http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU-L_kI5zyI
Stephanie Meyer spent the last day of summer with her family at St. Amant for its annual Free The Spirit Festival.
Her mom Susan, dad Rob, and even her dog Miley joined the event on Saturday. The family hopes they can help fund programs like the ones Stephanie attends.
Stephanie was born with cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. She started going to school at St. Amant and moved to their residence about four years ago, after living with her parents for 16 years.
“Things got physically too challenging for us to handle,” said her mother, Susan.
“We’d been coming here for respite and we loved the facility and the programming so she’s been living here since she was 16.”
The Meyers are able to spend more time together as a family since Stephanie gets the care she needs from staff at St. Amant.
“We’re so happy to have time together where we’re not caregiving that we can just enjoy as a family.”
As a resident Stephanie has access to a school program specific to her needs, a gym complete with a pool, and the John & Bonnie Buhler Reflective Gardens where Saturday’s event was held.
The free festival kicked off with a walk at 11:00 a.m. and continued throughout the day with a petting zoo, live music, a silent auction, and a barbeque.
“It’s a very visual fundraiser so people who may not know what happens inside the walls of St. Amant actually can see who lives here and what the people who live here are like,” says Susan.
Staff, clients, friends, and families collected pledges to walk from St. Amant on River Road to St. Mary’s Avenue and back.
“I want to showcase how St. Amant focuses on the abilities of the people we support rather than the limitations,” said Juliette Mucha, Director of the St. Amant Foundation.
Last year the foundation raised over $155,000 to assist clients like Stephanie.
