Allegheny Valley School

Not to be confused with Allegheny Valley School District or Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District.
Allegheny Valley School
Founded1960[1]
PurposeProvide care for those with disabilities
Location
Area served
Pennsylvania
OwnerIndependent (1960-2008)[3]
NHS Human Services (2008-present)[3]
Fundraising activities for the Allegheny Valley School
A view of the 2008 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Steelers fans waving The Terrible Towel at Heinz Field on October 15, 2006

Allegheny Valley School is a private non-profit organization based in the Pittsburgh region that provides services to individuals with disabilities.[3] The school operates more than 125 programs across Pennsylvania, with locations in Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks, Butler, Dauphin, Lebanon, Mercer, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties.[2] Of the 125 programs statewide, 67 are based in Western Pennsylvania, 17 in Central Pennsylvania and 44 in Eastern Pennsylvania.[2] The headquarters are in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.[2]

It was established in 1960 to care for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities; when the Pittsburgh Home for Babies, an orphanage, closed, the Allegheny Valley School accepted the 10 children with intellectual disabilities who had been there.[3]

In 1983, Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope founded the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix to raise funds for the Allegheny Valley School and The Autism Society of Pittsburgh.[4] Cope said "My son, who was born brain-damaged and can neither speak nor otherwise function normally, has lived at Allegheny Valley School since 1982. For my late wife Mildred and me, Allegheny Valley School was a Godsend. My son is happy and is cared for with expertise, understanding and love."[4] In 1996, Cope gave the rights to the Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School, the proceeds from which continue to fund the school.[5][4]

In 2000, the Western Center, a state-run facility for disabled persons, closed and some residents were moved to the Allegheny Valley School.[6]

In 2008, Allegheny Valley School was acquired by NHS Human Services.[3]

As of 2013, it was serving more than 900 children, adults and senior citizens; residents have a variety of physical disabilities, medical complications, behavioral management needs.[3]

  1. ^ Rybak, Sue Ann (2016-04-26). "Parents of special needs children get help at Hill support group". Chestnut Hill Local Philadelphia PA. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  2. ^ a b c d "Locations". Allegheny Valley School.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Locations". Allegheny Valley School. Archived from the original on 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  4. ^ a b c "The Terrible Towel®". Allegheny Valley School. Archived from the original on 2011-03-26.
  5. ^ THE TERRIBLE TOWEL
  6. ^ Rotstein, Gary (April 12, 2000). "Group homes set to receive Western Center residents". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 9, 2013.