St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center announces 2011 Board of Trustees

As of February 1st, Judy Mantle, Sharon Esche-Irving, Victor Mosso and Kirk Gentry were voted onto the Board of Trustees for the 2011 year

San Diego, CA, February 8, 2011—St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, a non-denominational program helping people with developmental disabilities, their families and communities, discover, explore, and nurture their full potential, announced its 2011 Board of Trustees: President, Judy Mantle; Vice President, Sharon Esche-Irving; Treasurer, Victor Mosso; and Secretary, Kirk Gentry.

The Board of Trustees for St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center oversees the function of the organization, ensuring that the core values and purposes of the organization are reflected in the operation process.

“St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center is honored and feels valued by the new Executive Committee volunteers that have come forward this year with their experience, expertise and resources to help our organization move forward in this ever changing world of non profits,” announced Debra Turner-Emerson, Executive Director of St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center.

Continuing her term as President, Dr. Mantle has spent most of her career devoted to the field of Special Education where she has taught, prepared teachers, and administered programs across several agencies serving persons with mild, moderate and severe disabilities, and their families. Currently, she is the Chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching at the University of San Diego (USD).

Sharon Esche-Irving is the President of Esche & Alexander Public Relations, Inc. In addition to serving as the Vice President on the Board of Trustees for SMSC, she serves on several non-profit boards in California, including the Professional Beauty Federation of California in Sacramento and the Beauty Industry West in Los Angeles. Sharon is also the SMSC Development Chair, serves on several committees, and is the sister of a St. Madeleine's student.

In addition to serving as the Treasurer on SMSC’s Board of Trustees, Victor Mosso is a Certified Public Account, providing management and financial consulting services, to include tax-planning and preparation, wealth preservation, financial reporting and negotiation services. Victor also acts as the current CFO for Action Sports Outreach and has volunteered as the CFO for the El Cajon Community Development Corporation.

Kirk Gentry is the Vice President and Sr. Branch Manager for North Island Credit Union and has over 32 years of experience in the savings and loan, bank and credit union industries. Kirk is now acting as the Secretary on the SMSC Board of Trustees.

Much has been written about St. Madeleine Sophie's Center over the years.  Many writers and reporters have described our services, our staff, our students, our programs, and much of the good work done here. We were recently both humbled and proud at the same time as we read The Dynamics of Change, a feature article in the pages of 'Autism Advocate Magazine', written by our own Tom Carr, M.S. CRC.  It so eloquently, clearly, sensitively, accurately, and simply conveys the heart, soul and motivation of what makes St. Madeleine Sophie's unique and special to all of us here, and to all those who come in contact with it.

We can say no more except to say thank you to Tom for putting into his beautiful words what we do every day and what the SMSC experience is like for the students and staff alike. Read the full article at the link below.

The Autism Society's flagship publication, the Autism Advocate, is published four times each year, reaching approximately 30,000 Autism Society members, supporters and professionals.

Sutherland, a 4-year-old standard poodle, nuzzled up to the visitors in the activities room at Metro Nutrition Center in North Park, an area of San Diego, CA. He patiently let each of them reach out and pet him. At the Center where Seniors from SMSC play shuffleboard on Mondays, Sutherland's presence is looked forward to by the regulars there. One individual says that the deep brown color of his eyes reminds her of her late husband.

Sutherland, is more than just a pet. He is a fully trained service dog working at St Madeleine Sophie's Center, a work training center for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Service dogs are service animals with legal rights, such as guide dogs. Often questions arise regarding his training, ability to go into areas that other dogs cannot and the most asked is-Can I take him home with me? A service dog is a type of assistance dog, specifically trained to help people who have disabilities, usually other than complete visual or hearing impairment, or medical response dogs. Service dogs are not required to have pedigrees: desirable character traits, good conformation, and good health are much more important.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) defines "service dog" under its broader definition of "service animal"."Service Animal" (ADA Subsection 36.104): "Any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding people with impaired vision, alerting people with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items."

Sutherland will often spend the day with the senior population at SMSC attending various activities, providing pet therapy and companionship. He attends different outings, such as exercise, Bingo at local community centers, and will visit with residents at local nursing homes. In addition Sutherland is always willing to lend a paw to the fund raising efforts of St. Madeleine Sophie's Center. He can be seen yearly at the Annual Fashion Show, which will be held this year on Saturday, August 22 at the Sheridan Hotel on Harbor Island, modeling the latest fashions for service dogs.

Sutherland is always well received wherever he goes and brings joy and comfort to those he comes in contact with. Sutherland adds a welcome dimension to the experience that individuals have at St. Madeleine Sophie's Center.