Olmos Park lawyer and philanthropist Jesse H. Oppenheimer. Photo by Noi Mahoney

Drawn by the chance to help a South Side development group that serves thousands of children and adults with mental and physical disabilities, Olmos Park lawyer and philanthropist Jesse H. Oppenheimer dug into his pockets and donated $1 million.

“Mental retardation at any age is a great handicap,” said 88-year-old Oppenheimer during a ceremony at Mission Road Developmental Center in September. “This center takes care of people, and tries to rejuvenate and educate them.”

Oppenheimer’s donation is the largest gift ever made by an individual to the 60 year-old South Side development group. The donation will help build a new $2.9 million center for education and recreation that will be used by more than 100 children and adults with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy.

The new 12,250-square-foot center will also house staff offices, classrooms, conference rooms and a family visitation room. Once it is complete, the new building will be named the Jesse H. and Susan R. Oppenheimer Center for Programming and Recreation.

Toby Summers, President and CEO of Mission Road Ministries, said there is great need for the new facility. Mission Road Ministries is a San Antonio-based nonprofit organization. It oversees Mission Road Developmental Center and several other outreach organizations.

“This new center will provide space for courses on life skills, community service and spiritual development,” Summers said. “It will also give us the opportunity to enhance our summer outreach program to more people, and allow us to pilot a new after school program to potentially care for students with disabilities from East Central, Harlandale, McCollum, South San, Southside, Southwest and Edgewood schools.”

The funds will also be used remodel a recreation and convocation center that is actually an old army chapel. It has no air conditioning, has concrete flooring, no restrooms and a leaking roof.

Mission Road Developmental Center is located on Mission Road near Stinson Municipal Airport and Mission Park cemeteries. The center is a sprawling complex located on 22 bucolic green acres. Clifford and Adele Bledsoe founded it in 1954.

The Bledsoes wanted to have a place for their son who had mental retardation, and others with similar conditions, to prosper and grow.

“We have children that come out of tragic situations and it is not their fault,” said Peter Sakai, judge for the children’s court in the 225th District Court.

Sakai said he’s seen cases of appalling abuse against children and babies.

“The reason Mission Road is unique is because it takes care of the neediest children who cannot take care of themselves, or parents who cannot care for them,” Sakai said.

Mission Road is one of only two nonprofit facilities in Texas that serve mentally disabled children pulled from their homes by the state’s Child Protective Services agency.

Mission Road assists about 500 people every year ranging from three to 72 years old and has about an $8 million annual budget. It receives funding from the United Way, First Presbyterian Church and state and private sources.

“A lot of children and adults need a more structured environment and that is what Mission Road gives to them,” Schwab said.

Mission Road has five cottages for children and one assisted living home for adults, a building for day programming, a chapel, laundry, kitchen/dining room, gymnasium and training center. Mission Road also owns an additional 10 group homes for children and adults with mental retardation throughout San Antonio.

Oppenheimer said he chose to make a gift to Mission Road because it is somewhat “invisible” to many in San Antonio.

“There are many organizations on the North Side,” said Oppenheimer. “Mission Road is on the South Side and rather hidden. I’m not sure people know about it.”

Oppenheimer is a prominent attorney who founded the law firm Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison and Tate in 1969. Oppenheimer said philanthropy has always been important to him.

“Money is like fertilizer, it doesn’t do any good unless you help spread it around,” Oppenheimer said.

The $1 million donation from Oppenheimer is a challenge grant. It stipulates that Mission Road must raise an additional $1 million to receive the original $1 million grant. So far, Mission Road has raised almost $900,000 towards that goal.