Life’s WORC Celebrates 40th Anniversary

David Schwarz was pessimistic about Life’s WORC eight years ago when his daughter Linda moved into the Copiague resident home. But after he, and his wife Berit, received a phone call from Linda and heard the excitement in her voice on her first night there, he knew this was a great place for her to be.
“It’s given us the ability to have a normal life,” Schwarz said. “She has a very happy life and it’s because of this organization.”
This year Life’s WORC is celebrating its 40th anniversary of providing services to individuals, like Linda, with developmental disabilities and autism.
The organization, which now has 36 permanent resident homes, along with six day habilitation facilities all located throughout Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, has come a long way from when it started in 1971. Vicki Schneps and a young journalist named Geraldo Rivera uncovered the horrors of the Willowbrook State Institution, they, along with many others, rallied together to create WORC – Women’s Organization for Retarded Children.
WORC, which has since been renamed Life’s WORC, opened its first resident home in Little Neck in 1977. Since then, with the help of state funding, Life’s WORC has continued to grow each year, supporting those who need it most.
Peter Smergut is the executive director of Life’s WORC. He believes that if you treat the employees well, then they will treat the residents of the home right too. This philosophy has led to Life’s WORC being honored by Crain’s Business Magazine as “One of the Best Companies to work for in New York City” in 2009.
“Our goal is to create a life of dignity for each of the people who we support so they can realize their own potential and dreams,” he said. “We all need support. Sometimes you need people to just help you.”
Smergut also spoke about an important element within the organization called person centered planning. He says that residents of Life’s WORC homes are all different and they should all be supported differently.
“Genetically, our goal is to level the playing field,” he said.
“The good news is that WORC doesn’t discriminate,” Schwarz said. “They have a huge staff – a medical staff that’s on top of stuff. I’m amazed at how they are on top of everything.”
Like Schwarz, Allan Suchman is another parent heavily involved in the organization. His son Seth has been living in the Bay Shore resident home for the past nine years, and he couldn’t be more relieved that his son is a part of this organization.
“I couldn’t possibly explain the feeling that I have about these people,” Suchman said.
Schwarz is also amazed at how many activities Life’s WORC has for its residents. He says his daughter Linda has never been busier, and he’s glad that she is happy and being cared for in this great environment. “It’s been a wonderful experience for her,” he said. “It sure beats staying home with us.”
For more information on Life’s WORC, visit https://www.lifesworc.org.