Luncheon Recap

THE 14TH ANNUAL

“Giving Voice to Children” Luncheon

The 14th annual “Giving Voice to Children” Luncheon, held on October 6, 2022, raised more than $58,000 to support children who have communication delays and learning differences. The luncheon, held annually to benefit The Parish School and its financial assistance fund, makes a Parish education possible for families who may otherwise be unable to afford this specialized learning environment. This year’s event was chaired by current Parish parents, Averill and David Conn and alumni parents, Stacey and Brian Merchant. Over 200 guests gathered at The Junior League of Houston to hear from keynote speaker Greg Santucci, an Occupational Therapist and Founding Director of Power Play Pediatric Therapy in New Jersey. Through his work, Greg is committed to providing neurodevelopmentally informed services to children, as well as workshops to parents and professionals promoting compassionate, collaborative and brain-based interventions to support children of all abilities. In his keynote presentation, Greg discussed how to better support children by shifting from behavior management to connection and collaboration. Guests turned out in support of award honorees Renee Attaway-Storer, MS, and Randi Raizner, Ph.D. Renee, a Speech Language Pathologist, was honored with the Golden Oak Award for being instrumental in adapting and preserving the Social Learning program at The Parish School and Carruth Center while developing and leading two sleep-away summer camps for children with social cognitive challenges. Dr. Raizner, a neuropsychologist, was honored with the Robbin Parish Award, named in memory of The Parish School’s founder, for her extensive background in neurodevelopmental disorders, behavior, emotion, and child development. She has served as a consultant for Parish since 2006. Additionally, TBG Partners, a landscape architectural firm, was recognized as the Community Partner of the Year for their partnership in creating natural play environments at The Parish School’s Margaret Noecker Nature Center.

Emotional testimonials by Stacey Merchant and Averill Conn, connected with guests in the room. ““Our family decided to move to Houston so John could get the therapy he needed at The Parish School. There truly isn’t a school like The Parish School anywhere in the country,” said Stacey. Averill added, “we feel so fortunate to be a part of The Parish School community, and we are so grateful to Parish for helping Jamie to realize his full potential. The support he received should be the model for every child who has language or learning delays.” After the event, those who wanted to hear more from Greg Santucci were invited to a free adult education presentation that evening, where he dove deeper into understanding how sensory processing impacts behavior.