NEWARK – (June 5, 2009) Supporters of WCDC – the Worcester County Developmental Center – are ready to take the biggest step yet in their long road of recovery since a devastating fire drove them from their home in Newark, Md., in September 2007. When those ceremonial shovels pierce the ground and big clumps of soil sail through the air on Friday, June 5, the construction of their highly-anticipated $7 million building will officially be put in motion.

Who knows? Perhaps WCDC Executive Director June Walker will even discard the photos depicting the remains of her former headquarters. For now, however, they remain near the desk in her temporary, downtown Snow Hill office.
“When our home was destroyed in 2007, it was the darkest day in the history of the Worcester County Developmental Center. We didn’t know how, but we knew we were going to get through it. And we have,” says Walker. “As I watched that building burn, I could only dream about what we will celebrate on June 5. I’m just so grateful to everyone who has helped us through this process.”
Not long after the fire, the WCDC board of directors launched a capital campaign with the goal of raising more than $7 million to build the 35,000-square-foot facility that will soon grace the organization’s site on Newark Road in Newark, Md.
More than $4.5 million has already been collected through various bonds and grants; the rest is being raised through the aptly-named “Brighter Future” campaign.
“That’s exactly what we’re hoping to give the developmentally-disabled adults who depend on services offered by the WCDC. We want to give them a brighter future,” says Walker. “When completed, this new facility will include everything needed to help our clients be employable and self-sufficient.”
Since 1971, the WCDC has been a champion for adults with developmental disabilities, helping them become active, independent members of their communities. Through daily work opportunities, these hard-working adults find structure and meaning for their lives, with the help of the staff and management of the WCDC.
When the organization’s new facility is completed sometime next year, it will allow them to nearly double the number of disabled adults they serve. From the new center in Newark, WCDC staff will serve clients from every community in Worcester County.
WCDC’s new headquarters will include a greenhouse, a health area, a new kitchen and cafeteria and an industrial laundry room. Each space will enhance the organization’s ability to train their clients and provide a greater service to the community.
“Watching this new facility being built from the ground up will be like watching a phoenix rising from the proverbial ashes,” admits Walker. “We are taking a negative situation and turning it into something more positive than we ever could have imagined in 2007. We’re going to be able to more than double our client base, and that has far reaching effects throughout Worcester County and beyond.”
The official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Worcester County Developmental Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, June 5 at 8545 Newark Road. For more information, call 410-632-2571 or email Denise Bowen at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .