Crotched Mountain Foundation’s new president and CEO, Edward “Ned” Olney Jr., said he anticipates an exciting upcoming year of activity strengthening the organization’s core mission of helping kids and adults with disabilities.
“It’s been amazing,” Olney said of his first few months with the Foundation, and that he’s been “really moved” by his immersion in the Foundation’s programs.
“I’ve never met a child who couldn’t learn,” he said. “It’s all about helping people live a meaningful life.”
He stepped into his new position in October upon the retirement of predecessor Michael Coughlin. Olney is a veteran of the nonprofit world, but this is his first experience working for an organization focused on care for people with disabilities.
“You see some of the best of humanity here,” he said. “For me, it’s coming home.”
Olney spent the last 25 years working around the world for Save the Children International. He grew up in nearby New London, and said it was appealing to return to the area, especially to work for an “iconic New Hampshire institution” that he sees as working to fill desperate needs.
Olney sees addressing the needs of people with autism as one of the most pressing components of the Foundation’s mission. Diagnoses have almost tripled in the past twenty years, he said, to one in 59 children diagnosed as of 2018, up from one in 151 in 2000.
Olney said early identification and treatment is essential for improving an autistic child’s ability to communicate, learn, and care for themselves, but there are currently wait lists for specialized support in New Hampshire.
This year, the Foundation is poised to double the size of its Ready Set Connect program, he said. The program currently offers Applied Behavior Analysis therapy at locations in Manchester, Concord, and Tilton, and Olney said the Foundation is looking to expand to two more locations. He said that the decentralized component of the program appeals to families because it allows a child to live at home while receiving treatment. It also lowers program costs, which are primarily borne by school districts.
Olney said the current focus on autism is the most recent adaptation of many the school has undergone in its 66 years in pursuit of the best way to fill the unmet needs of people with disabilities.
The Crotched Mountain Foundation employs 700 staff members, 500 of which work on the mountain campus in Greenfield.
Programming supports 20,000 individuals directly and indirectly, Olney said, and a steep part of his learning curve was familiarizing himself with the Foundation’s myriad programs and facilities across and beyond the state. For example, he said that he recently learned the Foundation sponsors a Concord-based refurbished medical equipment marketplace, which can supply essential equipment for a tenth of the cost of new equipment.
Olney said he has also enjoyed participating in student life at the Crotched Mountain School, which has 100 students and a number of adult residents. He attended Gov. Sununu’s formal pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey, which now lives on the on-campus farm where students help to make maple syrup and care for animals. He met students like Owen, who communicates through an iPad and was featured on the Pete Buttigieg campaign Facebook page for his support of the presidential candidate.
Students are primarily from New Hampshire, Olney said, but there is a fair number from other New England states, and one student from Illinois.
“The future is unclear for a lot of kids with disabilities,” Olney said, and the school usually helps to develop a plan for students’ transition into adult services after they age out of the school’s programming at 21.
Olney stressed the importance of giving students opportunities to interact with the community off the mountain, even if it’s something as simple as ordering and paying for a treat for themselves at Dunkin Donuts.
“We are always looking for opportunities for our kids to get out and have work experience,” Olney said.
The school takes care of a salary and logistical support for students who take small jobs, such as helping out in a barn, he said. Current students have jobs delivering the mail at Monadnock Community Hospital and collect the recyclables on the Crotched Mountain School campus. Olney encourages community members and businesses to consider taking a student on, and said “a gift of time” can make a real difference.
The community can also follow what’s going on at the school by following the Crotched Mountain website and Facebook page.