CP Rochester’s Local Author Wins State Award
Rochester, NY ( October 10, 2017) Jane Gefell is well-known in the Rochester community where she was born and raised. She has written three books which talk about her life and her family. She is also a passionate advocate for people with disabilities and speaks to school children about what it’s like living with a disability. She tells them “I am just like you.”
Jane was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy shortly after birth. But she has never been defined by her CP. She is an accomplished writer, speaker and advocate for people with disabilities.
Jane is being honored with the Al Felmet Achievement Award at the Imagine 2017 CP NYS Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs on October 30. This award recognizes a person with cerebral palsy whose achievements are an inspiration to others.
Jane is in the day program at CP Rochester in Henrietta and lives in Pittsford. Her message is one of hope and happiness. She reminds people that no matter what challenges they face, life goes on, and there is always hope.
The Ability Partners Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to raise and generate funds that will promote, support, and augment the continuation of long-term services for people with disabilities offered through CP Rochester, Happiness House, and Rochester Rehabilitation in the Finger Lakes and Greater Rochester areas including Ontario, Seneca, Yates, Wayne, Livingston, Monroe, and Orleans Counties. The Foundation supports individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities and their families.
CP Rochester supports individuals of all ages and abilities to determine their own pathway in life. We partner with the individual, their family, and the community to fulfill the individual’s right to live a productive and rewarding life. CP Rochester provides a wide range of quality health, educational, and support services in the greater Rochester area to assist individuals in achieving their goals.
Finger Lakes United Cerebral Palsy, Inc./Happiness House opened its doors in the late 1960s. With persistent grassroots enthusiasm and a professional staff of more than 200, Happiness House now operates multiple center-based programs in the Finger Lakes region which provide a variety of educational, therapeutic, recreational and family support service options to more than 1,150 children and adults with and without disabilities each year.
Rochester Rehabilitation Center, founded in 1919, operates six services in the rehabilitative areas of adaptive sports and inclusive recreation, employment and job support, driver evaluation and training, and mental health services, and serves 6,000 people annually in the Greater Rochester area.
