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SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings Name the Baddour Center as M.V.P. Nonprofit Org.

March 12, 2012 - SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


The RiverKings will highlight the works and accomplishments of The Baddour Center on Friday, March 16, the team's last regular season home game before a heated playoff run.

In addition to hosting The Baddour Center, the team will present its first annual "Teen Star" award, and will honor Mark "Brick Wall" Richards, former RiverKings goalie during the team's first two championships and RiverKings head coach for two years, who now serves as president of the August RiverHawks hockey team. Encore, an ensemble of singers from "The Miracles," The Baddour Center's traveling choir, will sing the anthem at the RiverKings game.

When Paul Baddour passed away in 1973, his family was left with a bequest in his will to use the generous sum he provided for a "charitable purpose." Combined with gifts from business associates, friends, and family, the Baddour family brought Mr. Baddour's request to life in December of 1978 when a residential community for adults with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities was opened on their family farm in Senatobia, Mississippi.

Today, The Center serves 170 men and women from 23 states who live on campus and an additional 10 who live in the surrounding communities as a community that empowers men and women with intellectual disabilities to live independently and to accomplish their goals.

"Residents are individuals, just like you and me, so I am not going to say that every day is a perfect day for every resident," Baddour Center Public Relations Manager Cassie Smith said. "But there is no doubt in my mind that the majority of days are happy ones for them. They live on a beautiful campus of 120 acres. They go to work where they are encouraged, feel like they're contributing to society, and of course, enjoy spending the money they earned at their job. They have friends, opportunities to stay fit and participate in athletic events.

"The list could go on and on, but the biggest thing I emphasize is that it's truly their community. Beyond The Baddour Center employees overseeing their safety, they have control of what goals they want to accomplish and suggest what activities they are interested in.

"I have heard numerous family members share that their first impression of The Baddour Center was peaceful. Then, after their tour and decision for their loved one to move here, the peace permeated into their minds, giving them rest and comfort because their loved one is finally in a community of his or her peers, where he or she can excel and enjoy his or her own life.

"At The Baddour Center, residents are enabled to lead a safe, meaningful lifestyle, something they and their families have always dreamed of."

The Baddour Center offers 14 group homes and four apartments, medical and educational services, a computer lab, a custom packaging facility and wholesale horticulture program/retail garden center that employ residents; performing and creative arts programs ranging from art, music, and dance classes to scrapbooking, puppetry, talent shows, mime and drama teams to a rhythm band and "The Miracles" traveling choir; fitness equipment and instruction, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, bicycle riding, Special Olympics and intramural athletics; on- and off-campus recreational activities such as attending Broadway musicals and professional sporting events, going to the movies and shopping with friends; worship services at The Baddour Center Chapel every Sunday and Bible studies throughout the year; among much, much more.

"The Miracles, Baddour's resident traveling choir program, was and continues to be one of our greatest public relations tools," Smith said. "When you see them perform - or interact with residents at other activities - they exhibit a joy for life that is indescribable. And that's just one of the ways that our residents can achieve great things for themselves. You see it over and over and over."

The Baddour Center also boasts an Education and Research Division, which was established to promote quality living for all adults with intellectual disabilities. By providing state-of-the-art training experiences to staff members, internship and practicum experiences to students, and research-driven therapeutic and educational interventions to residents, The Baddour Center seeks to improve the services available to this population.

"The remarkable aspect of Baddour's Education & Research Division is that their models are being used in other parts of the world," Smith said. "What they learned about Grief Therapy from Baddour residents is being used in Canada and Spain, for instance. I'd say that's pretty substantial in the world of individuals with intellectual disabilities."

Among the division's many research projects is interviewing families to learn the experiences they had while searching for services for their friend or family member.

"This includes how they learned about The Baddour Center and how they determined this was the right place for their loved one," Smith said. "Listening to their stories is amazing because so many have endured sleepless nights, feelings of helplessness and more. Some have even called Baddour a little slice of heaven on earth, and after hearing what they have endured, I wholeheartedly agree.

"As an optimist, I lean toward the idea that the lives of people with intellectual disabilities have seen significant improvement, yet I do not deny that society still has a way to go. I am convinced that the 900-plus men and women who have lived at Baddour during the past 33 years, as well as their families, have benefitted from their experience here."

The Baddour Center sponsors many ways to get involved with the organization through participating in events such as the Youth Fishing Rodeo on April 21, the Wonder Players (Baddour Center drama team) production of "Goldilocks on Trial" April 27-28 at Northwest Mississippi Community College; Miracle drive Golf Tournament; professional fireworks show on July 3; Fashion Show and Auction on Sept. 24; and Christmas Pageant on Dec. 7, among others. For a tour of The Baddour Center or to volunteer, call Jenny Hurt at 662.366.6930 or check the Web at www.baddour.org.

Maddox Hockey, Inc. is a for-profit entity created by the Maddox Foundation as a program-related investment to further the Foundation's charitable work and promote tourism and economic development in the region, including the viability of the Landers Center. The RiverKings are supported by the team's fans, season ticket holders, corporate partners and program-related investments of the Foundation. To find out more about the RiverKings, call 662.342.1755 or visit www.riverkings.com.



SPHL Stories from March 12, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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