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Light A Heart
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LIGHT A HEART INC. - A California based 501-C3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing education and support services to children with Autism and Epilepsy
In 1985 our son Michael Alexander Julian Salit was born. He was a colicky baby with sensitive skin and had multiple ear infections. Besides his sensitivity he was a healthy robust developing baby boy. At nine months of age Alex began having seizures, which we believe were caused by a reaction to the DPT vaccine he had at that time. For the next three years Alex took multiple anti-seizure medications to help control his seizures, unfortunately these medications failed to do so. Alex's development slowed considerably and we continuously sought out ways to reach and teach him. At the age of four and a half, Alex was diagnosed with autistic tendencies. This was devastating as well as a relief for us to finally know what caused his unique behaviors. We began to understand that Alex had very specific needs and that there were methods of interacting with children with autism that could be implemented to help us with our son.
When the time came to put Alex in school we began reviewing classes and programs offered in our area. We determined that at least for Alex, the educational programs available did not meet his individual needs. In the process of evaluating the programs offered to us we recognized that there was a tremendous need to provide educational and support services to children like Alex and their families.
Subsequently, after determining that there wasn't a program or placement that was appropriate for our son, we assisted with the opening of the Can-Do School, a school specifically developed to meet the needs of students with autism, communication, and behavior disorders. The school's director developed Individual Education Plans (I.E.P) to meet students' specific emotional, physical, medical, and educational needs. Just as important the school provided training and support for parents, siblings and caregivers so they could play an active role in the consistent facilitation of the individualized educational plan for each child when the children were not in the school program.
In 1989 we began to discuss the possibilities of the formation of an educational based non-profit organization to award scholarships and provide support services to families with special needs children. Our scholarships seek to provide the financial assistance needed to pay for an individually designed educational plan and provide a full time one-to-one aide to enable children and young adults like Alex to receive the services needed for them to reach their full potential. The cost of such a program with support services can easily exceed $50,000 per year.
Our long-term goal is to create a campus-like setting that would provide both residential and non-residential services. We need to raise the money to purchase or build a facility that will encompass all of the necessary services needed to ensure that children, young adults, their siblings, parents, and caregivers have an environment conducive to reaching our goal of providing the highest quality of care and educational services available.
We are working towards meeting our goals each day through Mill Valley Candleworks. Michael & Marni Salit started Mill Valley Candleworks in 2003. Michael, Alex's Father has had years of experience in food service and has helped develop computer systems and the technology to manage operations, costing, and inventory controls. Michael has worked on many programs that raise money for non-profit organizations.
We welcome your financial support. We have several programs available to you to make either a one-time donation or become a perpetual donor to Light the Hearts of children and young adults with autism and epilepsy forever.
For more information about how you can raise money for your organization as well as help support the efforts of Light A Heart email us at info@mvcandleworks.com
Sincerely, Michael A. Salit and Marni K. Salit
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