Poyadue, Florene Stewart

Florene Stewart Poyadue was born in 1934, one of 12 children who were raised in a three bedroom house in Lovejoy, Illinois. Immediately following high school, she earned a nursing degree from St. Mary's Infirmary School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1975 she earned a Bachelor of Vocational Education degree from San Jose State University. Prior to graduation, Poyadue gave birth to their fourth son, Dean, who was diagnosed with Down's syndrome. The only advice that doctors and hospital staff gave her regarding Dean's diagnosis was to "take him home and love him." Frustrated with the lack of support and information available about her son's condition, she reached out to other parents. Soon after, Poyadue joined forces with Elayne Bagwe and Gita Dedek, who had recently started a parent resource group called "Parents Helping Parents" (PHP).

From the moment Poyadue took charge of PHP in 1976, the organization flourished. She left her job to work with PHP full-time and immediately incorporated the organization as a non-profit and wrote its bylaws. Poyadue went on to earn a master's degree in Marriage/Family/Child Counseling from Santa Clara University in 1983. In 1985, PHP was asked to become a United Way agency, and in 1987 Poyadue accepted the Senator Lloyd Bentsen Award at a conference of the U.S. Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. In 1991 the U.S. Department of Health designated PHP as a national center on parent-direct resources. In 1993 Santa Clara University awarded her an honorary doctorate and invited her to address the graduating class.

Biographical History

Florene Stewart Poyadue was born in 1934, one of 12 children who were raised in a three bedroom house in Lovejoy, Illinois. Immediately following high school, she earned a nursing degree from St. Mary's Infirmary School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri. Around the same time she married Octave Poyadue and started a family. For nearly twenty years Poyadue worked as a nurse in several different cities, moving as Octave's military career necessitated. The family finally settled in the Bay Area after Octave retired from the military. In 1975, Poyadue earned a Bachelor of Vocational Education degree from San Jose State University.

Prior to graduation, Poyadue gave birth to their fourth son Dean, who was diagnosed with Down's syndrome. The only advice that doctors and hospital staff gave her regarding her son's diagnosis was to "take him home and love him." Frustrated with the lack of support and information available about her son's condition, she reached out to other parents. Poyadue soon after, joined forces with Elayne Bagwe and Gita Dedek, who had recently started a parent resource group called Parents Helping Parents (PHP). Soon after joining them, Poyadue convinced Bagwe and Dedek that she could take the organization further, and she became the acting director, a position she held until retirement in 1998.

From the moment Poyadue took charge of PHP in 1976, the organization flourished. She left her job to work with PHP full-time and immediately incorporated the organization as a non-profit and wrote its bylaws. In 1979, Georgette Strohm joined PHP as assistant director, and together they expanded the organization's focus from support group to full-service family resource center with an annual symposium, a library, and regular workshops for doctors and family members. Throughout her years with PHP, Poyadue authored several publications and partnered with several health-care providers including Kaiser Permanente.

Poyadue went on to earn a master's degree in Marriage/Family/Child Counseling from Santa Clara University in 1983. In 1985, PHP was asked to become a United Way Agency, and in 1987 Poyadue accepted the Senator Lloyd Bentsen Award at a conference of the U.S. Surgeon General in Washington, D.C. In 1991 the U.S. Department of Health designated PHP as a national center on parent-direct resources. In 1993 Santa Clara University awarded her an honorary doctorate and invited her to address the graduating class.

In 1998, Poyadue retired from PHP, with over 20 years of dedicated service. During her tenure with PHP, Poyadue was honored by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Diocese of San Jose. The city of Houston proclaimed June 14, 1987 "Florene Stewart Poyadue Day" and in 1990 she received the Family Achievement Award from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation and the Women of Achievement Award from the San Jose Mercury News and the Women's Fund.

Between 2005 and 2006, PHP provided over 23,000 direct services to children, families and the professionals serving them, over 3,000 attended PHP parent education sessions and/or support events, and over 12,000 individuals attended parent education, information and outreach sessions. Florene Stewart Poyadue's work with PHP remains a national model for family resource centers for children with special needs, and the organization's continued success is a testament to her years of service.