Special Needs Programs
Creative Living, Inc., is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1986 by Rosalie Ruggiero and Dr. Larry Larsen with the support of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), now the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). We were approved by the IRS for 501 (c ) (3) status on March 24th, 1987. We purchased the home at 368 South Main Street in Andover in 1988 and have been using it ever since for programs in support of our mission. While we are a private, non-profit organization and receive no state-funding, we are certified by DDS. In September 2013, Creative Living received a two-year Quest Certification with 100% of the licensing indicators met.
The Professional Center for Child Development is a non-profit, community based agency that has served children and their families for over thirty years. Each year the agency provides hundreds of children and their families with the opportunity to grow and develop to achieve their full potential through services such as early intervention, a developmental day school, pediatric therapy and parent support services.
Darlene Ohlenbusch runs a fantastic music therapy at West Music School that the Service Club of Andover is priviledged to help sponsor.
The Service Club of Andover has been supporting the EXCEL program at High Plain Elementary School for years. The cooking club breakfast is an integral part of the programming for the participants who are primarily developmentally disabled children.
We have been supporting this program for many year and the breakfast has grown in development and also the number of children has increased as well. The Service Club of Andover is proud to say our club's name is behind it!