Mission Grant #2 “Teach Me Too: Preschoolers with Learning Needs in Austin — Lutheran Special Education Ministries” $100,000 fully funded
Led by the Spirit, you gave, and the grant money for Lutheran Special Education Ministries (LSEM) Teach Me Too: Preschoolers with Learning Needs has already funded a special education program at a preschool in Florida and provided scholarships to families with autistic children at Let It Shine Academy in Texas.
With the help of the LWML, LSEM has developed a partnership with Trinity Lutheran School in Orlando, Florida, which maintains one of the largest preschools and childcare centers in the LCMS, serving over 500 children.
LSEM has used the mission grant funds to pay Trinity’s fees for an LSEM program that provides their young students with learning needs at no cost to them! This allows those children to remain at Trinity’s preschool and be educated within a Lutheran environment.
At Let It Shine Academy in Austin, Texas, grant funds have been used to provide workshops for parents of children who have autism and to support two families through scholarships. Inspired by the Spirit, they share the Word in their classrooms.
One of the families receiving scholarship support is a single mom who recently moved to Austin and works a night shift. Her son is diagnosed with autism and has only been at Let It Shine for a month, but he has been thriving in Mr. Leo’s classroom.
The other family receiving scholarship money has a father who is a firefighter and a mother who works at a lower paying job. At her previous school, their daughter with autism struggled severely as the staff were not trained to properly communicate with her. Since being at Let It Shine, she is progressing in all areas of development, and the staff is also able to educate and support the family as needed.
The mission grant from the LWML has been an incredible blessing. Without these funds, these children would not be receiving the help they need in a loving, Christian environment. Filled with the Spirit, they have hope!
For more information about this mission grant, view the individual mission grant page here.
