I have been interested in working and helping individuals that have disabilities my whole life. I had friends and family who had disabilities of one form or another growing up. Some of them learning and some of them physical handicaps. Then in high school there were two people we were friends with became handicapped after accidents and it really hit home.
Fast forward when I had my two boys and one was severely ADHD and almost charted on the autism scale. I found out first hand what it was like to have to deal with a child that actually needed ADHD medications and the whole process of what it entailed. I also had other family members who were dyslexic or ADHD and had to help with their well being also.
I was never alerted to all the opportunities and help that was out there to help children on the learning disability spectrum. It was a shock to me. Then when my oldest was going to get ready to apply to colleges and take the ACT and SAT a outside counselor asked why my son was not using these benefits. We were shocked. That opened my eyes.
Then about two years ago I started getting more involved with local politics and started hearing with the troubles parents were having getting their children the help they needed. It was shocked. It is not isolated like most think. It is widespread. Not just here in the Gainesville/Hall County region, but all over the State and Nation.
It is a cause that is worth taking up. Teachers, counselors and principals hands are cuffed, many times, and have no where to turn. We have seen parents with no resources and nowhere to turn for help. Myself and a few other parents have banded together and decided we want to try to do something about that. There has to be someone going to bat for the ones that need help.
I am 53 years old and my two boys are 23 and 25 years old now, Those feelings of helplessness and seeing the exhasperation on the teachers and counselor faces when we had meetings have never left me. It is time for an organization to step up and try to make a difference. That is why in February of 2025 we decided to form this nonprofit organization.