Dakota Communities Therapeutic Recreation

Program Receives ANCOR Foundation's

2006 Community Builder Award

Eagan, Minn. - Feb. 20, 2006 - Dakota Communities Therapeutic Recreation Department has received the prestigious Community Builder Award from the ANCOR Foundation. The award recognizes Dakota Communities' leadership in initiating changes in communities and organizations so that people with disabilities are increasingly valued and included as community members.

Based in Alexandria, VA., ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and Resources) is the national trade organization of service providers for people with developmental disabilities.

"For over thirty-years, Dakota Communities has helped make life-long changes in the lives of people with disabilities while changing societal attitudes and breaking down decades of barriers," said Paula Hart, President and CEO of Dakota Communities. "This national recognition for Dakota Communities affirms the possibilities for people with disabilities to participate fully in the fabric of American life."

The Dakota Communities Therapeutic Recreation Program developes inclusion training tools and community supports for individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, and organizations in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Through the program, people with disabilities explore their potential by participating in adventure weekends (such as dog sledding in the Boundary Waters), belong to scouting groups, go horseback riding, garden and volunteer throughout the community.

According to the ANCOR Foundation, there are nearly 8 million Americans with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, many of whom rely on private supports and services. The disabilities include mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, epilepsy, and other related conditions.

There are more than 430,000 individuals served in residential settings nationwide where people with these disabilities live productive and meaningful lives - volunteering and working in their own communities. More than 108,000 of these people hold jobs, yet even today many American communities do not encourage or allow citizens with disabilities to participate fully in life.