Meet Our Donors

Arline Diamond, Donor

The first time my husband and I saw Richmond in action we were simply blown away by how its personnel treated the people it serves. Every contact we’ve had with the agency since then has impressed us even more.

We were shopping in Target when our eyes were attracted to a group of people from the agency who was shopping there. The smiles on their faces and the warm, attentive ways their caregivers were interacting with them captured our interest and led to a pleasant conversation; one that encouraged us to visit Richmond’s headquarters in Mt. Kisco to learn more.

And learn we did. We saw happy, energized children and adults with severe disabilities; caring staff members who elicit smiling responses from individuals with very limited communications and mobility skills; and a lot of state-of-the art equipment. One machine, in particular caught our attention; a pinball machine that had been structurally re-altered to allow people in wheelchairs who had minimal muscular control to enjoy game challenges while using their muscles and developing motor skills. It was attracting considerable attention and generating many cheerful shouts.

Our reaction was to look at each other and exclaim “Let’s buy another for Richmond.” And a subsequent visit to its residence in Yonkers convinced us that the facility would be the ideal place for a second adapted pinball machine. It is truly a satisfying thought to know that technology is allowing people with severe disabilities to enjoy games and activities most people take for granted, that there are organizations such as Richmond committed to helping people with significant disabilities enrich their lives and that there are ways people like Phil and I can contribute to the process.

Helping Richmond help others is as rewarding to Phil and me as we hope it will be to others.

Peter Smith, Executive Director, The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation

Tom and Agnes Carvel supported endeavors that helped children with special needs, and enabled them to be more independent. Those twin goals are a way of life at Richmond.

The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation Board is very impressed with the mission of Richmond Community Services and the manner in which they carry out that mission.

We are especially delighted to help launch Richmond’s Wheels on Wheels clinic because it will help individuals quickly and in a very tangible way. It will make the difference between having and not having mobility. And what an inspirational message it will send to others about how much people with significant disabilities can accomplish if given the assistive equipment they need. Richmond’s Wheels on Wheels clinic is the perfect fit for The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation mission.

Equally important, it reinforces the high regard we have for the agency’s dedication and family-like support of the individuals it serves. We are pleased to support Richmond.

Alessandra Di Guisto, Chief Administrative Officer,
Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
John & Ethel Noble Charitable Trust

The John & Ethel Noble Charitable Trust is proud to be a long-time supporter of Richmond Community Services, because its mission truly matches ours.

Richmond’s mission – to provide family-like support to enhance the lives of individuals with significant intellectual and physical disabilities and their families – is closely aligned with the central focus of the John & Ethel Noble Charitable Trust, which lies with the underserved. We are focused on individuals with special needs and senior housing.

We were especially excited about Richmond’s most recent request for funding for cutting edge assistive technology that would increase the ability of its residents to act for themselves by such simple acts as turning a light on or off, moving their wheelchair or signaling their needs.

The John & Ethel Noble Charitable Trust is committed to such programs, because we feel it is critically important for all people to be able to live more independently, to communicate, to control their environments and to interact with others.

Michael Berr, Donor, Richmond Community Services Foundation Board Member

I have a very simple answer when people ask why I find it so easy to support Richmond Community Services; I believe in what it does. Richmond improves the quality of life for a population sector that is not generally in the limelight: children and adults with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities.

And two other reasons explain why I derive so much personal satisfaction from being involved with the agency. First, it does what it does extremely well – so I am proud to be associated with the people who contribute to its success: dedicated staff members and caring individuals who give their time or money to Richmond. And second, the happy responses of the people on the receiving end of round-the-clock family-type care make me feel good every time I visit the organization.

I honestly feel I am doing friends and business associates a favor when I call their attention to opportunities to help Richmond continue to make positive differences for so many people. It won’t take long for them to see tangible evidence of how their help to Richmond enriches lives.