Adele Saccarelli was born in 1965, at a time when the country was in great change. In just a few short years, people from across the country joined together to support common causes: from civil rights to women’s liberation. This movement shook the nation to its core and united people in ways the world had never seen. During this time, Americans witnessed great change, but also great tragedy with the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
1968 marked a turning point with the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. This represented a loss of hope for many Americans and the beginning of a new shift toward the individual. In the 1970s, people began to split away from their original movements and groups, moving instead toward their own pursuits.
As a young girl, Adele watched her older sisters as they experienced the energy and excitement of the times. Although she was too young to participate herself, she loved listening to the music of the 1960’s and always connected with its message. She especially loved the spirit of cooperation and family that people all around seemed to embrace.
As she entered middle and high school, Adele began to struggle more and more with her studies. Sitting through class felt like an eternity and she dreaded being called on by the teacher. Her hyperactivity & Dyslexia caused her to miss blocks of information in every class. These problems sustaining mental focus interfered with her reading, understanding & decision-making skills. This also affected her relationships, as well as her reading, writing, conversational & communication skills. Adele found her release in the world of sports. She loved being part of a group and thrived on the comradery and support of her teammates. Although sports provided some release, she still struggled in school, but no one seemed to have any answers.
Around the same time, Adele began working as a public school teacher, and then with young adults with challenges in the prison system and military.She developed a love for teaching, but saw the limitations of traditional learning environments. Her approach to teaching combined ideas and philosophies from across the board, but was outside the box of conventional curriculums.
In 1999, Adele was visiting a museum in Maryland with her older sister when she saw the newspaper headline that would finally explain what she was trying to convey: “Teamwork Wins.” The headline was quoting President Roosevelt, who was describing his plan to move the country out of recession and create a unified front to defeat Hitler. In the same way, Adele knew that she would have to create a unified front to find answers in a time when people didn’t believe there were any to be found. But she knew that the phrase “teamwork wins” would create the foundation for change, awareness and answers that she needed to find.
With the perfect name in hand, Adele began to lay the foundation for Teamwork Wins. Thus, Teamwork Wins Ltd. was born in November 2000, which would incorporate a variety of different modalities and ideologies, with the goal of providing every child with the access to ALL quality resources. The phrase “teamwork wins” would create the foundation for change, awareness and answers for children with Invisible Challenge. With the help of many other individuals that have since joined the team, Adele & the team conduct a cutting-edge non-profit organization that serve children, parents & professionals, creating programs that worked for children across the spectrum.
Today, Teamwork Wins researches and employs a variety of modalities to help children with Invisible Challenges. Teamwork Wins Ltd. (TWW) is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization that provides answers for children with invisible challenges. Invisible challenges (ICs) include, having difficulty with basic social cues, misperceptions, spacial awareness, understanding other people’s intent, non-verbal and verbal communication skills, conflict resolution and self-advocacy. These ICs are often seen in children who are diagnosed or have symptoms of AD/HD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse, anxiety, and depression. This also includes gifted, sensitive, or indigo children. Teamwork Wins also teaches parents, teachers, school administrators, athletic coaches, as well as, pediatrians that things aren't always what they seem. This creates caring communities that are more accepting of invisible challenges.