Heitke Honored; Fraser Celebrates
70 years
Bloomington resident
Fred Heitke was named 2005 recipient of the Louise Whitbeck Fraser
Award for enhancing the lives of people with special needs. The
award was presented at Fraser’s annual benefit
attended by 750 “friends of Fraser.” Fraser, a local
nonprofit organization serving children of all abilities and adults
with special needs, was also celebrating 70 years of providing community
services.
Having been involved since 1952, 88-year-old Heitke has a record
of volunteerism and loyalty that is matched by few. He became involved
with Fraser after moving to Minneapolis to find resources to help
his son, Jim, who had a seizure and suffered brain damage when he
was 18 months old. A doctor told Fred and his wife to institutionalize
their son, but that was unacceptable to the Heitkes who continued
to care for him in their home. Upon arriving in Minneapolis, they
saw a newspaper ad for Fraser School, which at the time was a K-12
school for children with special needs.
According to Fred, visiting
Fraser School was one of the most wonderful experiences he’s ever had. He couldn’t believe that anyone
would offer to help care for, not to mention educate, a child with
his son’s disabilities. But Fraser did, and in so doing, gave
Fred and his family a new lease on life.
The Heitke’s son attended Fraser School from 1952 to 1965.
At that time, school parents volunteered doing all of the physical
labor around the school themselves—everything from sweeping
to remodeling. Fred was motivated to help because the more the parents
rolled up their sleeves, the more kids they could serve. Fred says
that he has never met anyone like Mrs. Fraser. She never turned down
a single family who wanted to enroll their child.
Together with other
parents, Fred established a board of directors to help with the
business side of the organization. He was one of the first six
incorporators and served on the operating board for 18 years. He
remains active with Fraser through its corporate and honorary boards.
Over the years, he has probably participated in more Fraser fundraising
activities than anyone, from turkey raffles to social dances. Today,
at age 88, he still attends Fraser’s
annual benefit and plays 18 holes in the FORE! Fraser Benefit Golf
Classic.
Fred says that he has been involved for so long because he is grateful
for the way that Fraser changed his life. He wants to do all that
he can to assure that Fraser will be here to serve children and adults
with disabilities, and their families, for many more generations.
Fraser serves children
with developmental disabilities; children who are at risk for abuse
and neglect; children with autism or severe emotional and behavioral
disorders; parents and families of children with typical and special
needs; and adults with developmental disabilities. For more information,
call 612-861-1688 or visit www.fraser.org
