The Lambs of Libertyville : a working community of retarded adults /

Developed from an idea that began more than 30 years ago, the Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Illinois, has become one of the premier facilities for the mentally handicapped in the country. The farm grew out of the dream of two people--Bob Terese, a former bus driver, and Corinne Owen, a teacher. Their story is one of compassionate, committed people believing in a goal and finding a way to make it happen. In their case, Bob and Corinne wanted to integrate retarded people into society so that they could find more general acceptance. The first step was to start a small business--a pet store on Chicago's Near North Side--run almost entirely by retarded adults. Later, the large, campuslike farm 40 miles northwest of the city was acquired, becoming the focal point for more than 300,000 visitors each year because of its model status for such communities nationwide. The most amazing thing about Bob and Corinne's story is that neither of them has a retarded person in his or her family--they fell into this noble work, and their compassion carried them along. Engrossing reading--especially for educators and others who work with the handicapped. ~--Mary Ellen Sullivan

Lambs Farm, located in Libertyville, Ill., is an acclaimed facility for developmentally disabled people. In this warmly told, anecdotal story of its beginnings, PW 's Midwest correspondent offers an informal history of the changes in approaches to helping the retarded. In 1962 Bob Terese and Corinne Owen, believing that mentally disabled people varied widely in potential and ability, began working to help individuals find their own levels of competence. Over three decades, they fashioned a model rural residential community, home to 180 retarded adults, that now includes an inn, an ice cream store and other enterprises staffed by the residents. For parents and teachers of the retarded, as well as for the general population, there is much to be gleaned from this success story. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

An earnest but pedestrian account of two seemingly ordinary people who managed, over a period of years, to create a self-contained community in which 180 retarded adults currently live, work, and enjoy a busy social life. In 1958, Bob Terese, who was augmenting his income by working as a part-time bus driver at a school for the mentally handicapped near Chicago, met a new teacher named Corinne Owen. Although neither had prior experience with the retarded, both came to agree that those with low IQs were capable of handling many competitive jobs. Beyond that, they dreamed of a sheltered community in which such people could work and live out their lives much as normal folk. In 1961, despite much hostility from the mental-retardation establishment, they obtained sufficient donations of money and supplies to open the highly successful, much-publicized Lambs Pet Shop in the heart of Chicago's Gold Coast. Four years later, they found a 50-acre farm with two dwellings, a lake and a huge barn near Libertyville, III. Bob approached numerous philanthropists for donations or a loan that would help them purchase the $168,000 property, but no one seemed interested. Then someone mentioned Clement Stone, a self-made entrepreneur new to Chicago's philanthropic community. After listening to Bob's story, Stone bought the farm outright, rented it to the Lambs for a nominal sum--and later turned the deed over to them. Today, the Lambs Farm contains a dormitory, nine group homes, a restaurant, a pet shot, a petting zoo, a country store (with its own catalogue), a miniature golf course and much more. Most residents are gainfully employed in these establishments, while a number are bused to jobs in nearby schools, hospitals, and businesses. Told with little inspiration, but probably of some interest to those who deal personally or professionally with the mentally handicapped. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.