Baby Bryan at Early Intervention at BARC as an infant.

Last Sunday I went with some of my friends to the annual fundraising luncheon for BARC. What is BARC? Well, in the olden days when Bryan was as little as pictured above, BARC stood for Bucks County Retarded Citizens. Now that the word “retarded” is politically incorrect, they just use the name BARC – not as an acronym.

This was the 42nd luncheon on the books. It was begun when Bryan was a little guy by we young mothers of children in the Early Intervention Program, the classes of which were held at Willow Dale Elementary School in the Centennial School District. Bryan began those classes in what was called” Infant Stimulation” at the age of four months. The luncheon is as old as Bryan is.

I remember dropping Bryan off at ‘school’ and meeting these young mom friends for breakfast. As we ate, we would brainstorm ways to raise money for our kids and the many special items needed to help them in the classroom. And, thus, the luncheon was born. We even went so far as to make our own quilt to be raffled off at the luncheon!

These breakfast and sometimes lunch sessions helped us to bond as new parents. It became not only a social group, but a support group which helped us deal with the many challenges we faced as well as our children’s challenges.

The first building we used, I believe it was the Warrington Motor Lodge on Route 611, is now long gone. Then we took the luncheon to Highpoint Racquet Club. In the past 25+ years it has been held at the Spring Mill Manor. Wherever the location, the goal is the same – help our kids at whatever level they are functioning and no matter the age.

When this was first begun, the luncheon monies collected were used just for the Infant Stimulation program. It is interesting to see the cycle of where this has now gone. Instead of just the young children, the money now goes to the full spectrum of needs from infant stimulation to the residential and vocational programs. Some of Bryan’s friends from that early program are now taking advantage of the residential and job placement programs BARC offers.

I must say a fervent “thank you” right now to my dear friends who have come with me to this luncheon over many of those 40-some years. They come eager to “win” one of the lovely raffle baskets or the 50/50 money ($940 take this year!). But, even if they don’t win, they come back each year, knowing the worthy cause which their money supports.

The makeup of the luncheon attendees has also changed over the years. Now there are many more fathers involved as fundraisers and advocates. The age range of participants has grayed somewhat with a few of us still coming after all those years – our babies now adults. It’s good to reconnect with those acquaintances and reminisce, finding out how the “kids” are doing as adults. There was such a range of functioning levels for our kids and, now, an even wider range of where life has taken them.

The cycle remains unbroken since the luncheon’s inception. Other parents have taken up the gauntlet and are now supporting the program started so long ago. But in talking Sunday with a younger mom seated at our table, one finds that the love, advocacy and determination to do the best for our kids remains unchanged over the years. No matter the age of our children with neurodiversity, we as parents are committed to their best interests and to making sure their needs are met every step of the way.

God bless the teachers, staff and all those who support BARC and other similar agencies which advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, keeping the cycle of success ongoing for many generations to come!