and other concerned family members to the interdisciplinary
teams. But the change is a good one. As noted earlier, the client’s
individual preferences, likes and dislikes are more easily ascertained
than before, and progress can be measured in more ways than just
a mark on a tally sheet.
In fact, the connection,
and sometimes re-connection of families and clients are often a
result of the outstanding work being done at Chrestomathy. “Waiting 40 years for a hug,” is
what Moore thought one story should be called. An autistic client,
who had grown up within his family, was particularly averse to
physical contact. His mother had tried to connect, but to no avail.
Finally, at a family gathering, this client was able to hug her,
and sit around the table with family members and talk using sign
language. It was a touching story.
Another change Moore has seen is the community’s reaction
to individuals with disabilities. It has improved greatly, mainly
due to the mainstreaming in school of clients, the downsizing of
the state institutions, and subsequent opening of group homes.
But, even after all that, there are still individuals who feel
that “these people” do not belong in the community.
The current legislative session is a prime example of how the decisions
made at the state capital can have devastating results on those
who often need the most help. Lobbyists are a luxury to organizations
like Chrestomathy. Moore has had to seek help with the legislative
process and it is a daunting and often times frustrating endeavor.
Her efforts show just how much of a necessity there is for everyone
in the community to step up and tell their elected officials to
take the necessary legislative steps to help with the process of
servicing those in need.
Chrestomathy has thrived over the years despite all the ups and
downs of funding and other changes. It fills a need in the disability
community that is often overlooked, and fills it well.
In 1995, Chrestomathy
opened its third site in Burnsville to serve clients from Dakota
County. Many of their clients now have a dual diagnosis of MR/MI. “In
five years, we will be even more defined than we are now, and have
a long history of having excellent staff. The clients will be growing
and using systems to communicate. Many come to us without ever
having a method of communication, and we try to be pro-active in
that need.”
Being a smaller organization, the ability to change, and to change
quickly are characteristics that serve them well. The end result
is a dedicated staff, committed leadership, and results that are
impressive. If you have any questions regarding Chrestomathy, or
the artwork available to the public, call their corporate offices
in Eden Prairie at (952) 974-0339.
