Meet and Greet: Mary Nelson
Corinn Johnson, B.S

This quarter we have the pleasure of getting to know more about Mrs. Mary Nelson. Mary recently completed a term on The Baddour Center's Board of Trustees. She is a die-hard supporter of The Center, and mother to Baddour Center resident, Erik. The Nelsons joined The Baddour Center family in 1990, shortly after moving to Memphis from Atlanta. In Atlanta, Erik had lived in a group home run by a private company. Upon moving to Memphis, they found it harder to find something that was ideal for him. He lived with his parents and got a job working for Baptist Hospital. Although things were okay, Mary knew there had to be something that would better address his needs for socialization and independence. Around that time, she met the father of a Baddour Center resident. He suggested the family tour The Center. They did so, and when Erik saw the football and basketball facilities, he fell in love.

While Erik was dazzled by the sports, Mary was thinking to herself, "it looks good on the outside but I want to see what it's like on the inside." This desire, combined with a volunteer spirit that drove her to want to help The Center in whatever ways she could, led her to take an active role after Erik moved in. A series of volunteer activities eventually led to her joining The Board of Trustees, and then on to an appointment to The Executive Committee. Mary was the only female member of The Executive Committee when she joined. She remembers the early days, when it was just six men and her, as "interesting." In addition, after serving two eight-year terms on the board, Mary is one of the most tenured volunteers we have! After all of her years on the board, she felt like it was time for some ‘new blood'. She says The Baddour Center will benefit from involvement with younger people and new ideas. Although she misses the job, she keeps tabs on what is going on through her husband, Steve, who is still a board member. She remains quite pleased with the direction The Center is taking.

Mary is originally from Milledgeville, Illinois. She channeled her love of music into a college major in Music Education. The piano is her instrument of choice, and she used to play with area choirs. These days, she enjoys playing bridge and golf with friends. In keeping with her ever-cheerful demeanor, Mary joked that her "friends would say that she is not really any good at either one."

In addition to those activities, Mary remains involved in volunteer work with organizations such as The Women's Exchange Club. Perhaps you also ran into her over the holiday season while she was doing her part for The Salvation Army? She is a bell ringer and an angel tree volunteer. But perhaps the organization that hits closest to home for her is the Duration Club; a group that supports organizations for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Last year, while Mary was serving as President, the group elected to make The Baddour Center the main focus of their fundraising efforts. As a result, they provided $24,500 to The Baddour Center for scholarships.

As for Erik, Mary stated that he has developed so much while living here. The Baddour Center is a place where he can be with friends, peers, and people to keep him motivated. She always wanted Erik to be a part of the community and to live on his own; so she sees the Baddour Center as nothing short of a blessing. Erik is able to have his own home, job, and friends. He is able to live his life with dignity: no one is making fun of him and he doesn't have to pretend to be important because he is important. Staff members understand when he needs help, and together they work on it. "He has changed so much over the years," she said. "He has been offered everything a parent would want for their child." According to Mary, Erik now has a way of life that she never realized could happen. He isn't sitting around all day watching television and eating potato chips. Now, he can be who he wants to be, instead of what circumstances force him to be.