Thank you for your time and efforts!

I just wanted to send a note saying THANK YOU for your time & efforts!!!!

Having a nest full of special needs kids, Beth & I are constantly at meetings or doctor's appointments with the kids. Neither of us works outside the home any more because of this. We are consistantly fighting with the school to meet their academic and emotional needs. (click "read more" to continue.)

We spend just as much time at home teaching them "life skills". As a result, we have little time left to be on committees but we help in whatever small way we can: contributing to classroom requests, chaperoning field trips, helping with fund-raisers, delivering pizza (LOL), and of course, writing letters, etc. (Not to mention shuttling kids to extracurricular activities.)

When these broken babies came home to us we had no idea how far they would be able to go. In fact, in the beginning, we thought they would all be living with us until we died. However, these children continue to astound us!!! As they reach new heights we fight for better services. We consistently hit these brick walls. Beth knows the law inside & out when it comes to special ed. I carry on with the battle cry, "No child left behind!" Yet the process is long & arduous. The paperwork & appeals when disagreements come up seems endless. My Beth has made many enemies because of her persistence. God bless her!

In my mind, when we fight, we are fighting for all the kids, not just the ones who need extra help. We continually have other parents asking us "how" so they can help their own kids. So many of these parents spend most of their time caring for their families and have no knowledge of how to get the help they need. I KNOW we couldn't do this alone. The teachers, staff, volunteers, doctors, psychologists, paras, parents & everyone else who have the time to help out during the day are the backbone of our school systems.

It takes a village to raise a child. I love our village!

I find Williston citizens quick to respond when folks are in need. When Hurricane Katrina hit, we were lined up waaaaaaay down the road to contribute supplies. When the Moon family's house burned down, the very next morning, there was over $1500 collected at the front office, let alone what folks continued to do for the rest of the month. The generosity around the holidays is overwhelming! I am so PROUD of us.

I know that MOST of the children in Williston schools are extremely bright and eager to learn. This is because MOST of the parents are well educated and/or active. Given the right preparation, these kids can change the world and are already doing so (as is evident in many of their 8th grade projects). Our high school kids are pulling off even more phenomenal things. That whole "We got your back" project to collect school supplies & backpacks for the younger victims of Katrina blew me away. They don't learn this spirit of community pride/giving without parental example.

I was so excited to see how many folks showed up for your forum the other night. If not for YOUR hard work this would not have come to fruition!

I could go on & on but I have other letters to write. Suffice it to say, I love being part of this community and am HONORED to have folks like you as my neighbors & friends!

Grazi, grazi, mille grazi! Domo arigato! Merci! Muchas gracias! Shay-shay. (That's all I know, lol)
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Affectionately,
Your friendly Neighborhood
Mama Cricket