Hometown care, where every adult is celebrated.
Ridgekind supports adults with intellectual disabilities in Stoddard County and across Southeast Missouri. Families started this work in 1963. We carry it on every day.
Our story began in 1963.
A handful of local families had children with intellectual disabilities and almost no services close to home. Instead of waiting for help to arrive, they came together and built it. What they started in Dexter has grown into residential, day, respite, and community services for adults across Stoddard County.
Some of that history is written in the lives of those first children. Some grew up to attend the day program, live in the group homes, and receive support through their adult lives from the organization their own families helped create.
Why Ridgekind?
After more than sixty years, we chose a new name that fits the adults we serve today. The language in our original name belongs to that era. "Ridge" connects us to the Southeast Missouri ground we have called home from the start. "Kind" is the dignity and respect at the heart of the work. And the dove in our logo is the same dove we have carried for years. We kept it on purpose.
"The name is new, but the work behind it goes all the way back to those families in 1963."
Part of Stoddard County life
Spend a week in Dexter and you'll run into the adults we support. They're at the bowling alley and the movies, out to eat, and up in the stands at high school games. They deliver for Meals on Wheels, pitch in at church fundraisers, and show up for the fair, the dances, and the parade. Helping people take part in the life of their town is the goal of much of what we do.
- Volunteering
- Area dances
- Game days
What we do
Four services, each shaped around the person receiving it. Every adult we support has an Individual Support Plan built on their own goals and choices.
Group Home Services (Residential)
A home with support around the clock.
Our group homes provide 24-hour staffing for adults who need help with daily living. Staff provide personal assistance with daily care, medication, household tasks, and getting out into the community.
Day Habilitation Services
Purposeful days at our adult day center.
Structured weekday programming that builds skills for independence: communication, learning, volunteering, and time with friends. Each person's day follows their Individual Support Plan and their own interests.
Respite Services
A real break for family caregivers.
Short-term stays at our group home, with 24-hour staff, so the person you care for is safe and well supported while you rest, travel, or tend to the rest of life.
Community Networking Services
A life in the community, not just in a program.
We help adults build friendships and connections around town: volunteering, sporting events, the Stoddard County Fair, local dances, and other social events. Support is individualized and aimed at community integration and real participation in community life.
Who we serve
Ridgekind serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Services for eligible adults are funded through the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and referrals come to us from families, guardians, and targeted case management providers across the region.
Interested in services? Here's where to start.
If your family member already has a Support Coordinator, that's the first call. They handle referrals and know the current picture.
If you don't have a Support Coordinator yet, contact the Stoddard County Targeted Case Management office at 573-614-5095, or your Missouri Department of Mental Health Regional Office: Poplar Bluff at 573-840-9300 or Sikeston at 573-472-5300.
And if you're not sure any of this applies to you, call Heather Carrillo at 573-624-8525. She'll point you in the right direction.
Our locations
All three Ridgekind locations are in Dexter, Missouri, serving families throughout Stoddard County, including Bloomfield, Bernie, Advance, Essex, and Puxico, and the wider Southeast Missouri region.
Main office and day center
1318 W. Grant St., Dexter, MO 63841
Day habilitation programming, respite coordination, and administration.
Directions to 1318 W. Grant St., Dexter, MO 63841 (opens in a new tab)Group home
716 Boucher St., Dexter, MO 63841
Directions to 716 Boucher St., Dexter, MO 63841 (opens in a new tab)Group home
315 S. Walnut St., Dexter, MO 63841
Directions to 315 S. Walnut St., Dexter, MO 63841 (opens in a new tab)
Life at Ridgekind
The fair, the parades, the dances, the everyday moments in between. Follow along with what the adults we support are up to.
Support this work
Ridgekind is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and gifts are tax-deductible. Every donation stays local, funding group homes, day programming, respite stays, and community life for adults with intellectual disabilities in Southeast Missouri.
To give, mail a check payable to Ridgekind to:
Ridgekind1318 W. Grant St.
Dexter, MO 63841
Questions about giving, or interested in volunteering or other ways to help?
Call Heather Carrillo at 573-624-8525.
Get in touch
Whether you're a family exploring services, a case manager making a referral, or a neighbor who wants to help, we'd like to hear from you. Call us, or send a message with the form and we'll get back to you.
- Phone
- 573-624-8525
- Address
- 1318 W. Grant St., Dexter, MO 63841 Map (opens in a new tab)
- Office hours
- Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.