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The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Cayuga County New York, known today as the E. John Gavras Center was founded in 1953. At that time, there were only two choices available to parents of children with "developmental disabilities" (that concept was hardly understood at the time): they could care for their children at home or place them in an institution. The first option frequently involved isolation and secrecy; the second, abandonment and guilt.
It was the courage and belief that there was a third option which inspired the parents of a child with cerebral palsy to approach the members of several service organizations with the recommendation that a therapeutic program for disabled children could be provided within the community. Auburn was a close-knit, industrial city with caring citizens willing to support the ventures. They knew, too, that resources were available in the person of John Gavras, a young physical therapist, with a fine professional reputation. A Board of Directors was drawn from the community leadership and in 1953, the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Cayuga County was born. The Board appointed John Gavras as the director and staff physical therapist. The local hospital donated space and the New York State Department of Health certified the Clinic, as it was then called. To no one's surprise, fifteen children received therapy during that first year.
What began in 1953 was a program whose hallmark has always been cooperation with community organizations and responsiveness to the specific needs of the local citizenry. The philosophy has grown over the past 50 years and has evolved into an evaluation and treatment facility in Cayuga County providing educational, therapeutic, OPWDD and respite care to individuals with special needs.
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The E John Gavras Center is a warm, friendly place where all individuals are respected and encouraged to grow, build connections, and flourish as a person. The Gavras Center is here to provide support, quality services, and build relationships that can last a lifetime.
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