Sally Robinson’s servant heart is a two-way street with Woodhaven.
When she chaired the historical commemorative committee for Woodhaven’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2014, Sally Robinson had the opportunity to work with Rosemarie Taylor, the mother of Woodhaven’s very first resident, Van Taylor.
She also had the honor and pleasure of meeting Van several times and seeing Woodhaven’s great ambassador — Van loved to say, “I’m Number One!” — in action and involved in the community.
As the chaplain of Columbia Area Older Adult Ministry and before that as the first full-time chaplain at NBA Lenoir Retirement Community, Sally’s path has intersected with not just Van but with many Woodhaven staff members and individuals for whom Woodhaven has helped achieve a sense of independence and safety. (Incidentally, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) National Benevolent Association was the same organization that started Woodhaven.)
“It’s just remarkable how Woodhaven has been able to help take care of people and give them a good quality of life,” Sally says, pointing to Van Taylor as the start of that important work that is ongoing.
“People with Down syndrome weren’t expected to live more than a few years” until recently, Sally explains. Van was 66 when he passed away in April 2019.
“He was able to do so much on his own, even though he lived in a house where he needed some assistance,” Sally recalls, laughing at the thought of Van’s good-humored nature. “There were some funny stories told at his funeral.”
Sally grew up in Mexico, Mo., as a member of the First Christian Church there, where she was ordained as a minster in 1987. One fellow member was Jeff, a young man with Down syndrome just a couple years older than Sally, and a resident of Woodhaven. (At that time, Woodhaven was campus-based, but has since become community-based.) Jeff was “a big St. Louis Cardinals fan … and he could remember all the stats of all the players.”
After leaving the area for school and to serve churches in Iowa, Sally returned to Columbia in the fall of 1999 and started work as chaplain at the Lenoir retirement community. She became more familiar with Woodhaven through church and regional meetings in Missouri and Illinois. Sally also is a member of the Kiwanis Club that sponsored Aktion Club for Woodhaven individuals.
“I became good friends with a number of staff as well as the folks who lived with Woodhaven,” she says. Sally recalls Thursday night Twilight Festivals in Columbia when she’d see some of her Woodhaven friends “enjoying everything just like everybody else.” There was also the time when she visited with an individual involved in the Aktion Club, learning how important that outlet was.
“She talked about how much she enjoyed being in an apartment and having her independence,” Sally remembers. “I thought that’s how the rest of us feel when we go off to college.”
Whether it’s someone with autism, Down syndrome, or a different developmental disability, Woodhaven individuals “are some of the most caring people I know,” Sally adds. “They’re so willing to help people who need a lift up. I think most of us can learn from that.”
And then there was Van, who was part of the Woodhaven bell choir that performed internationally and for President Ronald Reagan. Van was also part of a group that went to a Christian Church general assembly in Kansas City to help lead worship.
“I remember how seriously he took that,” Sally says.
Sally learned from her parents the importance of compassion and empathy. Her father was in the Jaycees while Sally was growing up; her mother was in the Jaycees Wives. When her father aged out of Jaycees, he joined the Lions Club and other organizations.
Sally has shared the compassion and empathy instilled in her with the individuals and staff at Woodhaven for nearly 23 years.
“Dad was always part of a service organization,” Sally says. “I just grew up around that — helping people.”
You can learn more about Van and the Van Taylor Society on our website.