www.exceptionalmag.com
Extraordinary Profiles
January-February 2011
68
Cover Story— Barbara Cull– A Visionary and Advocate for Children and Families in Need
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Exceptional Children’s Foundation– Life Measured in Love
CONTENTS
Inspiration 83
Now is The Time to Claim Your Extraordinary Life
85
Mirror, Mirror of Myself
86
Enrico Thomas—New York’s Subway Artist Transforms His Abused Childhood Into a Life of Masterpieces
The Lighter Side 96
Don’t Misunderstand Me
398 Adopting Some New Resolutions
Cover Photo by Lisa Kelly
99
Profile Resources
100 Writers and Contributors
The world is in your hands. You have the power to change it .
Exceptional Children’s Foundation
The Kayne Eras Center in Culver City, California serves more than 550 children, adults and their families each year through its special education programs and services.
Extraordinary Profiles
Life Measured in Love by Sharon Raiford Bush For the past 15 years, she has traveled each day from her home in mountainous Valencia to Culver City, a significant center for motion picture and television production. It has been a near 35-mile-long journey where hourly traffic jams have had a head-pounding reputation of turning Interstate 405 into a veritable parking lot, resulting in roughly a one-hour commute each way.
Even after lethal cancer cells invaded her diminutive body, robbing her of full lung capacity, the perpetually enthusiastic Radd has refused to allow anything to stand in her way of making a positive impact on the impressionable lives of at-risk youth. She is a warrior with indomitable spirit who is steadfast at giving developmentally-challenged adolescents a fighting chance. In 1978, Radd performed alongside mega stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and Stockard Channing in Grease, one of the best musicals brought to the silver screen. Today, Radd delivers to the exceptional children and teens at the Kayne Eras Center of the Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF) in Culver City the same level of allegiance she perfected decades ago when Grease became more than a household name.
Actress/dancer and cancer survivor Barbi Radd takes center stage on the floor in ECF's Kayne Eras Center's music department to prepare her students for the school's June 17 graduation performance of "Seasons of Love." Photo by SDR Bush
Unlike tourists who flock to the dramatic subdivisions of West Los Angeles year-round, former actress/dancer Barbi Radd's destination is not MGM Studios where the lion roars or Sony Pictures Entertainment where such productions as I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Spider-Man, Stuart Little, Men in Black and Ghostbusters were conceived and later slapped with glorious cinemascopic life.
“Why do we sing? Because it's joyous,” said Radd, who also kicked up her heels in the 1978 theatrical release of the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. “Why do we dance? Because it makes you feel good. It's craft and technique. It takes behavior to do those things. That's what keeps you going. It's pretty magical.” It takes more than a wave of a wizard's wand to help Radd endure her normal activities. She depends on daily blasts of oral chemotherapy, a wallop to a sensitive stomach that reminds her -- without pause -- that she is living with a malignant disease that has the power to send her directly to the emergency room at any given time. She knows it. So do her teenage students.
Radd's mission has been far greater, considerably so in measured degrees of power, intensity, self-worth and focused dedication.
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“They're seeing that this is a part of life,” said Radd. “We must work together.” And united they do stand.
"These kids will always let you know when you're doing right," said music and drama instructor Scott Soltermann. "This is a reflection of a lot of things in my life, too. It can be very emotional." Photo by SDR Bush
For now, those students who are not allowed to attend regular school due to chronic learning, emotional and developmental difficulties surround her in rhythm. This year's anthem of choice explodes with a profound message as Radd and her pupils face the music collectively, their time marked by a pulse, measured by precision.
only does he get paid for what he was born to do, his works of art have received international recognition. Davis and his fellow artisans work hard to maintain their competitive edge.
Their voices reverberate as they vocalize melodically Seasons of Love, a haunch-bone ballad from Rent, the Broadway musical.
The artwork of those adults who participate in the ECF Art Center Program is showcased beautifully in exhibitions throughout greater Los Angeles, thanks to corporations like Aaron Brothers Art and Framing, which has donated thousands of supporting art supplies and picture frames.
“In five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes, how do you measure a year in life?” they bellow out with resounding passion as Radd conducts each beat with reason and firmness. “How about love?”
ECF does set high goals for its program participants. But it is a shiny brass ring they can touch. It is more of an expectation of achievable success that actually alters damaged self-concepts and provides a breakthrough for those who exist in their own protective shells.
It is an unconventional method of discipline that has worked ever since ECF was given its first shot of breath.
“Some of them don't communicate,” said Lisa Kelly, associate director of development. “They may be severely autistic. They don't really talk to you. But some of them will take you by the arm, bring you over and show you their work. And they're clearly very proud and excited to see their exceptional talent displayed on the wall.”
Now it runs a number of programs, including one that enables adults with developmental disabilities a chance to demonstrate their artistic abilities. “I had a very steady hand so I started drawing lines,” said 61-year-old acclaimed graphic artist Milton Davis. “If I can see the lines, I can draw anything.” Davis is one of more than 100 resident artists at ECF's Art Centers where self expression, personal development and creativity are fostered. The ECF Art Center program operates three sites in greater Los Angeles. Artists range in age from 18 to 65 and may have multiple disabilities such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, physical handicaps, and emotional and psychiatric disorders. Born with mild intellectual disability and a congenital condition that left all of his fingers and both thumbs rigid, Davis is a commissioned artist. Not
Watching students at the Kayne Eras Center prepare for a graduation ceremony concert makes it a bit difficult for anyone to understand fully why the majority of them were turned away by other programs for being "too difficult" or "too disturbed." Yet, they are succeeding artistically and academically. It is here where these previously lost souls are rewarded with a sense of self-worth, something ECF's founding fathers -- and mothers -- had desired from the starting block. Back in 1946, a small group of parents came together in a common bond. They believed that a developmental disability is not an insurmountable obstacle to learning and achieving success. So they created L.A.'s first daycare program for exceptional children.
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Extraordinary Profiles
A women's philanthropic group later adopted ECF and reportedly started the first child guidance and counseling center and residential program in Los Angeles. About three decades later, it was time for educator and child advocate Barbara Cull to enter the picture. If Cull's story were made into a Hollywood movie, it would certainly be Oscar-worthy.
“A lot of programs are developed because of a need that a parent identifies and insists that somebody respond to it,” said Cull in a videotaped interview. “When I couldn't find what I needed in a public school, I had to go and create it. My vision was a nonprofit center that would be dedicated to all kids that have special needs.” The school started with six students, a handful of professionals and just $800. The Educational Resource and Service Center became the Kayne Eras Center (KEC) in 2000, following construction of a brand-new facility and a generous financial contribution from Jerry and Ida Kayne and their living descendants. The Kayne Eras Center merged with ECF in 2007 and is currently ECF's largest program. Today, ECF runs a total of 16 program sites throughout Los Angeles County. It serves more than 2,300 infants, adolescents, adults and their families.
The goal of the Kayne Eras Center's graduates is to advance to become productive members of society. Photo provided by ECF
In 1980, Cull nearly died from a serious illness. It was during her recovery that she vowed to embrace her second chance at life by making certain that every child had an opportunity to achieve his or her unique potential. She mortgaged her own home to open the Educational Resource and Service Center in Culver City.
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Since its humble beginnings, ECF has helped more than 100,000 families. ECF's Early Start intervention program identifies those infants and toddlers who are developmentally delayed, disabled or at risk. This project makes life better for more than 1,000 families annually. The Developmental Activity Center provides adults with moderate to profound mental retardation a stepping stone to independence by teaching them vocational skills and how to take care of themselves. Its innovative simulated community has received critical acclaim for creativity as a learning environment.
Actress/dancer Barbi Rudd's belief in Nannette Soto helped the former troubled student become one of the Kayne Eras Center's greatest stories of success. Photo provided by ECF
ECF runs two vocational work activity programs, called Packaging, Assembly and Rework (PAR), whereby adults with varied physical and mental challenges are taught good work habits and proper social skills while earning money at the same time. It is in Culver City's 40,000 square-foot warehouse where assembly worker Jose Guzman can be found perfecting the finishing touches on accordion file folders.
One innocent soul the Kayne Eras Center was able to save and place on the right path belongs to a young lady who was born into an insidious life of crime and violence. Nanette Soto's story is one of major achievement.
“I make two-hundred of these each day,” said 49year-old Guzman. “I like my job.” So do the other 250 adults, ranging in age from 22 to 70, who are also able to earn a decent living. In order to reach a certain level of self-sufficiency, it takes a combination of ECF's educational programs, therapeutic services and classroom structure at the Kayne Eras Center. It is a concept that has made a huge difference in the lives of its troubled students. This gateway to greater independence is the cornerstone of ECF's basic principles. Said Dr. Mishelle Ross-Owens, vice president of Educational and Therapeutic Services: “Our philosophy is based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences [whereby] we all have many intelligences, some of us in academics, some in other areas. “We have fantastic success here. Our graduates go on to post-secondary educational programs or trade schools, or they begin working. “Our arts and educational therapy programs are unsurpassed. The support students receive here is unsurpassed.
After being expelled from a residential treatment center, the angry and learning-challenged young lady was accepted by the Kayne Eras Center. Thanks to individualized instruction, counseling and enrichment programs, her life began to change. Soto gained confidence in herself by participating in the center's drama and music classes. She auditioned for and won the leading role of Dorothy in the Kayne Era Center's musical, The Wiz. Under expert tutelage and unwavering love and support from her drama and music teacher, Barbi Radd, Soto was able to transition successfully back to public high school where she graduated with top honors. Soto attributes her decision to go college and major in drama to Radd's dedication, love and support. But this is not where Soto's story ends. In December, 2010, she will receive a master's degree in counseling from California State University at Fullerton. “Nanette said she didn't like the person she was becoming and wanted to give back,” said Lisa Kelly.
“We change lives.” “Really, no other school can boast of the type of enrichment team we have,” said Ross-Owens. “It proJanuary-February 2011 | Exceptional People Magazine | 79
Extraordinary Profiles
The Kayne Eras Center's theater is made possible due to the generosity of Tom Arnold, an actor and comedian who suffered an abusive childhood. Photo by Allan Aruba
motes those feelings of self-worth and has the ability to help the children transfer those [feelings] into the academic classroom.” The teachers at ECF's Kayne Eras Center are not the only ones refusing to allow these students to become another societal statistic. Each day when 13-year-old Joshua walks the hallways on his guided way to a music, drama or art
These students will wear their caps and gowns with an opinion of themselves much higher than when they began the program. Radd's and fellow drama teacher Scott Soltermann's ninth-grade music students will look at these graduates dead in the eyes when they belt out the last chorus of Seasons of Love. They will sing with sensation and poignancy those lyrics that will stay with them for the rest of their lives in the hope that they, too, will become productive members of society: It's time now to sing out, though the story never ends. Let's celebrate! Remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love! As this phase of development reaches a new level for the center's latest success stories, there will be others who will be singing in their minds, their hearts and within the stretches of their being. They may only be able to illustrate their thoughts and dreams on canvas.
Thirteen-year-old Joshua is benefiting from a special education program that helps exceptional students from over 15 school districts throughout greater Los Angeles become the best that they can be. Photo by SDR Bush
class, he is reminded of those kind-hearted corporations and celebrities who also believe in him and want him to succeed. He and his classmates see on the wall such names as CBS, NBC, Sony Pictures, MTV Networks, TNT, Garry Marshall, Anthony Edwards, Eric LaSalle, David E. Kelly, Matthew Perry, Noah Wiley and Candy and Aaron Spelling, among many others. And when a total of 23 exceptional students graduate from the Kayne Eras Center this year, they will do so in a theater provided by actor/comedian Tom Arnold. 80 | Exceptional People Magazine | January-February 2011
Regardless, they will be standing in line for their talent to be seen and heard. These exceptional children, teens and adults may not be willing or able to tell you their names or indulge you in conversation. Nonetheless, if you take just a moment to ask them who they are, they will say proudly, with confidence and maybe even a smile, “I am an artist!”
Extraordinary Profiles
Although he was born with a congenital defect that crippled his hands, Milton Davis has become an internationally-acclaimed graphic artist. Photo by ECF
Art by Tammy Brackens
Jose Guzman is one of 250 adults in ECF's PAR Services Work Activity program which provides facility-based vocational training and paid work to improve earning potential and independence. The program meets private and governmental contract requirements. Photo Courtesy: ECF
ECF's Kayne Eras Center's founding mother, Barbara Cull, shares one-on-one time and a few loving smiles with an exceptional student. Cull is currently an active member of the Kayne Eras Advisory Board. Photo provided by ECF
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