Dan Godwin Community Center

The Dan Godwin Community Center is a family-centered place where community members of all ages and abilities can gather to share resources and participate in recreational and educational activities. This is a place to enjoy family-friendly activities and to appreciate diversity within our community. The home has been donated by The Godwin Family Foundation.

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About Dan Godwin and The Dan Godwin Family Foundation

Daniel Aaron Godwin was a young man who for 20 years required 24-hour care and numerous medical interventions to survive daily life. He taught those around him the real meaning of living in the now. His actions were always direct, sincere and without hesitation. He loved to spend time in the presence of others. He never met a stranger. We will remember Daniel for touching so many lives and the lessons he taught us.

As a toddler he had the wonderful honor of being a poster child for the March of Dimes and was responsible for raising awareness about the need for medical research.

His fun-loving spirit always shined through his many life challenges. If he discovered that something he did was considered humorous, he would repeat it with great expectation on his face. He loved laughter.

He demonstrated child-like unconditional love and concern. One of his most spontaneous sentences was "Are you OK?" He gave huge unsolicited hugs to anyone who appeared to have a weakened spirit.

We were never able to teach him to tell a stranger his full name, address or age. Instead he taught us there should be no strangers, and knowing name, address or age is not as important as knowing: Are you OK? Do you need the warmth of another's arms wrapped around you?

Instead of us teaching him the many skills needed to live a more independent life, he taught us much about the skill of interdependent living.

As a young adult and in his passing, he is being honored by raising community awareness about the need for social opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and the need for a place where people of all ages and abilities can come together, have fun and never meet a stranger.

Daniel's legacy of valuing every individual's spirit of hope, compassion and joy lives on.