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(Please note--many students are waiting assistance that are not profiled due to confidentiality)
Here are some of the students in need of funding...the budget for a student to attend the Academy for a year is $27,500, this covers the personal ParaEducator, curriculum and liability. Running expenses for the Academy comes through grants, donations, volunteering and in-kinds. Sponsoring a student will allow for each child to receive a personal education that meets their needs and the needs of the student's family. Many parents are finding the education that they can afford is not meeting their child's needs, they are frustrated and scared that time is running out. |
Medical expenses are costly for many of these students, physical, speech and occupational therapies are expensive, but necessary. It is imminent that intervention is given early to prepare for adulthood and an education that will allow for independent living and work.
Scholarships are the key for many of the parents wishing to enroll their child in our program. While we have quite the long list of children waiting for financial help, we have permission to highlight a couple students that will give you an idea on who could be helped by your generous contribution today. |
Hunter
Hunter was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. At 18 months he became very sick with the croup and his blood oxygen levels plummeted. He was hospitalized and recovered, but was not the same child. He could not talk, but loved to scream. Simple things like walking were a struggle, but he had the odd ability to fly down a flight of stairs on his belly. Screaming fits were normal and he didn’t potty train until the age of 4. He also became attached to objects. For several months, for example, he carried an orange. We’d switch it out about once every three days. We started him on a restricted wheat and dairy free diet and engaged him in intense physical, occupational and speech therapy, which included hiking in Glacier National Park. By the age of 7 he could easily hike four and five miles and his behavior vastly improved, but he still struggled with talking and “normal” school work. At the end of elementary school, we decided to home school Hunter. Today he is 15 and part of the Farming for the Future Academy program. His speech is still delayed, but he is no longer on a restricted diet, his behavior vastly improved and he has a keen sense of humor. Hunter loves to hike in Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Today, Hunter can go farther and faster than his father, who is an avid hiker, averaging more than 500 miles a year in the woods of Northwest Montana. Hunter has; 2 sisters, several chickens, and a very soft cat named Alice. He has enjoyed working in the Academy's garden last summer planting and watering the grapes in vineyard and digging 84 holes for raspberries.
Emerald (Emma)
Emerald (Emma) was born at 4:30 a.m., September 29, 2007, after an extremely difficult delivery. Doctors and hospital staff failed to perform a cesarean section after multiple requests, citing that the baby was not in “distress”. Her painful delivery resulted in a very large hematoma on the top of her head. She had been repeatedly pushed into the pelvis bone. This was only the beginning of the arduous journey that was to come. The hospital staff neglected to properly care of Emma a second time when they allowed her to go home the following day with a bilirubin level well above the allowed limit for her age. Her bilirubin levels were not controlled and she soon reached near lethal levels. At only 3 days old her brain was shutting down due to the toxins in her system. She stopped breathing and was rushed to the emergency room. After a week in the hospital, she returned home, but the damage had been done. As the months went by, it became evident that something was wrong. Emma would scream for hours a day, and when she wasn’t crying she seemed vacant. She didn’t sit up until she was almost a year old, which prompted her entry into therapy. At her first physical therapy appointment she was so hypersensitive to her environment that therapy had to end immediately. The children’s hospital began to do testing, and at ten months old her neurologist announced her preliminary findings; Emma was autistic. Of course another year of testing had to be completed to finalize the diagnosis, which came shortly after Emma’s second birthday. In the four years since her diagnosis, Emma has blossomed into a beautiful, inquisitive, empathetic, well mannered, and charming child. She is truly amazing, and is a wonderful blessing to those who are fortunate enough to know her. Emma has two siblings, an older brother, Andrew, and an older sister Kaitlin. She is full of laughter, and her favorite thing is to make people laugh. Currently, Emma is attending kindergarten at a local elementary school. It is our dream to have Emma in a program better suited to nurture her positive growth and development. As her parents, we strongly believe she may be able to expand her knowledge by leaps and bounds through a less restrictive educational setting. Thank you for your time, interest, and effort! Your support will help polish this rare precious jewel.
Luka
Luka Notch is an incredible little boy (almost 6 years) and was diagnosed with Non-Verbal Autism at the age of 2. Luka has made great progress in the last year. With the help of speech therapy, occupational therapy and a preschool program for learning disabilities Luka has learned to communicating with picture boards and acquiring actual vocabulary enough to get us to understand most of his wants. We still have a long way to go with Luka. He is prone to fits quite easily due to his inability to effectively verbally communicate which creates a challenge during public outings and his stress levels go up in crowded places after a certain amount of time. As with most autistic children Luka does very well with one on one instructions/learning. The vision of Farming for the future academy is exactly what we hope to give Luka for his life skills and education.
Luka Notch is an incredible little boy (almost 6 years) and was diagnosed with Non-Verbal Autism at the age of 2. Luka has made great progress in the last year. With the help of speech therapy, occupational therapy and a preschool program for learning disabilities Luka has learned to communicating with picture boards and acquiring actual vocabulary enough to get us to understand most of his wants. We still have a long way to go with Luka. He is prone to fits quite easily due to his inability to effectively verbally communicate which creates a challenge during public outings and his stress levels go up in crowded places after a certain amount of time. As with most autistic children Luka does very well with one on one instructions/learning. The vision of Farming for the future academy is exactly what we hope to give Luka for his life skills and education.