Thanks to an outpouring of support by the Jamesville-DeWitt community, the Tecumseh Learning Pad’s 12th annual Lemonade Stand has raised $10,117.64! Final sale totals for event shirts are still being processed, so that number will likely increase! The proceeds will be distributed between the Central New York Autism Society of America and ARISE Adaptive Design.
The district’s special education classroom’s annual lemonade stand is held during the first week of April to coincide with National Autism Acceptance Month. For the first time, the event was expanded across the entire district. Stands were available to students and staff at all school buildings, the Transportation Department, and the District Office. The Tecumseh Elementary School stand was hosted on Friday, April 4.
“I had already felt like my heart couldn’t be any fuller, but then I got to see our past Learning Pad grads hosting in their current buildings as some of them did 12 years ago. My heart truly burst with happiness,” shared Learning Pad Special Education Teacher Meg Ames. “It is truly remarkable what joy is felt by sharing a single water bottle with each student, staff, and community member. The incredible generosity of this district and community is like no other.”
Senior Olivia Clark helped spearhead the expansion of the event to J-D High School and J-D Middle School as part of her Senior Capstone project in conjunction with the 12:1 (3:1) special education classrooms in those buildings. It was a full circle moment for Olivia, whose sister Morgan helped create the Learning Pad’s first lemonade stand. She also worked closely with J-DHS staff members Stephanie Schellinger, Larry Stroh, and Bill Sauve to coordinate the expansion and to design and sell special event shirts and 3-D printed Autism Acceptance pins.
“This collaborative effort went well above anything I could have dreamt up,” said Ames. “Oliva, you’ve done an amazing thing that I know your incredible sister Morgan is beyond proud of you for. I know you will continue to do amazing things as you continue your studies and advocacy goals.”
Learning Pad and Jamesville-DeWitt students and staff are looking forward to taking part in the upcoming Autism Acceptance Walk, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 26 at Jamesville Beach.