User:Vamegabyte/Kathleen Lukens

Kathleen Lukens was a mother, author, and advocate for developmentally disabled. She was an author of several books including: Song of David and Thursday's Child Has Far to Go. She has a chapter in ''Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul. Compassion's Lure'', a compilation of her writings, was published after her death. Kathleen Lukens died in 1998.

Kathy was the first woman elected to the U.S. Catholic Bishop's Advisory Council in 1973 and was named "Woman of the Year" in New York State by Governor Cuomo in 1984. She served on the New York State Advisory Council on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Governor Pataki named her to the state Provider Council in 1996. She was a founder of the Child Advisory Council of the Rockland County Legislature. She helped create "Camp Venture", the first camp of it's kind in New York State for children with developmental disabilities. She was instrumental in changing the treatment for those with developmental disabilities from an institutional concept to a group home concept. She is the namesake of the Kathy Lukens Independent Living Center in Orangeburg, NY.