Walker community honors Dr. Richard Small, Ph.D., raises more than $387,000
May 15, 2012
The Walker community celebrated the career of Dr. Richard W. Small, Ph.D., in grand fashion at the annual Lives In Bloom Gala Saturday, May 12. Four hundred guests — including Dr. Small’s family, friends, and colleagues – filled the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel to pay tribute to the man who built Walker into a world-class array of child and family welfare advocacy programs during his 27 years as executive director.
The Gala crowd helped ensure that Walker will continue to grow, lead, and innovate, with a generous outpouring of...
April 26, 2012
Walker’s Playground of Possibilities is finished! The spectacular new play area opened on April 16. Thanks to everyone who made it possible! Want to help? Making a donation to support the playground is easy!
Barbara Bender pioneered innovative therapy techniques
April 11, 2012
The Walker community mourns the passing of Barbara Bender, a beloved social worker and clinician whose commitment to children and families inspired countless colleagues during her 24 years (1975-1999) at Walker.
Bender passed away April 4, 2012 at the age of 72, surrounded by family at Beth Israel Hospital. She is survived by her sister Sarah B. Wulff, brother David B. Bender, brother-in-law Robert K. Wulff, nephews Theo J. B. Wulff and Pablo E. Yglesias, as well as Yglesias’ wife Margot E. Glass and their children Isaac and Nona ...
Georgi Vogel Rosen gives presentation at women's conference in UAE
April 09, 2012
Georgi Vogel Rosen spent three days in March at the Women as Global Leaders Conference at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. Vogel Rosen, Walker’s Assistant Director of Evaluation, was more than a guest at the conference – she was a presenter.
Vogel Rosen gave a presentation on the role of online campaigning in grassroots political advocacy, using her expertise in opinion and survey research to offer advice on how to create strategic movements using social media. Vogel Rosen attended the conference as a member of the American...
Matt Cooney a guest on 104.1's New England Lifestyles program
March 28, 2012
Director of Residential Services Matt Cooney recently was a guest on New England Lifestyles, a half-hour weekly program that airs Sunday mornings on Mix 104.1. Matt spoke with Mike Mullaney, Mix’s assistant program director, about the critical work Walker does and our upcoming Lives in Bloom Gala honoring Dr. Richard Small.
Psychologist-in-training Jonathan Jenkins pursuing doctoral degree
March 23, 2012
Jonathan Jenkins won’t get too much time off this summer, and he couldn’t be happier about it. Jenkins will finish his practicum at Walker in June and then begin his psych internship at Harvard Medical School in July.
Jenkins, enrolled in the University of Denver doctoral program, recently learned he had been placed at Harvard, his first choice among programs.
“I feel well-prepared for Harvard,” said Jenkins, a 2006 Guilford College graduate who earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from DU in 2010. “The fact that...
March 12, 2012
The science lesson for the day is on classification. Each student in Allison Sheppard’s class takes a turn moving images of animals into groups—pets and non-pets, animals with and without whiskers, land-dwelling creatures and those that live in water.
There is something unique about this exercise, however. One after another the students stand in front of the class and use a wireless stylus to move the images on an interactive whiteboard. The students then call on classmates to guess their classifications.
They are learning science,...
Susan M. Getman, M.S.W. to replace retiring Dr. Richard W. Small
March 12, 2012
Walker has named Susan M. Getman, M.S.W., as new Chief Executive Officer, selecting the former Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS) to replace retiring CEO Dr. Richard W. Small, Ph.D.
Getman, just the third CEO in Walker’s 51-year history, currently is Senior Director for Casey Family Programs, a national foundation based in Seattle dedicated to improving child welfare outcomes for children and families. She spent five years leading the DSS (2002-2007), spearheading the early work aimed at...
Social pragmatics program set to begin third year
January 06, 2012
Ever since it was created fifty years ago, Walker has been a community of continuous learning, with programs that have evolved in response to a wide range of community needs and emerging therapeutic priorities. In the past decade, more and more Walker students have arrived with a complex set of challenges that places them on the autism spectrum.
In 2010, to better serve this growing group of students, Walker created Stepping Stones, a program designed to improve the social cognitive functioning of children who have been diagnosed...
Walker parent to lead Troop 63052
November 29, 2011
Walker Girl Scout Troop 63052 will kick off its third year under the new leadership of Linette Murphy, a Walker volunteer and the parent of a Walker student.
Started by Walker residential staff members in 2010, the troop of nine Walker students will continue to meet at Walker’s Needham campus, participate in local activities and special field trips, earn patches and badges, and, of course, sell Girl Scout cookies.
“I have lots of ideas and I am really excited to get started,” said Murphy, whose daughter Sapphira is a troop ...
Community service hours bring activities to younger students
November 21, 2011
On Friday, October 21, six Beacon High School students visited the Walker Needham campus to participate in activities with young students from the Walker School.
Organized by the Beacon guidance team, the visit gave Beacon students the opportunity to fulfill community services hours required for graduation, while providing fun activities for children in the Walker residential and day-school programs.
“The students had a great time, and they learned about the Beacon’s connection to Walker,” said guidance counselor Theresa Melito...
Event honors the late Dan Woods, former Walker child care worker
November 18, 2011
Thirty six students at the Walker School participated in the 2nd annual Dan Woods Memorial Chess Tournament on November 9th. “The students did an amazing job,” said Mia Klinger-Powell, a learning specialist at Walker.
She and day program coordinator Kevin Vacaro organized the tournament, which is named for Dan Woods, a former Walker child care worker who passed away unexpectedly in 2010. Woods was also the former recipient of the Albert E. Trieschmann award, a national award for excellence in residential child care, given by the American...
Joins ‘Seeds of Peace’ Panel Discussion Hosted at Northeastern
November 10, 2011
Rob Vecchi, Education Coordinator for Walker Partnerships recently participated in a panel discussion at the Northeastern University Humanities Center’s Artists and Practitioners in Residence Program. He was among several panelists at ‘Identity Development Through Play’, an examination of efforts to “promote positive identity and encourage social exchanges between cultures and communities.”
Vecchi joined other professionals who shared their research and practice experiences on the role of play, and offered a perspective from his long...
Golfers spend an afternoon in support of Walker
October 18, 2011
The 22nd Annual Fore the Children Golf Tournament was held on Monday, October 3rd, raising more than $140,000 in support of Walker programs.
Golfers enjoyed a gorgeous fall day and perfect course conditions at the beautiful Wellesley Country Club. After the tournament, participants enjoyed a spectacular buffet and a silent auction featuring many unique and collectible pieces of sports memoribilia.
The parent of a Walker student, comedian Mark Riley, kept the audience laughing and shared his own...
More districts turn to Walker Partnerships for TISM expertise
October 01, 2011
Several school systems have recently expanded their capacity to serve their special-needs students with the Therapeutic Inclusion Support Model (TISM). By providing expertise and staffing these programs, Walker Partnerships has enabled these school systems to successfully educate and maintain students who might otherwise have been sent to out-of-district placements.
The Revere Public Schools has created three TISM classes in collaboration with Walker Partnerships. Thanks to the leadership of Revere Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul...
