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Scholarship Feature: Getting the Best Shot at Life
How could our family ever fit our immeasurable gratitude into words? The generosity of The JoAnn McKellar Scholarship you awarded our son Daniel has radically changed our family’s trajectory. The scholarship has made it possible for our son to remain at LKS where he is finally truly understood and is getting topnotch professional help with his complex challenges. LKS is transforming not only Daniel but our entire family. In the weeks Daniel was home for the COVID-19 quarantine, we were in awe at how far he had come since beginning his journey at LKS in January 2019. We would like to share just a few examples of skills he has gained and the successes he is having to assure you the scholarship was a worthy investment. • Before LKS, Daniel could not handle free time and being bored and would escalate if we couldn’t go somewhere and do something. While at home for quarantine he filled his time productively playing an instrument, helping his grandma in her yard, working with his dad, playing basketball, etc. • Before LKS, Daniel had no confidence in or tolerance for academic work. While working with Virtual LKS, he worked mostly independently and shared with pride when he got three out of four questions right on Newsela and 10 out of 10 Power Words. He has looked at math worksheets and said, “This is easy,” or “I know how to do this,” and quickly made corrections when he made errors. There are so many more examples we could give of the ways Daniel is now able to use the skills and tools he has learned, take initiative, work independently, make corrections quickly, collaborate with others, and so much more. If you could see a video of our family a year ago compared to a video of us now, you would know without a doubt that the LKS program and culture work. Our son who was struggling emotionally, socially, and academically is now confident and growing in all of those areas. He frequently tells us, “I have skills now. I can handle it.” Thank you for giving Daniel the opportunity to have the best shot at life he could possibly get. Thank you for a bright future for our son and family. We will remain forever grateful. —LKS Parents
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