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 The Louise Graham Regeneration Center, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, provides employment for developmentally disabled adults through the recycling and sale of paper products.
The Center was founded by Louise Graham (1903-1983), the daughter of a slave, in 1949. Her dream was to train developmentally disabled adults in developmentally appropriate work skills to increase their independence and increase their sense of accomplishment and self-worth.
Ms. Graham, a volunteer at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, met a developmentally disabled man who had been abandoned by his family. Because of his disability, hospital personnel treated him as if he were helpless. Ms. Graham felt the best way to help him was to teach him self-sufficiency. She took him home, set up shelving in her garage and taught him how to stock the shelves. She worked with him until he could stock and arrange the shelves on his own. She then arranged an interview for him at a local grocery store where he was hired as a stock clerk. As the years went on, she continued helping the developmentally disabled, and because of her dedication, friends throughout St. Petersburg joined her by volunteering their time and donating resources. From 1952 to 1980, the group was known as the Florence Nightingale Circle. When Louise Graham died in the 1980s, her friends renamed the organization in her honor. Today, the Louise Graham Regeneration Center continues to meet the needs of developmentally disabled adults who deserve to be recognized for their ability to contribute meaningfully to our community.
 The Center is located in the Midtown redevelopment area of south St. Petersburg and employs community residents in a variety of positions in our paper recycling facility in addition to the employment vocational training provided for its developmentally disabled "consumers."
Ancillary services such as physical and vocational therapy, independent living skills development, adult basic education, and computer/internet awareness and use are provided onsite by a variety of agencies and the Pinellas School system through the assigned Support Coordinators /Case Managers of cooperating agencies servicing consumers.
The Center's mission is:
To provide opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities to maximize their independence through the provision of quality life skills training, paid employment and participation in the community at large.
Employability skills, work experience, and pre-vocational opportunities are provided through the ongoing regeneration (recycling) of paper products and sales. More information about the dual aspects of our business for customers and consumers is available by clicking Products and/or Services.
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