An Evening of Celebration!
At the end of October, we were invited to CLC's annual fundraising event held at Thousand Oaks Country Club. And, I was asked to be the parent speaker for the evening.
When I was initially asked, I mistakenly thought a group of parents would be speaking. And, I thought the 5 minute speech required would fit with that assumption. It wasn't until a few days before the event we received the program. I opened it to realize I was the ONLY parent speaker. No pressure.
Here is the jist of what I said.
Conductive Learning Center is more than just a place or a school it is a community.
This is a Community of Reality
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| Amazing Moms! |
We as parents recognize the disabilities of our children but we refuse to accept the limitations which traditional therapy's and education impose on them. Our son, Liam, was born prematurely and diagnosed at 12 months with CP, Cerebral Palsy. We spent three years in tradtional therapies and education. Our son improved but his motivation deteriorated after several years. His frustartion with his inability led to behavior issues and further lack of interest in therapies. CLC creates the oppurtunity for our children to acheive their highest potential. It's a place where hard work is expected and our children are seen as capable. Their struggle is acknowledged. It's a safe place for them to express the frustration they feel.
This is a Community of Acheivement
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| Older Students chatting it up! |
Frustration is not allowed to fester, it blossoms into acheivement. For Liam the first several weeks were overwhelming as he was expected to participate and perform. But, the other kids and the comfort the conductors gave him enabled him to adjust and thrive. Within the first session, which was generously gifted by a scholarship, he was potty trained! Beyond this huge accomplishment he took his first independent steps in a walker. Over the next few weeks, we noticed his strength increasing. He was able to sit independently in a bath tub and feed himself with utensils. Perhaps the biggest change is in his attitude. We hear "I can do it myself." The wonderful thing is he can.
This is a Community of Hope
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| Wonderful admistrators and conductors. |
Not only do the children recieve this gift, we all recieve this gift. From those who donate to make this oppurtunity possible, to the administration who keeps the paper trail, to the conductors who everyday encourage, to the families who see the results, all of us create this community. The future employers and neighbors of our children will be gifted with this reality of hopefullness.
Thank-you for being a part of this community and welcoming us to it!
It was a wonderful evening, the most successful in the school's history. We are so honored to be a part of it.
Here are a few pictures borrowed from the school website. If you'd like to see more follow the link to the CLC FACEBOOK page.
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| The Super Duper Donors! |
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| Where's Matt? And, where's one of Matt's first karate students? She's the gal with the brown hair just in front of Matt. Her older brother is the sudent in the picture above. It's a small world! |
