Published: Monday, September 8, 2008
South Coast Today
Freetown, MA

FREETOWN — Wheelchair-bound children finally have their tree house.

Children ran, walked and wheeled their way through the trees Sunday during the grand opening of the Forever Young Tree house at the Institute for Developmental Disabilities Inc. — the first of its kind in the state.

"People ask me what it is about tree houses. It has to do with words, and words matter," said Bill Allen, executive director of Forever Young Treehouses of Burlington, Vt. "Phrases such as 'top of the class' and the 'height of beauty' mean good things, whereas if someone is 'down in the dumps' or at the 'bottom of the cellar' it is something negative. ... A tree house like this is a prosthesis for the spirit. When you go into a tree house, you are going to have a good day.

"At Forever Young Treehouses, we want to make sure that every kid in America, whether they are in a wheelchair or not, has the opportunity to go into a tree house."

The 1,100-square-foot structure cost $265,000 and is the first universally accessible tree house in the state.

At the ribbon cutting, Institute for Developmental Disabilities Executive Director Susan Bouchard-Young thanked the more than 50 individuals and organizations that contributed money, labor and materials for the project.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson was on hand to address the efforts of the inmates in the Community Work Program who, with the help of Sheriff's Department staff members Mike Encarnacao and Matt Pepin, worked throughout last winter to build the tree house.

"It allowed them to do good things for good people," Sheriff Hodgson said. "One of the inmates once told me, 'I really believe God sent me back to jail so I could work on this project.'"

Christopher N. Buchanan, senior manager of public affairs for Wal-Mart, presented a check of $50,000 to Institute for Developmental Disabilities officials.

"The tree house is such a great example of ways that communities can creatively better the lives of those with disabilities," Mr. Buchanan said. "Wal-Mart is an enthusiastic partner with groups such as IDDI and was recently honored by the Boston Business Journal for donating 11 million to Massachusetts' communities and being ranked in the top 10 companies for philanthropy."

Also in attendance was Rep. David Sullivan, D-Fall River, who commented that the tree house was another step in expanding accessibility across the state.

Kenneth and Marianno Rezendes, co-chairs of the tree-house project and owners of KRR Rezendes Inc., were recognized for contributing labor and materials.

And Mr. Rezendes led a moment of silence for longtime Institute for Developmental Disabilities CEO Charles B. Young, who passed away last spring.

Holding back tears as she stood in front of the realization of her husband's dream, Ms. Bouchard-Young explained how the project started.

"Three years ago, I was reading an article in People magazine and, when I showed it to Charlie, we thought how fabulous it would be for our kids," she said. "One of the philosophies we have here is that children with disabilities should have all the advantages of their non-disabled peers.

"Our kids are special, no doubt about it, but they have a right to everything that we can give them."