Edmeston, New York, April 15, 2024 … Pathfinder Village’s awareness campaign for World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, eclipsed all expectations with colorful socks, blue-and-yellow decorations, and fun online and in-person promotional events.

As part of its annual “3-21 Challenge,” Pathfinder Village partnered with the employees of NYCM Insurance for their “Rock Your Socks” crazy socks day and charity games of “21” with members of the Village’s Adult Day Services serving as dealers. Through these awareness activities at the insurance company’s Edmeston, Sherburne, Canajoharie and Orchard Park locations, the NYCM staff raised $1,500 to benefit the non-profit organization. Wearing bright, colorful, mismatched socks on World Down Syndrome Day is a widespread tradition, as chromosomes resemble socks when imaged through high-resolution microphotography.

Other local businesses celebrated World Down Syndrome Awareness through special activities, including a donation drawing at High Burl Brewery, West Burlington, which raised $800. Local decoration contest winners included Hoyt’s Hardware, Local Gas, Spike’s Pizza & Grocery, the Benson Family, NBT Bank-Edmeston, and All the Perks Coffee Truck. Online, the Pathfinder Village Foundation raised over $11,000 with its $21 Challenge, which encouraged donors’ participation and peer-to-peer connections over social media.

Other events and activities during the month that focused on neighborly engagement and connecting globally with others in the Down syndrome community included a winter farmer’s market, a community painting class, a concert with Scattered Flurries, Otsego Academy’s Leadership week with peers from Colgate University, and the 11th-anniversary market for Pathfinder Produce, the Village’s signature microbusiness that provides the community access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

March 21 – “3-21” – is observed as World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) as the numerical date represents the triplication of the 21st chromosome in the human genotype, the genetic cause of 95% of occurrences of Down syndrome or Trisomy 21. WDSD has been observed since 2006; it first received recognition by the United Nations in 2012.

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Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected livable community and services provider in upstate New York; it was founded in 1980 to provide people with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, vocational/pre-vocational, and outreach programs. To learn more, visit https://pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.

Pathfinder Produce sets new weekly hours!

Community market to celebrate its 11th anniversary on 3-21

Edmeston, New York, March 5, 2024 … Pathfinder Produce, the fresh fruits and vegetables market at the Pathfinder Village Commons, is extending its hours starting this week. The new market hours are Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with additional hours on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The market is also celebrating its 11^th anniversary on Thursday, March 21, with special promotions. That day is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), and Pathfinder will join in the global celebration that highlights the contributions of people with Down syndrome. March 21 – “3-21” – is observed as the numerical date represents the triplication of the 21st chromosome in the human genotype, the cause of 95% of occurrences of Down syndrome.

Pathfinder Produce, a microbusiness operated through the Village’s Adult Day Services, is an integrated model for improving rural health outcomes and addressing health disparities while providing gainful employment and training opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The market held its grand opening on March 21, 2013, and has been offering fresh food markets, community produce distributions, and grant-funded Mobile Market delivery services since then.

“The men and women in our Adult Day Services have grown into their roles in hosting our fresh produce market each week; they have a sense of ownership in Pathfinder Produce,” said Layla Hazlett, OTR/L, the Director & Clinical Coordinator of Adult Services. “Our produce operations encourage on-the-job leadership and skills growth and provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to contribute to the quality of life in the community. The new market hours will increase access for busy families to buy the fresh, healthy foods they need, and they will also increase the connections between Pathfinder and the shopping public.”

The market has recently extended its product lines with locally sourced inspected meats, milk, eggs, and staple foods. Pathfinder Produce provides a necessary service for local consumers as Edmeston is in a USDA-designated food desert; the closest full-service grocery store is over 10 miles away.

Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected livable community and services provider in upstate New York; it was founded in 1980 to provide people with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, vocational/pre-vocational, and outreach programs. To learn more, visit https://pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.

The KWC ... reaching out throughout the world

Edmeston, New York, February 9, 2024 … The Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome is pleased to announce an expanded partnership with LIFEPlan CCO NY and Advanced Care Alliance of New York (ACANY). Established in 1996 as a leading resource center in the areas of research, education, and life planning needs, the Kennedy Willis Center has spent the last decade advancing its knowledge and expertise in the areas of aging and dementia services for individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We want to ensure the delivery of quality care across a person’s entire lifespan–but what we consistently hear from families and providers is the unfortunate gaps in available services and training programs that support age and cognitive-related changes for older populations. Establishing readily accessible resources and collaborating with leading provider organizations like LIFEPlan CCO and ACANY will reaffirm the commitment to comprehensive and long-term quality services for people and their caregivers,” said Brittany Goodrich, Kennedy Willis Center Director.

Through this partnership, the Center will work closely with LIFEPlan and ACANY, two of New York State’s largest Care Coordination Organizations who formed a strategic partnership in 2021 that allowed for the expansion of inclusive services to its members and families through a network of highly trained human service and healthcare professionals. Today their services support over 44,000 members across 45 counties in New York State.

"We recognize the importance of person-centered services and resources for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Nick Cappoletti, CEO at LIFEPlan CCO and ACANY. “By partnering with the Kennedy Willis Center, we can further expand and enhance our care management and clinical support to our members with Down syndrome and those who are experiencing age-related cognitive issues. LIFEPlan and ACA are committed to forming partnerships with experts to better serve our members and their families.”

Through the agreement, the Kennedy Willis Center’s staff will maintain a call center for families and direct care staff, participate in service plan meetings, conduct baseline dementia assessments, present specialty webinars, and regularly distribute newsletters and other educational materials. Working closely with LIFEPlan and ACANY’s leadership will facilitate an efficient and effective, person-centered process for assessments, referrals, and consultations.

“This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to extend the Center’s specialty services to individuals, families, and community-based service providers most in need across the Empire State. This partnership adds specialized tools for LIFEPlan and ACANY members and will help families and service providers navigate aging supports,” added Karen Knavel, Pathfinder Village’s President, and Chief Executive Officer.

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To learn more about the Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome and its outreach initiatives, visit kwcdownsyndrome.org. The Center was established in 1996 at Pathfinder Village with a three-fold mission: to provide education opportunities for families and the community-at-large regarding best practices in developmental disabilities, to serve as an information and life planning resource, and to host and support studies by accredited research organizations related to Down syndrome and related disabilities.

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Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected livable community and services provider in upstate New York that was founded in 1980 to provide people with Down syndrome and related disabilities an independent, engaging, and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for older individuals, the Village also offers successful educational and pre-vocational services, and community-based day service options. To learn more, please call (607) 965-8377, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., visit pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.

Pastoral succession continues over three decades of services
supporting people with Down syndrome

Edmeston, NY, January 23, 2024 ... The ringing of the chapel bell at Pathfinder Village several weekends ago marked the transition of spiritual leadership at the nationally recognized community for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. The Rev. Douglas Burleigh, Village Chaplain since 2009, introduced the congregation to their new pastor, the Rev. Ben Blackwell of West Edmeston.

“This is a wonderful place, with wonderful people who live and work here. It has been a joy to work with them, to walk with them, and to be a part of their lives for the past 14 years,” said Pastor Burleigh in recalling his service to the Village. “I leave with the joy of knowing the residents and staff who are dear to my heart.”

Burleigh, MDiv, who lives in Fly Creek, is well loved among the community members, and recently was honored as one of Pathfinder’s Community Heroes for his exemplary service in meeting residents’ spiritual needs. Burleigh is also retiring from his chaplaincy role at The Community Hospice of Albany, part of St. Peter’s Health Partners, a hospice agency that serves over 4,300 patients and their families annually in eight upstate counties.

“Spirituality has a significant role in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Grief and loss, as well as the opportunity to celebrate joys and achievements, and to know fellowship and love, these are very much a part of each of their lives,” added Rev. Burleigh. “It has been my privilege to minister to them around these and other needs.”

“I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve at Pathfinder Village,” said Rev. Blackwell, the grandson of a minister who served congregations for over 50 years. “Being new to this ministry, my hope is to build relationships with the residents. It will be in those relationships where I will learn how I may be of service in guiding them in their spiritual journey and well-being.”

“The thirty-plus years of providing spiritual guidance at Pathfinder is foundational,” Blackwell added. “I hope to build on that existing foundation. This takes place in building those relationships with individuals, learning their spiritual needs, and serving and teaching them. Some adjustments will help increase engagement: I’ve worked closely with the Program and Enrichment staff. We’re excited about these steps that will move us forward in building on the spiritual foundation here at Pathfinder.”

Blackwell attended Practical Bible College, Johnson City, and worked extensively in youth ministry in the Owego area before 2003. After moving to Otsego County, he served as the assistant director of youth ministry at the Burlington Flats Baptist Church, working with over 40 teens each week. Building on 16 years as a youth minister, he transitioned to substituting at Sunday services at Burlington Flats and for other local congregations. He is now starting his fifth year as the senior pastor of the West Edmeston First Baptist Church and serves as the secretary for the area council of churches.

Blackwell is employed as a Desktop Support Technician II at NYCM, and volunteers in the community with the Tri-Town Youth Commission. He and his wife, Elizabeth, and three children reside in West Edmeston.

Although Pathfinder Village is not a faith-based organization and does not promote doctrine, early in its history its leaders recognized the role that spirituality can play in centering and benefiting people with intellectual disabilities. Non-denominational services at the Village have been offered regularly since the All-Faiths Community Chapel was dismantled piece-by-piece and restored at Pathfinder’s campus in 1986. Weekly services provide opportunities for fellowship, to express one’s faith, and the celebration of traditions. Individualized spiritual counseling services have been offered by Village Chaplains as well. During the height of the pandemic, video services were recorded and shared on YouTube, and individuals received counseling through online sessions.

The chapel building originally stood one mile from its present location in West Burlington and was a gift from the Wyoming Conference of the United Methodist Church. Pathfinder’s first Village Chaplain was the Rev. Mark Terwilliger, who served as the pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Edmeston at that time. Other full-time chaplains included Lyle Linder, Paul Towers, Beverly Butler, Lorraine Zimmerman, Connie Schroeder, and Sherry Acre.

Pathfinder Village is an internationally respected open-access community and services provider in upstate New York; it was founded in 1980 to provide people with Down syndrome and other disabilities an independent and fulfilling lifestyle. As it works to provide quality supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, the Village also offers highly successful educational, day services, vocational/pre-vocational, and outreach programs.  To learn more, visit https://pathfindervillage.org, or visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram.