Friday, June 5, was one of the biggest days in the history of the WCDC, when ground was finally broken on the Center’s new 35,000 square-foot facility in Newark, MD. WCDC staff, clients, board members, community officials and state dignitaries came to the site to celebrate the special day, which came less than two years after a horrific fire destroyed the original Center.

WCDC Ground Breaking Ceremony For the new Center, June 5, 2009

State of Maryland Delegates Norm Conway and the late Bennett Bozman played a major role in helping to raise the initial state funds needed to construct a new facility. Delegates Norm Conway and Jim Mathias were at the groundbreaking to witness the big moment.

Said Conway: “It is important to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals in the community and to provide all the services we can to help with their quality of life. I’m proud I have played a small part in a major project that is going to affect a growing number of clients.”

Conway paid special tribute to the late Maryland Delegate Bennett Bozman, a champion and visionary for WCDC who initiated efforts to obtain the necessary state funding. Delegate Bozman’s wife Elizabeth attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The new $7 million facility that is scheduled to open in 2010 will allow the WCDC to expand on its existing programs and provide workforce training to even more developmentally disabled adults in Worcester County and surrounding areas.

The new facility will include a greenhouse, a health area, a large kitchen, and cafeteria and an industrial laundry room, among other features. Expanded space and options will enhance the organization’s ability to train clients.

One by one, WCDC staff and board members walked to the podium on June 5 to offer their perspectives about the new facility, including Executive Director June Walker.

“The new state-of-the-art Center will include everything required to help our clients be employable and self-sufficient,” she said. “The WCDC mission is to empower developmentally challenged adults in making individual choices for how they live and work in their communities. All of us benefit from seeing the courage and fortitude our clients demonstrate every single day.”

“The fire destroyed our building, but our spirit and our commitment to our Worcester County clients have never waned,” said Mik Megary, president of the board of directors. “Today, we are undertaking a fresh start that will give us an opportunity to grow and serve our community in new and exciting ways.”

The six WCDC clients who proudly took shovels in hand and cleared those first mounds of dirt from the site would certainly agree. These clients included Gordon Ashley, Phillis Cherrix, Louis Camper, Mary Baker, Eric Jenkins, and David Allen.