History
Redwood's history has been one of love and unwavering dedication. It all started in 1951 when Cheryl Wood was born... with cerebral palsy. At that time, there were no services in our region for children with disabilities. Her parents, Al and Dorothy Wood, immediately set about changing these circumstances to develop services, solutions, and hope, not only for Cheryl, but for all children with disabilities. The family joined a small group of parents, which had been meeting since 1950 under the direction of Bill and Sue Reder, the parents of two children with disabilities.
- 1953 - The group of parents created United Cerebral Palsy of Northern Kentucky; opened a pilot preschool in a borrowed basement room in St. Augustine's Church and later moved to St. Benedict's Church to accommodate growth
- 1956 - Joined the Community Chest in 1956; police and fire fighters began driving children to and from the facility each day; the Women's Guild was formed; the first Cotton Ball was hosted to raise funds
- 1957 - Purchased a building in Latonia; established a teen/adult program; named the new facility Redwood after the two families who were instrumental in founding the organization
- 1958 - The building opened; Dorothy Wood named first full-time executive director
- 1959 - Launched a building campaign for a new facility on Orphanage Road in Fort Mitchell; Russ Manuel, a newspaper photographer, led a drive to raise the funds for an elevator; The Covington Catholic Diocese generously leased Redwood land for $1.00 a year
- 1966 - Ground breaking occurred
- 1967 - New facility completed; accepted more students including those with wide ranging developmental disabilities
- 1974 – The new building was outgrown; Dorothy Wood raised $500,000 to expand; Mrs. Wood was honored by The Cincinnati Enquirer as one of Cincinnati's Outstanding Women of the Year; Dorothy Wood passed away at age 59
- 1980's - Added the Adult Activity Program, Business Computer Skills, Employment Services, and the Technological Services Program
- 1992 - Redwood's school program closed; launched the new Early Childhood Childcare Center and the School Age Childcare Services programs; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center established its only Northern Kentucky Occupational-Physical Therapy satellite at Redwood
- 1990's - Formed the Afterwork Program and Adult Day Health Care
- 1999 - The Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) was established; became one of only four KATS (Kentucky Assistive Technology System) centers in the state
- 2000’s - ATRC introduced the Summer Computer Camp, Tech Time for Kids, the Long Term Equipment Loan program, and rehabilitation engineering
- 2002 - The Board launched the $6.5 million Promise & Potential Campaign
- 2004 - Groundbreaking for the new facility
- 2005 – Completed construction of an additional 41,000 square feet and major renovation of the exiting; admitted children and adults from the waiting list
As of 2007, Redwood serves 700 children and adults. Because of the pioneering spirit of the Reder and Wood families, dedicated staff and committed volunteers and Board, Redwood continues to provide high-quality, life-enhancing services to children and adults across the region.