Little Light House School In Tulsa In Need Of Help To Meet Fundraising Goal

There are less than two weeks left in the Mini Laps fundraiser benefitting Little Light House.

The school is less than halfway to its $650,000 goal. The fundraising event is parent-led and makes up about 15% of the school's operating budget.

"Mini Laps is the largest fundraising event we have each year, typically, because the parents do such a great job. People want to support our families and Tulsa is a really generous place," said Executive Director Molly Smith.

Little Light House is a tuition-free Christian developmental center for kids with special needs. Smith said its teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and vision therapists all help students achieve their goals.

"We are seeing kids accomplish things that doctors and people told them they never would," said Smith. "We just look at children and we do not see their limitations. We see where they can go, and we really like to use creative ways to push them."

Scottie Spencer, 3, is a full-time student at Little Light House. She has Mosaic Down Syndrome, a rare form of Down Syndrome where only some cells have an extra copy of chromosome 21.

"We did not have anyone with Down Syndrome or really anyone with special needs in our family and when we had Scottie a couple of people immediately told us to come check out Little Light House," said Scottie's father Tim. "Since then, it has really been a good place for us to come and meet other families who are in similar situations."

He said they have also seen a huge growth in Scottie's speech and physical abilities.

Smith said tuition for a student costs about $38,000 a year. That is funded by private donations and fundraisers like Mini Laps.

That is why parents, like Spencer, are turning to the community for help.

"It is important that we go out and raise these funds and make people aware that the school is here, it is a great place, and their money goes a long way in helping these kids," he added.

The Mini Laps fundraiser ends on April 6th. Each student will then take a lap around the circle drive in front of Little Light House to celebrate the milestones they have met at school.

Smith said this year the event's theme is "Once Upon A Time" where the children can dress up and turn their wheelchairs or canes into floats.

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