Chapter 9: Parents and Advocacy Efforts Today

14:06:22:17 - 14:06:22:17

Lisa: Do you think parents today understand what could be at stake for their children, given --

Nancy: Do they what?

Lisa: Do you think parents today understand what's at stake for their children, if the current cutbacks --

Nancy: I really don't know. I think there's a core group that I think today's parents are more concerned individually for their own child, but there's always a core, no matter what or when, of parents who will continue to fight for everyone.

As I said, all these children are my children, and so just because Robbie is set and I feel that she's set, she's happy now, very happy now with her support that she's getting, making strides, good, positive strides, that my job is not done.

So I have to be concerned about the fact that the services are still being provided to the best way we can, with the best staff that we can get, and that's the mission. And I think there's always a core that will continue that no matter -- and from the younger generation too, there's always people. And there's always people who, once they get their -- it happened to us from the Council of Concerned Families. Some members, once they saw that their family members got the support that was necessary, didn't have to fight anymore, and they dropped out. But then there's always somebody else who will fill in, who will continue, and that's the way things are, I think, you know.

But I think now, because of what's been happening, there's a fervor that we cannot go back. We cannot lose what it's taken us so long to get. Because Pennsylvania was an example of what was good, and try to make it better by some of the people that we had. Nancy Thaler, Kathy Sykes, Mike Covone -- these people, and Estelle Richman, when she came in, to close Byberry. And went on to -- what she went on to do, and concerned about the prison population as to how they would be treated.

Dennis Ozwald from CATCH, the MR director from CATCH, that's always been a pet project of his. And so the staff that are there, Tom's staff that are there, are so committed. They could work in community jobs making a lot more money, but they have a commitment, somehow or another, for human services. In fact, when we met at the police and fire association, when I met Mary Curcio, the person there was from INTERACT. He's our MR director. He came on, yeah. That's when he changed and he came to PATH.