MENTOR, Ohio — Karen Fries has spent five decades caring for children with disabilities. Now, she’s about to start a new chapter in her life.
“I love the balloons,” said Fries. “‘Good luck,’ it says.”
Fries is retiring from Broadmoor School in Mentor, and staff and students want to make sure she knows how much she’ll be missed.
Fries has worked in just about every room in this building.
“Yeah, working in the classroom was awesome.” Fries said.
She says kids often ask her about her disability.
“They would ask me questions like ‘why do you walk with crutches?’ You know, ‘what happened to your legs?’ And then I would explain it to them,” Fries said.
Fries was born with cerebral palsy, but she never let it stop her from pursuing her passion: working with kids. And over time, she’s worked with a lot of them.
“Yes, many. And a lot of them have passed away,” Fries said.
She remembers one student in particular.
“I used to take care of a little girl and her name was Sarah,” Fries said. “She’s passed away, and she was 7 years old and she was so tiny that she wore doll clothes and you had to feed her by baby bottle and after she grew up a little bit, they fed her, you know, pureed food… But she was real cute. And that was one of my highlights cause, you know, I was almost like a second mom to her.”
Fries has dedicated her life to teaching and nurturing children.
“I’ve watched the kids change so many ways, you know, to feeding themselves to getting themselves dressed,” Fries said.
Fries started at Broadmoor School as a volunteer at the suggestion of her teacher. Now, 50 years later, she’s saying goodbye to the job she loves, but she’s excited for her next adventure.
“It’s good in a way,” Fries said about retiring. “I’m looking forward to doing something new and exciting. And it’s kind of sad in a way to walk up and down these halls knowing I’ve walked all the time.”
And while she’s excited to not have to get up early for work, she’s bittersweet about what she’s leaving behind.
“The people I think,” Fries said about what she’ll miss most. “And the kids. That’s the reason why I came to Broadmoor.”
