While some women would be put off if they learned that the man they had been dating for three weeks had fibbed about his last name, Peggy Ford just took his prank in stride. Four years after they met, she became Mrs. Rick Ford in lieu of being Mrs. Rick Chevrolet and his dry wit has been making her laugh ever since.
Rick grew up in the Washington DC area and Peggy is a native Virginian. He was a literature major at the University of Richmond and she majored in social work at Longwood College. They started their family in Virginia and were expecting to stay there until Rick came upon an interesting opportunity at a place called the Savannah River Site (SRS).
Rick first entered federal service at Fort Lee, Virginia as the editor/writer of a military magazine. Peggy was busy with her social work career and together they were raising their son, Thomas. While Rick enjoyed his position, he found he wanted more. He wanted to learn more and to write about something that would challenge him. He began a job search and was offered an opportunity to interview at SRS with the Department of Energy (DOE).
He accepted the position and began working for the DOE Office of External Affairs in March 1989, just weeks before Dupont left SRS. It was a few months before Peggy and Thomas could join him, but by the summer of 1989 they were calling South Carolina their family home.
Leaving Virginia wasn’t easy for Peggy but she wanted to support Rick’s desire to try something more challenging. Little did she know that by coming to Aiken she would begin a journey that would bring her into the most exciting social work opportunity she could imagine. For over 30 years, she has led Children’s Place, one of the premier therapeutic childcare centers in our nation.
Children’s Place was founded with a grant from the South Carolina Governor’s Office, and it initially served 17 children. It was the first of only two facilities of its kind in South Carolina and one of only four in the eastern United States. Today, between 100 to 130 children are served each year.
Peggy is quick to say the growth of Children’s Place wouldn’t have happened without the support of SRS from the very beginning. The various SRS companies are integral to the success of its annual May fundraiser, Celebrity Waiter Night. Financial contributions from the SRS companies and their workforce are a significant portion of the donations received by Children’s Place both directly and indirectly through the United Way of Aiken County.
During his SRS career, Rick grew to understand the broad impact of SRS. He is passionate about the historical and ecological significance of the work that has been performed and continues to happen at SRS. He has written news releases, white papers used as testimony before Congress, and speeches and presentations for DOE senior managers. He is proud of the fact that the advances made by SRS led to improvements in operations and waste management for other DOE sites. SRS is recognized as the safest operational site in the DOE complex. He points to the wisdom of the early founders of SRS to protect the ecosystems while pursuing work to end the Cold War. According to Rick, “With the early guidance of nationally acclaimed environmental scientists such as Dr. Ruth Patrick, we can show this work continues to be done with minimal impact on our environment.”
Rick retired from SRS in January 2006 and began a consulting firm. While he experienced success, his latest client is giving him a new challenge. He is assisting Peggy with the public relations strategy for a capital campaign to build a new Children’s Place.
When asked how it feels to work for his wife, Rick smiles and says “She loves her work and it makes a real difference. She sacrificed for my career. She has a great team and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
The passion Peggy feels for her work is readily apparent. She said, “We offer a therapeutic childcare program where children can thrive. It is exciting to offer a safe place for these children who have been through so much.” She points out that her two- to five-year-old clients have experienced a variety of traumas in their young lives. They have usually experienced adverse events such as neglect and abuse that left them with behavioral issues that can follow them through life. With proper therapeutic care for the children and intervention with the household adults, children can achieve productive, happy lives. The goal of Children’s Place is to help parents learn how to facilitate the healthy growth of their child.
The only limitation to the success of Children’s Place is the need for more space to help more children. The therapeutic facility is a 100-year-old former church building, while office space is crammed into a second building. Peggy feels strongly that an after-school program would be very beneficial, but there is no room for growth in the present facility. She also feels there is a need to serve younger clients, but the much-needed space to provide services for newborns through to the age of two is not available either.
A new facility is a must to grow the Children’s Place and deliver the beneficial services they provide to local children. To date, $1 million of the $3 million goal has been raised. Peggy isn’t discouraged but the economic effects of the COVID-19 virus on the organization’s fundraising is unknown. Nonetheless, Peggy is marching forward, determined to get the new facility built for her “kids,” and Rick is by her side.
As the Children’s Place Executive Director, Peggy sees children who have suffered devastating pain. When asked how she handles the stress from her caseload, Peggy smiles. She says, “I turn from my desk and look out the window at the children laughing and playing outside. We are making a difference here. We won’t stop.”
Children’s Place offers on-premises care for children in Aiken County. It also provides in-home therapeutic care for families in McCormick, Edgefield, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Aiken Counties.
For more information on how you can contribute to the Children’s Place campaign, visit ChildrensPlaceInc.org
or call 803.641.4144.
