History | ATIL

History of ATIL

Adults Toward Independent Living (ATIL) was formed as a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation on October 28, 1976. The original incorporators were Anna and Robert Ippolito, Umbert and Pimetta Giacopini, Emil and Mary Arena and Robert and Alice Lira.

Anna and Robert's youngest son, Alex, was severely injured in an auto accident, suffering paralysis and irreparable brain damage. Anna knew the day would come when she and her husband could no longer care for their son. She worried about what would happen to Alex.

Robert and Alice Lira's daughter, Rachel, was multi-handicapped with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She was moved from facility to facility for over eleven years by age 28. Although she was not mentally impaired, Rachel was placed in a center for mentally retarded individuals.

Young adults like Alex and Rachel, with special handicaps, weren't accepted into board and care facilities. They fell between the cracks in the health and government care systems. They were placed in institutions or convalescent homes with the elderly and infirm. Most languished, losing hope and failing to reach their potential

Caring for Alex at home, since no facility would accept him because of his seizures, Anna realized that there was a need for a residential setting for disabled adults where they could have their own bedrooms while sharing house facilities and activities with other residents. Her vision became an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization - Adults Toward Independent Living. Raising funds to buy or build a house for disabled adults wasn't easy. To start the process, the San Jose Police Activities League partnered with ATIL in establishing the PALATIL Thrift Shop. ATIL volunteers managed the store and the proceeds were split evenly between the organizations. It was a start, but funding still remained ATIL's major challenge. In January of 1978, a little over a year after ATIL was formed, Sam Chriest became its President. Sam was a quadriplegic who broke his neck in 1952 when he was 26 years old. When he became President, he was a volunteer/counselor for patients with spinal cord injuries at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Sam knew that when young adults were discharged from the medical center, they were cared for at home or placed in a nursing home. He realized that nursing homes provided very valuable community services, but he felt that “Young adults should not be housed with the geriatric set. The trauma is too much for them. They tend to exist until they die."

Sam used his experience and contacts to begin advocating tirelessly for ATIL's goal of providing housing where handicapped adults could live independently. Sam's fundraising efforts included dinner dances, raffles, garage sales, flea markets, membership drives and donations. IBM, Intel, the cities of Cupertino, San Jose and Santa Clara, the State of California and many individuals were early donors. In 1978 ATIL purchased its first house in San Jose from four families where their handicapped children lived. Ruth and Bud Harvey, ATIL volunteers, provided a loan for the purchase. The house became known as Shamrock House. When the city of San Jose needed to move houses to make room for a new freeway, Sam acquired one of the houses from the city. He obtained the necessary permits to move the house to a vacant lot next door to Shamrock House. Funds were raised from donors to repair the house and add oversize restrooms for disabled residents.

In 1985, with a loan from Bank of America, and grants from the city of Cupertino and the State of California, a house was purchased in Cupertino on Anne Lane. The house was remodeled, and Sam Chriest House became home to as many as eight disabled residents. Sam Chriest served as President of ATIL until his death in 1990. Since then, ATIL's all-volunteer Board of Directors have continued Sam's work to fulfill the organization's mission. The board made the decision in 1992 to sell Shamrock I, its original house in San Jose. That sale helped ATIL fund many improvements at the houses and become independent of donations for operating revenue. The organization was eventually able repay all property loans and grants. Today, Shamrock House in San Jose and Sam Chriest House in Cupertino are owned free and clear by ATIL.

In cooperation with our disabled resident house managers, ATIL's Board of Directors continue to provide opportunities for adults with spinal cord and brain injuries to live independently in safe, specially designed and well-maintained settings that allow them to manage their own affairs while sharing the costs of house management. As an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, ATIL operates without employees to ensure that all funds are disbursed on behalf of our residents.

Our Board of Directors

ATIL board members include parents of disabled adults living in ATIL houses, residents and members of the general community. Board members serve as volunteers, without compensation. Since ATIL has never had paid employees, many tasks that would normally be performed by employees are done by our board members. Without the operational expenses incurred by most non-profits, ATIL is able to allocate all of its resources for the benefit of our residents.

We always welcome a conversation with anyone interested in joining the ATIL Board. If you can serve on our board, or contribute in any other way to support ATIL’s efforts, please contact Steve Chriest at 925-570-5459 or schriest@atilhouses.org.