The Lacey’s have four beautiful children, including their eighteen-year old daughter Evelyn, who has Down syndrome. Watching Evelyn grow into a lovely, complicated young woman prompted her family to consider what will factor into her leading a fulfilling and happy life in Montclair.
Evelyn has been in an inclusive educational setting since she was a baby, learning to model behaviors and skills from her peers. What happens when she ages out of the school system? What will her life, and the life of her friends, look like in their community?
It is in this spirit that Wendy Lacey set out to create a vehicle for enabling more community engagement for people of all abilities, and developing a stronger sense of connection, contribution and belonging.
Between the lines of the mission of Cornerstone Montclair is the message that people with disabilities aren’t satisfied sitting on the sidelines. They find fulfillment in the same things their non-disabled peers do: they want to be contributors, they want to work, they want to be healthy and have fun. Perhaps most importantly, they want to have friends and feel comfortable and welcome where they live.