Wood Lane celebrates potential in everyone - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. A group from Wood Lane in Bowling Green traveled to the state capital to kick it all off. There will be events throughout the month. Wednesday was Spirit Day at Wood Lane to celebrate the potential of everyone.

Wood Lane helps about one thousand people with developmental disabilities through a number of different programs. It's an amazing place, that's truly changing lives.

Kristi Merrill works at Wood Lane Industries. The center allows clients to work on various projects at their own pace, "I have a lot of fun here! Do you work a lot? Every day but Monday. So you have a busy schedule? Yes I do!"

Melanie Stretchbery is the Superintendent of the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities. She says there's a variety of jobs to choose from,"Small parts assembly, bagging, sorting, a document destruction program quality control checks on a number of products , disassembling of products and recycling."

Stretchbery says Wood Lane Industries is just one of a number of programs run by the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities."We serve about one thousand people and that's everything from early intervention and education to day services and therapy. We also work to get them out into the community, to give them access to their own neighborhoods."

The clients range in age from infants all the way into their eighties, "All services are individualized. We assess everyone and listen to their dreams and we tailor a program that helps them achieve those dreams. We also help them develop skills to live successfully and we do that one person at a time."

Lore Warns has seen the program's benefits firsthand she has a daughter with developmental disabilities and she works at Wood Lane Industries, "It's so nice when someone learns something new. A woman in the group I work with is now working out in the community and that's because of the program. I am so happy about that, it makes me proud."

Stretchbery says there's so much to be proud of, "You never want to set your expectations at any level because people always exceed them and we're amazed. We see that happen every day."

Wood Lane has a number of other activities planned for the month including a Special Olympics sectional tournament basketball game, a dinner/dance and the Literacy in the Park event at BGSU, which attracts more than one thousand children and their families.