Group offers time of relaxation

INDIANAPOLIS -- When her youngest child was in elementary school, Marie Turner wanted to make certain he'd always be surrounded by friends and loved ones. She wanted him to enjoy life, just like his two older sisters.\nTom Turner Jr., now 45, has Down Syndrome. Thanks to his mother's foresight in creating Trinity Fellowship, he and other adults with mental or physical disabilities have somewhere to go every month to socialize.\nThe group is almost 40 years old and has about 100 participants. On the first Friday of each month, members gather for fun and a break from families or group-home caregivers.\nSince 1990, the group has doubled in size.\n"This all started at a time when kids with handicaps weren't even supposed to be seen," said Turner, who turns 80 in March. "There especially wasn't a thing for adults to do."\nTurner volunteered to teach a Sunday school class for children with special needs and began recruiting adults for a once-a-month social gatherings.\nShe works the registration desk at every gathering, armed with a roster of participants inside a folder that reads, "Follow your dreams." She is assisted by her daughter, Janet Dawson, Janet's husband, Bill, their four children and about 10 other volunteers.\n"It's grown into a family affair," Turner said. "We all know we're here for the kids."\nHer "kids," who leave their caregivers at the door for an evening of freedom, range in age from 16 to 60, with the average being 45. Some months, they play bingo or watch a movie.\nThe evening of freedom is as important for the caregivers as it is for their children.\n"The generation that Marie Turner represents is the families who rejected the idea of placing their son or daughters in institutions," said John Dickerson, executive director of The Arc of Indiana, an advocacy organization for people with developmental disabilities and their families.\n"They are the ones who went about building the first schools, work programs and group homes," Dickerson said. "Last on the list was often looking at their own needs for respite."\nOne of the fellowship members' favorite activities is dancing for two hours as a disc jockey spins tunes.\n"I felt like they needed something of their own," Turner said. "It's one of the few times they can be without another adult and have total independence. It's so important for them to practice social interaction and social behavior."\nTo encourage that sense of responsibility, she sends participants postcard reminders. She expects them to call in their own reservations and find their own transportation.\n"I recognize most of their voices the minute I pick up the phone," said Turner, who has seen many of them grow up.\nTurner knows a lot about everyone, but she can't always name their disabilities.\n"I'm not really interested," she says matter-of-factly. "These kids all have handicaps, and that's all that matters. I think they deserve a chance. I try to treat them all the same"