CHRISTINE FESSLER is the Executive Director for PARCA, the Peninsula Association for Retarded Children and Adults, a nonprofit membership agency serving developmentally disabled children and adults in San Mateo County. During her first year as Director, she received an award from the California Association for Retarded Children for her strategic plan which increased membership by 60 percent, increasing awareness of and support the PARCA’s programs for the disabled community. She has generated private, corporate and foundation support and under her leadership, new programs have been developed, including a summer Day camp, an after-school recreation and child care program for disabled children, a residential training facility for adults with severe behavioral disorders, a sibling support group, a travel program, and a “Parent-to-Parent” program. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for 18 years, has worked in Appalachia and in Ecuador, and translates for the Flying Doctors, Interplast and Amnesty International as a volunteer.
