Rays of Hope Autism Intervention Center, 2008
“Logan, where’s your nose? Can you show me where your nose is?” Teresa Totten taps him on the shoulder. “Logan, show me your nose.” Logan Hunnicut flashes an impish toothy grin; he scrunches up his face and points to his nose.
“What about your knee?” He reaches up and touches his right shoulder. “Logan, your knee.” He touches his other shoulder. “No, you crazy boy. There,” she points, “your knee.” Logan dances around when she touches his leg. “Come here, you," she grabs him around the waist and tickles his sides. Logan lets out a screech of laughter. “Where’s your knee?” Logan wiggles on the floor and points to his knees.
In another room, Grant Demaree sits on the floor and plays with a toy computer. He closes the lid, picks it up, and sets it on the table in front of Alysha Miller. He puts his hands together, with his palms inward, and opens them like a book. “Open? Grant, say open.” He gives her a blank stare, and opens his palms again. “Open. Here.” Alysha takes his hands in hers and the open the computer together. “Good job, Grant,” she closes the lid and points. “Open.” Grant puts his open palm to his chest and rubs in a circular motion, signing the word ‘sorry.’ “I know you’re sorry. It’s okay, buddy.” She opens the computer lid and hands it to him.
Grant and Logan, both three years old are enrolled at Rays of Hope Autism Intervention Center. Monica Hunnicut, Logan’s grandmother, opened the center on October 13, 2008. Logan was diagnosed with Autism when he was two years old, but Monica had suspected there was something different about her grandson much earlier. “His behavior was off. He wouldn’t make eye contact or speak, and had trouble sleeping at night.”
Monica was motivated to start and Autism center in Mt. Vernon after months of fruitless attempts to enroll Logan in an Autism program within the Mt. Vernon School System. “We would have needed to move to Columbus or out of state to get Logan the help he needed,” she said. According to Monica, there are about twenty five children in the Mt. Vernon School System who are diagnosed with Autism.
In March, 2008, Monica began working with Piece by Piece, a consulting service, and Step by Step Academy, a Columbus-based, non-profit Autism center; both groups helped to organize and start Rays of Hope. With the help of the Ohio Department of Education, private donations, and numerous fundraisers, Monica was able to collect enough money to make her dream a reality. “Early on, I felt so helpless. It was frustrating- it was the most discouraging fight of my life. I just wanted to give these kids the help they needed. The doors that were shut in my face suddenly began to open.”
In August, 2008, Monica bought the house and accompanying small yard at 100 South Gay Street. “It used to be a recovery center for drug and alcohol abuse,” she said. “We had to do a lot of work- scrubbing walls, replacing windows, installing a fence- but it was all worth it.”
Logan started at Rays of Hope on October 13, while Grant joined in mid-November. Both boys are enrolled in Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA Therapy. “It’s a foundation program that works to get them functioning at a social level that is appropriate to their age group. Our goal is to eventually have them enrolled in mainstream schools and make them indistinguishable amongst their peers.” The boys come to Rays of Hope Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. Throughout the day, each has one-on-one interactions with their own instructors; in addition, the children eat lunch and play with other students enrolled at Rays of Hope.
In just two months, Logan has learned to speak and interact with his peers. “He’s come such a long way. If you would have told me two months ago that he would be like this now, I would have told you that you were crazy. And now, all I see are endless possibilities for him,” Monica said, as her eyes glassed over with tears. “It’s difficult to express the feelings I have; I’m overwhelmed and elated.”
Rays of Hope
100 South Gay Street
Mt. Vernon, Ohio
November/December, 2008
Quotes taken from an interview with Monica Hunnicut.
Mat board illustrations by Grant Demaree and Logan Hunnicut.
“What about your knee?” He reaches up and touches his right shoulder. “Logan, your knee.” He touches his other shoulder. “No, you crazy boy. There,” she points, “your knee.” Logan dances around when she touches his leg. “Come here, you," she grabs him around the waist and tickles his sides. Logan lets out a screech of laughter. “Where’s your knee?” Logan wiggles on the floor and points to his knees.
In another room, Grant Demaree sits on the floor and plays with a toy computer. He closes the lid, picks it up, and sets it on the table in front of Alysha Miller. He puts his hands together, with his palms inward, and opens them like a book. “Open? Grant, say open.” He gives her a blank stare, and opens his palms again. “Open. Here.” Alysha takes his hands in hers and the open the computer together. “Good job, Grant,” she closes the lid and points. “Open.” Grant puts his open palm to his chest and rubs in a circular motion, signing the word ‘sorry.’ “I know you’re sorry. It’s okay, buddy.” She opens the computer lid and hands it to him.
Grant and Logan, both three years old are enrolled at Rays of Hope Autism Intervention Center. Monica Hunnicut, Logan’s grandmother, opened the center on October 13, 2008. Logan was diagnosed with Autism when he was two years old, but Monica had suspected there was something different about her grandson much earlier. “His behavior was off. He wouldn’t make eye contact or speak, and had trouble sleeping at night.”
Monica was motivated to start and Autism center in Mt. Vernon after months of fruitless attempts to enroll Logan in an Autism program within the Mt. Vernon School System. “We would have needed to move to Columbus or out of state to get Logan the help he needed,” she said. According to Monica, there are about twenty five children in the Mt. Vernon School System who are diagnosed with Autism.
In March, 2008, Monica began working with Piece by Piece, a consulting service, and Step by Step Academy, a Columbus-based, non-profit Autism center; both groups helped to organize and start Rays of Hope. With the help of the Ohio Department of Education, private donations, and numerous fundraisers, Monica was able to collect enough money to make her dream a reality. “Early on, I felt so helpless. It was frustrating- it was the most discouraging fight of my life. I just wanted to give these kids the help they needed. The doors that were shut in my face suddenly began to open.”
In August, 2008, Monica bought the house and accompanying small yard at 100 South Gay Street. “It used to be a recovery center for drug and alcohol abuse,” she said. “We had to do a lot of work- scrubbing walls, replacing windows, installing a fence- but it was all worth it.”
Logan started at Rays of Hope on October 13, while Grant joined in mid-November. Both boys are enrolled in Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA Therapy. “It’s a foundation program that works to get them functioning at a social level that is appropriate to their age group. Our goal is to eventually have them enrolled in mainstream schools and make them indistinguishable amongst their peers.” The boys come to Rays of Hope Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. Throughout the day, each has one-on-one interactions with their own instructors; in addition, the children eat lunch and play with other students enrolled at Rays of Hope.
In just two months, Logan has learned to speak and interact with his peers. “He’s come such a long way. If you would have told me two months ago that he would be like this now, I would have told you that you were crazy. And now, all I see are endless possibilities for him,” Monica said, as her eyes glassed over with tears. “It’s difficult to express the feelings I have; I’m overwhelmed and elated.”
Rays of Hope
100 South Gay Street
Mt. Vernon, Ohio
November/December, 2008
Quotes taken from an interview with Monica Hunnicut.
Mat board illustrations by Grant Demaree and Logan Hunnicut.