We had the privilege of attending The Lionheart School's Party with Heart Gala recently. Our dear friends’ son, Jude, attends the school. When Jude was first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, his parents researched and spent countless hours trying to find the right school for his needs.
He tried a school with a long commute and also public school, but ultimately the perfect school for his unique set of needs was right here in our Alpharetta community -- The Lionheart School. The Lionheart School started 20 years ago by three families when they all had the same goal to find a school to support and embrace their children's individual differences. They couldn't find the right school, so they decided to start their own – The Lionheart School on the campus of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.
The Lionheart School serves children ages 5-21 that have difficulty with academics, sensory processing, motor planning, visual and auditory processing, receptive and expressive language, attention, memory, executive function or social interactions.
Now, 20 years later, the school has grown because the need is great. The Lionheart School emphasizes relationships, abstract critical thinking, problem solving and social cognition. By focusing on each participant's individual differences and maintaining the optimal staff/participant ratio, Lionheart crafts a program suited to each participant's developmental profile which results in a nurturing and supportive environment that directly addresses emotional, social, intellectual and vocational development.
"Our primary mission at Lionheart is to imprint upon our students the knowledge that they do have a place in our world; and that they too can influence and maintain relationships with family, friends, teachers and others in their community,” said Elizabeth Dulin, M.Ed., head of school at The Lionheart School.
Dulin continues, “Our success as a school is not measured in centimeters, logarithms or the periodic table. Rather, we see our success in fist pumps, inside jokes and even the hurt feelings which are part of every intense friendship. No, we are not a typical school. Nor would we ever want to be.”
Lionheart utilizes a multi-faceted program that provides vocational opportunities related to animal assisted therapy, animal care, horse farm maintenance and therapeutic riding assistance.
In addition, the school has after school programs and summer camps that give individuals with special needs enriched, high-affect, activity-based environments to support high rates of engagement and social interactions with their peers.
Have you ever shopped at LionheARTisans Cottage located on Academy Street? The shop is a wonderful display of artwork and products made by Lionheart participants that helps encourage and train them for future work endeavors.
And, through their Lionheart WORKS vocational program, individuals 18 and older are matched with a job where they receive onsite job training and classroom curriculum to help achieve long-term independence. Participants work onsite at businesses such as Cellairis, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Loving Hands Animal Clinic and UPS just to name a few!
Before Jude attended The Lionheart School, I drove past the school every day and had no idea what was behind the doors. Now, when I drive by the school, I think of all the HEARTS being impacted by the teachers, staff, volunteers and our community. I imagine the hope and possibilities ahead for the students and young adults.
At the gala, a capital campaign to raise money to expand the Lionheart campus and help more individuals impacted with autism took place through live donations. Within minutes more than $150,000 was raised, showing the true HEART of our amazing community!
“The Party with Heart is a celebration of YES; what a child or young adult can do, a night of hope and possibilities. We had a record breaking attendance and fundraising this year. Our community is simply amazing and we have sustained for 20 years because of their outpouring of support,” said Tamara Spafford, executive director of The Lionheart School.
GIVING TUESDAY |
Lionheart received a generous $10,000 match for all Giving Tuesday donations! So today, Giving Tuesday (December 1st), your donation will go TWICE as far! 2020 has been a challenging year! Lionheart still has so many things to be grateful for -- our amazing students and our phenomenal community are top on that list! We need you now more than ever. Donate today at https://bit.ly/lionheartgt!
To find out how you can get involved with The Lionheart School connect here: ONLINE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM |
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