ASCF leader to retire

Angela Abdul will retire in September as executive director of the Association for Special Children and Families (ASCF), based in Hewitt.

Julie Rikon, the organization’s co-director, will be the interim executive director.

Once Rikon becomes comfortable and confident in the position, Abdul hopes that she will accept the position on a permanent basis.

Abdul has been involved in the organization since its founding and has led it since 1987.

She attended a meeting in April 1978 with other parents because of a lack of recreation for children with disabilities in the community. They wanted adequate education for their children and decided to form a support group.

“We felt that we were not alone and had someone to talk to as a parent with a special-needs child,” she said.

One ASCF goal is to teach parents how to advocate for their child with special needs because they know their child best, she noted.

The volunteer founders formed a board and Abdul became its secretary. The group was incorporated as the West Milford Association for Special Children, and the members learned how to write bylaws and grant proposals.

The group later expanded to include towns in upper Passaic County, focusing on the needs of the whole family. In 1988, it was incorporated as the Association for Special Children and Families.

ASCF accepted a charter to become the Passaic County Association for Children with Learning Disabilities chapter and was asked to be the Passaic County Resource Center of Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN).

Hired as administrator

Abdul started as a volunteer, one of the seven or eight founders, then was hired as administrator in 1987; her title later was changed to executive director.

In 1987, the organization opened an office in the former Hillcrest Elementary School on Macopin Road.

Abdul was responsible for answering phones, running training sessions and parent support groups, creating a parent handbook, supervising volunteers and writing grant proposals.

She also wrote a monthly newsletter, which she continues today.

By working with the West Milford Recreation Department, ASCF was able to set up Saturday recreation programs and a summer program and to offer other services, such as parent-to-parent support, training on special education and disabilities, a STEP parenting program and infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction.

The organization has had many activities for children, such as a special Boy Scouts troop, which Abdul’s husband, Andy, led as Scoutmaster. He also served on the ASCF board.

Among other activities for the children were apple picking, computer classes, arts and crafts, and family trips. There also were family social events, such as picnics and holiday parties.

ASCF board members attended community events, such as health fairs and art festivals, to promote the organization to the community.

Adults and babies

There were programs for adults and infants as well. ASCF hired a special-education teacher to lead Friday activities for adults. This turned into a three-day-a-week Special Skills Training Center.

One of ASCF’s major successes was being able to set up a home-based early intervention program for 18 babies with special needs, a partnership with Head Start, Abdul said.

“If we saw a need for something, we would try to get a program started.”

ASCF received funding from many organizations; the grants helped the nonprofit start other programs.

United Way funding helped launch the Project READ Tutoring Program for children with disabilities and a program called Parent Partners, in which experienced parents support new parents.

Other funding came from the New Jersey Children’s Trust Fund, Passaic County Department of Human Services and U.S. Department of Education among others.

Abdul said it felt good to receive grants so ASCF could continue its programs.

The organization also had many fundraising activities, which included art auctions, garage sales, craft fairs, wine tastings, beefsteak dinners and selling entertainment books.

“When we first started, I didn’t realize that we would be doing it this long, but there are always new parents that need help,” she said.

While she was a volunteer, Abdul earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Montclair State University in 1984.

Abdul said she enjoyed many experiences at ASCF. She liked seeing the children smile, move on and succeed.

After her retirement, she plans to continue helping at ASCF and writing the newsletter. She also plans to spend time with her family.

She wants to write fiction and short stories as well.

Abdul’s retirement luncheon is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 10.