We want to thank KIRO radio for visiting The Angela House on Issaquah Highlands and interviewing Evelyn Galasso, Nancy Whitaker, Rose Finnegan, and Fred Nystrom on Thursday October 1st. It features the way our homes are run in the community and how difficult it is to find a new location to build the next LEO home.
The Experience Fitness Project was the first attempt to create an athletic event that was open to children with either a cognitive or a physical challenge and it was a huge success! Waypoint Pediatric Therapies and LEO teamed up to host almost 200 participants, volunteers and families on Sunday, September 27th at Issaquah High School. Activities ranged from a 100-yard run, walk or roll, to an obstacle course. Outdoors for All also came and encouraged participants to try their adaptive equipment. ARC and Athletes for Kids were just some of the vendors/volunteers that came to support the event and distribute resources.
Allison Yocum, a LEO board member and owner of Waypoint Pediatric Therapies along with her husband, Dennis, brought the concept to LEO as a new event that would be fun and educational for any child facing a developmental challenge. Based on the success of the first Experience Fitness Project, you can expect to hear about the 2nd one in 2016.
Athletes for Kids is a youth mentoring program that pairs children who have special needs or disabilities with high school athletes to learn from each other and impact each other’s lives.The AFK program has helped so many children improve their self-esteem, confidence, and even overcome their fear and anxiety of going to school just by providing a consistent mentor in their life to help guide them and support them. Many of the children they work with have never had a friend or play date so AFK mentors have the opportunity to fill that void and show them that they matter.Life Enrichment Options has had the pleasure of working with AFK on a few events and we are amazed with the work they do to support our community. And since we believe in supporting local nonprofits who are working toward the same goal, we would like to announce they are doing their annual auction on October 29th at the Embassy Suites in Bellevue! Please check out this great organization and their upcoming event: http://athletesforkids.org/
For years Jim has been an active volunteer with LEO, supporting various activities, helping with home renovation projects, and acting as webmaster for LEO’s first website.Recently retired, Jim hopes to spend more time improving the lives of those with disabilities through LEO by doing what he can to fulfill the LEO mission and vision. He has always felt great empathy for all people who are struggling in one way or another. Jim has lived in Washington since 1989, the since 1995 as an Issaquah resident along with his wife, Laura, and three adult sons. His oldest son Adam is autistic and lives in the Rose Finnegan Home.After earning his Physics degree Jim taught high school science, mathematics, and computer programming classes for seven years. He spent the next 35 years working as a GIS Consultant, Applications Developer, Spatial Database Administrator, and GIS Project Manager. Most of those years were spent working for the City of Bellevue and Puget Sound Energy in Washington.
