VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – After 41 years of service to the Open Door Center in Valley City and Lisbon Mary Simonson will be retiring. The community is invited to help mark her service at a retirement party which will be
held on Thursday, June 29th at the Eagles Club in Valley City, located at 345 12th Avenue NE in Valley City. The Open House will run from 2:30 to 6:00 pm with a short program starting at 3:30 pm.
Open Door was created in 1959. It was initially a day program with eight people and one instructor. At that time it was housed in the basement of the city auditorium. In November 1979, the Open Door School legally became the Open Door Center, a private, non-profit corporation.
In September 1981, Open Door moved to the first floor of the Armory. In 1981 Group Home 1 was built, followed by the construction of Group Home 2 in 1982. Simonson became the director in May 1982. Later in 1982 Open Door moved to the remodeled day facility at the former Omwick Theater and in November of 1982 construction was completed on Group Home 3. Group Home 4 was constructed in early 1984 and Home 5 was completed in July 1986 and Group Home 1 transitioned to Children’s Programming. Other programing was initiated in 1987 which included Supported Living Arrangement (ISLA) programing and the Day Activity Program was started in January 1988. In 1992 the Geisler Implement Building was donated by the Geisler family and remodeled to be the home of the Day Activity Program. In 1992 the Open Door Center assumed management of the HI Soaring Eagle Ranch which serves individuals with head injuries. In 1993 a program serving people with chronic mental illness began.
Simonson showed creativity and innovation by starting the Eagles Nest Bookstore providing employment for many Open Door individuals, ran the Viking Room restaurant for a time, and renovated the Prairie Inn into 14 one-bedroom apartments for low-income individuals and people with disabilities. Programming for the Lisbon area and the Lisbon Thrift Store was started and continues to serve the community of Lisbon. To provide more job opportunities for individuals at the Open Door Center, Thunderbird Ranch and Amberland Foods was purchased. It packages numerous foods (e.g. jams, jellies, syrups, soups and seasoning, etc.) which are sold at the Eagles Nest Bookstore and around the region.
The Open Door Center Administration offices moved from the upstairs of 209 2nd Street South East (former Omwick building) to its new location in a building constructed for Open Door in 2010.
The Open Door Center has an annual budget of over $10 million and a staff of 210 in order to serve 88 individuals with a variety of physical and mental health needs.
The Open Door Center has worked to serve people with physical and intellectual disabilities and continue to grow with Valley City, and to be an integral part of its progress. The individuals and staff have strived to serve the community as well as being served, and to concentrate on abilities more than on disabilities.