By Rita McInerney

Life has again settled into the busy daily routine for the Powell family of St. Philip Benizi parish in Jonesboro after a recent "celebrity" visit to Washington, D.C. There they were honored with the Heritage Award presented by Dr. Otis Bowen, U.S. secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services during a celebration marking National Developmental Disabilities Month.

Such recognition of Richard and Eileen Powell's dedication to the developmentally disabled is well earned. (Developmental disabilities cover physical and mental disabilities that occur before age 22 and which result in substantial functional limitations.) Since their second daughter, Stephanie, was born August, 1981, they have been deeply involved in Parent to Parent of Georgia. At that time the group was a project of the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, formed to match parents who were successfully parenting children with DD with parents newly aware that their child had special needs.

Eileen Powell hadn't noticed anything different about her baby daughter immediately following her birth at Clayton General Hospital. Soon, the doctor told the young couple that she had been born with Downs Syndrome. A few days later a caring nurse handed her a brochure on Parent to Parent.

The mind shuts off at such devastating news, being told your baby has Downs Syndrome, Mrs. Powell said. "I remember feeling such an emptiness and isolation." Just days later, she continued, a telephone call came from a woman whose year-old daughter was also afflicted.

"We talked on the phone for two hours," she recalled. "I felt like a sponge. I wanted to talk about her life. She seemed so happy. I was really surprised."

That first contact led to a friendship with the other mother and her family and the Powells' involvement with Parent to Parent. Eileen Powell now is Clayton County chairperson. Rich is in his second year as president of the state chapter. A Delta employee, he also juggles management studies at Clayton State College in his demanding schedule.

"We were the first referred parents to become supporting parents," Mrs. Powell said. Their efforts for the organization included working with the University Affiliated Facility in Athens to develop a model for establishing Parent to Parent nationally.

Some parents, Eileen Powell said, just need a telephone call letting them know that another family’s experience of heartbreak is available to give comfort and reassurance along with information about Early Intervention programs available for their child.

Much of Stephanie's progress, her mother said, was not that different from her older sister Jennifer, now 11. Lots of verbal communication, much repetition and endless patience. "We try not to set limits and we expect a lot of her. I'm not going to say there is anything she can't do. You're told at birth, and you know and accept, but you still get frustrated. When she finally took her first steps, I cried and cried." Now Stephanie is taking ballet lessons.

A Marriage Encounter couple, their love for their children warms the cheerful house where framed photographs keep grandparents in New Jersey close. Their pride in Stephanie glows as she sprawls quietly on the carpet, finishing her little puzzle, as she hugs her baby brother Richie, a happy, handsome, 11-month-old; as she asks big sister Jennifer why she can't ride the school bus.

Stephanie is enrolled in an Early Intervention program at the Early Years School nearby. At five she can count and say her ABC's. Along with the untiring work of her parents, much of her progress is owed to the Early Intervention Program of Clayton County where she was enrolled during her first years. She received physical, speech and occupational therapy.

"They got support when they needed it," said Zebe Schmidt, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities "and they have given it back tenfold."

A good companion and friend to her younger sister, Jennifer has been a great help and influence, her mother said. She is sensitive and compassionate and "so accepting of people who are different."

During a television show that the DD Council produced about siblings of those with DD, Jennifer explained that Stephanie was no different than other children. "She takes her toys and throws them out of her toy chest and I help her pick them up." And she is proud that her sister's abilities are comparable to most children in kindergarten.

With the rest of their world, acceptance came immediately. Neighbors put up an "It's A Girl" banner decorated with pink ribbons to welcome the new baby home. Father John Kieran, then pastor at St. Philip, and Father Don Kenny, then serving the parish as deacon, reached out with prayers and comfort. Father Kenny came to the hospital to baptize Stephanie when it was thought she might require surgery, Mrs. Powell said.

Children in her Sunday school class don't tease, but with childish curiosity they do ask questions. All the children at church, from the little ones to the teenagers, are good with Stephanie, her mother said. As a CCD catechist for the past several years, she's in a good position to observe how the others accept her.

When Stephanie was two the family made a public service announcement for the Governor's DD Council to encourage volunteerism. Its message aptly expressed Eileen Powell's conviction that her daughter is a person filled with independence and ability. The announcement was one of two selected this year for National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. It was distributed to DD councils across the country and to network television markets.

Eileen Powell tries not to look too far into the future, although she thinks about what could happen if she and Rich were not around to care for Stephanie. Taking each day as it comes is what she tries to do. Reading everything she can about Downs Syndrome is a necessity.

"I have to be informed. This is my child and I want the best for her. Doctors have so many people with disabilities they have to be concerned about. I can concentrate solely on her."

The Powells, raising their child with love and untiring patience, are also helping others. Their frustration and triumphs with Stephanie are guideposts for other parents eager to give their best to their child.

(Anyone seeking information on Parent to Parent is asked to call (404)636-1449)