HONORING the legacy of Skyline’s founders
Skyline Center’s founders believed that children with disabilities deserved to have the same opportunities that were afforded to other children. They wanted them to enjoy a higher quality of life and continue to live in their home community. We believe we have an obligation to continue their work and honor the legacy they have left us. Our decisions and actions must demonstrate our commitment to preserve the work that was done before us.
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1963
Skyline Center, Inc. was officially incorporated on November 18, 1963 as the Clinton Association for Day Care of Handicapped Children.
1964
The association became a United Way organization on September 9, 1964. The first director was Mrs. Eugene Sheldon.
The day care program opened on February 2, 1964 with 10 children.
1965
In 1965 the decision was made to leave the Skyline Drive Building and move to 3 buildings in the old Schick Army Hospital complex, owned and operated by the Job Corp.
1968
In 1968 they received an $18,000 grant to start a workshop program. That grant marked the beginning of Work Services at what is now Skyline Center.
Clinton Association for Day Care of Handicapped Children ceased to exist and Skyline Center, Inc. was created.
1971
A quit claim deed to acquire the land and buildings that it occupied at 2600 N. 4th Street in Clinton, Iowa was duly recorded on April 27, 1971.
1975
Skyline made the transition from children’s to adult services.
1976
Formation of a Residential Alternatives Committee which led to Skyline’s first Community Living Program.
1984
Skyline Center became the parent company of a new corporation, Skyline Residential Services (SRS) that was started to build and own an 8 person group home and a 12-unit apartment building for people with disabilities.
1987
New residences were finally completed and occupied.
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1989
Skyline added nearly 5000 square feet of work space, and remodeled its east wing to serve people with severe disabilities.
Clinton Area Recycling Environment (CARE) was born.
1990
In 1990 a house was acquired in DeWitt. Five people with disabilities lived there.
1991
In May of 1991 a home was purchased in Clinton on 13th Street. Skyline Center was now serving over 30 people in Community Living.
1995
Opened DeWitt Specialty Packaging, a new work center in DeWitt that could employ up to 40 people from the rural areas of the county.
1997
Skyline Center acquired 40,000 square feet of manufacturing space formerly called the Illinois Range Building. The new work center, known simply as SCI, opened in April of 1997.
2004
Skyline Center, Inc. Home Health was established in 2004. Home Health has been dedicated to providing individual healthcare needs including education, a safe environment & access to social support systems.
2005
An additional 20,000 square feet of warehouse space was added through a Community Development Block Grant Project. Today the administrative, Community Living, Canon Recycling Project, and Day Habilitation programs are located at the old 2600 N. 4th Street facility.
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2007
Skyline Center, Inc. partnered with Enterprise Community Asset Management, Inc. to build Meadow Heights Apartments, a 26-unit low-income tax credit apartment community governed by the Iowa Finance Authority. The community opened for occupancy in the spring of 2008. With 13 adaptable and 13 accessible units, Meadow Heights is able to offer affordable housing to a diverse group of applicants.
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2023
In the last 60 years, Skyline Center has grown from a day care center serving 10 children with disabilities to an adult work and community living agency serving over 240 individuals and employing a staff of 140 people. Skyline Center has changed over the years to meet the needs of those we serve, and the organization will continue to change as it goes on into another 60 years. Some of the challenges that await are services for seniors with disabilities. Yes, the group of 10 that was originally served has moved closer to their golden years, and their future needs must be met. Also, Skyline Center has come full circle, as the organization is again serving children with disabilities, this time in their parent’s homes. In the next fifty years Skyline Center will have programs to meet the needs of people with disabilities of all ages and with all types of disability.
What started as the hopes and dreams of a group of concerned parents and citizens in a small building on Skyline Drive in Clinton, Iowa more than 60 years ago has grown into a comprehensive agency serving the needs of people with disabilities, regardless of age.
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