November 11, 2017
Fred Lindahl Appointed as Development Director of Mountain Shadows Foundation
By Sheryl Wilde
He was a young man that many might consider more down on his luck than most.
He was skipping school, so the truant officers were sent to go and pick him up. Fred, a teenager himself, was working with the boy as a teacher’s aide in the special education department. He accompanied the truant officers to the boy’s home.
“The boy was disabled and living with his grandmother,” says Fred Lindahl, Development Director, MSF. “His parents and brother were all in jail.
I walked into the house and it was filthy. There was dirt and dust everywhere. Piles upon piles of trash everywhere. I’d never seen anything like it before, but I didn’t let the environment impede me.
“We all come from different backgrounds. It doesn’t matter. We all have different abilities. Again it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we all have wants. We all have desires. The desire for friendship. The desire to laugh. The desire to be treated with respect.
“As I spoke with the boy that day, he told me he had only one set of clothing. It was winter and he had no coat. He didn’t want to go to school and be teased and made fun of.
“I asked the truant officers if we could take him to my house. I told him I had all of these old clothes that no longer fit me. I told him I could lend him some. I told him he could choose what he wanted to borrow. I had shirts, pants, jackets. After he chose some items, I asked if he needed the clothes. And I told him I would give them to him if he’d tell me a story about charity. That was how he would pay me for the clothes.
“This same boy also didn’t want to be seen as different to other mainstream students. He said he wasn’t ‘retarded’. That’s an antiquated word we don’t use anymore, thankfully, but still haunts individuals with intellectual disabilities to this day. He didn’t want to be seen going into the special education classroom. Eventually, I was able to arrange for him to come into class after the bell had rung so the other students wouldn’t see him.
“He was also having lots of problems with math. He would keep yelling, ‘I can’t add! I can’t add!’ So I thought to myself, how can I get his interest and get over this barrier he’s put in front of himself? I tried to think about it in his terms.
“I knew he was into superhero characters like Superman, Batman, etc. So I devised a math system using the superheroes he loved. For example, I said ‘Superman can fly, that’s one superpower. He can burn steel with his eyes, that’s two. Wonder Woman had a magic tiara, a lasso of truth and indestructible bracelets, that’s three superpowers. How many superpowers do Superman and Wonder Woman have altogether? He said ‘five’. He got it!
“The lesson I learned from working with this young man, and others, was that we’re all the same. We all need help sometimes. I gave him the respect he deserved and never talked down to him. I worked with him for two years and by the end of that time, he was a changed young man. He really blossomed – due to a few simple acts.”
Fred’s natural affinity to want to help others, combined with his experience in working with special needs students in high school, inspired him to obtain a BA, with an emphasis in Special Education from San Diego State University.
In 1986, he began working at Mountain Shadows – a career that has now spanned more than three decades.
“My first years at Mountain Shadows as a QIDP really impacted me,” says Fred. “There was such an amazing sense of family between the staff, the residents and the family members. Everyone came together. We said, ‘What can we do? How can we help the residents?’ It was amazing. I really enjoyed that atmosphere.
“I was a young and innocent man of 20 when I started working at Mountain Shadows. The experiences I’ve shared with residents, staff and family members have made me the man I am today. I appreciate that.”
“Fred’s passion and love for our residents, combined with more than 30 years of dedication to our mission, have made a tremendous impact on our Mountain Shadows Community,” says Wade Wilde, Executive Director/CFO, MSSG. “With heart and head, he has done whatever it takes to make the lives of our residents better.
“Fred has remained an integral part of Mountain Shadows as we’ve transitioned into one of the most highly respected non-profit organizations providing comprehensive services to individuals with intellectual disabilities in California.
“He helped spearhead the expansion of Mountain Shadows Outreach Services, which now serves 95 persons with intellectual disabilities and other developmental delays. He was instrumental in garnering grants, which launched our Transportation Program. Thanks to his initiative, we now have 18 custom-designed, ADA-accessible buses transporting 94 clients and residents throughout San Diego & Riverside counties each day – to medical appointments, to work, to outings and more.
“Over the past ten years, Fred has assisted in building our premier fundraising event, the Annual Fall Classic Golf Tournament, into one of the best run events in San Diego County.
“Due to his exceptional service, it is my great privilege and honor to announce that we have named Fred to the newly created position of Development Director of the Mountain Shadows Foundation.”
Says John Martindale, Board Member, “As Mountain Shadows moves into the future, it is crucial that we build a structured way of raising funds to outlast those of us serving today. Fred’s longevity with our organization, along with his love for the residents, makes him the right man for the job.
“In addition to the depth of his knowledge about the entire Mountain Shadows organization, Fred is such a genuine, caring, loving human being – I am honored to be associated with him and to work with him as he moves forward in this new endeavor.”
“Fred is an operational master,” adds Steve Cassidy, Board Member. “There is no one who can match his passion for and knowledge of our Mountain Shadows residents and programs. The Board elected him to this position unanimously and we are committed to doing everything we can to help put him in a position of success.”
Says Wade, “Fred will play an important role in advancing our mission by enhancing our donor relations programs. Since our inception, Mountain Shadows has existed on extremely lean resources, relying heavily on the generosity of a dedicated group of donors. Our vision in creating this new position is to expand our base of donors through new donor programs such as legacy giving, grants, gifts, endowments, annual giving, and other fundraising strategies.”
“Our priority at Mountain Shadows has always been to nurture and care for the individuals we serve,” says Fred. “Our mission is to protect and nurture them, offer them safe haven. We’ve taken great pains not to exploit them. And we never will. But, over the years, we’ve learned that in order to survive as an organization, we have to have the financial structure in place that will allow us to serve these individuals.
“One of my first priorities as Development Director will be to expand our donor base – to reach out to businesses and community members and to show them the good works we are doing here. My role is to attract investment in Mountain Shadows by demonstrating that we, in return, invest in those we serve.”
“When a company or individual donates to Mountain Shadows, they become part of our family. It’s not like giving to a huge organization where the donor doesn’t know where their money is going. We are responsive to our donors and build a bond of trust based on gifts spent wisely, gifts spent in accordance with the donor’s wishes, gifts spent to improve the lives of our residents and clients.
“I look forward to working with the Board Members to create an exciting new chapter in Mountain Shadows development.”