A Sign Unveiling at Our Future Home

The Birchtree Center announced the location of its future home at a sign unveiling on October 11 at 1:00 p.m. at 237 Portsmouth Avenue in Stratham, New Hampshire. In spite of the rain and cold, more than a dozen staff, students, parents and board members from The Birchtree Center gathered with community supporters to celebrate the acquisition of a nine-acre parcel of land at 237 Portsmouth Avenue in Stratham. They cheered as Elliott Kay, a tenth-grade student at The Birchtree Center, unveiled a new sign designating the land as the future location of a new facility housing The Birchtree Center’s specialized programs for children and youth with autism.

Since 2002, The Birchtree Center, a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, has offered intensive, individualized instruction for children with autism aged three through seventeen years. At rented facilities at 33 Jewell Court in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, The Birchtree Center operates the only program certified by the state’s Board of Education to focus solely on educating children and youth with autism. With help from special educators, behavior analysts, speech therapists, and an occupational therapist, children with autism at The Birchtree Center develop the communication, social, behavioral, academic and life skills necessary to live more productive and independent lives.

The center’s current facilities are inadequate, however, to meet the growing demand for its services. Now, one in 150 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with autism or a closely related disorder, according to recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of New Hampshire children diagnosed with autism continues to grow. Yet the Birchtree Center can only accommodate twenty-one students at its current location, and will reach its full capacity later this fall.

Speaking at the event, Birchtree Center Board President Barbara Frankel, Ph.D., said, “The time is now for The Birchtree Center to get a new home. The Birchtree Center’s current facilities are inadequate to meet the increasing demand for our services. In Stratham, The Birchtree Center will have room to grow.”

Federal Savings Bank, headquartered in Dover, New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Health and Education Facilities Authority (NHHEFA) financed the purchase of the nine-acre parcel in Stratham. JSA Architects donated their services in drafting a preliminary design for the new facility. Construction for the new facility will commence once sufficient funds have been raised; a capital campaign is scheduled to launch in 2008. Three 1960s-era buildings are currently on the site. Two of these structures are beyond repair and are expected to be demolished to make way for the new construction.

“The Birchtree Center is very happy to be partnering with Federal Savings Bank, NHHEFA, and JSA Architects to make our new home a reality,” said the center’s Executive Director, Christine Guarino, Ph.D., “With their support, we can provide essential services for the growing numbers of children and youth with autism in New Hampshire.”

Donald R. Hatt, President and Chief Executive Officer at Federal Savings Bank, added, “Since 1890, Federal Savings Bank has been committed to contributing to the quality of life in our communities. Partnering with the Birchtree Center is an honor for our organization and knowing that we will positively impact the lives of children and youth with autism means a great deal to us.”

Following these remarks, Birchtree Center student Elliott Kay removed the tarp covering the sign, which had been created by Signs and More of Dover with funding from the Federal Savings Bank. Elliott Kay, the seventeen-year-old son of board president Barbara Frankel, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 16 months. Dr. Frankel’s initial struggle to find appropriate education and treatment for her son in New Hampshire inspired the genesis of The Birchtree Center. The center’s name was chosen because, like New Hampshire’s state symbol, the birch tree, a child with autism needs to be surrounded by community support to grow and flourish. “We are so grateful to the so many members of the community for their ongoing support of the students at The Birchtree Center,” said Dr. Frankel, “They’re helping make our dreams a reality.”