Florene Stewart Poyadue Papers

Shortly after her fourth child was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, Florene Stewart Poyadue became involved with Parents Helping Parents (PHP), a Santa Clara Valley based local support network for parents of disabled children. Under her direction, Poyadue transformed PHP from a small local support group to a prototype for parent resource networks. Items in this collection document Poyadue's unwavering commitment to PHP, and highlight how her vision and work impacted the lives of countless families and child health resource providers. Under Poyadue's leadership, PHP became a United Way agency in 1985, and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1990 as the model for parent-to-parent resource centers across the nation.