History of Chesterwye Center

Shortly after her son was born in 1964, Bobby Anne Nash, a Kent Island resident, set out on a crusade.  I first saw her at a kindergarten parent meeting in 1967.  She stood up at the meeting and announced to all that her son had been born with Down Syndrome.  She continued to say that our County had very few programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities, nothing for children or adults, and that she intended to do something about it.  Mrs. Nash then looked around the room, pointed her finger, and said that she would need help from “you and you and you”.

Bobby Anne began by enlisting the help of her closest friends.  They formed a group called “The Guiding Hands”.  This group gathered the names of all the children with intellectual disabilities in the community and planned monthly activities to include them and their families. They went to ball games, picnics, craft socials and anything else that came to mind.  Her friends provided the transportation because a few parents couldn’t drive.

At this time, the fundraising began to help with the cost of these outings.  Bobby Anne’s vision widened and she began to plan for a building that could be used for meetings, activities, and a day program.  After much searching, the old White House Restaurant in Stevensville on Kent Island was offered by the Queen Anne’s County Board of Education; thus began her extensive campaign to fulfill a dream of a facility for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  Bobby Anne and her “Guiding Hands” group got to work contacting their many friends to donate building supplies, paint, plumbing supplies and labor.  The improvements were made nights and weekends.  The fundraising at that time consisted mostly of bake sales and thrift sales with something planned for almost every weekend.

The parent volunteers recognized the need to give the new organization a distinctive name. In a meeting of the Guiding Hands and ARC, it was proposed to name the new organization in honor of the two rivers of Queen Anne’s County, the ‘Chester’ and ‘Wye’ were combined to officially name the young organization “Chesterwye”. Later, when the organization became incorporated, it was re-titled ‘The Chesterwye Center, Inc. ’

In 1968, a Board of Directors was formed to oversee the new building project.  The building was named “Chesterwye Day Care Activities Center” and final preparations were being made to open. A search was conducted to hire a director to run the center, and Mary Lou Boyd was hired beginning January 2, 1969.

After many delays, the curtains were hung, and the doors were opened on April 15, 1969.  There were six original clients – all men.  They were transported to the Center by Bobby Anne and her volunteers.  In the beginning, the program consisted of crafts and activities, but we soon expanded to include work.  Car washing, furniture refinishing, and cleaning our building were our first projects.  The clients became good at cleaning, so the Center staff began to look for jobs.  The American Legion on Kent Island and the Baptist Church in Chester hired the clients to clean their buildings.

One of the first duties of the new director was to write a Federal Grant for the initial staffing of new projects programs.  This grant was selected for funding, which allowed the Board to hire an instructor to work with the individuals participating in the program. Chesterwye was now able to begin working with children who had been excluded from the special classes offered by the Board of Education. They also began a summer program for children and adults, and were approved for a transportation grant, which allowed the purchase of our first bus, and soon a second bus. Chesterwye was now able to begin transporting clients to the Center.

In September of 1969, the Board hired a second instructor and began a major fundraising campaign that would support moving into a larger space that could support clients in wheelchairs.

In 1975, the Grasonville Elementary School was vacated and was offered as a temporary home for the Chesterwye Day Program.  Although the building was shared with other organizations, it was a great improvement with much more space.  A woodworking shop and greenhouse program were initiated. Chesterwye was now able to serve individuals in wheelchairs. In the 1970s, Queen Anne’s County Board of Education expanded their programs for children with intellectual disabilities through age 15. As a consequence the Center began focusing on programs for individuals over the age of 15.

The Board of Directors was still interested in owning and operating its own building, so it began to plan for a new Center.  Each member of the Board became responsible for organizing a fundraiser supporting the cost of a new building and got creative!  The search for a suitable site led to the donation of land on Grasonville Cemetery Road by the Ewing family. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ewing, Sr., were local residents who had operated the Matapeake Ferryboat concession and later established Holly’s Restaurant.

In 1975, our first residential home was established out of necessity. Mrs. Carrie Ringgold had died, leaving behind her disabled son, Bob. The home, located in Chester, that Bob had lived in all his life, was maintained for him with lots of community help. The ARC took over the management and financial responsibility, and the first “Alternate Living Unit” in Maryland was started in Queen Anne’s County. There were no public funds in the beginning, so two other men who needed homes moved in with Bob. The men contributed part of their SSI checks, and the ARC provided the rest. A “live-in” house counselor was hired to run the home.

In support of the fundraising efforts for the Center building, the first dinner auction was held in 1978.  It was the inspiration of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ewing, Jr., and was held at the Kent Island Yacht Club.  Mrs. Florence Howard brought her famous walnut cake to the first auction. This was the most successful of the original fundraisers and has become an annual event along with the walnut cake. The walnut cake tradition has been carried on by first Olamae South, by Aline Koske, and now by Kathy Dubel.

The building was completed, and programs were moved to our present location in March 1980.  It contained a small kitchen which distributed hot lunches provided by the Board of Education.  The building also included two accessible bathrooms with showers, a thrift shop, a wood shop, a large activity room, a greenhouse, and administrative offices.

In addition to working in the wood shop and greenhouse, our individuals worked on mobile work crews, assembled ‘bubbles’ to be sold by stores, and started their own vending company.  A few had competitive jobs out in the community.

At the dedication ceremony in June 1980, the site was dedicated in memory of Katie Cray Ewing, mother of Mr. Thomas Ewing, Sr., and the building was dedicated to Bobby Anne Nash. Two volunteers who had been killed on their way to one of our fundraisers were also honored at the dedication: Bonnie Sue Andrews and Susan Grove.

In May 1982, the Chesterwye Foundation, Inc. was created by a group of five citizens for the purpose of raising needed funds for the operation of the Center and the Homes.  This relieved the Center from the pressure of fundraising, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on improving their programs.  The Foundation has been very successful due to excellent community support.  The annual dinner auction has become the Foundation’s major fundraiser.

A second residential group home was built on the Chesterwye Center property. This house was larger and better suited for people with disabilities. Mr. George Rada led the construction of the home.  In later years, it was named the ‘Ewing House’ to honor the memory of Mr. Thomas R. Ewing, who had donated the original property, and Mr. Thomas J. Ewing, who served on the Board of Directors of Chesterwye Center, also helping to establish the dinner/auction.

In this same year, Chesterwye Center assumed responsibility for three men from Henryton Center.  Henryton was closing, and each county was asked to provide a home for some of the residents. A home was rented in Grasonville and the three men moved to the Eastern Shore for the “Good Life”.

Following the death of Bob Ringgold, using funds collected from community fundraising as well as the sale of the original Ringgold home, the Chesterwye Foundation purchased and renovated a new home on Grasonville Cemetery Road.  After renovation, the men from Henryton moved into this new home. This home was eventually named the ‘Ringgold House’ in memory of Bob and Mrs. Carrie Ringgold.

Queen Anne’s County leased land to Chesterwye Center for $1 a year for 99 years for the expansion of the Chesterwye Center residential program, adding a third home to our program. Mr. Michael Anderson led the construction. This home was originally occupied by three women.  It was named the Nash House in honor of Bobby Anne Nash, the organization’s founder and Board Member.

In the late 1990’s it became necessary to rent two homes because the need for additional residential support was so great.  In 2002, the opening of the ‘Rhodes House’, a home located on the Chesterwye property, was built to honor Dr. Harry Rhodes.  His many friends in the community quietly raised funds to build this home. In one evening, over $160,000 was raised.  This allowed Chesterwye to close one of the rented homes. It also allowed the program to add an additional person on our waiting list live independently. The home was built for four people and a live-in house counselor. Mr. Joe Downey and Mr. Maurice Sanger led construction efforts.

The purchase and renovation of another home in Grasonville allowed the Chesterwye Center to close the other rented home. This home had been previously owned by the parents of one of the people we supported and opened in 2002. The Construction renovation efforts were led by Mr. Maurice Sanger.  This home was named the Boyd House in honor Mary Lou Boyd, the first Executive Director of Chesterwye Center.

A sixth home was added on Gravel Run Road on land leased again from Queen Anne’s County. This was the first home built by the Chesterwye Center that had a tracking system in the ceiling. This system provided a barrier-free lift to safely transfer a person from the bedroom to the bathroom to the roll-in shower. The home was named the Rada House for Mr. George Rada, who had donated his time and expertise to build our very first home in 1984.

Mr. Bill Smith, a person with significant disabilities, wanted to live independently in his own home. The Chesterwye Board of Directors co-signed a mortgage with Mr. Smith to secure a loan. He designed and built his home with help from his many friends. The home is located in Bay City on Kent Island. Mr. Smith lived in his new home for a short time. At his death Chesterwye assumed the mortgage and the Smith Home became our seventh residential group home.

In 2007, plans for the expansion of our Center began. The building was dedicated in 2009 to Dr. and Mrs. Harry Rhodes. Dr. Rhodes served on the Board of Directors for many years. The addition included a commercial kitchen that allowed us to prepare and serve hot lunches, a large activity/lunch area, a suite for nursing needs, work and training rooms and administrative offices.

A house became available in the Greenwood Creek area of Queenstown. Since demand for residential services continued to grow, the additional home was purchased and renovated. It became our eighth home and second mortgage. It was named the “Kellum House’ to honor Mr. and Mrs. George Kellam, who had supported Chesterwye and the dinner auction.

In 2011, Chesterwye was approached by the Yates Family, parents of Jessie, a young woman who attended the Queen Anne’s County public schools.  The family asked Chesterwye to help them provide a home for their daughter. They asked Chesterwye to provide the materials for the home, and they would provide the labor to build it. Jessie left the public school system and now lives in Jessie’s House with three housemates.  She also attends Chesterwye Day Program.

Tragedy occurred in January 2016 when a fire destroyed the Rhoades House. The home was a total loss, but thanks to the quick action of the staff person on duty, all four residents escaped unharmed. The origin of the fire has not been determined. After a month of living in a motel and a year in a rented house, the four men moved back into their rebuilt home on March 27, 2017.  Charlie Thomas completed the renovation for the rebuilding.

Also in 2016, Queen Anne’s County approached Chesterwye about building a home on State Street in Stevensville for individuals living with significant accessibility needs. Following meetings with neighborhood residents, the project progressed and was completed in 2018.  Some of the features of the new home include wheelchair height counters, an induction stove top, and a ceiling track system that facilitates mobility around the home. 

Utilizing funds raised by the Chesterwye Foundation and the generosity of donors, Chesterwye Center completed renovations on the Boyd House. The Boyd House has four bedrooms, an open floor plan with a shared living room, bathrooms designed for wheelchair accessibility, and a second bath designed to assist with mobility. 

Thanks to support from the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners, a grant from the State of Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and donations raised by the Chesterwye Foundation, the renovation of the Ewing and Nash homes was completed. Construction was led by builder John Coursey. Both homes received significant structural improvements, accessible bathrooms, open plan living, energy efficient improvements, and updated accessible ramps.

Back-up generators were also installed at 8 homes, which help prevent disruptions to residents in cases of emergency. Disruptions to home energy can have serious consequences for individuals in our group homes, sometimes leading to the need to rent temporary housing. These disruptions also impact the well-being of many clients who rely on routine and consistency.